• 
• 
• 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
• 
  • 
  • 
  • 
• 
  • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
  • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
  • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
  • 
  • 
• 
  • 
  • 
  • 
    • 
    • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
• 
• 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
• 
  • 
  • 
• 
• 
• 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 
• 
  • 
  • 
• 

Sophomore to perform in KMEA Choir

By Salena Gano
After trying out for a spot on Northwest KMEA district choir, Crystal D. was informed that she made the cut.

Try outs for the position were held at Hays High on November 5.

The NW KMEA District Choir came together on the FHSU campus on December 3, when choir members rehearsed all day and then performed a concert at Beach Schmidt Auditorium.

Crystal D. commented about her achievement

“I was excited and very happy. I cannot wait to start, I’ve been practicing. I’m happy to get to go.”

RIGHT:Qualifying after tryouts, Crystal D. will perform with the NW KMEA District Choir at Fort Hays University on December 3. (Photo by Robert Clark)

Vocal clinic ends with public concert

Choir members participated in the  annual MCL Vocal Clinic, held at Ellis this year  on November 4.

After practicing throughout the afternoon under the direction of Clinician William Tuzicka, a former music director for Southeast of Saline High School and vocal  instructor through Kansas Wesleyan University,  the mass choir sing “God Bless the USA,” “Seize the Day,” “River in Judea,” “ Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Go with a Song in Your Heart.”

Each participating school’s choir also performed two numbers. The TCHS choir performed “Haven’t Met You Yet,” and the Trego Singers performed “Open Arms.”

The MCL Vocal Clinic included vocalists from Ellis, Hill City, Plainville, Stockton and Trego. The clinic’s participants started rehearsing at 2:00 p.m. and finished at 5:00 p.m., followed by a concert, which began at 6:30 p.m. at the Ellis High School auditorium.

Preparing for the upcoming MCL Music Clinic at Ellis on November 4,  Music Instructor Kathy Jamison provides the piano accompaniment for the Trego Singers as they practice “Open Arms.”

Music instructor’s talent

asset to district

By Amelia Fabrizius
Have you ever thought about all the work that goes into each choir performance or activity? The woman behind the scenes, Kathy Jamison, is a very talented busy bee who keeps choir buzzing along.

Jamison has been teaching choir/music in the district since 1998 after she received her degree. In her pursuit of music education, she took voice and learned to play all instruments, enhancing her talent as music instructor.

Jamison’s music abilities are broad.  For example, she specializes in piano playing, a skill that has grown since she was five years old. In addition to giving piano lessons, Jamison accompanies her students in choir each day.  Jamison is also proficient on the clarinet and plays the organ for her church.  Unique to her music talent is the ability to play the accordion.   

Morgan Powell, a high school choir student and piano student of Jamison, commented on Jamison’s piano-playing skill.

“She is a very good pianist. I would like to be able to play as well as her, but I have a hard time seeing that happen.”

Jamison’s teaching duties are hectic since she is the only teacher in the USD 208 who deals with students in every grade. Jamison commented about teaching students in grades 1-12.

“With teaching this wide of an age span, I get to do a lot different things musically. Older students can do more difficult things and develop their musical talents a great deal. The little kids are a lot of fun and try to learn a lot of songs and do musical activities,” said Jamison.

One challenge Jamison faces is teaching such large classes, especially at the high school, since all choir students are in one class. With a large class, according to Jamison, it is difficult  to “reach” everyone or work with several students at one time. Also, Jamison deals with the variety of the students’ abilities; this makes it difficult to “find a common ground” among students.

Jamison sees the talent and purpose in her high school choir.

“There is a lot of talent in our choir; it shows up in their singing and their acting during musical rehearsals.

“Music is important to help students become well-rounded individuals. By being in musical groups, you develop creativeness, and you learn to work together,” said Jamison.

Jamison likes to help students learn to sing better, to perform, to do a lot of musical activities and to read music and understand it better. More than anything, she likes to help her students develop an “appreciation for music and an enjoyment of it.”

One senior commented about Jamison’s dedication to her profession.

“Mrs. Jamison has an exquisite heart, and when she plays the piano so beautifully, it mesmerizes me. Her devotion to music makes me appreciate her and choir so much more,” said Tia Brunswig.

There are many annual activities and productions that Jamison’s choirs do—a musical, Christmas and spring concerts, Trego Show, music contest for ensembles, tryouts for KMEA, and a dinner theater trip are some of the annual events the in which the her high school students partake.

Jamison went on to share a quote that reflects her teaching philosophy.

‘‘’Music…gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination… and life to everything.'"

Under the direction of Kathy Jamison, choir members prepare for the November 11-12 musical, The Great Ghost Chase. The public is invited to the event.

Choir prepares for upcoming musical

Forty choir students will be involved in the annual play at the TCHS Auditorium on November 11 and 12 at 7:30p.m.

For weeks now, Kathy Jamison’s students have been preparing for the musical comedy, The Great Ghost Chase.

One of the main characters, Harriet Hollyhock’s, played by Amelia Fabrizius, plane is forced to land due to a storm, giving her a chance to visit her renowned cousin, Dr. Horace Roy, Joseph Wolf, who operates an asylum for excessively nervous patients.  However, things aren’t normal at the institution.  A poltergeist has been freed by an earthquake jolt.  The ghost chasers are Honcho, Cade Papes, and his zany crew.  To add to the trouble, the patients have locked up the staff, and no one can tell who’s who.

Admission for the play will be $4 for adults and $3 for students.