Free Summer Camp for Ascension Youth!

St. Amant High School will host its 3rd "Singing Summer Camp" from May 28-31.  Thanks to The Ascension Fund, it is FREE to all participants!

If you know anyone with kids entering grades 1-8, let them know about this amazing experience.

.pdf of registration located at:  http://tinyurl.com/d34u4m3

For registration information, e-mail: bryan.bertucci@apsb.org

The goal of the Singing Summer Camp is to allow students to learn about the choral art form and to encourage the development of elementary and middle school vocal music programs in the Ascension Parish Public Schools.

State Festival, here we come!

Wednesday will be a busy day.  Beginning Choir, Adv. Girls, Mixed Choir, and Select Ensemble ALL sing on May 1!!!  Concert is on May 2!?!?!?!?  Don't know what I was thinking.

The students sound amazing this year.  Amidst many changes in the evaluation process and learning targets, the choir has managed to send ALL ensembles to STATE!

I have had the pleasure of teaching many talented students, but I am priviledged to teach the best group of ensembles in my 7th year at St. Amant HS.  The students in the choirs this year sound better than any groups I have taught thus far.  Not that previous groups were not as good, but I am more experienced now and previous years have helped build more aware singers who can sing as a part of the ensemble.

The past four years have been amazing and I will miss this crew (even the ones with senioritis!?!?!) as much as I miss the alumni who have helped get them to this point.

We take over Lake Charles Civic Center (and then CiCi's Pizza) on May 1...

Dutchtown HS Spring Concert

Mrs. Elisar, Dutchtown High School's choir director, is retiring this year!  Congratulations to you.  The concert was on 4/22 and the choirs sounded amazing!  I was proud to have so many St. Amant students attend the concert of a 'rival school' (never rivals in choir, though).
Mrs. Elisar is a great mentor, friend, and director!  Whoever fills her shoes will have a tough name to live up to.  Looking forward to meeting the new Dutchtown Choir Director next year.
Although the last song, "Always a Friend," is always touching, I feel the highlight of the night was "In Rememberance."  The song was dedicated to two former students who have passed from the Ascension community.  It was sung to support the families and with unimaginable emotion.
Congratulations to DTHS on an amazing concert!

Stellar Saturday!

Well, why stop the alliteration now?

On Saturday, April 20, choir students participated in State Rally for solo and small ensembles.  I was very impressed with the quality of musician from St. Amant who participated this year!

All students scored Excellent or Superior!

Students earning superior ratings (highest) were:
-Jordan Manton
-Madison Buratt
-Natalie Caruso
-Cole Spillman
-Small Ensemble:  London Marchand, Jacey Bittle, Madison Buratt

Congrats to all (enjoy the pic of us in the lobby of the LSU music building):

Fantastick Friday!

Recently, I attended a Student Achievement Partners conference in Denver, CO, that focused on Common Core State Standards.  When I returned from the conference, I decided that Friday would be a great day to begin learning our "end of the year/alumni" song, "Try to Remember."

My beginning choir read the lyrics individually, then I read the lyrics to the class.  Next, we answered questions about vocabulary (with citations from the text).  Students began to make more connections and excel at literacy!!!

On top of all that, the beginning choir learned the entire song in only one period!  I have some rockstars in the choirs this year!

LSU Choir Invitational

St. Amant High School's Choir had the largest group of students of any school participate in the LSU Invitational.  Students learned three songs under the direction of Dr. Dickson, director of choirs at LSU.  After a morning of rehearsals, students combined with the A Cappella Choir and had a rehearsal followed by a brief performance.

STA's Got Talent!

Congratulations to the many talented acts to perform at St. Amant's Got Talent.  Over 20 acts performed and the results are as follows:

Judge's Favorite:  Natalie and Julie Caruso
1st Place:  Thomas Vercher and Troy Bourgeois
2nd Place:  Jesse Bateman and Karleigh Keller
3rd Place:  Blake Thibodeaux

The event helped to raise money for the choir to attend the state assessments.  Over 400 people turned out to lend their support.  A HUGE thank you to to the St. Amant Community for their continued support of the music programs.

Awesome Day at St. Amant

I often tell my wife (it is her first year teaching) that in teaching you remember and hold on dearly to the good days because they are few and far between.  I have been on a winning streak lately!  Yes, the reforms in education are cumbersome and, no, I do not think many of them are in the best interest of the students (on top of that, teachers have difficulty keeping up with poorly planned reforms that are tough to maintain).

We are preparing for a talent show, tomorrow at school and I have some amazing students working very hard to help it be a success.  Also, for the first time, I have teacher participants... even if they are doing spoofs, I think a Dr. Seuss poetry slam will be hilarious!

At the same time that this is beginning, I find out the prom king and queen are both from choir.  Being in choir I am sure, in no way, helped them, but I am proud of them nevertheless.  Also, we are preparing for a solo and small ensemble assessment (previous called festival, but we have to be more politically correct now).

I had students stay after school for hours to practice and the last singer really moved me.  This girl had been in my Beginning Choir for three semesters and I asked her to move to Advanced Choir this semester.  She was chosen for the Select Ensemble and music may be a viable ticket for her into college next year.  She began singing her solo (I don't work solos during school, only after school) and I was amazed that she learned it ALL on her own.

I have singers who are smart and musical and exert very little effort, but it was especially moving to hear this student sing.  Teaching is a great profession that gives teachers the privilege of watching students grow and succeed.  I hope all of my teachers know what an amazing impact on my life they had.  Teachers impart so much more than just knowledge, they teach life skills, expectations, drive, enthusiasm, and more.

Here's hoping form many more days like today at school  Thanks to all of the students who work so hard to achieve the ever increasing expectations.  I am proud of all of you.

Great visit to Loyola New Orleans

It is often said that rewards in teaching are few and far between.  Today, I was honored to see a former student, Daniel Bourgeois, perform with the Loyola University Chorus and Chorale amazing music.

I listened and watched in awe as my former director subtly conducted sounds that very few are able to evoke.  The choir breathed energy and passion into the music (Peaceable Kingdom and Vaughn Williams's Mass in G Minor).

Meg Frazier paid me one of the biggest compliments of my career, she said that Daniel was a great student and to send more students like him to Loyola.  She is placing him in the highest ensemble at Loyola.

I, most certainly, do not take credit for his achievements.  His family, self-motivation, and other instructors have influenced him immensely, but it is great to have been asked to have more of my students audition to Loyola!