Posts Tagged: Music Arts

Michael Raines, Melanie Fann, Matthias Brown, Peter Podar, Kelsey Ridenour, Meagan Kessell and Alex Sample, students of Nemeth; and Mayuri Jagadish, Kris Sammons and Emily Cottrell, students of Lisa Griggs

Piano students of Rudolph Nemeth and vocal students of Lisa Griggs appeared in a Music Arts recital on Sunday, February 7. The event, which started at 2 pm, took place at the West Village Christian Church on Robertsville Road.

Performing were Michael Raines, Melanie Fann, Matthias Brown, Peter Podar, Kelsey Ridenour, Meagan Kessell and Alex Sample, students of Nemeth; and Mayuri Jagadish, Kris Sammons and Emily Cottrell, students of Lisa Griggs.

An intermission quiz, titled “What’s that Sound,” asked students to identify a wide range of instruments, and correct answers were rewarded with small prizes. In addition, Kelsey Ridenour won a Music Arts sheet music bag, and Alex Sample won a flying disk.

Hosts for the reception following the well-attended performance were Karen Earle and Kris Sammons.

Music Arts, formed in 1983, with a faculty of twenty professional musicians, offers instruction in band and orchestral instruments, piano, voice, guitar and mandolin. The school presents frequent recitals so students can perform when they’re at their peak. A nonprofit organization, the school offers scholarships to qualifying students of all ages.

How’d you like a free lesson every now and then?

Nothing to it.  You can be part of our “Advertising!”   Refer a new student and for every full quarter that student completes, you’ll earn one free lesson!  Better yet, that single referral “Bonus Lesson” award can last as long as two full years!   Check it out further in our Student Guide at www.MusicArtsSchool.org, under “Activities.”  Look for the heading “Do you give Discounts?“ 

One of our referring students recently received a free Bonus Lesson deducted from her bill, and when she mailed her payment in, she wrote “WooHoo!  Thx!” 

And how about 10 % off your Summer Quarter lessons?

While you’re checking out the Bonus Lesson awards, perhaps the Prompt Payment Reward will catch your eye.  Starting each Fall Quarter, make sure all your payments are in our hands on time — postmarked by the 3rd of the month or drop box deposited by the 5th — and you’ll get a whopping 10% discount on your continuing Summer Quarter lessons.

Sure, you can wait to post your payment until the end of our “Grace Period” – by the 16th or hand-delivered by the 18th.  But do the math – isn’t that 10% worth getting it in on time?  Especially if you wait a little bit too long and get hit with the $4 late Fee?

Please let us know about your musical accomplishments! Did you make the Gold Band this year, or perhaps land a spot as alternate on the Silver Band? Has your school orchestra taken any neat trips lately? Have you played for your church or temple congregation?   Won any awards or scholarships?

If you can, send in a photo with a short description about your awards, concerts, workshops or scholarships – anything you think might be newsworthy and you’d like to share. (Yes, parents, we’d like to hear from you too!)

Send them to our newsletter editor, Jennifer MacGillivray, at jennmacg@comcast.net.

Music Arts board members and faculty at the Secret City Festival

Music Arts has been part of our city’s festivals for more than 25 years, and this year we’ll again be sponsoring a booth at the Secret City Festival at the Oak Ridge Civic Center June 19th and 20th, 2009.

Please come by and meet some of our instructors and visit with those you already know.

Students are encouraged to show up at our booth with instrument in hand (no, we won’t have a piano this year!) and help entertain festival-goers.  That’s a sure-fire way to attract people to our booth!  Last year we had a guitar student and a flute student who drew an audience.

The Secret City Festival it is free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. We hope to see you there!

Jeanine Wilkinson

This summer Jeanine Wilkinson will be working as the General Management Intern for the Grant Park Music Festival.

The festival is held in downtown Chicago’s Millennium Park and is celebrating its 75th season.

One of the projects that Jeanine is currently working on is to create a community engagement program where groups of students can come to open rehearsals, with a tour of the Pavilion given by one of the docents.

