Miss Mississippi visits Carver Elementary as part of her ‘Music is Medicine’ initiative

Published 9:41 am Monday, February 6, 2023

Students at G. W. Carver Elementary got a special treat last week as Miss Mississippi Emmie Perkins visited with the two first grade classes as part of her learning initiative, “Music is Medicine.”

Perkins read “Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes” to Jessica Jackson and Becky Wilson’s first grade classes.

“It was really neat and so much fun for the students,” said Carver Lead Teacher Nita Shoemake.

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Perkins passed out maracas to each student and they danced and sang “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, because she says, “music makes us happy.”

Perkins is an advocate for incorporating music into classrooms to keep students engaged and says music helps unite and heal.

Perkins is in the process of visiting one school in 81 of the 82 counties in the state to promote the arts and music. Carver was her number 34 on her list of schools to visit.

Perkins shared that her “Music is Medicine” program was recognized on a national level while at Miss America in December.

She won the Jean Bartel Social Impact Initiative Award and is the first Miss Mississippi to receive this award along with winning a $10,000 scholarship for college.

“As a musician, and as somebody who has a social impact on music, I’m so proud of the fact that I come from America’s birthplace of music,” said Perkins. “But it truly is the people that I always go back to. The people of Mississippi are so hospitable, kind and supportive.”

Perkins is from Hattiesburg and is a senior communication and public relations major, with a minor in music, at Mississippi State University, where she won the title of Miss MSU.