Iqaluit (Feb 10/03) - If making solid music is the end product, Colleen Walsh is the factory foreman in charge of production.

Walsh has been "punching the clock" Saturday afternoons upstairs at Inuksuk high school, directing about 20 enthusiastic singers.

Their efforts -- and their acting -- will produce "Anything Goes," a musical Iqaluit can attend Feb. 21 to 23 at Inuksuk high school. Admission is by donation.

Her third production for the Iqaluit Music Society, Walsh also has a (paying) day job teaching music in the high school.

"I have some pretty strong voices, so the leadership of some singers can help the weaker voices," Walsh says of a group that ranges from girls under 10 years of age to grey-haired gentlemen.

It may take different approaches to weld a perfect note from such a bunch.

"Some people can read music, but a lot don't so I'll go by rote: I'll sing to them and they'll sing back to me," Walsh explains.

Ever the teacher, there is homework, too. "I'll give them tapes so they can practise at home," she says.

Will they sing in the shower to practise? "I'm sure some of them do," she says with a laugh.

Getting the parts to work in harmony is a hands-on affair. Watching Walsh direct, the first thing you'll notice is a lot of hand gestures and sweeping arm movements.

"A lot of the gestures are pretty straight forward. I'll point to my mouth to say: 'open your mouths, people,'" she explains.

Other movements help the musical assembly line keep pace. "The better ones will keep an eye on me to watch for cues," she says of what will happen on performance night when the singers will be combining voice with acting skills.

"I conduct the orchestra, too, so I'll be there to throw cues at the vocalists and keep the music flowing well."

The overall director for Anything Goes is Brad McIsaac, plus there are others in charge of staging, costuming, props and so on to make a complete production.