Mustang Fine Arts Update #1

We are pleased to welcome new highly qualified arts educators to the MPS Fine Arts Faculty. We have attracted some amazing visual artists and musicians to join with our already fantastic Fine Arts faculty to provide outstanding arts education for mustang students. We are very fortunate to have these wonderful teachers in Mustang!

2023 MPS Graduate Alex Vo was recognized this summer as the recipient of the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association Scholarship. Alex is starting his degree in clarinet performance at the University of Texas at Austin this Fall.

Choir directors Holly Sheargold (MCMS) and Megan Deister (MNMS) attended the YPC Summer Studio in Santa Barbara, California. It is the mission of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City to provide children of all cultural and economic backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance that seeks to fulfill each child’s potential, while creating a model of artistic excellence and diversity that enriches the community. The YPC National Studio is a professional development program that includes workshops, clinics, master classes, symposia, and artist residencies for educators, choral conductors, and directors, held for one week in residence at the Music Academy in Santa Barbara, California. Conductors and teachers work with MacArthur Award-winner, composer, and conductor Francisco J. Núñez, along with the YPC artistic faculty, studying repertoire and refining conducting skills.

Emily Farnham, MHS Theatre teacher, presented four theatre camps and three improvisation campus for children this summer. All camps were well attended and many students who came to an earlier camp chose to come back for a later camp. There are some great actors being developed at very young ages!

This past June clarinetists Kelsey Waters (senior) , Braxen Butler (senior) and Alex Vo (graduate) performed with the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra at famed Carnegie Hall. This is a premier ensemble conducted by their internationally known conductor, Jeffrey Grogan, Professor of Conducting and Orchestra Conductor at Oklahoma City University. Admission to this ensemble is through competitive auditions. This was the culmination of a wonderful performance tour in New York this summer.

Jennifer Hooten (22 MPS Teacher of the Year), Tanner Aubrey, and Jacob Chen attended the Kodaly workshop at OU this summer. Kodaly pedagogy is a specialized in-depth approach for teaching music to young children. To complete all three levels for full certification takes three summers of coursework. Jennifer completed her level III, Tanner completed Level I, and Jacob, having already completed his level III, was adjunct faculty at the workshop.

Keaton Flickinger earned her Gold Award from the Girl Scouts this past summer. For her Gold Award project, Keaton partnered with the Mustang Public Library to bring Art To All by making art tools more available to the public. Patrons were able rent supplies within the library to create art. They just needed to bring consumables. The library held classes on teaching how to create art with the tools. As an artist, Keaton knows how some art tools can be expensive to try if you want to expand your art skills. She wanted to create a space and provide access for people to be able to try art without the heavy prices.

This past June, the MPS band faculty hosted the Summer Academy for Band. Nearly 100 middle school students attended this week-long event and performed a concert at the end of the week. Students had opportunities to work in concert band and jazz ensemble. They also had master classes on their upcoming honor band audition music and classes to help students who are transitioning to new instruments like horn, tuba, euphonium, oboe, and bassoon. Mark your calendars for next summer, as the academy will return.