EDMOND—Imperial Academy held its annual spring semester recital in Armstrong Auditorium on April 28 with performances by the 26-member Armstrong Youth Orchestra, elementary violin and winds classes, individual piano and instrumental students, and the 26-person Armstrong Youth Chorus.

Third-grade violin instructor Emily Burns said learning to play musical instruments teaches students concentration and teamwork, particularly as they begin to play in harmony with other students. She said she loves seeing the excitement in the first-time piano students who play at the recital and her own students’ excitement when they learn a new piece.

“Their faces just light up when they learn how to play four measures,” she said.

Imperial Academy was founded in 2008 on the Philadelphia Church of God’s headquarters campus in Edmond, Oklahoma. The grade school includes an active music program and a dance program in partnership with the Muggivan School of Irish dance.