A Stuffing Party for the annual fund drive mailing will be at the Alliance Church on Saturday, July 11 at 1:00 p.m. Board members, instructors, parents and students are invited to stuff envelopes in order to save Music Arts a bundle in bulk mail fees.

Music Arts Newsletter Stuffing

Mark your calendars for stuffing, and if you can’t make it you can still consider contributing to the annual fund drive. The funds raised go to a great cause – scholarships for needy students! If you would like to give, your contribution is tax-deductible.

Please contact the Music Arts office for further details!

This is a good time for a reminder about how to help with the cost of your private lessons.

Those of you who have paid your bills on time (by the 5th of the month) since the beginning of the school year will be delighted to find a 10% discount on your continuing lessons this summer.

Another clever way to save comes from simply referring new students to any of our Music Arts instructors. Our Referral Reward Program is a very popular discount, giving you the opportunity to earn free lessons. Simply refer a new student for private lessons. (Ask the student to identify you as the person who recommended Music Arts!)

For every lesson the new student completes, you’ll be awarded one point. When you’ve accumulated the number of points equaling your instructor’s basic quarterly lesson plan (11, 12, or 13), you’ll have an automatic deduction of one free lesson from your next quarterly bill. And your bonus lesson awards will continue to be applied for two full years, as long as both you and your referred student are studying!

Music Arts trumpet students Sean Baier & Evan Glass were selected to participate in the East Tennessee 9th grade Junior Band Clinic which was held at ORHS Dec.5-6, 2008.

Sean & Evan were among hundreds of East Tennessee students who auditioned back in November. Both are students of Warren Clark.

Warren Clark’s trumpet students: Jed Storey, Catherine Backus, Tyler Yount, and Tracy Trentham, and euphonium student David Young were selected to participate in the All-State East Senior Band Clinic held in Gatlinburg on Feb. 5-7th.

Jed Storey also placed high enough to go on to All-State in Nashville this April.

Ilia Steinschneider with two of his violin students, Elizabeth Wilson and Elijah Fetzer

Over 50 young area musicians auditioned in early January for the newly formed ORYSO. Several Music Arts students have joined the new orchestra including: Elizabeth Wilson, and Elijah Fetzer, violin students of Ilia Steinschneider; Willam Mason, cello student of Jeanine Wilkinson; and Catherine Backus, trumpet student of Warren Clark.

The conductor, Rachel Grubb, is currently working towards the prestigious College Scholars degree in Conducting and Violin Performance at the University of Tennessee.

To learn more about the orchestra, its rehearsal and concert schedule, contact Rachel Grubb at rgrubb1@utk.edu or the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, which is sponsoring the group.

Music Arts trumpets and lower brass visited nursing homes, library and Kroger a couple of days before Christmas.

Although younger than other Music Arts instructors, the music school’s latest addition to the faculty is brimming with talent, enthusiasm and playing experience.

Don Childress

Don Childress, who sports the nickname “Duck,” recently graduated from Bearden High School and has as his life’s goal to be a professional musician and teacher.

A guitarist who’s familiar with a wide range of music styles, Don especially enjoys rock, jazz, bluegrass, country and blues. He’s lead guitarist and vocalist for two Knoxville bands and keeps busy performing.

Don’s hope, in teaching, is to pass along his love of music. “I think it’s good to pass music around and share it with everybody,” he emphasizes. “Everyone deserves a chance to learn.” He doesn’t put age limits on the students he’ll accept.

At lessons with new students, Don prefers to first see what they already know. He thinks it’s important to also find out what their goals are. Do they want to learn just chords, or learn to read melodies? “If they can sit still for scales and music theory, I’d be happy to help them with that, too” he grins.

As a musician who loves his guitar and making music, Don was inspired to play guitar because his father had a guitar. “Dad taught me some chords, and it was ‘away we go’ from then on,” Don says, adding “The bottom line is that I always want my students to have fun. If they’re not having fun, then they’re wasting their time and their money.”