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.

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Ike is the “Star” of Starr’s Mill

Ike Kamalu wraps up singing the National Anthem on day two of the Fayette County Special Olympics Basketball Tournament. The gym broke out in applause and cheers immediately following the performance, making Ike feel like a rock star.

After an awe-inspiring performance of the National Anthem at last week’s Fayette County Special Olympics Basketball Tournament, one student has claimed star status at Starr’s Mill High.

Ikenna Kamalu, who goes by Ike, is an 11th grader who has a passion for music. He uses singing as a form of expression and communication, according to his choral teacher Christy Todd, who collaborated with the Starr’s Mill Exceptional Children’s Department last year to start a music therapy class for students enrolled in the Community Based Vocational Instructional (CBVI) program.

“He can be having a hard day but the second he starts singing along to Rick Astley or Michael Jackson, his favorite artists, his demeanor immediately changes. Ike always smiles when he sings,” said Todd.

Ike is now taking his love for music to a new level as he learns how to sing and read music as part of the music therapy class that meets weekly. So impressed by his musical abilities, his teachers approached him in September about singing the National Anthem solo.

He was excited to show his pride about living in America; Ike is originally from Nigeria. He wanted to make his new country and school proud, so he practiced performing the anthem in music class, on the bus, and in elective classes. Concerned that not everyone would stand during the National Anthem, he even rehearsed asking people to stand and show respect for their country.

“We are proud to see Ike sharing his talents with classmates and teachers. His performance was awe-inspiring,” said Courtney Savage, a teacher in the Exceptional Children’s Services Department at Starr’s Mill.

Ike performed during the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics Basketball Tournament held at Starr’s Mill High on October 21 and 22. After his performances, he said, “I liked singing the National Anthem. Everyone cheered and I felt like a rock star.”

Ike is an inspiration to his classmates and entire student body. The day he sang the National Anthem for the Special Olympics, he also sang it during the school’s morning announcements. His performance was embraced with cheers from his schoolmates.

“It was amazing because in the halls you could hear the classes cheering for Ike after he finished singing. Ike has shown the students of Starr’s Mill that with practice and hard work you can do any thing,” said Todd.

Ike’s singing of the National Anthem was his debut, but his performances are far from over. On December 7 he will perform again, along with his music therapy class, at the school’s annual Christmas Concert at 7 pm in the Duke Auditorium at Starr’s Mill High.

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Fayette County Students Learn Music and Leadership at All Girls Summer Camp

A total of 13 students from Fayette’s middle and high schools participated in the first Athena Music and Leadership Camp designed to encourage females to become leaders in their band programs.

Young musicians from five of Fayette County's middle and high schools were a part of history in the making this summer as they attended the first ever music leadership camp just for girls.

The Athena Music and Leadership Camp, sponsored by Music Essentials, was created by Fayette County High School band director Myra Rhoden in an effort to encourage girls to become leaders in their school band programs. Men have long dominated the music field at the high school level, and although women are starting to enter the field, Rhoden says attitudes take time to catch up. That’s why she spent a year organizing the camp that is named after the Greek goddess of the arts and wisdom. The camp is the only band camp in the state serving just girls, according to Rhoden.

At total of 44 students from nine metro-Atlanta counties, including 13 from Fayette, attended the first all female music camp June 9-13 on the campus of the University of West Georgia. Fayette students included Katherine Burke, Bennett’s Mill Middle; Callie Burks, Flat Rock Middle; Ashley Carter, Fayette County High; Emily Gomes, Fayette Middle; Gabrielle Illg, Rising Starr Middle; Alexis Johnson, Fayette County High; Tori Melton, Rising Starr Middle; Sarah Mendes, Rising Starr Middle; Mallory Northrop, Fayette County High; Elisabeth Pagan, Fayette Middle; Sara Preiss, Flat Rock Middle; Omone Tokurah, Fayette Middle and Marisa Winter, Rising Starr Middle.

The girls spent the week in music and leadership classes and concluded the camp by showing off what they had learned during a concert performance on the final day.

An all female staff of professional musicians and teachers from around the state lead the camp including Leslie Minor, assistant director at Flat Rock Middle, who served as the clarinet and music theory instructor and Rhoden, who served as the camp’s director and conductor of the all girl symphonic band.

