Voice and Speech Work with Janet Madelle Feindel

HAT Co students will be working with Janet Madelle Feindel during the month of November. Janet Feindel is a tenured faculty member in Voice and Alexander technique at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama and also serves as Visiting Professor at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film, and Television. She is also a good friend and supporter of Hope Academy. Please be on time (9 am) and ready to begin work promptly. We will do check-in and business till 9:15. You will switch between singing and dance classes for this month. Janet Feindel's new book, The Thought Propels the Sound, is available on Amazon.com.

Costumes, Treats and Photos Halloween Fun at Hope Academy this Saturday!

Saturday is dress-up day for Hope Academy students in our PBT dance classes (creative movement, pre-ballet and ballet). Just make sure that you can move and dance in your costume. Parents will be permitted to watch the last five minutes of each class (from the catwalk on the ground floor). We will take pictures and have some treats! More fun, before or after class, across the street at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. See the post below for more info about Halloween Mayhem Day.

FREE, Family-Friendly Halloween Activities at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater

HALLOWEEN MAYHEM DAY - Saturday, October 31 
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., from 1 to 5 pm 

Featuring a Squonk Opera installation on the building's roof and hands-on arts activities with kids in the theater lobby. The Pittsburgh Glass Center is sponsoring glass art making demonstrations. Students from Hope Academy of Music and Arts will perform "Thriller" and "Don't Stop Believing" at 1:30 pm.  Other afternoon performances include students from Propel Homestead and Alumni Theater Company; plus Temujin the Storyteller (at 2:00 pm). There also will be trick-or-treating and snacks for the children. Free and family friendly. For more information visit www.kelly-strayhorn.org.

Left: How to do the Thriller ... click to enlarge.

Flamenco, Store, Candide & Squonk Opera Free Tickets for Hope Academy Students!

Flamenco Music and Dance Performance & Fiesta (Party!)

Friday October 30^th at 7:00 pm

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts - Simmons Hall in ShadySide

FREE for Hope Academy students; Parents/Adults $5

Thanks to Michael Chapman and the Guitar Society of Fine Art.

CANDIDE 
Quantum Theatre at Don Allen Auto City, Baum Blvd.

Wednesday November 4 @ 8:00 pm (dress rehearsal)

STORE 
Kelly Strayhorn Theater

Friday November 6, 2009 @ 9:00 PM (60 mins )

Squonk Opera’s Mostly Mayhem 
Kelly Strayhorn Theater

Friday, November 20 at 8:00 PM

More information about all of these performances after the jump. Click on "Read More."

"Our Town" Field Trip Friday, Oct 23 @ 8 pm

Students in Tonya Lynn's acting class are invited to see a performance of the play "Our Town" on Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 pm at the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side. Please email Linda Addlespurger and let her know if you will be coming with us. Thanks to Tickets for Kids and Prime Stage Theatre for the making this possible. And remember, copies of the play are available for $11 each. Please see Tonya in class on Saturday if you would like one.

An Interview With PSO Conductor Lawrence Loh On Conducting: It's Kind of Like Playing Wii

Hope Academy students Jonathan Lee, Bethan Neely,  Abigail and John Parker-Blier, and  Angelina Winbush had the privilege of meeting with Lawrence Loh, resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, last Friday at Heinz Hall. They asked him questions about music, conducting and performing; and he delighted them with responses that were funny, thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining. You will be able to read some of their questions and his answers in an article in the program for the Pittsburgh Symphony Community Engagement Concert, being held at East Liberty Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Nov. 14. Thank you to the PSO, Lawrence Loh and Jessica Schmidt for arranging the interview and hosting us so graciously!

Mozart, Bach and GriegPSO Community Engagement Concert

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Community Engagement Concert on Saturday, Nov 14 will feature music by Mozart, Bach and Grieg. Listen to snippets on iTunes to give you an idea about what you will hear that night (only so much better because it will be LIVE!). You can also purchase individual songs or the entire mix from iTunes. Click on "Read more" at the bottom of this post for more detailed information about the pieces and their composers.

When Should My Child Begin Taking Lessons?And Other Questions About Music and Your Child

While most students begin taking private music lessons between the ages of four and eight, every child is different. Younger children require more intense involvement from at least one parent; and teenagers may not benefit from any parental oversight at all. Besides age, other factors to consider are the child's personality, instrumental and musical preferences, expectations, resources (time and money), and your family's lifestyle; yes, playing an instrument requires a commitment from the entire family.  Photo: Hope Academy student, Anna Bai, getting her first violin (1/10 size) at Resonance Violins last week. 

Taking a music class is a good way to evaluate your child's interest and our Wednesday after-school singing and drumming classes are free! And once your child is playing an instrument they can participate in EL CEO (East Liberty Community Engagement Orchestra) our free orchestra on Saturdays from 3:00 to 4:30 pm.

Hope Academy currently has 85 students studying piano, strings, voice, guitar, bass, organ, French horn, clarinet, flute and percussion -- so if you are interested in music lessons for your child there are teachers here who can talk with you about your options.

Links to more in-depth articles and resources after the jump, click on "Read more" below.

