By Alyssa Johnson | Executive Director
The JOY students have been actively out in the greater Oregon Community this spring, sharing JOY with supporters, legislatures, family, and friends. We are making connections and sharing the talents of the youth in the JOY program. During the past few months, students were invited to perform in Salem for an Oregon Community Foundation event and have held concerts at their home schools. We even had to turn down a request for a performance due to scheduling issues. JOY is out in the community in force and gaining recognition!
Our kindergarten groups in both Newberg and McMinnville received their violins in late February and have been working hard to transition from box violins to the real instrument. It is a huge adjustment, but we are seeing that they are mastering it. Recently, the kinder students at Edwards Elementary shared their skills with family and friends at their first concert. It was magical! They were joined by first-grade students and were able to show off their proficiency in rest position, ready position, and playing position. They demonstrated plucking various rhythm patterns and their knowledge of the different strings. They ended the eve with a short song. Parents, friends, and district administrators were all impressed with how far the students have come. McMinnville students will be having their kinder concerts in the next few weeks. If you have not had a chance to do so, I encourage you to follow Yamhill Enrichment Society on social media for pictures and updates of concerts and events. We would love for you to catch one of the concerts in person.
As we have noted in prior updates this year, this is a big year for the JOY program. We are preparing to say goodbye to our inaugural group from Edwards Elementary. This spring they forecasted their schedules for the coming year, met with the orchestra teachers at their new schools and are finalizing preparations to move on. In March, these students joined the middle school and high school students for a joint Spring String Fling concert. It was a hit! They shared a few pieces they had been working on in front of a crowd of parents and musicians. The night wrapped up with a joint performance from all three groups. We have two final concerts in the next few weeks and then we will say our “See you later” to these amazingly talented students.
Spring finds us preparing to usher in the next group of young musicians to the program. Over the past two months we have met with administrators and district staff in both Newberg and McMinnville to solidify expansion plans for the 2023/24 school year. We are moving forward with a true doubling of the program, going from three schools this past year to six this coming fall. We are in the process of assessing, hiring, and preparing for this exciting expansion.
Thank you for your continued support of the JOY program. We could not have come this far without you.
Joyfully,
Links:
By Alyssa Johnson | Executive Director
By Danielle Howard Dye | Program Director, JOY Project
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