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Music School Directors Cheer for Grace Kelly

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Angelic harp melodies are not the only strains of music to be heard on a cloud. Not this cloud, at any rate. On November 20, 2004, a raw Saturday night, Cloud Place in Boston was buzzing and bustling - not only due to the many moms and dads who were preparing their artistic progeny for a performance, but also to members of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts gathering for their yearly convention. Music and dance students in grade school and high school were invited to display their talents at this prestigious event (it's not every day an opportunity appears to perform in front of leaders of music schools from all across New England) with home states ranging from Massachusetts to Connecticut and New Hampshire.
Representing Brookline Music School was Grace Kelly, a singer-songwriter- saxophonist whose talent and musical sophistication belie her age: 12 years old. Accompanied on piano by Jacob Sherman, on drums by Evan Winter - both Boston-area students—and on bass by BMS teacher John Purcell, Kelly's warm sax tones and refreshingly agile voice were showcased by jazzy takes on the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love and Berlin's "Blue Skies, among other tunes. The four-song set was an immediate hit with the audience, garnering open admiration and invitations to music programs for the preteen prodigy.
Robert Kelly, Kelly's manager and father, notes that she is in the final stages of recording her first solo CD, Dreaming, featuring both original compositions and her own versions of established hits, including the ones she performed at Cloud Place. The CD is projected for release by the end of 2004.

Visit Grace Kelly on the web.

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