FINE ARTS NEWS GAINING MOMENTUM

There is no doubt about it, our fine arts programs are truly something to recognize. Each year, our programs continue to grow, and students continue to excel, and this year has been no different. For the first year ever, our high school and middle school music programs held separate Christmas concerts! While the success of everything at Providence Academy is due to the arduous work of students and the faculty who lead them, nothing would be possible without the blessing of God. As always, everything that we do, including in our fine arts programs, is an act of worship to Him.

Providence Academy received one of the 2022 Best Communities for Music Education awards from the NAMM Foundation. This recognition was for the outstanding efforts of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community leaders who make music part of a well-rounded education for every child. In addition to this prestigious award, our fine arts programs have grown and were honored in many ways, including:

• The PA Chamber Ensemble was invited to sing at the Biltmore for the first time. Students sang in the winter garden inside of the Biltmore house for one of the Christmas candlelight evenings.

• Three high school students (Abigail Chapman, Olivia Mason, and Isaac Moore) and seven middle school students (Amilia Alzner, Riley Belt, William Burton, Emma Calogero, Anna Chambers, and Addison Pumphrey) were invited to participate in the All-East Regional Chorus in Maryville, TN. These students were chosen by auditioning.

• The high school drama put on two fall productions for the first time ever!

• The middle school drama premiered a play called Waiting on the Promised Messiah directed by KeriBeth Atkins and assisted by Andee Klusman.

• The high school performed a production of It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play directed by Angela Grigsby and assisted by Marilyn Burns.

• Two fifth grade and two sixth grade vocalists recently submitted auditions and were selected to join the TN Treble Honor Choir. They will perform along with the All-State Choir and Instrumental Groups at the TN Music Educators Association Conference in Nashville, TN in April of 2023.

As our programs have grown both in number and in prestige, the need for new instruments has increased. We recently received a grant to purchase large instruments and musician chairs for students to use as they perform. In particular, we were able to purchase cellos and basses, allowing for greater access to instruments for students. This helped to ease the difficulty that comes from students needing to transport their large instruments between home and school and has been a great blessing. In addition, the orchestra program has also grown with enough participants to participate in ETSBOA Junior Clinic for the first time (February 2023) and All East Senior Clinic. As you can see, our fine arts programs have had a highly successful year with much more to come. As we highlight and celebrate this growth and the awards that we have received, let us again turn the focus back to the Lord who deserves all the glory for the wonderful things He has done.