By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Feb 21, 2017 at 10:45 AM

Folk-blues singer/songwriter Valerie June plays at Turner Hall Ballroom at 8 tonight as part of the tour for her anticipated new record, "The Order of Time."

But I’m pretty sure the best moment of the day will come when she welcomes about 15 kids from MPS’ Lancaster Elementary School to the venue at 4:30 p.m. to watch her soundcheck and then spend some time at a meet-and-greet.

The event was organized as part of the Turnaround Arts program of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Four MPS schools – Lancaster, MLK, Sherman Creative Arts and Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts – participate in the program, which integrates art, dance, music, theater and more across other subject areas.

The meet-and-greet will be something of a reunion because June visited Lancaster Elementary, a K3-8 school near 68th and Hampton, in September. That’s when the photo you see above was taken.

At the school, June performed and talked to kids, who had been researching June and her music for a couple weeks – drawing pictures of and writing essays about her.

June’s connection to Lancaster via the Turnaround Arts program is expected to last two years, during which time she will continue to visit and connect with kids whenever possible.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.