Denton ISD Fine Arts

Denton ISD 5th Grade Honor Choir Concert, Feb 22

On Friday, February 22 at 6:15pm, the Denton ISD 5th Grade Honor Choir will perform in concert at the Strickland Middle School Auditorium. 5th Graders from all 23 of Denton ISD's elementary schools will be represented. 5th graders had the opportunity to audition for this choir and those that were selected have been rehearsing together in preparation for this concert. Many thanks to all of our elementary school music teachers for coordinating this event and for helping their respective students to prepare their music for the performance. The concert is open to the public and free to attend.

Youth Art Month Exhibition at GDAC, March 7-23

The Greater Denton Arts Council will host its annual exhibition of artwork created by Denton ISD elementary art students to celebrate March as "Youth Art Month". The exhibit will be displayed in the GDAC Gough Gallery at Patterson-Appleton Arts Center at 400 E. Hickory St. in Denton, March 7-23. The exhibit will open with a reception for the students and their families on March 7, 6-8pm. National Youth Art Month is a month of promoting visual artwork and art education in the United States. Families and children of the Denton community are invited enjoy the work of DISD elementary school students in this delightful exhibition. Many thanks to GDAC and to DISD's elementary art teachers for coordinating this event.

McMath MS Tiger Jazz Band Performs at TMEA Convention

The Texas Music Educators Association held its annual state Clinic/Convention in San Antonio, February 14-18. It is the largest music convention of its kind with over 30,000 attendees. School groups submit audition recordings to be selected to perform as a featured honor group. This year, the McMath MS Tiger Jazz Band was selected as the TMEA Invited Jazz Ensemble. The Tigers, under the direction of Travis Harris, gave a tremendous performance that impressed a large audience of TMEA attendees.

The Tiger Jazz Band was joined by special guest performers: Grammy winning percussionist AJ Flores, clarinetist Dr. Jimmy Simmons, trumpeter Micah Bell, and saxophonists Bruce Bohnstengel, Brad Leali, and Sarah Roberts. Many thanks to the DISD community for supporting the McMath Jazz Band and helping them reach this goal. Special thanks to DISD administrators and school board members that attended their performance at TMEA: Barbara Burns, Dr. Glenna Harris, Dr. Daniel Lopez, Dr. Buddy Dunworth, and Jeff Panter. Congratulations to the McMath Jazz Band students and directors, Travis Harris and Kelsey Gaskill. Thank you for representing Denton ISD in an incredible way at the state level!

Denton ISD Winter Guards Begin Contest Season with Success

The Guyer HS Winter Guard competed in their first Winter Guard International (WGI) Regional at Coppell HS among many indoor color guards from all over Texas. WGI hosts national contests and regional contests for indoor color guards competing in the winter months. We are extremely proud of the Guyer guard for its 2nd place finish overall, after placing 1st overall in prelims. Congratulations, GHS Guard Students and the GHS Guard Director, Susan Hanggi. The next contest for GHS is March 2-3, the WGI Regional in Austin at Leander HS.

The Denton HS Winter Guard competed their first competition of the season at Wakeland HS School on February 2nd. The DHS guard placed 1st in Regional AA, and was reclassified into Regional A. Their show is entitled “A Musical Experience”. The theme of the show involves taking a literal piece of Mozart sheet music and bringing it to life in a visual portrayal.

The Calhoun MS Winter Guard competed in their first contest of the season at Northwest HS on February 16th. CMS competed in the Cadet Novice class. The cadet classification was specifically created for middle school color guards. Calhoun placed 3rd with their show “Little Black Dress”. Congratulations to the Denton HS and Clahoun MS color guard students and their director, Ashley Maldonado.

The Braswell HS Varsity Winter Guard finished 1st in Class at the NTCA (North Texas Colorguard Association) Contest at Northwest HS on February 16. Additionally, the Braswell JV Winter Guard placed 7th in their class in their first contest after being promoted at to compete in a higher classification. Congratulations to the BHS Winter Guard students and color guard directors, Logan Boyd and Stephanie Aceves. Best wishes to all of our Color Guard programs the rest of the winter season!

