Director Update Plus All the Brews

November 24th,

2020

Grateful for our Directors

Few educators have had to pivot the way music and performing arts educators have. We want to salute our Ballard Performing Arts Directors for their tireless work to keep our students engaged and still loving to practice their art. Here’s just glimpse of what they’ve been up to lately:

Choir Report from Director of Choirs Courtney Rowley

For this January’s collage concert, Treble Choir will perform Al Shlosha D’Varim by Allan E. Naplan. The song is a lyrical setting of the popular maxim from Pirkei Avot (Jewish morality laws), which translated from Hebrew means: The world is sustained by three things, by truth, by justice, and by peace. Advanced Chorale will perform Where there is Light in the Soul by Elizabeth Alexander, a setting of the popular Chinese proverb of the same name, attributed to the philosopher Confucius. Concert Choir will perform Bawo Thixo Somandla, a South African protest song widely sung during the Apartheid years. The song was written by Mxolisi Matyila, a political dissident during the Apartheid regime, and arranged for choirs by Sidumo Nyamezele. Concert Choir was honored to invite guest artist Sabelo Mthembu, a choir director and singer from Johannesburg, South Africa into our class in October. Sabelo was a former student of the arranger of the piece, and is a celebrated choral musician in his country. He coached us in the pronunciation and meaning of the Xhosa text, talked about choral music in South Africa during apartheid, and about the continuing fight for social justice today. Vocal Jazz will present Let’s Try This Again, by Josh Nelson and Sara Gazarek, and arranged by Dave Cross. Seattle born jazz vocalist, Sara Gazarek, is one of the leading voices of our time. Now based in Los Angeles where she teaches on the faculty of the USC Thornton School of Music, Sara also serves as the executive director of the DeMiero Jazz Fest, which our Vocal Jazz is participating virtually in throughout this school year.

Band Report from Interim Director Jay Gillespie

Mr. Gillespie is busy working with all groups on the collage concert. He is experimenting with the software, Upbeat Perform, which can seamlessly create virtual performances with up to 140 students.

Orchestra Report from Director of Orchestras Beth Fortune

Director Beth Fortune is working with all groups on their pieces to be recorded for the January collage concert. The Chamber Orchestra is also working on a collaboration piece with the orchestra from Seattle Pacific University. All orchestras are beginning to have online clinics with specialized teaching musicians, including Ruth Boden, a music professor at WSU. Small groups are working together on navigating the new Upbeat software that will enable them to make recordings of them playing together. Some small groups are even playing together live outside with masks and socially-distancing. The Ballard Fiddlers continue to meet virtually on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm with coach Matt Hopper - all are welcome!

Theatre class will stage the virtual play Trifles

December 4th

Get ready for intrigue amidst December darkness. BHS’s Play Production class is staging a virtual, one-act play, Trifles, which can be viewed online on December 4.

The play was written in 1916 by Susan Glaspell—a former journalist—and it’s based loosely on a murder Glaspell covered.

The play opens at the disheveled farmhouse of John and Minnie Wright. The sheriff, the attorney, and a neighbor arrive at the house to investigate the death of John Wright, who was strangled in his sleep as his wife slept. As the sheriff looks for clues to the murder, the women examine the “trifles” of Minnie’s country kitchen. Looking closer into Minnie’s world they make a startling discovery.

Students from BHS’s Play Production class cast the show, designed the poster, selected costumes and music, and recruited students from Ballard’s film program to record the play.

Tickets

Suggested donation. A link to the show will be published at www.ballardperformingarts.org on Dec 4, and people can donate on the website. For any questions please contact Shawn Riley at smriley@seattleschools.org.

Coffee Sales Through December 8th

Caffe Appassionato Coffee Sales are going online! Order your favorite coffee, do some holiday shopping, and directly support a BPA student by specifying their name on the order. For every bag purchased, the student named will earn $6 in credits that can be used towards future trips, camps, and program fees. Proceeds with no student named will go into the BPA general fund.

The deadline to order is December 8th.

Pick up your coffee curb-side at BHS on Saturday, December 19th from 10am to noon.

Questions? Contact Lori Day at daynewell@msn.com.

Thank you for supporting our students!

Order your coffee now

Thankful Thursday at Reuben's Brews

On Thursday, December 3rd from 3pm - 9 pm, local brewery Reuben's Brews will be hosting a Thankful Thursday event in the taproom and BPAB will be the designated charity. This is a great opportunity to support our programs and a local business while you get some tasty brew. There is outdoor seating for the brave and you can order online for pick up from the taproom that day. $1.00 from each pint, growler, taster, bottle, or can purchased at the brewery (and picked up through online sales) between 3 - 9 pm on December 3rd, will benefit our programs. We thank you for your varied and continued support! Here is a link to the shop: https://reubens-brews.square.site

Ballard Market Receipts

December 10th 3pm - 5 pm

Please drop off your Ballard Market receipts at Curbside Pickup on December 10th in the North Ballard High School parking lot off 67th. For every receipt submitted to BPAP, Ballard Market will give a portion to support our students.

The Show Must Go On

Raising Voices Together with the Choir

There are so many things happening now that it can be hard to remember the things we have to be thankful for. Watching your kids engage in the arts should be on your list. The pride they feel and sense of accomplishment they have when they grow as people and performers is a tangible gift for your kid.

Please take a moment and make a gift to support our BPA programs. The arts make a real difference in kid’s lives. Study after study shows that kids in art programs graduate from both high school and college at higher rates. Playing, practice and creating provide an outlet where our kids have control in an increasing uncertain world. It’s a safe space for them to learn and grow. Let’s make sure they have the tools they need to do that.

You gift, of any size, supporting Ballard Performing Arts makes a difference.

We don’t have trips to take or uniforms to fix (yet!) but this year, our biggest expenses are in providing additional instructional opportunities and supporting technology to play together and perform:

** Software and editing for classroom instruction, collaboration and performances such as Greater Tuna and the upcoming Collage Concert.

** Coaching, additional instruction time, and private lessons—available to all students, to level the playing field and offer any student resources to hone their craft.

For example, Meet our longtime Choir Accompanist, Serena Chin

Meet our longtime Choir Accompanist, Serena Chin

Serena Chin is an active accompanist, vocal coach, and chamber musician in the Seattle area. She has as a great love for the human voice and has accompanied choirs from numerous organizations including the American Boychoir, Children’s Chorus of Washington (DC), and the Interlochen Arts Camp as well as state, regional, and national honor choirs for ACDA, OAKE, and NAfME. She has been the accompanist for the Ballard High School Choirs since 2013, and currently serves as accompanist for the University of Washington, Northwest Girlchoir, and Mirinesse Women’s Choir. Serena received her Bachelor of Music in piano from Wheaton College and Master of Music in coaching and accompanying from Westminster Choir College.