New Animation Workshop Coming Soon

We are working with Squonk Opera to put together an opportunity to continue the work we started last year learning how to animate. The class will be on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:45 and will be geared to first to third graders. We will begin once we have enough interested students. And it will be free, as part of our Wednesday after-school program. Please contact Norma at 412-441-3800 x11 if you would like to participate. Here's a video of some animation from last year.

EL CEO Rehearsal Photo and Links to Music

EL CEO Rehearsal on Saturday, Oct. 10 - Federico Garcia Conducting

Thanks to Scott Richards for the photo!

To make certain that all EL CEO musicians have music at home to practice with, we have set up a blog post that will be updated with links to pdf files for all instruments. Bookmark the post and refer to it whenever you need to. Click here to go to the EL CEO music links post.

This Week in Musical Theater Links to text, lyrics and mp3s

ACTING 

Group 1 continues with "Quite a Lotta" 

Group 2 with "Our Town"

HAT Co with Romeo and Juliet balcony scene and Romeo "but soft" monologue.   

Click on the links to download pdfs to work on at home.

  

SINGING

"Don't Stop Believing" and "Thriller."  
Listen to and practice with the audio files posted on this blog by clicking on the links.

DANCE

Your "don't" words and movements.

Copies of the play, "Our Town" are available for purchase at $11 each.

HAT Co has been invited to see I Am Artist  this Saturday at 7 pm at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. Please let us know if you would like to see the show.

Tickets for Upcoming Events PSO, I Am Artist & Fiddlesticks

Free tickets are available to to following performances on a first-come-first-served basis. Please contact Linda or Norma for tickets. Thank you to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater for their donations. Click on "Read More" for additional details about these three performances

Friday, October 16 at 8 pm - Heinz Hall 

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra BNY Mellon Grand Classics

Saturday, October 17 at 8 pm - Kelly-Strayhorn Theater

I Am Artist: Bad Seeds

Ages 12 and up 

Saturday, October 24 at 11:15 am - Heinz Hall

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Fiddlesticks Concert

Ages 3 - 8 with parents

"Twice" for Voices of Hope

A haunting little song about love and loss for Anna Elder's Voices of Hope performance choir to take a look at. We will start this song next.

Ask the Conductor!

Have you ever wondered if a conductor's arms get tired? What instruments conductors usually play? How someone is selected to play in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra? What happens if a musician doesn't follow the conductor? Well now is your chance to find out!

Four Hope Academy students have been selected to meet and interview the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's resident conductor, Lawrence Loh. So, if there is something you always wanted to know about music, conducting, the Pittsburgh Symphony or playing in an orchestra, please comment on this post and we may be able to get an answer for you. 

The answers will be put into an article in the program for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's Community Engagement Concert at East Liberty Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Nov 14 at 7:00 pm. Hope to see you all there!

HAT Co Halloween Performance "Thriller" at the Kelly-Strayhorn

HAT Co will perform on Saturday, Oct 31 @ 1:30 pm at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater for their Halloween Mayhem. We will begin working on the Thriller song and dance, in tribute to Michael Jackson, this week. Here are the lyrics to Thriller. Practice with these MP3 tracks and then watch the video below. Enjoy!

Thriller - Low Part Practice with Anna Elder


Thriller - High Part Practice with Anna Elder


Thriller - Both Parts with Anna Elder

Halloween Mayhem, October 31, 2009

KST & Squonk Opera offer up a ghoulish day and night of HALLOWEEN MAYHEM!!! Family Friendly activities-- candy, mask-making, storytelling—1-5:00 PM (FREE). Scary Movies, live music and more—8 PM to late ($10, $5 w/ costume). Join us...if you dare!

Voices of Hope Song, Lyrics and Video Don't Stop Believing

Anna Elder's Voices of Hope students are working on the song, "Don't Stop Believing." You can watch a video of the PS22 chorus doing a wonderful version of this song below. Download the lyrics here and practice at home with this mp3 of Anna doing both parts (harmony and melody)

Acting Class Assignments from October 3 Romeo and Juliet & Our Town

HAT Co students, working on "Romeo and Juliet,"  should have 5 lines (of their choice) memorized from Romeo's soliloquy from act 2/scene 2,  "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?"; or from the balcony scene.

Group 2 started their work on "Our Town" with a reading of Act 3. You can watch a video of Paul Newman as the Stage Manager below and then go to YouTube to watch clips from the 1989 Lincoln Center production, that was broadcast on the PBS Great Performances series,  featuring Spalding Gray, Penelope Ann Miller, Eric Stolz, and Frances Conroy. Act 3 is shown in two parts here and here. Enjoy!

CAPA Audition Information

Detailed information about Pittsburgh's Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) Middle and High School application and audition process is online. Please read this information carefully and note the deadline dates.

CAPA APPLICATION (3 parts with links and mailing addresses)
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 13 at 5 pm

General Magnet Application  this can also be submitted online
          341 S. Bellefield Avenue, Magnet Office, Pittsburgh PA 15213
Arts Supplement & Essay 
          111 9th Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
Letter of Recommendation 
          111 9th Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 

 Here are the details about the audition/portfolio requirements for each discipline and here are general FAQs about CAPA

Birds on Wires - Music by Birds

Here is a video recommendation for our musicians/composers from Owen and Jonathan Lee's mom. Enjoy!

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

“Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn't the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating. Here is a short video made with the photo, the music and the score (composed by the birds).”