Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Tanner Jack Snyder tunes a homemade guitar at Summer Music School.

Warren County Summer Music School has been around in one form or another for 60 years, but is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Students entering grade five or higher, including adults, have taken classes in brass, percussion, woodwinds, strings, keyboard, and vocal music, music theory, and other classes related to fine arts.

The program started as practice time for Warren High School marching band in 1958 and grew over time to include younger students and the entire county.

Now, the mission is “to encourage and develop the study, performance and appreciation of the fine arts.”

Instructors have included teachers from the district, local experts, and guests from near and far.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Haley Eckman creates a Mbira — a thumb piano — at Summer Music School.

“We offer theater, dance, music, and the visual arts,” Director Denise Pearson said.

This year’s three-week program’s offerings include the traditional instrumental music options, pipe organ, ukulele, steel drum, handbells, piano, jazz, four types of dance, yoga, abstraction, photography, handcrafting instruments, music theory, improv, song writing, and many others.

Buses run daily to and from Sugar Grove, Tidioute, Sheffield, and Irvine.

There are five periods each day, with school running from 8:25 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. School age students have to fill up that time. “Adults can pick and choose,” Pearson said.

The traditional culminating activity will be Pops at the Fountain, a combined concert by the school and the Warren Philharmonic, at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 27, at the Point in downtown Warren. In case of rain, the organization will announce a move to Warren Area High School on its Facebook page.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Peyton Bailey (right) and Shane Carlson repair clarinets at Summer Music School.

Information about Summer Music School can be found at www.wcsms.org.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Charles Jones (right) plays trumpet and Max Peterson plays baritone in the brass class at Summer Music School.l.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Chase Colosimo (left) plays trumpet and Olivia Romanosky plays trombone in the brass class at Summer Music School.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Sydnie Sorensen (right) and Katie Seamens play the harp at Summer Music School.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Aubrey Carrington plays the harp at Summer Music School.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Lucas Thrift plays the tubulum, a homemade percussion organ, at Warren County Summer Music School.