History of Lightfoot School Musical

Recently, the Lightfoot Elementary School 3^rd grade students participated in the last musical of the year. The musical, “A History of Lightfoot Elementary School” was written and directed by Mrs. Judy Peterson. This musical was the last of over 130 productions Mrs. Peterson has directed during her teaching career, and this finale went out with a bang and a joyous crowd of parents, grandparents, former students and teachers of Lightfoot Elementary, and community members.

The musical portrayed the history of Lightfoot Elementary School and Ms. Isabella Lightfoot, for whom the school is named. The story began in the 1800s, the century Isabella Lightfoot was born, and ended in the year 2008. It followed the historical highlights along the way, including the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil Rights Movement, and the integration of schools. In the midst of all of these events, Isabella Lightfoot became a teacher in Daniel, Tatum, and Freetown, and later she taught at Lightfoot Training School in Bethel. After Isabella Lightfoot’s death, the Lightfoot Training School burned down, but Ms. Lightfoot’s legacy would live on through the students of Lightfoot Elementary School thanks to Mrs. Peterson.

Students were enthusiastic in their performance. They sang the songs of the historical periods portrayed, danced the Virginia Reel and more modern dances, and accompanied the songs with various instruments. Several students played in a Ukulele Choir along with Mrs. Peterson. The audience greatly enjoyed these performances and, at times, sang along with the students.

Mrs. Peterson is truly a fantastic director and a wonderful music teacher. As Mrs. Peterson always said, music makes children happy, and her love for music is contagious among her pupils. The love of music lives on with each generation of students who continue to play and sing as they grow older and remember this great teacher and her influence on their lives.

Jazz Ensemble

Last weekend, the OCHS Bands had a very successful spaghetti dinner fundraiser. A huge draw was, of course, the OCHS Jazz Ensemble. This ensemble performed in two music sets, each over an hour long and entertained a number of fans. Songs featured many individual students, including Nathan Gredler on flugelhorn, Lauren Hart on alto saxophone, and a vocal solo by Alyssa Trapani singing the classic “Stormy Weather”. The high energy selections provoked people to move to the beat and even get up and dance, while the smooth jazz was happily welcomed by spaghetti dinner attendees. Overall, the performance was revered by the audience.

Three years ago, the Jazz Ensemble was simply an idea at the high school. With all new students and a new style of music, the Jazz Ensemble was created and was at once a popular ensemble. The Jazz Ensemble always has a hip style and their crowd pleasing music is tremendously entertaining.

The music of the Jazz Ensemble features many improvisational soloists. Improvisation, or, in effect, coming up with a solo off the top of your head, is an important skill to have in jazz, and one that the OCHS Jazz Ensemble works hard on every year. Improv solos are often passed between the saxophones and trumpets. Another big part of the jazz band is the rhythm section. Not only are they the heartbeat of the band, but the drum set is primarily the director of the band. The rhythm section, including drums, auxiliary percussion, bass, and piano provides the foundation for every song. Members of the Jazz Ensemble find ample opportunity to share their musical creativity and love of the jazz style in the music they perform.

Be sure to watch the Jazz Ensemble in action once again this weekend at the March Fine Arts Fair. The Jazz Ensemble will be performing shortly after the OCHS Symphonic Band both Friday night and Saturday afternoon. The Fine Arts Fair is being held at Orange County High School on Friday, March 7 at 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 8 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Upcoming High School Music Events

This is one of the busiest times of the year for the music department at Orange County High School. The band is currently preparing for the District Festival. At this event, the band has an opportunity to perform selections from their current repertoire to show the progress they have made over a year. The band also receives feedback from judges at festival. The judges point out what the band does well and what they should work on, and they give suggestions as to how to make the band better. District Festival allows the band to perform for their peers as well as grow and improve from the experience.

Along with District Festival, there are events coming up in which the community has an opportunity to support the music department at the high school. On February 29^th, the band is holding their second annual spaghetti dinner. At the spaghetti dinner, the people of Orange County can help the band fund their trip to Myrtle Beach in April while also enjoying dinner and entertainment provided by the band. The always amazing Jazz Ensemble will perform selections at the spaghetti dinner, as well as instrumental soloists from other OCHS ensembles.

March 7^th and 8^th, the music department at Orange County High School will host the Fine Arts Festival. During the Fine Arts Festival, people will have the opportunity to listen to various ensembles, including the Symphonic Band, the Jazz Ensemble, the Thursday Ensemble, the OCHS Choir, and the strings department. There will also be a performance from the OCHS Color Guard, a vital part of the OCHS marching band.

This is a great time to come out and enjoy the various ensembles and see what the music department at Orange County High School is all about. We hope that you will come support the musicians at OCHS in these exciting events.

District Band

Each fall, students from middle school and high school bands go to audition on their instrument. From these students, the best of the best are picked to be members of the All-District Concert Band or the All-District Symphonic Band. This year, several students from Orange County High School were chosen to partake in these ensembles. Linda Dionne on clarinet, Alyssa Trapani on trumpet, Erin Penley on French horn, and Gabrielle Holloway on baritone, were chosen for the Concert Band. Students chosen for the Symphonic Band were Katie Dove on oboe, Kevin Paxton on clarinet, Ashley Weaver on clarinet, and Daniel Johnson on tuba. Tim Barr was also selected as first alternate on mallets.