Upcoming UIL Events for Fine Arts Programs

Feb 23 - HS Band and Choir Solo and Ensemble Contest @ Lake Dallas HS

Feb 28-Mar 1 - Orchestra Concert and Sight-reading Assessment @ Guyer HS

Mar 1 - MS Choir Concert and Sight-reading Assessment @ Ryan HS

Mar 6-7 - MS Band Concert and Sight-reading Assessment @ Ryan HS

Mar 21 - 5A One Act Play Contest @ Lake Dallas HS

Mar 22 - 6A One Act Play Contest @ Timber Creek HS

Six DISD Teachers Present Clinics at TMEA State Convention

Denton ISD is proud that six of our outstanding music teachers were invited by Texas Music Educators Association to lead clinics and share their knowledge and experience with their colleagues at the annual TMEA State Clinic/Convention in San Antonio Feb 13-16. Thanks to our teachers for representing DISD so well and sharing the excellent teaching techniques being put into practice in our district. All DISD music teachers have the opportunity to attend the TMEA Convention that provides unrivaled professional development through clinics, concerts, and workshops presented by the world's leading music educators. 13 DISD students also had the honor of being selected to perform at TMEA with the All-State Bands, Choirs, and Orchestras.

Blanton ES Music Teacher, Nicolas Miranda, was invited by clinician Laura Yeh, to describe and demonstrate how he incorporates ocarina into his curriculum with the clinic, "Youth Musicianship Through Ocarina Ensembles".

Braswell HS Orchestra Director, Sam Flippin, shared his expertise as a cellist and teacher in his clinic titled, "Beginning Cellists: Striking the Balance."

McMath MS Band Director, Travis Harris, presented a how-to clinic on the do's and don'ts of forming and building a school jazz program in his clinic, "Starting a Jazz Band? No Problem!"

Strickland MS Choir Directors, Amy Logan and Vinny Thomas, explained how they effectively implement Google technology into their choir classroom with their clinic, "Make It Work! Practical Applications of Google for Your Choir."

Wilson ES Music Teacher, David Rowland, presented a clinic with colleague, Kara Nelson, from Valley Creek Elementary in McKinney ISD, titled, "Music Literacy Fun with Fifth Grade".

Middle School Theatre Programs Perform in One Act Play Contest

On Saturday, February 9, the theatre programs from Denton ISD's eight middle schools performed in the Middle School UIL District One Act Play Contest hosted at Ryan High School. Congratulations to all of the students and directors involved in these outstanding performances.

UIL Middle School One Act Play Contest Awards

1st Place - Harpool Middle School

Erin Turek, Director

The Women of Lockerbie

2nd Place - Navo Middle School

Amanda Hirsch, Director

Kentucky Cycle: Fire in the Hole

3rd Place - Myers Middle School

Heather Alverson, Director

The Cover of Life

Best Actor: Josh Lee, Harpool MS

Best Actress: Ella Eavenson, Harpool MS

All-Star Cast:

Grace Johnson, Crownover MS

Shepard Fosdyke-Jackson, Strickland MS

Reagan Netherland, Rodriguez MS

Rylan Bigley, McMath MS

Hannah Blake, Navo MS

Brooke Musia, Myers MS

Saymaria Newsome, Calhoun MS

Alexix Kralicek, Harpool MS (ensemble award)

Blair Rosteet, Harpool MS (ensemble award)

Emma Tull, Harpool MS (ensemble award)

Danielle Graves, Harpool MS (ensemble award)

Kate Duncan, Harpool MS (ensemble award)

Aubrie Benton, Harpool MS (ensemble award)

Abba Cannedy, Harpool MS (ensemble award)

Gabby Lee, Harpool MS (ensemble award)

Honorable Mention All-Star Cast:

Kloe Kloiber, Crownover MS

Amoren Newton, Strickland MS

Hunter Anderson, Rodriguez MS

Sarah Wood, McMath MS

James Burrows, Navo MS

Peyton Stoeckert, Myers MS

Katie Stuart, Calhoun MS

Samantha Raney, Harpool MS

Outstanding Technician:

Sam Gist, Crownover MS

L.E. Warren, Strickland MS

Morgan Stanley, Rodriguez MS

Anna Rutherford, McMath MS

Lizzie Welch, Navo MS

Luke Campbell, Myers, MS

Daniel Puma, Calhoun MS

Rosie Adams, Harpool MS

Overall Outstanding Technical Crew: Harpool MS