Final Academy Kids Performances

Monday, May 11 - St. Paul's, Brownsville (6-8 PM) [ map ]

Wednesday, May 13 - St. Paul's, Town Lomira (6:30-8:30 PM) [ map ]

Sunday, May 17 - WLA Spring Concert (7 PM)

Thursday, May 21 - FDL St. Francis Home, 2-3 PM (+ Solo Ensemble students) [ map ]

Auditions for the 2009-2010 Academy Kids will be Monday, May 18 & Wednesday, May 20 from 6-8 PM in the Choir Room. Students must be either a member of WLA's Traveling Choir or Viking Choir to audition.

2009 WLA Spring Choir Concert Date Change

***CHANGE YOUR CALENDARS***

MAY 17, 2009 @ 7:00 PM

***CHANGE YOUR CALENDARS***

I must not have been thinking last spring when I made out the concert schedule for this school year that Memorial Day weekend was about the earliest it could ever be this year. So I put the Spring choir concert in it's normal spot–as late as possible in May, on the Sunday after the senior's last day. It was a couple of weeks ago that a couple of WLA parents caught the conflict with Memorial Day weekend (thank you Sehloffs!) and asked me about it.

With the Vajda Hymn Festival this weekend, I've been working on the program and looked ahead at remaining music dates for this school year, and I saw it again–I did put the Spring choir concert on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. What was I thinking???

So, to avoid any conflicts with both students and families wanting to get away that weekend, I've decided to move the concert date up one week to Sunday, May 17. The time is still the same (7:00 PM) and the location is too (WLA gym). What's on the program? Among other works that night, the Traveling Choir will be performing the music of Jackson Berkey that they will be singing at their 3rd invitation to sing at Carnegie Hall at 2:00 PM on June 14, 2009.

WSMA District Vocal Solo Ensemble Results - UPDATED LISTING

Each school year, WLA music students participate in the Wisconsin State Music Association (WSMA) Solo Ensemble Festival. The Solo Ensemble festival gives music students an opportunity to prepare a piece of music (some students enter as many and ten different pieces!) to be judged by a state-trained music adjudicator with the possible opportunity of performing at a state festival or even being named exemplary soloist!. The Flyway Conference has the tradition of hosting the district festival on two consecutive Staurdays in March, alternating instrumental and vocal each year. Last year, WLA hosted the schools of the Flyway Conference for the district solo ensemble festival. This year that responsibilty went to Laconia High School.

March 7, 2009 was the instrumental weekend, March 14, 2009 was the vocal weekend, and piano players could perform on either day. Even though March 14 was the first day of spring break for WLA students, almost 50 WLA music students performed in 26 events on that day and 10 of those events were given a "starred-1st" (*1) rating, advancing them to the State WSMA Solo Ensemble Festival on April 25, 2009 at UW-Oshkosh. Congratulations to all the WLA students who performed on both weekends. I am very proud of all of you and how you used your God-given musical gifts!

Qualified for State (Class A - *1st place)
*1 Haugly, Daniel 409A4 Music Theater-Male Role
*1 Haugly, Daniel 404A4043 Tenor Solo
*1 Plagenz, Peter 405A1 Bass Solo
*1 Klein, Ben 404A15 Tenor Solo
*1 Wilsmann, Tanya 201A6 Flute Solo
*1 Wilsmann, Tanya 301A3016 Violin Solo
*1 Academy Kids 981A210 Mixed Show Choir

*1 Leisses, Janeen 408A1 Music Theater-Female Role
*1 Goltz, Kristen 402A4022 Alto Solo
*1 Goltz, Kristen 408A6 Music Theater-Female Role
*1 Moldenhauer, Daniel 306A16 Piano Solo
*1 Scharf, Charis 306A40 Piano Solo
*1 Breister, Adam 306A43 Piano Solo
*1 Westphal, Seth 500A5002 Concert Snare Drum Solo
*1 Kuhlow, Ashley 306A40 Piano Solo
*1 Plagenz, et al 941.4A3 TTBB Quartet


Class A - 1st place
1 Leisses, Janeen 210A10 Eb Alto Saxophone Solo
1 Pankratz, Stephanie 402A15 Alto Solo
1 Gieschen, et al 930.6A1 SSA Double Trio
1 Orvis, Rochelle 402A12 Alto Solo
1 Boelk, Hether 401A12 Soprano Solo
1 Scharf, Charis 101A9 Trumpet Solo
1 Kerr, Marta 301a3012 Violin Solo
1 Pacetti, Paul 500A3 Concert Snare Drum Solo
1 Schmidt, et al 622A8 Trombone Duet, Euphonium Duet, or Trombone-Euphonium Duet