Last Friday and Saturday, February 1-2, these students traveled to Albemarle to prepare and practice with students from other counties in the district. Each band worked with a guest conductor. The Concert Band’s guest conductor was Mr. Moe Turrentine, State Manager of the Virginia Music Educators’ Association and conductor of the Garrett Community Concert Band in Garrett County, Maryland. The Symphonic Band was under the direction of Dr. Steven Bolstad, director of bands at James Madison University. Working with a guest director gives students a new perspective of how music should be approached. Linda Dionne remarked “my guest conductor’s methods were a lot different than we’re all used to, but he said a lot of the same things we hear in practice everyday.” After working with these conductors, the event culminated with a performance on Saturday afternoon to show off all the hard work students put into preparing the music.

During the district band event, three students from Orange County High School were selected to audition for the All-State Band. These students were Katie Dove, Daniel Johnson, and Kevin Paxton.

District Band is a great opportunity for students from different counties to get together and play, see how other bands operate and progress, and most of all, learn from each other to become better musicians.

Corey Harris Benefit Concert

Looking for entertainment that is also beneficial? Check out Corey Harris’s performance at the Four County Players Theater next Thursday, January 31 at 7:30 P.M. Not only will you enjoy great blues and roots music, but you will also benefit the Orange County Public Schools’ Instrument Fund. Tickets are $12, and all ticket sales go to buying instruments for the schools so that students who cannot afford to buy their own instruments can use school instruments and still pursue their musical career.

Corey Harris, a native of Denver, Colorado, has had much success in the music industry. Between 1995 and 2005, Mr. Harris released multiple critically acclaimed albums and was even featured in Martin Scorsese’s PBS series “The Blues.” He traveled to Mali to play with Ali Farka Toure, a renowned African singer and guitarist. Harris later returned to Mali to study music and record another album. Since then, Mr. Harris has toured in Guinea, Mali, West Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. He has also performed in many well-known venues including the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Royal Albert Hall in London, New York’s Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Recently, Corey Harris received a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” and an honorary doctorate for music from his alma mater, Bates College in Maine. Harris has also recently released a new album, Zion Crossroads which has already had much critical acclaim.

Orange is proud to welcome Corey Harris for this special event benefiting our local schools. Come show your support for the schools and enjoy great music by partaking in this once in a lifetime event.

Winterhope

Last week students at Lightfoot Elementary kicked the holidays off in style with their musical entitled “Winterhope.” The night began with an introduction by the Beginning Strings program, led by Richard LaRue. These up and coming musicians played their rendition of an old favorite, “Jingle Bells,” and “The Dreidel Song.”

Shortly after, the 4^th grade class began their musical with a selection from the Nutcracker ballet. Michaela Allen, Abigail Douthit, and Lorynn Kilby were the shining stars who danced to this piece, bringing the music to life with their excellent choreography. The program continued with songs including “We Wish You a Happy Holidays,” “My Dreidel,” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Throughout the program, the students posed the question of what would happen if Christmas was not exactly as it is today. For example, the students performed two versions of “Jingle Bells”: one in which the song was written during a time of war and sadness, and one during a time of peace and happiness. The difference between the two songs was astounding, making everyone thankful that Christmas continues to bring us joy.

This entire musical had not only great music, but an educational opportunity for the audience. Through music and dance, the students taught what the different holidays, including Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan, and Kwanzaa are, and what it means to participate in these contrasting celebrations. Ending the program with the classic “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” the students reiterated the theme of peace and happiness associated with all holidays. This musical left everyone smiling and happy to start the holiday season.

Upcoming Holiday Concert!

Are you ready to get in the Christmas spirit? The music department of Orange County High School will perform in their annual Holiday concert next Thursday, December 13th at 7 o'clock in the OCHS auditorium. With performances by the OCHS Wind Band, Concert Band, and Choir, this is the perfect way to kick off the Holiday season.
The ensembles will perform a varying repertoire, from Hanukkah songs to old favorites; from selections from the Nutcracker Suite to the upbeat Sleigh Ride to sing-a-longs and classic carols. This concert is sure to please everyone, with a little something for everyone, young and old.
The music program continues to improve with each performance, and this concert is sure to be the best one yet. Not only will the music be outstanding, but there will also be a new addition to this concert: the entire Wind Band performance will be directed by high school band students. Experienced members of this transitional ensemble will lead their fellow band members. This will give the older students new training in a different area of music and a chance to improve their individual directing abilities. .
The Wind Band and Concert Band will also be performing at Orange Jam next Friday, December 14th. Orange Jam will start at 6 o’clock, and this performance will also be televised on Channel 17 in Orange. Be sure to either come out to see this performance or catch it on TV soon after the performance.
Come out, enjoy great music, and support the music program in their Holiday Concert on December 13th and the bands on December 14th at Orange Jam