United Arts Program: Bacchanal Steel Band

On Thursday, April 19th, 2018, the Bacchanal Steel Band performed music from the Caribbean islands for the students of Forestville Road.  Students learned about the history of steel drums, how steel drums are made, and how they fit into Trinidadian culture.  Students also had the opportunity to play with the band using auxiliary percussion instruments that included cowbells, triangles, cabasas, and brake drums.  Below you can see pictures of the Bacchanal Steel Band performing, the students playing instruments, and Ms. Sanders accompanying the band on drum set. We would like to thank our PTA and the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County for sponsoring this event!

Stars of the East

On Thursday, March 15th, 2018 our chorus performed at the Stars of the East talent show at East Wake High School in Wendell, NC.  They performed Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" to encourage the audience to shake off the negativity and criticism that they may experience in life. The chorus was led by Angelinee Venegas-Mejia and they were accompanied by our school's percussion ensemble.  Below you can see students hanging out in the green room before the show.  We are looking forward to having another great show next year!

This picture features Ms. Sanders looking up and pointing at her high school band picture from 2002.

All-County Honors Chorus

On Saturday, February 17th, 2018 four students from our school participated in the annual All-County Honors Chorus.  At the concert, students performed works by Mozart, Rollo Dilworth, Craig Hella Johnson, Daisy Fragoso, Lionel Hampton, and Andrea Ramsey.  Students worked hard to prepare the music and we are proud of the excellent performance that they gave at the concert.  Below the students can be seen at the dress rehearsal and at the concert that took place during that weekend.

Ukulele Club

 In January of this year, we were pleased to announce the start of a new club at Forestville.  The ukulele club was started for students who were interested in learning how to play a stringed instrument.  The club has been practicing diligently on Monday mornings at 8 a.m.  Students in the ensemble are excited about performing in the upcoming spring concert in May.  We hope to see you there!

Polar Express Concert

On Thursday, December 7th, 2017, the FRES chorus put on a winter concert entitled Polar Express.  Students in the 3rd through 5th grade chorus performed songs from the movie including "Rockin' On Top of the World", "Hot Chocolate", and "Believe".  There were also performances by our 4th and 5th grade percussion ensemble and 4th grade recorder ensemble pictured below.  Our art teacher, Ms. Lyn Riggs, created the background for the stage which included a picture of the bell from the movie.    We would like to give a special thanks to the FRES PTA, the FRES custodial staff, the third grade team, Ms. Lyn Riggs, and all of the other staff who worked hard to make the program a success!  We are looking forward to having a wonderful performance for the spring semester.

NC Symphony 2017

In September, the fourth grade students of Forestville went to see the North Carolina symphony perform.  Students heard works by Brahms, Copland, Khachaturian, and other composers.  Below are pictures from the field trip.

2017-2018 Ensemble Auditions

Chorus and percussion ensemble auditions will be held from Tuesday, August 29th, 2017 until Friday, September 8th, 2017.  Auditions will be held from 8:45 a.m. until 9:15 a.m. in the music room.  If you would like to audition for chorus, please prepare one school appropriate song lasting no more than two minutes.  If you would like to audition for percussion ensemble, please prepare to read and play rhythms in 4/4 time involving quarter notes, quarter rests, beamed eighth notes, and beamed sixteenth notes. I am looking forward to having an exciting year with all of our chorus and percussion ensemble members!