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by Kathleen Donner
The Big Build: A Hands-on Family Festival of Tools, Trucks, and Building Arts
On Sept 21, all day, be a builder for the day at the Big Build festival! Amateur builders young and old can discover what it’s like to build a brick wall, carve stone, hammer nails, and much more as they work side by side with designers, builders, and artisans demonstrating their skills. Meet plumbers, electricians, ironworkers, landscape architects, woodworkers, and experts in many other fields to learn about their professions and hobbies. At this year’s Big Build festival you can climb aboard cranes and tractors, build a brick wall, construct a log cabin, plant a tree and autumn plants, carve stone, imagine living in a tiny 500-square-foot house, compete in a nail driving contest and create a hardware wind chime to take home. National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. 202-2722448. nbm.org This year the Big Build goes green. In addition to popular exhibitors and our construction vehicle “petting zoo,” the festival goes green this year by showcasing how the building industries are committed to conservation through environmentally friendly practices.
DC Parent & Family Engagement Summit
On Sept 7, the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education will host the Second Annual DC Parent and Family Engagement Summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This agency-wide initiative is recognized by the U S Department of Education as “one of the most comprehensive and commendable” parent and family outreach efforts in the nation. The summit, a day-long event, is designed to inspire, inform and motivate DC parents and families by providing vital information and resources to promote successful educational outcomes for their children. To register online,
Trying out new instruments. Photo: Courtesy of the DC Youth Orchestra
DC Youth Orchestra Open House
Does your child want to learn to play an instrument or does your child already play and wants to participate in an ensemble? If so, check out DC Youth Orchestra Program at its annual Open House, DCYOPalooza, on Saturday, Sept 7, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Eastern High School, 1700 E. Capitol St. NE. This event is free and open to everyone. Kids can see, hear, and try out instruments at the instrument “petting zoo”. Listen to informal performances by DCYOP faculty at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. where you will hear and meet violin, viola, cello, harp, guitar, flute, oboe, trumpet, french horn, and percussion teachers. You can also talk with faculty and staff and register for the fall program. At 4:00 pm, there is an an open rehearsal of the Youth Orchestra playing Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. If your child plays an instrument, you can schedule a placement audition between now and Sept 7. Advanced students can also schedule an audition for the Youth Orchestra during the Open House as well as on Sept 14. DCYOP offers instrumental music classes and ensemble training for beginning to advanced students ages 4-18. Most classes and rehearsals take place on Saturdays at Eastern High School. Tuition assistance is available. The deadline to register for the fall semester is Sept 7 and classes start on Sept 14. For more information, call 202-698-0123 or visit dcyop.org. HillRag | September 2013 H 139