IN SERVICE CONFERENCE_
Featured
performing groups Hillgrove High School Mastery Orchestra
georgia music news / winter 14-15
74
Director: David R. Doke
Hillgrove High School was opened in 2006 and is a part of the Cobb County School District. During the past eight years, the Hillgrove Orchestra Program has established a tradition of excellence, consistently earning “Superior” ratings at the GMEA LGPE every year. In 2008, Hillgrove performed at the Heritage Festival in Williamsburg, Virginia, receiving the top score and the Outstanding Orchestra Award. In 2010, Hillgrove performed at the GMEA State Conference in Savannah. The following year, Hillgrove performed at the Heritage Invitational National Band and Orchestra Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2012, Hillgrove performed at the Heritage Festival of Gold at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, and in 2013, Hillgrove received the highest score at the National Band and Orchestra Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. This year Hillgrove will again perform at the National Band and Orchestra Festival at Carnegie Hall. Students in the Hillgrove Orchestra Program regularly perform in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Georgia Youth Symphony, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, All-State and District Honor Orchestra. The success of the Hillgrove Orchestra Program is due in large part to the support of the Cobb County School District, Fine Arts Supervisor Christopher Ferrell, the Hillgrove administration, and the outstanding feeder programs at Lovinggood Middle School, under the direction of Barbera Secrist, and Lost Mountain Middle School, under the direction of Linda Stephens.
Creekland Middle School Honor Orchestra Director: Gregory Pritchard, Ryan Robertson, and Michelle Ragan
The Creekland Middle School Honor Orchestra has existed as a string orchestra since the inception of Creekland Middle School itself in 1996. During that inaugural year, the group performed as a featured ensemble at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago under the direction of Ken Billups and Terry Shade. Other previous directors include Linda Pinner, Kim Craft, Bo Na, and Na Seo. Currently, with almost 600 string students in the orchestra program, Creekland has a long tradition of Superior ratings from Georgia Music Educators Association Large Group Performance Evaluations as well as several other festivals throughout the region. The Creekland Honor Orchestra has performed twice at the GMEA In-Service Conference, most recently in 2011. In August 2012, current directors Gregory Pritchard and Ryan Robertson reorganized the group by permanently adding woodwinds, brass, and percussion students as regular members. In 2013, Creekland added Michelle Ragan as their third orchestra director. In the short two years since the group became a full orchestra, the CMS Honor Orchestra has received straight Superior ratings from the GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluations in 2013 and 2014. They also received straight Superior ratings and a First Place prize at the Music in the Parks competition in 2013. 2015 marks the first GMEA In-Service Conference performance of the Creekland Honor Orchestra as a full orchestra with a program entitled “Contemporary Music for Middle School Full Orchestra.
Lost Mountain Middle School Orchestra
Director: Linda Stephens
The orchestra program at Lost Mountain Middle School has been in existence since the opening of the school in 1992 and boasts over 300 members in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The program offers orchestral instruction for beginning, intermediate, and advanced performers. The course is taught on a daily basis throughout the school year. The program is also enhanced by before school programs – the violin and cello choirs, advanced chamber ensembles, and an electric bass class. These groups meet once a week and perform for community outreach programs. The orchestras have received numerous awards. The eighth grade orchestra has performed at the GMEA conference in 2011. The seventh and eighth grade orchestras have received consecutive Superior ratings at the Cobb County Middle School Large Group Festival in both performance and sight-reading. They have also been accepted to perform for Walt Disney World’s Magic Music Days for the past eleven years. The seventh and eighth grade orchestras have also performed at the State Capitol with Governor Sonny Perdue conducting! The eighth grade orchestra has also performed at Atlanta Braves games. We have had numerous students receive Superior ratings at Solo and Ensemble Festival, place into the Cobb County Middle School Honors Orchestra, and GMEA All-State orchestra. Lost Mountain Middle, a Cobb County School, is located in Kennesaw and opened in 1992. The principal is Mrs. Candace Wilkes. The Music Department at Lost Mountain Middle School is the home to over 800 band, chorus, and orchestra students. The bands are under the direction of Suzanne Tingle and Brittany Mori. The choruses are directed by Jay Champion. Our music department chairperson is Theresa Bennett. The LMMS band, chorus, and orchestra have earned recognition as being among the best in the state of Georgia, regularly scoring superior ratings at large group performance evaluations and being invited to perform. Current and former members of the music department have played and sung in All-state ensembles and community ensembles in the metro-Atlanta area. Lost Mountain inherits wonderful music students from Larry Drawdy at Vaughn Elementary, Cindy Morrison at Due West Elementary, and Judy Beale at Ford Elementary. Lost Mountain currently feeds Harrison High School, orchestra director Angela Baddock, Hillgrove High School, orchestra director, David Doke, and McEachern High School, orchestra director, Jennifer Floyd.