The Denton ISD 5th Grade Honor Choir Concert was virtual this year due to the pandemic. Everything about this event had to be reinvented by our elementary music specialists - the auditions, teaching and learning the music, rehearsing, recording the performances, and editing a virtual concert - all had to be done in a new way and the finished product is the next best thing to having a live performance. The students did an outstanding job performing and our 24 teachers did an amazing job collaborating and putting all of this together. Many thanks to the parents that recorded and submitted videos, to David Rowland of Woodrow Wilson ES for playing the piano accompaniment, and to Nicolas Miranda of Blanton ES for the accomplishing the enormous task of compiling, editing, and creating the concert video. Click on the link above to experience this concert and the wonderful music our students are making in Denton ISD!

"Outside the Box,” Denton ISD's 8th Annual Art Show, is on display online May 20-27. Visit this website above to view the digital art galleries provided for artists, family members, and other guests of the show, hosted by the University of North Texas College of Visual Art and Design in Denton. Guests will see selected artwork from students at every Denton ISD school – from kindergarten to high school seniors. “Outside the Box” is co-sponsored by the University of North Texas to promote community support of art education. Thanks to all of the art teachers across DISD for inspiring and helping their students develop the skills to create these wonderful pieces of art. Special thanks to Kelley McGee of Borman ES for compiling the artwork and coordinating this event.

The Betty Buckley Awards, named after Fort Worth’s own Tony® Award-winning Best Actress, Casa Mañana alumna Betty Lynn Buckley, is a scholarship awards program that has stood to promote and celebrate excellence in high school musical theatre since 2000. Participation is open to Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood, Johnson, and Tarrant County. The program culminates in a virtual Tony® Awards-style ceremony at Casa Mañana Theatre.

A panel of distinguished judges – comprised of local theatre professionals and educators – votes for a winner in each of 14 award categories. Awards include a $250 scholarship, which is provided by generous donors who recognize the benefits of this program and the impact musical theatre has on the lives of students.

Guyer HS Theatre's production of Bright Star has been nominated for seven Betty Buckley Awards:

Best Musical: Bright Star

Best Male Supporting Actor in a Musical: Andrew Beijan as Mayor Dobbs

Best Female Supporting Actor in a Musical: Ryley Patten as Margo

Best Male Leading Actor in a Musical: Parker Jackson as Jimmy Ray Dobbs

Best Female Leading Actor in a Musical: Caroline Chraska as Alice Murphy

Excellence in Sound Design: Chris Lopez

Excellence in Lighting Design: Alex Marshall

Congratulations to these nominees and to the Guyer Theatre Directors, Eleshia Crotwell and Chris Crotwell. Click here to see the complete list of nominees and learn more about these awards.

Every year, the Denton Noon Kiwanis Club recognizes and honors outstanding students in Denton ISD's high school performing arts programs. The teachers get the opportunity to present their respective students the awards and tell the Kiwanis Club members all about the character, accomplishments, and future plans of the award recipients. This May, the Kiwanis Club treated the award winners and their teachers to a lunch at Rudy's BBQ in Denton. Congratulations to these deserving students and their teachers from our high school band, choir, orchestra, and theatre programs.

The Rodriguez Middle School Virtual Art Show features hand-selected student artists from all grade levels and art courses at RMS. The online exhibit is on display virtually May 3-27 and showcases original paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, and other works of art by our outstanding student artists. We hope you will join us in celebrating the hard work and dedication of students and teachers of the Rodriguez MS Visual Arts Department. Many thanks to the RMS Art Teachers: Annie Norrell, Jessica Risenhoover, and Sarah Simmons for creating this exhibit.

In May, some of our performing arts programs held live performances attended by small, socially-distanced, masked audiences. Some of these were only available to family members or were allowed a limited number of tickets but it was an incredible feeling to be able to experience live performances again! For some students this was their first opportunity to give a live, in-person performance for an audience since March of 2020. It was so nice to see family members and friends in person and see they joy in both the audience and the performers as they experienced these events together. Many thanks to our teachers and students for their patience, perseverance, and ingenuity throughout this pandemic - continuing to provide performance experiences online and in creative, non-traditional spaces. Your performances, regardless of format or venue, have continued to be outstanding and show the high level of arts education continuing in Denton ISD.

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