The camp is open to all female 7th-12th grade musicians who play woodwind, brass or percussion instruments. Due to the success of the first camp, a second has been planned for next summer, June 8-12, 2010 at the University of West Georgia.

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Fun at the Fred begins with All-Star Lineup for 2009 Summer Concerts

Series Renewals begin January 26

The Fred will be rockin’ this summer with the songs you know and love showcasing beach music, country, pop, rock and more. The Fred, a 2500 seat outdoor amphitheater in Peachtree City will host a six concert series that will span May – August featuring a variety of music that will span the decades .

The six concert series schedule includes the following all-star lineup:
May 1 & 2 Kenny Loggins From Loggins & Messina classics like “Danny’s Song” to signature solo tracks including “Celebrate Me Home” and the Grammy-winning “This Is It”, Kenny Loggins expansive body of work speaks volumes with its warmth and directness.

June 5, 6 Leann Rimes Always mature beyond her age, she earned two Grammy Awards for “Blue”, her 1996 major label debut. Certified multi-platinum, the album has sold 8 million copies and the title track remains one of her signature songs. She followed that impressive bow with a series of best-selling albums and hit singles, (23 total for a combined sales of 15 million units) like the chart-topping “How Do I Live,” the longest running single on the Billboard Hot 100 and “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.”

June 26 & 27 The Beach Boys featuring Mike Love and Bruce Johnston The Beach Boys first rode the waves of success in 1961 with their regional debut hit “Surfin.” By 1996 they had emerged as one of America’s top pop groups by releasing eleven top-10 singles in five year. They were made popular with hits like “Fun, Fun, fun,” “I Get Around,” Help Me Rhonda,” “California Girls” and “Good Vibrations.”

July 17 & 18 The Spinners The Spinners have always made music that is at once timeless and also utterly in tune with the times. They possess a classic group sound and approach which never loses its universal appeal. In the past years they have acquired twelve gold records with their hits climbing to the top of both the pop and R&B charts. A partial list of their songs is “Then Came You”, “Rubberband Man”, “Games People Play” and “I’ll Be Around”.

August 14, 15 Hippiefest featuring Flo and Eddie of the Turtles, Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night, Brewer and Shipley, Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals and Joey Molland of Badfinger. This three-hour show is jam-packed with talent that will appeal to a wide audience including those who experienced the era as well as those who came later only got to experience the intrigue.

August 21 & 22 Peter Cetera As the lead singer and bassist of Chicago, Cetera wrote some of the biggest hits of the rock and pop music era including “If You Leave Me Now,” “Baby What a Big Surprise,” “You’re the Inspiration,” “Stay the Night,” “Feeling Stronger Every Day,” and “Hard To Say I’m Sorry”.

The price for a series ticket, (all six concerts) is $240 per person for reserved seating and $300 for Gold Seating. A limited number of Picnic Tables are available for $1800 for the series and Gold Tables are $3,000. Existing series ticket holders will be able to renew their tickets from January 26-February 20. New series tickets will go on sale to the public on Saturday, March 7 at the Fred Box Office from 9 a.m – 12 pm. Individual tickets will be available for purchase beginning March 14. For information about how to order tickets call 770-631-0630. Payment may be made by cash, check or credit card.

Four additional spotlight concerts will be announced by the end of January, which will target various demographic audiences and genres of music. These spotlight concerts will be one night performances only and will be scheduled throughout the season. Additionally, The Fred will host a number of community events throughout the summer including “Flicks at the Fred”, “50’s Family Sock Hop” and “Open Mic” nights. A full schedule of events is expected to be released by the first week of February.

The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater is owned by the City of Peachtree City and operates under the Department of Leisure Services. For further information about the 2009 Summer Concert Series, call 770-631-0630 or visit www.amphitheater.org.

Fayette County Students Selected for Top Chorale Group

Photo: (L-R back row) Carolyn Groover, Christopher Greco, David Brewer, Lucas Patelles, Drew Van de Motter, Jennifer Stadelmeyer (L-R front row) Jessica Bell, Abby Israel, Anna Hansen and Elizabeth Jowers. (Not pictured: Camila Cando).

Some of the best young singers in the state represented Fayette County at the 25th Annual Georgia Music Educators Association Statewide Elementary Honors Chorus.

