HAMILTON — Make a puppet, tour a gallery, play along with an orchestra. Kids will experience the arts in action Sunday at a free event at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts.

        A joint effort of the Fitton Center and classical public radio station WGUC, The Great Miami Arts Jam! is designed to help families introduce their children to classical music, as well as to other visual and performing arts. So there are strolling puppeteers, mimes and jugglers. Tattoo artists will offer temporary body decor. The Madcap Puppet Theatre will be on hand with “A World of Tales.” To showcase its art studios, the Fitton Center is offering “make it and take it” workshops in media ranging from paper to ceramics.

IF YOU GO

• What: Great Miami Arts Jam!    • When: noon to 4 p.m. Sunday    • Where: Fitton Center, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton    • Information: 863-8873

        The music is provided by the Great Miami Youth Symphony and the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Chamber Orchestra and Chorale.

        “The performances are geared toward kids and families,” said WGUC's vice president for marketing, Chris Phelps.

        The arts jam concept grew from a meeting of Paul Thoms, Fitton Center spokesman, and Coleen Tracey, the radio station's community relations manager.

        “About a year ago, I invited Coleen to come up and tour our facility,” said Mr. Thoms. “She was anxious to do some collaboration, something that would attract families with young children.”

        Ms. Phelps said that WGUC had wanted to develop an event that would bolster the station's Classics for Kids program.

        “We wanted to build some outreach into it,” she said.

        They enlisted music educator Craig Woodson of Cleveland to offer an instrument-making session at the arts jam. Mr. Woodson will help children create “drumpets,” simple instruments that can be blown, plucked or tapped.

        Afterward, the fledgling drumpet section will play along with the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony ensemble during its performance of “Hello Family” by area composer Philip Koplow. Mr. Koplow's work, which has been performed by orchestras across the country, also includes a sing-along portion.
       

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