Milwaukee Public Schools
Press Release

MPS Students To Showcase Musical Talents This Saturday

Event runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at MPS’ Lincoln Center of the Arts Middle School

By - Mar 15th, 2013 04:20 pm

Nearly 500 Milwaukee Public Schools students will compete Saturday, March 16 in a Wisconsin School Music Association Music Festival at MPS’ Lincoln Center of the Arts Middle School, 820 E. Knapp Street, Milwaukee 53202.

The festival, which is free and open to the public, will feature vocal and instrumental solos, duets, trios and small ensembles.

“We’re excited to showcase the talents of our students!,” MPS music curriculum specialist Douglas Kuepper said. “This type of opportunity to perform will demonstrate how the music education of these students develops kinesthetic skills, a higher cognitive process, and an aesthetic experience that will be invaluable during their school years and for the rest of their lives.”

Students performing will represent a number of MPS schools, including: Audubon Technology and Communication Center Middle School and High School, Burdick School, Curtin Leadership Academy, Fairview School, Hartford University School, Lincoln Center of the Arts Middle School, Golda Meir School, Milwaukee School of Languages, Riverside University High School, Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts, Tippecanoe School for the Arts and Humanities, and Wedgewood Park International School.

The students with the strongest performances will go on to perform at the state level later in the spring. Students who excel at the state level could be eligible for scholarships to participate in summer music camps or state honors bands, choirs and orchestras.

Large MPS music ensembles – such as bands, choirs and orchestras – will compete at an upcoming festival in April.

WSMA music festivals support school music programs as part of a comprehensive education by encouraging the study of quality music literature; motivating students to prepare and perform to the best of their abilities; improving students’ understanding of music literature and concepts (performance through understanding) and providing a performance assessment to improve individual and group achievement.

“WSMA enjoys a long tradition of providing quality music education experiences to over 220,000 students annually. Solo & Ensemble Festivals in particular provide students with an opportunity to enrich their musical abilities and understandings as they perform and receive feedback from qualified adjudicators, and as they observe and listen to the performances of their peers,” said WSMA Executive Director Timothy Schaid.

This news is available online: http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/dept/superintendent/2013/03/500-mps-students-to-compete-in-music-festival-saturday/

Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) is a service organization with more than 1,000 member public and private schools. Each year, more than 220,000 students take the initiative to become involved in WSMA activities, such as District and State Music Festivals, State Honors Music Project, Student Composition Project, Launchpad and State Marching Band Championships. WSMA, also owner and operator of the Wisconsin Center for Music Education, is governed by a board of directors made up of superintendents, principals and other officers from all over the state. WSMA believes music is a basic human need and that all children have the right to experience all that music offers them. For more information on WSMA, go to www.wsmamusic.org.

Milwaukee Public Schools is Wisconsin’s largest school district, serving more than 78,000 students in more than 160 schools across the city. U.S. News and World Report named MPS’ Rufus King International School and Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School the two best high schools in the state and among the 200 best in the country in 2012. In the past year, Milwaukee Public Schools posted a growing graduation rate 17 points higher than the rate for 2000.

 

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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