Fine Arts

December 15, 2011

With the opening of the Middle School Art Exhibition, our culminating experience of the semester for the 5th and 7th grade students, our blossoming students enjoyed sharing what they have accomplished. It is their opportunity to be real artists, taking the full circle of what that means; from idea to action to presentation to reflection.

A good art education begins with developing skills and understanding concepts, but the result connects us to so much more. Art teaches us to see, to really look with a critical eye, to express ourselves, to problem solve, to make decisions, to become literate in a visual language and to understand other cultures. And to share.

Joy, excitement and pride…reflection, assessment and making connections. At MPA our life with art moves from self to MPA Community, from community to our lives outside of school and from our lives to the broader world of art.

Please enjoy the Middle School Art Show that includes work from all of the 5th and 7th grade students with over 300 works energizing the wall of the gallery through January 6th.

I am so proud of these students, and I think you will be too.


Lisa Buck

December 6, 2011

The Upper School Chamber Orchestra performed in the lobby at the Cowles Center for Dance and The Performing Arts on Friday, December 2.  They played before the Minnesota PerformDance Productions holiday show, All Wrapped Up. The orchestra played a variety of holiday music as the patrons were filling the lobby waiting for the dance show.  It was a fun and festive evening!

November 30, 2011

This year nine Mounds Park Academy students participated in Minnesota’s American Choral Director’s Association Honor Choirs. Ingrid D. and Gracie D. participated in the seventh and eighth grade girls honor choir. Karsten D., Isaac E. and Keith L. participated in the seventh and eighth grade boys honor choir. Annika I., Gabby L., Kelly M., and Sebella S. participated in the fourth, fifth and sixth grade honor choir. These students spent time learning an audition pieces and recording their audition that was heard by choral directors from across the state. Nine MPA students were chose out of hundreds of auditions as top singers from the state of Minnesota. Once chosen, these students were expected to learn and memorize five to six pieces on their own in preparation for the performance. The seventh and eighth grade choirs performed in Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus College on Friday, November 18th and the fourth, fifth and sixth grade choir performed on Saturday, November 19th. They rehearsed all day with well known directors and did a great job representing Mounds Park Academy throughout their performance.

The sixth, seventh and eighth grade choirs will be performing on Thursday, December 8th at 7:00PM in the Nicholson Center. They have been working very hard to prepare music for this performance and are excited to share their music with you! The groups singing at this concert include; 6th Grade Choir, 7/8 Girls Ensemble, 7/8 Boys Ensemble, 7/8 Boys Choir and 7/8 Girls Choir. It will be a night full of great music and maybe even a little square dancing thrown in! We hope that you and your family will be able to join us at our performance.

November 17, 2011

This Sunday is an opening event being held at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis that includes the work of MPA teacher Lisa Buck and MPA parent, Katharine Gotham, (William Podarek Gr 7 and Miranda Podarek Gr. 2).  There will be hands-on activities for young and old, as well as lots of wonderful pottery by 60 artists from around the country.  Both Katharine and Lisa will be at the event between 12-4.

For more information, visit the Northern Clay Center website.

November 16, 2011

On Wednesday, November 30th, the Upper School Bands and Orchestras will play their first performance of the year.  Every live performance brings a wide range of emotions for performers and conductors alike.  There is a feeling of excitement and energy in the air as we anticipate sharing our hard work with the audience. We have lived with and worked on the music for months, and we want to show our friends and families what we have accomplished and what we are able to do.

Almost every performance also includes a degree of nervousness as well. Will we play as well as we know we can?  How will that tricky spot in the opening piece go?  What if we get off?  No matter how much any musician prepares for a performance, the unexpected can and does occasionally happen.  Yet, that is the beauty of live performance.  No two performances are ever the same, and the audience and musicians get to experience that thrill together. Audience and performers experiencing the music together as it continues to unfold throughout the evening – that’s the magic of any concert!

Please join the Upper School Bands and Orchestras at their Fall Concert on Wednesday, November 30th, at 7:30pm, to experience the joy of live music. The concert will feature the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Woodwind Ensemble, Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra concluding with a combined performance of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Trepak’ from The Nutcracker.

November 3, 2011

One of my favorite things to do is to program
music.  Though selecting music for five
choirs can be a challenge, this process allows me to be creative and thoughtful
about my teaching.   After many years of
directing choirs, I have found that certain pieces work really well and return
to those pieces periodically.  But
variety is the “spice of life” and I am always looking for music that will make
our singers think, challenge me or provide a little inspiration.  During the course of the school year I look
through our choral library database, listen to recordings, go to an array of
concerts, visit publisher’s websites, attend new music reading sessions, or dig
through the piles of music I have sitting in my “music closet” at home.

When I reflect on my process for selecting
and teaching music I consider the following: 

1) The quality of the literature.   Does this choral piece stand by itself as a
work of art? How is this piece structured? Are the vocal parts well
written?  Is there a good marriage
between the text and music?  Does it have
a piano accompaniment or instrumental part that supports the singers?

2) What will we learn from these pieces?  Are we strengthening our listening and reading
skills?  Are we stretching our
range?  Are we improving our breath
control?  What are we expressing by
singing this music? What theoretical concepts or historical information will we
explore?  Will this song challenge us
without overwhelming us? 

3) Is this music part of a healthy musical
diet? As a music educator, I am responsible for exposing young singers to a
wide of choral music.  Over the course of
four years an Upper School singer may study everything from early chant to
popular music.  The basis of western
music and our choral tradition stems from European roots and I believe it is
important to study the music of Palestrina, Bach, Mozart, and Brahms.  However, in the last fifteen years we have
also gained access to music from around the globe.   It is not unusual for us to sing music from
other cultures, trying to emulate their sound, wrestling with their language.

