Casey Arts Alive!

Last Saturday, families, teachers, and volunteers from the community spent time creating together and celebrating Casey Elementary. Over 40 people-- parents, staff, and community members-- gave time or resources to make this event happen. Thank you so much! Over 120 people attended the festival. The visual art contest had 25 entries. The Poetry Out Loud Celebration had over 15 entries-- including some last minute interest. The Art Smart Committee hopes that Casey Arts Alive will become an annual event and that each year's group of art smart parents will feel free to create the festival in new and exciting ways.

Below are slide shows from the day's events:

Dancing Together with instructor Sonita Singh



Visual Art Contest with judges Rachel Misenar, Roz Roy, and Limeul Eubanks and coordinated by Stephanie Ivy

Knitting Together with instructors Bonnie Bowley, Jennifer Deaton, Susan Nix, Donna Evans, and Kathy Devenney

Drawing Together with instructors Adrien Caroll-Perkins and Shannon Frost



Gardening Together with instructors Melanie Allen, Mrs. Morgan, and Robby Luckett

Music Together with Strings Instructor Tammy Luke and strings students

Strings Concert and Music Education Advocacy

Students from Jackson Public Schools strings programs, including Casey Elementary, gathered on the stage at Murrah High School to prepare for their performances at the All City Music Festival on Tuesday, February 10, 2009.

Parents and strings teachers helped students tune their instruments.

The lower elementary students performed in the gym of Murrah High School under the direction of Temperance Babcock-Steiskal, instructor at the Suzuki Strings program in Flowood, Mississippi.

Upper elementary students performed under the direction of Carla Briggs, director of the instrumental music program at Power APAC.

More information about this concert and the strings program at Casey and in other schools in JPS can be found here.

A wonderful resource for music education advocacy can be found here on the website for Music Education Online presented by Children's Music Workshop.

Just a few advocacy quotes that I liked from this site (you can read many more on the site):

• "College admissions officers continue to cite participation in music as an important factor in making admissions decisions. They claim that music participation demonstrates time management, creativity, expression, and open-mindedness." - Carl Hartman, “Arts May Improve Students’ Grades,” The Associated Press, October, 1999.

• “Music is exciting. It is thrilling to be sitting in a group of musicians playing (more or less) the same piece of music. You are part of a great, powerful, vibrant entity. And nothing beats the feeling you get when you've practiced a difficult section over and over and finally get it right. (yes, even on the wood block.) Music is important. It says things you heart can't say any other way, and in a language everyone speaks. Music crosses borders, turns smiles into frowns, and vice versa. These observations are shared with a hope: that, when schools cut back on music classes, they really think about what they're doing - and don't take music for granted." - Dan Rather — Journalist and Former CBS News Anchor

• "It is our job, as parents, educators, and friends, to see that our young people have the opportunity to attain the thorough education that will prepare them for the future. Much of that education takes place in the classroom. We must encourage our youngsters in such pursuits as music education. In addition to learning the valuable lesson that it takes hard work to achieve success, no matter what the arena, music education can provide students with a strong sense of determination, improved communication skills, and a host of other qualities essential for successful living." - Edward H. Rensi – President and Chief Operation Officer, U.S.A. McDonald's Corporation

As a parent, I am grateful for the outstanding music education my children receive in JPS as part of their regular, weekly music classes and as part of special programs like strings instruction.

Construction and strings

What does the above photo collage have in common with the one below?

On Tuesday afternoon, big machines were digging dirt and making mechanical noises outside on the playground while strings students were playing their violins and making musical noises inside a portable building. The earth moving is one of the first visible steps towards the new addition that will hold a strings classroom and so much more.

All around Casey, there was a joyful noise!