District News

District One

Dr Larisa Elisha, Professor of Music and Coordinator of Upper Strings Studies at the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music - Georgia Southern University, is the author of “Advanced Scale Studies for Violin” and “Advanced Scale Studies for Viola,” recently published by Carl Fischer Music Advanced Scale Studies is intended to provide players students, teachers and young professionals with an organized method of practicing a scale system that includes a complete set of scales arpeggios double-stops and chromatic scales in three and four octaves

District Three

The Schwob Philharmonic will hold another residency in the 2023-24 season with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in January performing a program including Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe Suite No 2 Gershwin’s Concerto in F with international piano soloist Esther Park and finishing with Scriabin’s monumental Poeme de l’Extase The residency will give Maestra Stutzmann another chance to work with the orchestra and also an opportunity for the ASO principal players to provide masterclasses to SPO students

This Spring 2023 season, the Schwob Philharmonic under the direction of Paul Hostetter the Ethel Foley Distinguished Chair in Orchestral Activities held a three-day residency with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Columbus State University As part of this series of 56 events Nathalie Stutzmann conducted Mozart’s Requiem with the Schwob Singers and Brahms Symphony No 4 with the Schwob Philharmonic Maestra Stutzmann and ASO Resident Conductor Jerry Hou worked with Schwob s student conductors in both Brahms Symphony 4 and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, providing expert advice both on podium and then off as it relates to career development

The ASO played a side-by-side concert with Schwob students and faculty conducted by Paul Hostetter and Jamie Nix, performed a concert on their own in Bill Heard Theatre and then provided numerous masterclasses with all of their principals leading students through excerpts, solo repertoire, and chamber music In addition the entire ASO administration under the direction of Jennifer Barlement held a business of music workshop with multiple topics including union negotiations social media leverage arts administration careers education partnerships in music, project development, and current trends in orchestras nationwide

This season the Schwob Philharmonic hosted a daylong residency with Young Kim and the Johns Creek High School Orchestra in October 2022, and a miniresidency with conductor David Metrio from North Gwinnett High School

DISTRICT THREE, CONT'D

Enluis Montes Olivar, conducting student of Paul Hostetter appeared with the Paris Opera as an assistant conductor to Gustavo Dudamel in a production of John Adams Nixon in China While there he coached Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson in preparation for their performances Enluis also appeared as a guest conductor with the New West Symphony and served as an assistant conductor for the San Diego Symphony and Rafael Payare in three subscription sets of performances Upcoming performances this summer include appearances with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra in Venezuela and Fall performances with the Paris Opera in a return engagement for Wagner’s Lohengrin, as well as with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra

This season Paul Hostetter appeared as a principal guest conductor with the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra in three subscription sets of concerts, with Ensemble Flageolet in Flagstaff Arizona and he provided masterclasses in conducting at Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, the Dominican National Conservatory, the Royal College of Music His book OnMusic Conducting: Connect to the Sound continues to be used by over 40 institutions nationally

For the second year in a row, the NAMM Foundation recognized the City Schools of Decatur (CSD) and their community for the outstanding efforts of teachers administrators parents, students, and community leaders who are making music part of a well-rounded education for every child in their community The CSD Music Department includes District Lead Teacher Cindy Clark, Nick Brooks, Elise Eskew-Sparks, David Hirschorn, Ira Jenkins Tanya Jessup Christine Kraemer Heston McCranie Monica Nelson Kathryn Pierce Tiffany Ryce Russ Thompson and Argean Vokes

The Pride of Eastside under the direction of Elijah Clark performed in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade on April 15 As only one of fifteen bands selected to perform from candidates across the nation these 80 students proudly represented their school their community and the state of Georgia

Lakeside High School is proud to celebrate Dr David Fairchild's 20th anniversary as Director of Bands In honor of his selfless service, Dr Fairchild’s students and colleagues prepared a surprise gift: a commission from Michael Standard a Lakeside graduate who is now a composer and faculty member at the University of Tennessee The piece, titled "Four by Five" was directed by Dr Scott Stewart esteemed conductor of the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony at the Lakeside High School’s Band Spring Concert on May 4, 2023 The Lakeside Band Association and student body took responsibility for raising money to pay for the commissioned piece Following the concert Dr Fairchild was surprised with a reception designed to celebrate his remarkable service as well as the profound impact he has had on his students the school and the community The Lakeside band students felt honored to recognize Dr Fairchild for his dedication in leading the Lakeside Viking Band over the past two decades