Class A - 2nd place
2 Koepsell, Caitlin 207A2071 Oboe Solo
2 Scharf, Charis 401A12 Soprano Solo
2 Scharf, Charis 408A8 Music Theater-Female Role
2 Leisses, Janeen 401A1 Soprano Solo
2 Boelk, et al 920A4 SS, SA, AA Duet
2 Sugars, Nick 500A5 Concert Snare Drum Solo
2 Westphal, Seth 510A4 Drum Set Solo
2 Pankratz, Stephanie 306A15 Piano Solo

Class A - 3rd place
3 Wright, Mikayla 401A1 Soprano Solo

Class B - 1st place
1 Weiglein, Amberly 201B2 Flute Solo
1 Coleman, Kailee 203B6 Bb Clarinet Solo
1 Olesen, Hannah 306B12 Piano Solo
1 Thiesfeldt, Rachel 306B26 Piano Solo
1 Cutter, Merissa 306B29 Piano Solo
1 Schuppe, Shelby 306B29 Piano Solo
1 Marchant, Patrick 306B9 Piano Solo
1 Dabringer, Joseph 504B6 Marimba or Xylophone Solo

Class B - 2nd place
2 Scharf, et al 1083B6 Jazz Improvisation Combo
2 Pacetti, Paul 504B3 Marimba or Xylophone Solo
2 Pacetti, Paul 510B4 Drum Set Solo

Class C - 1st place
1 Herrewig, et al 920CT SS, SA, AA Duet
1 Krug, Jim 404C2 Tenor Solo
1 Trapp, et al 920CT SS, SA, AA Duet
1 Schmidt, Hannah 402C7 Alto Solo
1 Cutter, et al 920C7 SS, SA, AA Duet
1 Cedarquist, Bryce 101C3 Trumpet Solo
1 Bock, Katie 201C1 Flute Solo
1 Bock, Theresa 210C2 Eb Alto Saxophone Solo
1 Kapellen, Megan 306C12 Piano Solo
1 Newhauser, et al 922CT ST, SB, AT, AB Duet
1 Meyer, Becky 401C6 Soprano Solo

Class C - 2nd place
2 Reehl, et al 930.3C8 SSA Trio

West Regional WELS Choralfest 2008

This weekend (Nov. 13-15, 2008) high school students from 12 of the 22 WELS high schools will descend on Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School in New Ulm, MN for the Western Regional Choralfest. The 16 members of the Academy Kids will represent WLA at the Pops Concert on Friday, Nov. 13, 7 PM and at the Sacred Concert on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2 PM.

The clinicians for the weekend are Prof. Kurt Wittmershaus from Martin Luther College, New Ulm, MN and Mr. Paul Adickes, choir director from Luther High, Onalaska, WI. The Academy Kids will be hosted by Peace Lutheran Church, Mankato, MN, where they will also sing for the 10:30 AM service on Sunday, Nov. 15.

The Nov. 15 sacred concert will be streamed live over the internet this year for the first time. You can catch the stream by visiting WELS Streams on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 PM.

Participating WELS high schools include Wisco, Arizona, Nebraska, St. Croix, Fox Valley, Winnebago, Great Plains, Luther Prep, Luther, MVL (the host), West, Manitowoc, Kettle Moraine, and Rocky Mountain.

WSMA 2008-2009 Festival Music List

View the 2008-2009 Festival Music List

The Wisconsin School Music Association offers a music list of more than 5,000 carefully selected titles to promote musical growth through practice, performance, and evaluation at WSMA-sanctioned music festivals. Each year, more than 220,000 students take the initiative to participate in WSMA festivals, and use the music from the WSMA Music Festival List. Wisconsin teachers annually volunteer many hours to review and select music for this list.

WLA Music Students (choir, band, piano, and handbells) – Use this list to select music for you to perform at this year's Flyway District Solo Ensemble Festivals:

March 7, 2009 – Instrumental & Piano @ Laconia High School
March 14, 2008 – Vocal & Piano @ Laconia High School

No AK Practice 2.25.08

There will be no Academy Kids rehearsal this evening, Monday, February 25, 2008. The next rehearsal will be this Wednesday from 6-8 PM.

