Thursday, March 4, 2010

NEWS RELEASE: All-Star Student Musicians Shine in Annual Honor Concerts

NEWS RELEASE from the San Diego Unified School District, March 4, 2010

All-Star Student Musicians Shine in Annual Honor Concerts

SAN DIEGO – With only a month to prepare, more than 100 outstanding elementary and middle school student musicians will perform together Tuesday, in the second of three annual Instrumental Honor Concerts.

These all-stars specialize in a specific instrument such as the flute, trumpet, clarinet, violin, cello and much more. Qualified artists from grades 4-6 were encouraged by parents and teachers to audition, rehearse for five weeks and perform before an audience of nearly 1,000 at 7 p.m. Tuesday, at Brown Chapel in Point Loma Nazarene University.

“Since 1990, there has been tremendous growth in the number of students participating in the program,” said Ann Marie Haney, co-chairman of the Community Council for Music in Schools, which sponsors the concerts.

“Parents have mentioned that their child will be sick, and he or she will still beg to go to school because its ‘music day.’ They perform together as a group and there is a bond that takes place. There have been remarkable transformations. The kids need this.”

The Council supports continued music education in public schools. Since 2006, this group has collected and distributed more than 800 musical instruments to San Diego school children. No tax money is used for these concerts.

Students range in ages from 7-13 and represent 35 SDUSD campuses. The final Middle School Instrumental Honor Concert will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20 at Point Loma Nazarene University.

For more information, contact Ann Marie Haney at (858)- 775-3625.

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Jack Brandais
Communications Department
San Diego Unified School District
(619) 725-5570 (Desk)
(619) 607-0477 (Cell)