District Five

Chattahoochee Performing Arts performed a wonderful run of the musical Chicago in February Chattahoochee s Pit Orchestra under the direction of Jennie Fabianski was recognized as the best in Georgia at the 15th annual Georgia High School Musical Theatre (Shuler) Awards out of 51 participating schools

Matt Crisman and Jennifer Fabianski have been selected to present their clinic Demystifying Social Media and Making it Work for You at the 2023 Midwest Clinic in Chicago Il This will be a hands-on clinic dedicated to leveraging the most popular social media services to create content that can advocate for your program and increase arts visibility where people are most likely to see it Also discussed will be several ways to empower your student leadership and parent booster communities to help manage these very useful tools Matt and Jennifer would like to thank Dr Matt Koperniak, Lori Buonamici, and Principal Dr Mike Todd for offering application recommendations They look forward to seeing a big crowd in Chicago this December

The Taylor Road Percussion Ensemble is celebrating a 3rd place finish in Georgia Indoor Percussion Association championships this past April This is the first year the ensemble has participated in competition The Taylor Road Middle School (TRMS) administration and band staff are very proud of the ensemble s work and the bright musical future they project for TRMS and Chattahoochee High School

Dr Marcy Thurmond Simmons was selected as the District Elementary Teacher of the Year for Atlanta Public Schools She also presented her body of work Everybody is Smart at the Atlanta Public Schools Family Engagement Conference

The American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Orchestra Festival® (NOF) Committee went through a thorough review of all submissions and selected The Westminster Middle School Orchestra to participate as part of the Competition track with Middle School Strings at the 2023 National Orchestra Festival in Orlando Florida March 16-18 2023 The Westminster Middle School Festival Orchestra, numbering 44 talented musicians executed a captivating repertoire that impressed the judges and was awarded second place for their performance The players were praised by the judges for their exceptional technique beautiful sound and musicality The members of the orchestra were thrilled with their achievement and proud to have represented The Westminster Schools at the ASTA National Orchestra Festival

District Six

The Mundy’s Mill High School (MMHS) Jazz Ensemble participated for the first time in the National Jazz Festival held in Philadelphia, PA Out of over 30 participating schools from across the nation, the MMHS Jazz Ensemble was the only school from the state of Georgia to participate in this national event Sophomores Jada Clark trumpet and Tianah Stanley vocalist received awards and accolades for their outstanding performance Hear the MMHS Jazz ensemble live at the Mundy’s Mill High School Jazz Festival held at MMHS on Saturday May 13th at 5 PM

The Ola High School Marching Mustangs, under the direction of Mike Bearden and Josh Singleton, have accepted an invitation to be a participant in the 2024 National Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington D C The parade will take place on Saturday April 13 2024

The Carroll County School System has received the “2023 Best Communities for Music Education Award” by the NAMM Foundation, for outstanding support of music education, enriching the lives of children and advancing student achievement

Dr Kimberly Watters Director of Choral & Theatre Activities of Gordon Central High School, was awarded the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) 2023 Music Educator of the Year award which recognizes excellence in teaching performing and the lifelong impact music teachers make on young singers In partnership and collaboration with NAfME, BHS presents an annual award to honor educators who give students the opportunity to l

Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, this December Lambert High School, in Suwanee, Georgia, is one of eight premier High Schools in the Forsyth County Schools System The mission of the Lambert Band program is to provide a safe supportive and inclusive musical environment where all stakeholders may develop and thrive The Lambert Wind Ensemble is the top of four skill-based wind band courses offered at Lambert High School Other course offerings include multiple skill-based percussion classes, jazz band, color guard classes, and music theory

Since Lambert High School opened in 2009 the Lambert Band has achieved many honors and accolades Noteworthy accomplishments include invited performances at the 2023 Music For All Southeastern Concert Festival and the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, four-time Bands of America Regional Class AAAA Champions, WGI Scholastic A-Class World Championships Semi-finalist Winterguard multiple WGI Scholastic World Class World Championships

Finalist Indoor Drumline multiple Masterwork classification LGPE Straight-Superior ratings five-year record holder as having the most winds and percussion students accepted into GMEA All-State Band or Orchestra, and by-invitation performances in England, Italy, and the Bahamas