Academy Kids Sing at the Taste of Fond du Lac

The Academy Kids performed Sunday, February 24, 2008 at the annual Taste of Fond du Lac. We have been privileged to perform every year at the Taste for as many years as I can remember. For the last couple of years, the Academy Kids have been highly recommended and positioned in the entertainment schedule to help highlight the draw of the community for the day's events. We very much appreciate the compliments and the chance to perform for the Fond du Lac community. Thank you, MaryAnn Dilling, Executive Director of the Fond du Lac Festivals, for continuing to invite us back year after year!

At this year's Taste the Academy Kids sang five selections:

• Big City Swing
• For Good from the Broadway musical "Wicked" (duet by Hannah Sugars and Nikki Knuth)
• Seeing is Believing from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Aspects of Love"
• Bless the Broken Road (solo by Joe Wege)
• Medley from High School Musical (solos by Hannah Sugars, Josh Wege, and Joe Wege)

WANTED: Boomboxes with CD players

As we get ready for district Solo/Ensemble this year, I find myself making umpteen accompaniment recordings for my students because (a) there are not enough accompanists to go around, (b) I can't take any accompaniments this year because I am the festival manager for both weekends that WLA hosts Solo/Ensemble (Mar. 1 & 8), (c) it is just more convenient for the kids to have a recording that they can always sing to and know the accompaniment will always be the same. And, frankly, (d) if you've got a portable CD player just sitting around at home and can donate it to the WLA Music Department, even if it is just until Solo/Ensemble is done (after March 8) it will same me the money and time of buying multiples. THANK YOU!

AK Practice Cancelled (1/21/08)

I'm canceling tonight's Academy Kids practice because of today's snowfall. It's beautiful, light, fluffy snow with HUGE flakes, but as I drove across Fond du Lac tonight and saw one too many car slide through an intersection. I love my kids, but I love them alive.

40th National WELS Choralfest at Wisconsin Lutheran HS Nov. 9-11, 2007

Every year since 1967, the high schools of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod have gathered for either a regional (East/West) or a national choral festival. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first WELS choral festival hosted by Luther HS, Onalaska, WI. On the weekend of November 9-11 over 400 high school students from 23 WELS high schools will descend on Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, WI to present two concerts, one sacred and one secular, under the theme "From Age to Age"

The Pops Concert will be Friday, November 9, 2007 at 7:00 PM in the Wisconsin Lutheran High School gymnasium, 330 North Glenview Ave., Milwaukee, WI.

The Sacred Concert will be Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 2:00 PM, also in the Wisconsin Lutheran High School gymnasium.

Both concerts are free of charge and open to the public. A freewill offering will be taken at each concert to help defray the costs of hosting.

The 16 members of the WLA Academy Kids will represent WLA at Choralfest this weekend. They will be performing a medley of songs from High School Musical for the Pops Concert. For the Sacred Concert they will be in the Exultation Choir under the direction of Mr. Adrian Smith, one of the weekend's three clinicians (Mike Goede and Mary Prange are the other two). Their host families for the weekend are the members of Woodlawn Lutheran Church, West Allis, WI, where they will be singing on Sunday morning for the second service.

Last AK Rehearsal before the Fall Concert

AK has worked so hard since the beginning of the school year to prepare for the Fall Concert. The High School Musical medley is 9 minutes and 30 seconds long and is fully choreographed by Hannah Sugars. We had to postpone our regular Wednesday rehearsal this week because of the WLA vs. St. Mary's Springs football game at Fruth Field (we won 28-14!), so we rehearsed tonight, Thursday, Oct 18. We finally had the stage set in the choir room, the guys had their rip away warm-up sweats, and the girls had their spin out skirts.

By the time I shot this take, AK had performed the whole medley twice and had cleaned up a couple of spots. Then they got goofy...

One rehearsal to go...

This is the whole High School Musical medley. We have one more rehearsal, Thursday night, before the Fall Concert (Sun., Oct 21, 2007 , 7 PM, WLA gym) We're performing for a former AKer, Jenny Meyer, who popped in tonight and surprised us with cookies and soda! We love it when veterans come back and visit–especially when they bring treats!

ALWAYS CATCH YOUR PARTNER!!!

So I preach, "Guys! Protect your ladies! If they are going to fall, throw yourselves under them so they never hit the ground!"

Josh never listened....

Actually, Hannah thought it was a different part of the piece and she went for the dip, TOTALLY TRUSTING JOSH TO CATCH HER!!! Just watch her reaction...

AK Prepares for Choralfest