A select group of Chardon High School choir members and one selected band member joined musical talent from over 20 area high schools in mid-November to participate in the Ohio Music Education Association District IV/VII Honors High School Band and Choir Festival.
Honors Music Festival
A select group of Chardon High School choir members and one selected band member joined musical talent from over 20 area high schools in mid-November to participate in the Ohio Music Education Association District IV/VII Honors High School Band and Choir Festival. The three-day event was held at Cleveland State University’s School of Music under the leadership of talented guest clinicians.
Over the course of the three days, students were engaged in intensive rehearsals in preparation for the concerts held on the third and final day of the festival. The combined talents from all represented schools made for a powerhouse collection of concerts.
CHS choirs were represented by students Madeline Houser, Clare Myeroff, Maya Pedersen, Whitney Beorn, Ethan Peterson, Layne Fierman, Jesse Decipeda and Mitchell Ewaska, while CHS band representation was carried by Brigit Morgan on trombone.
The choir program included pieces from South Africa and the Middle East, and the women of the choir also performed a piece titled “Ad Astra,” a work created to inspire listeners to find resilience in tough times.
The OMEA festival’s band program consisted of music primarily from American composers, including John Philip Sousa, Alfred Reed and Eric Whitacre. One of the pieces, “We Seven,” was composed by Derek M. Jenkins in commemoration of NASA’s Project Mercury on the 50th anniversary of the project’s conclusion.
“It was a powerful and beautiful program,” said Anne Morgan, President of Crescendo Club, an organization whose mission is to further Chardon Schools’ K-12 music program and provide funds for its enrichment.
PTO Hosts Paint Night
Seventy-three enthusiastic participants unleashed their inner Picassos at Park Elementary School’s Mother/Daughter Paint Night held on Dec. 6. The PTO-sponsored event was coordinated by parent Ashley Warmington and hosted by Chardon’s very own Geauga Paints, an interactive paint session business operated by Chardon Schools parents Andi Jahnke and Heather Tarantino.
Under the guidance of Geauga Paints, participants dipped their brushes into an array of vibrant colors to paint mittens on canvas. Very much like the intrigue of snowflakes, no two paintings were exactly alike.
“They all turned out so good,” said Warmington. “And it was fun because everyone could create their own mittens.”
Geauga Paints business owner Jahnke noted that beautiful paintings and memories were created by all and how grateful Geauga Paints was to be part of a Park Elementary PTO Mother/Daughter Paint Night for the second year in a row.
“We continue to enjoy the wonderful activities our PTO sponsors for the families at Park Elementary,” added Principal Rhonda Garrett. “Our PTO board members work hard to provide all the special extras for families to participate in with their school community.”