The Lambert Band Organization would like to recognize and celebrate the following people for their generous support to the Lambert program: South Forsyth Middle School Directors Dr Andrew Poor & Nathaniel Hugh Riverwatch Middle School Directors Hunter McGee & Katie Larkin and Forsyth County School System Fine Arts Coordinator Catherine Keyser They would also like to thank the Lambert High School administration, especially Principal Dr Gary Davison, Fine Arts Administrator Robert Meinberg and Performing Arts Department Head Ryan Wason

District Eleven

On April 6th and 7th 2023 District 11 held its fourth annual Honor Orchestra at Howard High School in Macon Georgia Students participating were from The Academy for Classical Education, Howard High School, Howard Middle School, Central High School and Miller Middle School The orchestra directors at these schools are Rachael Smith, John Sweat, Nahee Song, and Jaris Tobler The High School Honor Orchestra was directed by Dr Annalisa Chang Associate Professor and Director of Music Education at Clayton State University The Middle School Honor Orchestra was directed by Mr Carl Rieke, orchestra director at Osborne Middle School

The Hightower Trail Middle School 8th Grade Symphonic Band performed at the Music For All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival at Georgia State University on Wednesday, March 22 The band gave an outstanding performance for evaluators Craig Kirchhoff Susan Smith and Alfred Watkins

The Hightower Trail Music Department presented their annual Night of the Arts” on Thursday, April 20 The evening featured seven band small ensembles that included Flute Choir Clarinet Choir Double Reed Ensemble Low Brass Ensemble 7th Grade Jazz Band 8th Grade Jazz Band and a Percussion Ensemble The orchestra featured varied small ensembles including a Viola Choir, Cello Choir Bass Choir Wire Choir and a Chamber Orchestra Every instrument had a place to participate To maximize the experience student artwork was also displayed throughout the halls for audience members to peruse

The Hillgrove High School Jazz Orchestra was invited to perform at two prestigious music events this year First they wowed audiences at The Georgia Music Educator Association's Inservice Conference in Athens, Georgia Now, the Jazz Orchestra is thrilled to announce their selection to perform at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago Illinois in December 2023 This is an incredible achievement for the students and their teachers who have worked tirelessly to hone their skills and showcase their talents The Midwest Clinic is one of the largest and most renowned music educator conferences in the world and it speaks highly of the skill level of the Hillgrove High School Jazz Orchestra for being selected to perform there Congratulations to this organization for being chosen to perform at this prestigious event

The Walker School finds gold in Washington, D C Among schools from all over the U S and Canada, The Walker School from Marietta Georgia showed off their fabulous performance abilities while participating in the Heritage Music Festival in our nation s capital Walker’s orchestra received a rating of superior/gold, while sophomore violinist Sihyun Kim was named Outstanding Soloist at the festival The Wolverine jazz band also received a superior/gold rating for their performance In addition Walker’s Concert Band received a superior/gold rating and was awarded First place in Division 1A Band The Concert Band also won an Adjudicator Award for a top scoring ensemble at the festival Due to their top-notch performance Walker’s Concert Band was extended an invitation to participate in the Festival of Gold in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Nashville New York and Chicago

District Thirteen

The Gwinnett County Guitar Ensemble (GCGE), under the direction of Anthony Baglio, has started and completed its first year of rehearsals and performances Like the Kendall Orchestra and the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony, the Gwinnett County Guitar Ensemble strives to further the education of guitar ensembles beyond the classroom Because Gwinnett County does not yet have Guitar Ensembles at the high school level GCGE exists as a performance ensemble option for any experienced guitar student in Gwinnett County grades 9-12 Students can audition for the program this coming fall 2023 Rehearsals take place Monday nights from 5:30-7:00 PM and concerts take place in both the Fall and Spring semesters For more information please reach out to Anthony Baglio at Anthony baglio@gcpsk12 org

See concert highlights on Youtube at: https://youtube com/@gwinnettcountyguitarensemb8206

District Fourteen

Allyson Dye Elbert County Middle and High Schools Director, was chosen to present at the National Association for Music Education Conference in National Harbor, Maryland this fall Her presentation was titled Voices from the Margins and focused on increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness in the choral classroom She touched on topics such as programming concerts with marginalized composers and stories in mind, but more importantly about how to establish a classroom culture that allows for difficult conversations empathy social emotional learning, and personal growth