Area Band Concert Showcases Hundreds of Musicians

Above: Student musicians wow'ed the crowd at the 2007 Area Band Concert at LCHS

The annual Area Band Concert featuring some 300 students in grades 5-12 will take place on Tuesday, March 18, 7:00 PM at Lexington Catholic HS Bueter Gym. Schools participating are:

• Lexington Catholic
• Christ the King
• Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary
• St. Agatha
• Sts. Peter and Paul
• Seton Catholic

Everyone is invited to come and enjoy a delightful evening of music featuring classic cartoon themes and traditional concert band selections!

Also, the diocesan Arts Consortium will host a Fine Arts Focus in the LCHS Art Room for teachers and advocacy committee members prior to the concert, beginning at 5:30 PM. The Focus will review curriculum, events, and more.


Finally, don't forget the Area Choir Concert on Sunday, March 2, 3:30 PM, St. Paul Church in Lexington......

MQHR Middle School Quacks 'Em Up

Above, Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary students are birds of various feather in the recent production of HONK!

Ms. Cornelia Nash, Art Teacher at MQHR, sent in this report from the field:

HONK! It’s amazing how middle school students can get excited about the ugly duckling. Yes, THAT ugly duckling! Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary students told the story of this misunderstood bird in music and dance. What fun it was to see the hard work pay off!

The performance was at Christ the King Feb. 22nd and 23rd, and the house was filled both nights. Director Stephanie Wier and 22 cast members and me (Cornelia Nash, Assistant) spent the last eight weeks persuading these students that they could do this, too, - along with all their ball practices AND homework AND snow days AND all the FLU.

I personally don’t ever want to see an exercise ball again. I had to papier-mâché 10 of them to make 5 enclosed eggs for the students to pop out of - O great joy! To top it off, they were only used for two scenes. But all is well - the performance did come together, and I must say it was a great experience. The students were PHENOMENAL. They sang and danced their hearts out. Ms. Wier did it again, teaching them snappy choreography and great acting techniques. We also had help from Lexington Catholic music teachers who performed as the pit orchestra.

I’m truly inspired by these students and everyone that put forth effort for such a wonderful story to be told. The songs are still playing in my head, and although I’m glad to get back to my life again, I will miss this time. Now I can’t wait until next year when we do it again…..

One More Chance to be "Ernest!"

Lexington Catholic HS will hold one last performance of Oscar Wilde's witty comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest" this Thursday, February 28, at 7:30 PM, in the LCHS theater. Tickets are only $5 - what a deal!

At left we have a photo of the incomparable Maggie Smith as Lady Bracknell - possibly we will switch out this photo with the LCH Lady B if things work out.

Here is a just a snippet of Lady Bracknell's interrogation of the play's hero, Jack (who is also Ernest as well as Earnest - it's all very mixed up at times!), who wants to marry Lady B's daughter and has just answered Lady B that he is 25 years old.

LADY BRACKNELL A very good age to be married at. I have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing. Which do you know?
JACK [After some hesitation.] I know nothing, Lady Bracknell.
LADY BRACKNELL I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square. What is your income?

What a mom!! Be sure to see the whole cast in action tomorrow night!

Area Choir Concert This Sunday!

Above: The Lexington Catholic HS Chamber Choir performs at the Dec. 2007 Combined Band/Choir Concert.

Choirs from seven area Catholic schools and parishes will come together in beautiful harmony on Sunday, March 2, 3:30 PM, at St. Paul Church in Lexington, for an area choir concert.

Participating choirs scheduled to perform are:

• St. Leo Music Group
• Lexington Catholic High School's MidKnight M’Ladyes
• Seton Star Singers
• St. Paul Children’s Choir
• Sts. Peter and Paul 4th & 5th Grade Choir
• Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary School Choir
• Lexington Catholic High School's After Hours
• Good Shepherd Youth Choir
• Lexington Catholic Chamber Choir

Adam Beeken, Choir Director at Lexington Catholic High School and event organizer, describes the event as a "friendly and relaxed concert." He goes on to say, "I am very excited because we will have ... the highest level of participation yet, and I am excited that we will all get to share in what one another is doing. " Each choir will perform on its own and will also perform all together.

This promises to be a spectacular event - all are invited to come and enjoy our students' wonderful and spirited singing!

Congrats to Kids Care Too! poster contest winner

Congratulations to Monica Wilcox of St. Leo School in Versailles who won 3rd place in the Grades 6-8 division of Catholic Digest magazine's "Kids Care Too!" poster contest for 2008. Monica's art teacher is Rosie Fedorchuk, who, of course, continues to be an enthusiastic participant in our Arts Consortium events.

The theme of the contest was "Make Your World a Better Place," and young artists were asked to create a poster that shows kids in action. The image of Monica's artwork (seen above) shows her helping feed hungry people in South Africa. In an excerpt included in the Catholic Digest article, Monica wrote "When I am older I want to travel to help people."

The article can be found in the March 2008 issue of Catholic Digest. We'll let you know if the article appears later on the Catholic Digest website. We'll also let you know about the contest for 2009, which will be announced in the April issue of Catholic Digest.

Once again, congratualtions to Monica!

"Rosary Arts" at Christ the King

(At left, an exterior view of the grounds at Christ the King.)

Representatives from new Arts Advocacy Committees met in the library at Christ the King School on Monday, Feb. 11. The teachers and parents came to learn more about how to support and strenghthen their schools through arts education . They also discussed how infusing the arts into other subject areas can engage students in new ways and enhance their learning experience.

Watch for more details about their discussions....

In the meantime, Christ the King art teacher Mary Joe Quinn and music teacher Jeremy Howard shared some infomation about how the arts are enriching students' experience of the Rosary at Christ the King School.

Mary Joe is helping students prepare terra cotta panels that illustrate the Mysteries of the Rosary. The panels will be placed in the school's outdoor garden, which, with the help of several grants to encourage environmental education, also serves as an outdoor classroom.

Jeremy has developed "The Musical Rosary: An Interactive Prayer" for the school-wide Rosary that is prayed the first Monday of every month at Christ the King via the intercom. Using bass bars (with notes C, D, E, G, and A), hand bells, and a hand drum, students signal the various prayers within the Rosary with the instruments.

As Jeremy writes in the Background for this program,

" 1) Students are engaged with the prayer in a respectful manner

2) The musical additions are meant to enhance, not distract from the prayer:

a. The repetition of the musical activities helps the students remember the form of the Rosary.

b. The musical additions invite the students to listen at a higher level.

c. Students gain an appreciation for the marriage of liturgy and music."

We hope to include photos in future blogs to illustrate these great activities.

Arts Advocacy Committees to Kick Off!

At right, the Lexington Catholic HS Advanced Women's Choir performed during the Combined Band/Choirs Christmas Concert, 2007.

The Arts Consortium Committee is holding an introductory meeting for the Arts Advocacy Committees that are being formed in our Lexington/Bluegrass area diocesan schools. The meeting will actually be available in two different locations on two different nights to maximize the opportunity to attend.

These committees, consisting of parents, administrators, teachers in the arts and teachers interested in the arts, will work to support arts activities in their schools, communicate the good things happening in their schools, and brainstorm ideas and activities that can promote the arts in all the schools of the diocese.

The first meeting is Monday, February 11, 2008, 5:00 PM at Christ the King School in Lexington.

The second meeting is Wednesday, February 13, 2008, 5:00 PM, at Lexington Catholic High School.

Signs will be posted to direct attendees to the meeting room.

Contact your school principal to find out more about your school's committee and how you can be a part of enhancing the arts in your school!