4 thoughts on “2007 West Area Strings Festival Photos, Audio & Video”

  1. The kids sound better and better each year. Thank you for the video, audio and pictures…as luck would have it, my middle schooler cellist shows up in the background of 2 of the photos.

  2. FYI, the East Area Strings Festival was also held on Saturday, at LaFollette HS. I have no doubt those young musicians sounded wonderful, too! Anyone have any photos to post?
    Speaking of the two sides of the isthmus, I am a former east sider, current west sider who is appalled by the one-sided talk of school closings. I appeal to all west siders to join in support of our east side friends to keep any school closings from happening. We are one district, one city, one community! Enough of this east side versus west side business. Don’t let the administration keep succeeding with its “divide and conquer” strategy. Think about it: if any school closes, the ripple effect will be felt everywhere, as teachers at the closed school with the greatest seniority replace teachers with less seniority at other schools (perhaps even yours).
    West siders: please attend the special meeting on school closings on Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Blackhawk MS, 1402 Wyoming Way (out near Cherokee Marsh). I hope someone will post a report after the meeting.
    What happened at last night’s meeting on potential school closings at Warner Park?

  3. Bravo! I look forward to the Strings Festival as a hopeful sign of spring every year. It is amazing to hear the students play in unison. How very motivational for the younger students to hear and see the high school orchestra.
    It is also wonderful to invite the community into a school to experience an event like this. It is so obvious that this curriculum works. An event like this bolsters community support for our schools and might just make a difference in elicitng support for other school initiatives.
    I can’t help but feel this tradition will be greatly diminished if the elementary strings program is finally terminated. The ripple effects for orchestras and band programs in middle and high school will be severe. All students should have access to stringed music education, not just those able to afford private lessons. The district already owns many instruments and parents are paying participation fees.
    This event epitomizes what the district should strive for; diverse participation and excellence for all! Let’s get creative and work together to find alternate sources of funding for more not less arts education.
    Please LaFollette Strings Attendees send in your photos so we can celebrate all the concert participants.

  4. As a student, I can truly attest to how much the strings program has made a difference in my life. Some seven years later, I’m still playing the viola, participating in WYSO, and just having a source of music in my life. I can fairly accurately guess that were I not to have had the amazing strings instruction I had in elementary school, and that wondeful experience of playing in a big group at my very first strings festival, my life would truly be lacking.
    I understand the direness of MMSD’s current budget situation, but strings is something that really should not go. Especially if there is an active effort to make it open to any child regardless of background and financial need (I’m not sure if they’re charging for it now or not), it’s a really valuable program.

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