The younger kids in the chorale were nervous. They weren't sure they wanted to go on. How could they dance and sing in front of all these middle schoolers?

The older kids in the chorus passed out the cowboy hats in the risers set up at Frontier Middle School. The lady at the piano starting banging away in that old ragtime style. Their conductor stepped aside. Someone in the audience started clapping to the beat, and soon the whole gym full of students was clapping along, and the kids in the chorale took center stage.

How they run - yes run! - when they hear him a-comin'…

The littlest kids in the front row, the ones who weren't sure of themselves at first, put on a show - riding imaginary horses, snapping their imaginary suspenders, kicking up imaginary boots.

He's a high falootin' rootin' tootin' son of a gun from old Wyoming … Ragtime Cowboy Joe!

The kind of energy the Casper Children's Chorale generates at its performances is what brings hundreds of children out every year to audition for 80 spots in the group, led by dynamic conductor Marcia Patton.

Auditions are May 15, and every spring the group goes on a local tour to show off their skills and invite new singers to apply. They sang at five schools Friday, shuttled around by mothers in minivans.

Patton said even though there are costs associated with the chorale, including monthly dues and money for trips out of state, the chorale is open to children of all families and scholarships and fundraisers are available.

Parents of the chorale singers, every bit as dedicated as soccer moms and football dads, said their children learn more than pitch and tone and harmony. The experience has helped shape their lives.

Debbie Riedl's oldest son, Chris, was in the chorale as a boy and now is a music major at Casper College. He plays guitar, drums and piano.

"Marcia has been such a huge impact on him," Riedl said.

Her four other children also have participated, and the three youngest, Anthony, David and Kathy, performed Friday. Anthony played a conga-type drum to one of the songs, and a boy in the audience imitated the rhythm, slapping his hands on his thighs.

The group practices every week and travels together - upcoming trips include Colorado Springs and New York City. That teaches discipline and dedication, said Renee Smith, whose daughter Kianna sang in the chorus Friday.

"It's been a great experience," she said, and obviously a ton of fun.