Eight WHS Band Students Perform at All-State

Musicians from the Whitewater High School Band program performed with the best of the best earlier this month in Savannah as members of the 2011 Georgia Music Educator’s Association All-State Band/Orchestra.

The students are Laura Dudley (French Horn), Carly Grayson (Flute), Lauren Milner (French Horn), Amy Melton (French Horn), Jay Newsome (Saxophone), Anna Rainwater (French Horn), and Kyle Vice (Trumpet).

Being selected for an All-State ensemble is no easy task. Students must pass two rigorous, competitive auditions to earn one of the coveted spots. More than 3,000 students across Georgia auditioned.

----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Fayette Students Headed for Janfest

Five McIntosh band students will perform in the Janfest High School Band Festival hosted by the University of Georgia Bands January 20-23 in Athens.

Sarah Manley, Jesse Hu, John O’Leary, Drew Naber, and Colin Benton will be among the more than 1,000 students from states throughout the south who were selected to participate.

Participants are given the opportunity to improve their musical skills through auditions, honor and clinic bands, master classes and listening to guest bands perform. They also perform a concert at the close of the festival.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Fayette Students Perform in U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Four Fayette Band students were in San Antonio, TX over the weekend to perform at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the Alamodome.

Iessah Watson (piccolo), Fayette County High; Tristin Thompson (mellophone), Fayette County High; Phillip Hayes (marching baritone), Fayette County High; and Ryan Alli (sousaphone), Starr’s Mill High, were selected to be part of 125-member All-American Marching Band from hundreds of nominations received across the nation.

The students experienced an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity rehearsing and performing alongside the finest high school marching musicians in the nation for four days. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl, produced by All American Games, features the nation’s top high school senior football players and marching musicians.

The selection process is twofold. Music teachers nominate students who exhibit exceptional musicianship, marching achievement, character, and leadership. Nominees are then invited to submit an application and audition materials to the National Association of Music Education for selection.

Selected students have all of their expenses paid to participate, perform, and be recognized for their exceptional music accomplishments.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

FCHS Band and Kohl’s Support Angel Tree Program

Thanks to the Kohl’s Cares program and the Fayette County High School Band, high school students on the CARE (Children at Risk in Education) Angel Tree will have all of their Christmas wishes granted.

For the first time ever, the band decided to make their holiday concert a fundraiser for the Angel Tree. Students and parents were asked to bring clothing, toiletries, personal care items, gift cards and other requested gifts as donations.

Additionally, Kohl’s donated $500 to the Angel Tree plus another $500 to the Fayette County High School Band through its Kohl’s Cares program. A total of 10 employees from the Douglasville department store volunteered their time at the concert. Kohl’s Cares donates $100 to a nonprofit organization for each employee volunteer.

“This has all been just truly amazing. Although the economy is still bad, people have stepped forward to make donations and help our students and families in need. I cannot thank the Fayette County High School Band and Kohl’s enough,” says Karen Spangler, CARE coordinator and organizer of the Angel Tree project.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

December 9 Holiday Band Concert Benefits CARE

For the first time ever, the Fayette County High School Band holiday concert will benefit high school students in need.

The band has partnered with the school system’s CARE (Children at Risk in Education) program to help fulfill requests from high school students on the program’s Angel Tree. School counselors recommend students for the Angel Tree if they and their families are in need of financial assistance. Parents must work or be actively looking for work in order for students to qualify.

Groups and individuals who sponsor angels tend to gravitate toward younger students, often leaving behind those at the high school level. That’s why Dr. Myra Rhoden, the school’s band director, decided to turn the concert into a benefit to collect items for students at all five of the county’s high schools.

“In this economic climate, many high schoolers are supporting themselves and/or helping support their families. Other groups that send in toys and clothing for younger children often forget many of these students. We want to assist the high school students who fall into this category,” says Rhoden.

Band parents and students are being asked to donate items for both boys and girls that will be given as Christmas gifts through the Angel Tree project. Requested items that have been identified by CARE are as follows: coats (may be gently used), socks and underwear, scented lotions/perfumes, toiletries, jewelry, gift cards, CDs, canned goods, and any item a teen-aged child would like to receive as a gift.

“It is amazing about the absolute miracles that are happening for this project,” says Karen Spangler, CARE coordinator and organizer of the Angel Tree. “I want to thank Dr. Rhoden and the Fayette County High School Band for being a part of those miracles.”

If you would like to help, contact Fayette County High School at 770-460-3540. The band’s holiday concert is scheduled for December 9 at the school.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
Twitter: @FayetteFP

Fayette County Musicians Honored with Induction

Two Fayette County School System band faculty members have been inducted into Phi Beta Mu, International Band Master’s Fraternity.

Bill Melton, band director at Whitewater Middle, and Andrew Poor, associate director of bands at Starr’s Mill High, both learned that they had received the honor during the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) State In-Service Conference. The fraternity selects its members based on their service to the profession, overall record of musical excellence and success as a music educator.

“The honor was a pleasant surprise for me, as I am sure it was for Bill, and a significant honor for us both to be selected by our peers for this recognition,” Poor says.

Both Melton and Poor also presented workshops at the GMEA conference. Melton’s clinic was about developing a successful middle school band program; Poor’s focused on topics designed to help educators become more effective adjudicators and apply those skills to their classroom.

---
Community News You Can Use
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.ReadMyLipstickNetwork.com
Twitter: @readmylipstick
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
www.Hummingbird-Hollow.com
Twitter: @hhpotterystudio
---