A! Magazine for the Arts Archive

Pulling Strings to Get Music Into Children's Lives

"We encourage our students to play in orchestras. That is a very important part of being a well-rounded, well-trained string player... So far — in this area — we continue to be lucky that orchestra and band programs are still important in our schools." —

In This Issue

• Youth Orchestras in Middle Schools & High Schools In the Greater Tri-Cities area, string instruction is offered in two city school programs. In Kingsport, there are youth orchestras in two middle schools — John Sevier and Ross N. Robinson — as well as at Dobyns-Bennett High School.
• Private Instruction Playing in a school orchestra provides a wonderful musical experience for kids, even if their parents can't afford private lessons. But private instruction is essential to "being a well-rounded, well-trained string player," according to Jane MacMorran, fo
• Academy of Strings The Academy of Strings was formed in Johnson City, Tenn., in 1991 by a generous gift of $50,000 from the late Mrs. Ruth Harris, who wished to establish an Academy that would use music as a tool to foster well-balanced children through arts education. Toda
• Other Private String Instruction Several musicians who play in Symphony of the Mountains (SOTM) also teach string instruments and encourage their students to play in SOTM's Youth Orchestras. They include Cherylonda Fitzgerald and Kellie Brown.
• Youth Orchestra Awards In January two students from Dobyns-Bennett High School made the All-State Orchestra, putting them among some of the best high school orchestra musicians in Tennessee.
• Youth Spotlight: Emily Lamb Every year the Symphony of the Mountains (SOTM) Youth Orchestra holds a concerto competition. This year's winner is Emily Lamb, the principal violist.
• IN FOCUS: Rich Boyd Honored A reception was held in January at the Landmark Centre in Bristol, Tenn., in honor of Rich Boyd, who recently retired after 28 years as executive director of the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC).

A! Extra

• Bristol Music's Biggest Booster Hailed as one of the unsung heroes of the Twin City's musical heritage, former Mayor Charlie Peters was honored Thursday with a new exhibit in the Mountain Music Museum.
• Support Virginia's Arts & Cultural Sector Would you invest in a business that provides a 10.5 percent return? Do you agree that generating and sustaining jobs is critical to Virginia's economic health? If you answered yes, support the Virginia arts industry as one proven strategy for strengthenin
• ETSU's Jesse Graves receives Award for Poetry Dr. Jesse Graves, an assistant professor in East Tennessee State University's Department of Literature and Language, has been named the recipient of the Weatherford Award in poetry for his first poetry collection, Tennessee Landscape with Blighted Pin
• King College Theatre Professor Receives Kennedy Center Award Elizabeth Lee Dollar, chair of the Performing & Visual Arts department and director of the Theatre program at King College, has been awarded the Meritorious Achievement Award for Excellence in Direction from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Fes
• Review: Barter Theatre's "Swamp Gas" They show up almost every day in Nashville — bright-eyed and, some would say, delusional. Young people mostly, riding into town on Greyhound buses, rusting-out jalopies, their thumbs or shanks mare with battered guitars slung across their backs, scribbled
• Look for MAY A! Magazine on Wednesday, APR. 25 Expect your MAY A! Magazine on Wednesday, APR. 25, 2012. And plan now to submit press releases and to advertise in the JUNE 2012 print edition of A! Magazine for the Arts.
• Report Released on Arts Education in Public Schools A new report offers mixed results in support of arts education.
• Dogs Audition at Barter Theatre Jasmine Belle was quiet as she walked on stage. But she seemed confident as she showed off her talents – high-fiving with one or two paws, rolling over on command, and speaking at the movement of a hand.
• Minds Wide Open: Local Honorees Barter Theatre kicked off the 2012 regional events for MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Children and the Arts on March 15 with a public reception, a performance of A Tale of Two Cities, and the recognition of nominated individuals who have ma
• Regional Poetry Celebration To celebrate National Poetry Month, a Regional Poetry Celebration will be held April 15 at the Washington County Public Library in Abingdon, Va. Not available in our print edition was a poem by Jeff Mann
• The Arts Are Paramount Merle Dickert has long been a fixture in the Bristol arts community.
• Statues Unveiled at E&H College They stand in contrast at the heart of the Emory & Henry College campus: pensive minister John Emory gazing skyward and fiery orator Patrick Henry.
• Loving the Variety at Barter Theatre Katy Brown flashes a dimpled smile as she settles onto a chair in the Barter Café.
• Attendance Up for Arts Advocacy Day in Tennessee More than 300 arts supporters from across Tennessee attended this year's Arts Advocacy Day on the Hill in Nashville.