Upcoming Music Events at MQHR

Music Teacher Mark Flannery sent along these notes about the wintry music scene at Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary School in Lexington:

The First and Second Graders of MQHR will present "Melton the Warm Hearted Snowman" on Dec. 17 at 6:30 PM at MQHR. The school/church choir will also be on the performance bill.

In other news,

The following students from MQ were selected through an audition process to attend the Central Kentucky Music Educator’s Association’s Elementary Choral Event at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY:

Bethany Reynolds, Mary Crocetti, Grace Banahan, Anna McAvoy, Grant Peck, Matthew Hayes, Jacob Roberts and Parker Wells

These students will be performing in Choir 1 under the direction of John Stegner, conductor. Students rehearse at MQ weekly on Thursday afternoons. The performance will be at Brock Auditorium on EKU’s campus Friday, November 7, 2008, at 7PM. If anyone is interested in attending, arriving by 6:30 for seating would probably be to your advantage due to the popularity of the concert. The concert is FREE and open to the public.

This is the first time that MQ has been represented at CKMEA choir!!!

3D Arts Academy in Full Swing at SPPS

Here is a report from Nanci Barnhart, Fine Arts Coordinator at Sts. Peter and Paul School in downtown Lexington about the latest happenings at the school's "3D Arts Academy."

The 3D Arts Academy is off to a great start! Forty-seven 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students, as well as nine from Harrison Elementary, are participating. We have class offerings in steel drums, guitar, contemporary dance, drama, “green” art, jewelry making, cultural dance, and African/Latin drumming.

Our art teacher, Beth Ettensohn, is teaching the Art City Club, which will feature field trips to local art galleries, as well as creating art for the community. Instructors for the program come from the downtown arts organizations: Lexington Children’s Theater, Living Arts & Science Center, Lexington Ballet, Central Music Academy, and the UK School of Music. We also have a class, jewelry making, being taught by one of our parents, Jessica Ragland. The classes will run for six weeks, with a culminating performance on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 6:30 – 7:30 P.M. We would love to see you there! A special “thank you” goes to our parent helpers, Mrs. Mize, Mrs. Wilhite, Mrs. Barton, and Mrs. Beach.

We are initiating a partnership with the Lexington Philharmonic in November. A feature of the partnership will be a visit from the instrument “petting zoo” for the younger students. They will be visiting SPPS on Nov, 11 and 13. The Niles and Verdi Quartets will play for us and then visit individual classrooms. In March, we will take our students to the Singletary Center for the orchestra’s “Discovery Series” concert.

The UK Opera Theater has been scheduled for a school performance on November 24 at 1 P.M. They will present “The Billy Goats Gruff”, which features classical operatic literature with a modern twist on the story. The story line centers on bullying, and a teachers’ guide will be available to incorporate the lessons from the opera into the classroom.

Performing & Visual Arts College Night at LCHS!

Lexington Catholic High School will host representatives from over 20 colleges and universities at the LCHS Performing and Visual Arts College Night on Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 7-9 PM. Visiting colleges include UK, UofL, EKU, Ohio University, University of Dayton, Xavier University, Savannah College of Art and Design, and the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

Students will have the opportunity to speak with reps about their schools' fine arts programs, scholarship programs, internships, and career placement opportunities. Students may also make appointments for portfolio reviews and performance auditions with select schools.

Check out more details at the LCHS web site at

http://www.lexingtoncatholic.com/

Art at FrancisFest 2008

The Franciscan Peace Center held its annual FrancisFest on October 5, 2008, at ArtsPlace in Leixngton. FrancisFest is an active, peace education event for all ages. This year's theme was "Making Peace..Mending Seams," noting that "it is possible to create something beautiful and to begin anew using the 'broken pieces.' We can always start over."

Students in grades K-12 were invited to diplay their art, made entirely from broken pieces, as part of the celebration. Students from several Catholic schools did just that, submitting 51 pieces in all. The Franciscan Peace Center plans to post all the artwork on their web pages. In the meantime, here are some photos of the art created by students from St. Leo School in Versailles, KY.

Above at left - the appropriately named composition "Peace" by Nick F, 8th grade, created from torn tissue paper. Below, at right, "White Rose Bush" by Audrey B, 5th grade, created from a ripped sweater and tissue paper.

Below at left, "Scented Candle" by Raley S, 7th grade, created from broken sea glass, and below at right, "Bird" by Monica W., 8th grade, created from a broken CD.

At left, "Stars" by Trayce F., 6th grade