LCS students perform in honors band concert

More than two dozen high school and middle school music students from Lapeer West, Lapeer East, Zemmer and Rolland-Warner performed in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association District III Honors Band Festival on Saturday, January 29, at Brandon High School.


Lapeer West High School students participating in the District III MSBOA High School Honors Band Festival included Kayla Haneline, Stephanie Wilcox, Taylor Harvey, Ashley Nugent, Tim Waelde, Deanna Childress, Aidan Smith. Lapeer East High School students included Dakota Hart, Sarah Powers, Whitney Harvey, Hannah Hastings, Keefer Maresh, Alison Gonda, Lillian Miller, Mason Sorenson, Alex Frederick.

Rolland-Warner Middle School students who participated included Sara Burns, Vanessa Sparks, Mark Lutz, Desmond Doneen and Emily Gillis. Zemmer Middle School participants inlcluded Morgan Combs, Shawn Deverell, Blake Clements, Serra Seib, Emily Dice, Meredith Henderson, Mark Lutz.

The Middle School Honors Band was conducted by Roger Weyersberg, director of the Lions of Michigan All-State Band, Low Brass Instructor at Saginaw Valley State University and the retired director of Music in the Ovid-Elsie area schools.

The High School Honors Band was conducted by Scott Boerma, associate director of bands, director of the University of Michigan Marching Band and professor of Conducting at he University of Michigan. He is also an avid composer. The band performed Glimpses, one of his original compositions, at the performance.

The students were nominated by their director and chosen from hundreds of entries around the Thumb, based on outstanding musicianship and participation in solo & ensemble.

Rolland-Warner Band Director Heather Hundt noted, “Their participation is an honor, and they did a wonderful job representing our school and our district and gave an awesome performance Saturday night.”

To view photos from the concert, please visit the Lapeer Community Schools Picasa photo albums at: https://picasaweb.google.com/LapeerCS/MSBOABandFestival#

December 2010 West Holiday Concerts

View videos of the December 2010 West High School Choir Concert and the West Band Concert.

West choirs


West band

December 2010 East Holiday Concerts

View videos of the December 2010 East High School Choir Concert and the East Band Concert.


East band

Lapeer East 2010 Halloween Band Concert

View the video of the Lapeer East 2010 Halloween Band Concert.

Music classes get an online assist

Elementary music students in Lapeer Community Schools are getting a chance to take a musical expedition that covers everything from music theory to dance, and a whole lot of learning in between.


The program source is Music Express magazine, which comes with worksheets, CDs, and interactive online web programs. Students get a chance to explore the world of music and get a chance to perform the lessons – which includes singing and playing instruments along with an added measure of history and geography.

Elementary music teacher Stephanie Harrington explains that teachers get a new edition of Music Express every two months. The lesson comes with 30 student magazines, a teacher's magazine and a CD with all the songs, artist interviews and articles on it.

Harrington says this year’s theme for the magazine is Rock and Roll with a little country thrown in.

“The really neat thing about the magazine is that there is an online website with extra resources such a choreography to some of the songs (it is actually taught and performed by the magazine’s creator, John Jacobson)” Harrington said.

There are mini lessons to go along with the world music section of the magazine. “This section contains information such as the geography of the country, customs, dress, music and dance,” she added. “I am currently presenting the song from Liberia, and at the end of the mini lesson there is a lesson on how to play djembe drum.”

The music department owns several djembe drums, and 4th grade students at Seaton Elementary recently got a chance to play the djembe with instructions provided via the online video.

The Music Express program is being used throughout the District in 1st through 6th grade music classes. Different aspects of the magazine are geared toward different age levels. The teacher's magazine includes keyboard accompaniments, choreography notes, instrumental parts, activities, columns and articles and full-length lesson plans.
The accompanying CD provides vocal and instrumental versions of each featured song, plus listening selections

“The program is great,” said Harrington, and it appeals to a wide range of music knowledge – everything from classical composers to the Black Eyed Peas.

For a look at pictures of Music Express in the classroom at Seaton, go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/LapeerCS/MusicExpressAtMusicProgramAtSeaton#

Mariah Wallace: Lapeer East singer hits the high notes

From the time she started talking as a toddler, Lapeer East High School junior Mariah Wallace said she has also been singing.

In recent months, her singing voice has gotten her noticed in a lot of great ways.

Last year, a performance at a Detroit Habitat for Humanity event brought her an invitation from the executive producer of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels fame, to do back up vocals for Ryder.

“That was so fun,” Mariah said.

Last summer, Mariah took part in radio station’s CK105.5 singing competition and made it to the final 8. Marshall Block, sponsor and judge of the competition, invited her to a Fenton recording studio where she worked on a song co-written by Dick Wagner and Steve Perry.

Wagner is the lead guitarist and songwriter for Alice Cooper and Perry was the lead singer for the group, Journey. After she fell in love with the song she was asked to do a whole CD. Mariah is working with songwriters, Jimmy Henterley and Katrina Hawkins, and the band, Zen, to fill out the 10-track CD called “Coming Clear.”

Mariah said laying down the tracks has been fun, but also business.

“It’s really hard work,” Mariah said. “I practice on my own every day, I practice with the band once a week and two Saturdays ago I spent all day in the studio.”

With some good fortune, Mariah, 17, said she hopes the CD will be released sometime in the spring.

Since eighth grade, students at East have been treated to Mariah’s voice at talent shows and as the National Anthem singer at many athletic events, something that has caught the attention of folks outside the school. Mariah has also performed at numerous local festivals, fairs and charity events.

At Lapeer East, Mariah works with and sings in the choir taught by Ms. Cheryl Burnside.

“Ms. Burnside is awesome, I love Ms. Burnside,” Mariah said.

On Thursday, February 19, 2009, Mariah received a letter inviting her to sing the National Anthem at the 2009 Class C Boys Basketball Finals on March 28, 2009 at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center at Michigan State University.

After high school, Mariah plans on majoring in music at college and hopes to have a music career.

“It’s the only thing I see myself doing,” Mariah said. “My parents have been extremely, extremely supportive.”

In her off hours she works at her father’s pizzeria, The Parlor, in Hadley.

Her parents are John and Jackie Wallace and she has a sister, Olivia, 14, and a brother JonPaul, 10.