4) Am I developing a concert around a
theme?  Programming Elizabeth Alexander’s
“Do Not Leave Your Cares at the Door” and the Southern Harmony Tune “Bound for
the Promised Land” allows the Chamber and Concert Choirs to explore themes of
change and transformation.  Though one
needs to be careful about strict adherence to a theme for fear of one piece of
music sounding like the next or coming across to “heavy-handed”.  

Sometimes you have to let the ideas simmer,
contemplating what may or may not work in a concert program.   As I tell my singers, it can be hard to
appreciate a song until one has lived with it for a while.   Mentors of mine have encouraged me to find
what is “cool” in the music or to “fall in love” with a particular phrase or
lyric.  My goal is for each singer is to
explore the possibilities and to create an expressive performance.  In the end, concerts are really opportunities
to share what we have learned. 

Keep Singin’

Mr. Habermann

November 3, 2011

It’s that time again, when saws are buzzing
in the scene shop, costumes are flying off racks and students are pacing the
Green Room in preparation for auditions and performances.  The theatre department is running full speed
ahead as we hold auditions for the spring musical and launch our first major
production of the year, the middle school play, Chateau La Roach. 

We all know it takes a village to raise a
child, but did you know it takes a few surrounding villages to “raise a
show?”  Mounds Park Academy has a
reputation for excellent theatre, but Barbara Bradley and I don’t do it
alone.  We have a team of talented
professional artists, directors and designers who work with us to create the
beauty you see in every production. 
These professionals also work directly with our students, giving them
the most authentic hands-on educational theatre experience possible.  I have worked with hundreds of professionals
throughout my theatre career and I truly believe that MPA has tapped into some
of the best.  I am so very proud to know
them, and watching them educate our children is magical.  Although their work takes place “behind the
scenes” they deserve a little center-stage attention, so I thought I’d
introduce you. 

Chad Van
Kekerix is our Set Designer for the
Winter and Spring Shows.  He holds a
degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato and has worked all over the
Twin Cities as a designer, director and scenic artist.  Chad’s theatrical experience includes
projects at The Ordway, Penumbra
Theatre Company, Phipps Center for the Performing
Arts, Theatre in the Round, Youth Performance
Company, Northwestern College and The Actor’s
Theatre of Minnesota.

Paula Lee has
been costuming our productions for 15 years. 
She is a woman of many hats. 
Paula is a professional costumer around town at Stages Theatre Company
and Apple Valley High School.  She is the
head swim coach for Jefferson High School and Barracuda Aquatic Club.  Paula holds degrees in architecture, interior
design, fashion and costume design.  She
also owns her own business, Paula Marie Designs, specializing in custom
clothing for weddings and special occasions.

Angelique Powers is our Set Designer for the Middle School Play, as well as scenic
artist/painter for the Winter and Spring shows. 
She holds an MFA in Scenic Art from Cal Arts and is a Scenic Painter at
theatres including Children’s Theatre Company, Denver Center, Geffin Playhouse,
Pillsbury and The Guthrie Theatre. 
Angelique is also the Lead Charge artist for Penumbra Theatre.  Last year her work was scene on three
continents and two national tours.

Isaac Sawle
is new to MPA this year as our Technical Director.  He has worked in nearly all areas of theatre production. His
career so far has included freelance lighting, stage management, carpentry,
technical direction, and rigging for theaters and companies all around the
Midwest. Scenic construction in and around the Twin Cities has been his main
occupation as of late, but he spends his summers in Winona, Minnesota working
for the Great River Shakespeare Festival.

These people lift us up and make our shows
run smoothly and professionally. 
However, there is one extremely important member of our theatre family
missing this year, and that is “the volunteer”.   Some of you reading this right now might be
cringing at this word as families are overloaded with responsibilities and
asked to do so much for others.  We are
in need of help selling tickets, working concessions and building the sets for
all 3 of our main stage productions.  We
also need parent volunteers to help plan and staff tech week meals for out
student actors and crew.  If you would
like to help in any of these areas, please contact me at mmoore@moundsparkacademy.org.  Come do something dramatic and join our
family.  We’d love to hear from you!

November 3, 2011

Middle School Art:

Need: 1 parent per quarter to help with all kinds of hands-on studio tasks, including, but not limited to: paper cutting, taking art work down after exhibitions, gluing mats, organizing materials, etc.
Time committment: Every other week for a couple of hours.

Upper School Ceramics:

Need: 1 parent per quarter to help with all kinds of get-your-hands-dirty studio tasks, including, but not limited to: clay recycling, studio clean-up and organization, taking down ceramic work after exhibitions, etc.
Time committment: Every other week for a couple of hours.

Contact Lisa Buck at  lbuck@moundsparkacademy.org if you are interested.

November 3, 2011

The following Visual Arts students had their work selected for inclusion in the Seventh Annual Shattuck-St. Mary’s Art Invitational Exhibition.

Matthew Chambers (12) – Painting

Matthew DeGregorio (12) – Drawing

Louise Edwards (12) –  Drawing

Rebecca Millberg (11)- Painting

Aaron Hathaway (10) – Drawing

Artwork from area high school students was teacher selected for submission and then juror selected for exhibition.  The juror this year was Kristi Groberg, an Assistant Professor of Art History at North Dakota State University.

The exhibition opened with a reception and presentation by the juror on Thursday, October 27, and runs through mid-November. The work will be displayed at the gallery on campus at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault.

Please extend congratulations to these students for their Visual Arts success!