Nine students from Peachtree City Elementary and Peeples Elementary performed with other top singers from throughout the state on Saturday at the Clayton Performing Arts Center. The students were Christopher Greco, David Brewer, Lucas Patelles, Drew Van de Motter, Jessica Bell, Abby Israel, Anna Hansen, Elizabeth Jowers and Camila Cando. Music teachers Carolyn Groover, Peachtree City Elementary, and Jennifer Stadelmeyer, Peeples Elementary, accompanied the students.

The students sang under the direction of Cheryl Dupont, director of the New Orleans Children’s Chorus and Youth Chorale and Dr. John E. Simmons, associate professor of choral and sacred music, director of graduate studies and director of the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Sacred Music Studies at Mercer University.

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First Presbyterian Church of Peachtree City Launches Concert Series with Sam De Carlo

A new tradition begins at First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City on Sunday, September 21 at 4 pm as organist Sam De Carlo presents an afternoon of inspirational music. De Carlo will be joined in concert with John Beresford, senior music student from the University of Michigan. The community is invited to attend the concert at no charge. A love offering will be taken. First Presbyterian Church is located in Peachtree City at 206 Willowbend Rd. across from the Library and City Hall. For more information, please call (770) 487-7757 or email concerts@firstpresptc.com.






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Blown Away!

My husband Greg and I went to three concerts this weekend. Yep, three. The great thing about these concerts is they were all in Fayette County and all were fantastic! Two showcased local talent, the third was a Kenny Rogers concert at the Fred in Peachtree City.

What an eclectic musical weekend we had!

First we heard the Southern Nights Chorale perform at the First Baptist Church in Peachtree City Friday night. Southern Nights is a precision a cappella men’s select chorus. It was formed in 2004 by J. D. Holmes. The group has performed at the Governor’s mansion, sung the National Anthem to kick off a Braves game at the Atlanta stadium, and sung at numerous church and civic events.

We were treated to favorite tunes to include Danny Boy, Ave Maria, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Georgia On My Mind and When the Saints Go Marchin’ In. Darlene Simpson Ware impressed the crowd when she sang Summertime and Don’t Rain on My Parade. Simpson Ware has sung in an assortment of productions with the Atlanta Opera Company’s Chorus and sung with Robert Goulet in South Pacific at the Fox.

Two fun songs brought laughter. Steve Morris took the Song “Little Ol’ Lady” and re-wrote the lyrics. The “new” song, Little Ol’ Lady from Peachtree City included a “little ol’ lady” in a “golf cart” zipping back and forth across the front of the pews! The Manly Men Extravaganza also had the audience laughing as the guys cut up with each other, showing off their “manliness”.

On Saturday we say two concerts that couldn’t have been more different! We went from one end of the musical spectrum to the other.

At 5 p.m. we were sitting in the pews of the Fayetteville First United Methodist Church. Titled “An Evening of Vocal Artistry Concert Directed by Rick Massengale” we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. We had both heard Rick playing piano and singing in “Those Two Guys” duo and the “Rick Massengale Quintet” so we were expecting something along those lines. Were we ever wrong! Mr. Massengale is an extremely talented tenor AND baritone.

We were awed by the phenomenal talents of the six artists who shared the stage. If we closed our eyes it would be easy to think we were on Broadway! The repertoire ranged from well-known popular tunes to those that possibly only opera buffs would recognize. Kim Bowers-Rheay, Brent Davis, Joan Aycock, Frank Green, Bill Killmeier and Rick Massengale chose their favorite songs for the event.

After shaking hands and talking with the artists for a few minutes, we zipped down to Peachtree City to see Kenny Rogers. We’ve both seen Rogers a number of times and he always has a good concert. However, I’d have to say that this may have been one of his best. His two twin four-year old sons and wife joined him on stage at one point. The two boys were obviously used to being on stage as they sang a song for the ooohing audience. Later Rogers called two fans up on stage and presented them with a framed arrangement of his platinum records. The pair had been to well over a thousand of his concerts!

If I’m ever treated to a Rogers concert again, I’m going to make sure my husband and I sit front and center stage. Rogers picked one lucky gentleman from the front and tossed money at him for every hit song he recognized. Of course, the guy recognized a lot of tunes!

The weekend of music was fantastic. It also highlighted how much hidden talent we have in Fayette County. I can’t help but wonder how many people I talk to each day have talents unknown to me.

- Janet McGregor Dunn
Fayette Front Page