Category Archives: Fine arts

HISD School Choice Fair Offers Parents Opportunity to Explore Education Options for Students

Representatives from more than 70 HISD schools will be on-site

April 25, 2013 – When it comes to selecting a school, parents and students at the Houston Independent School District have a multitude of options from magnet programs to preschool programs to career and technical education academies and early college high schools.  Houston families will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from more than 70 HISD schools at the upcoming HISD School Choice Fair on Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hattie Mae White Education Support Center (4400 West 18th Street).

“In HISD, we are committed to providing equity in access to quality educational programs for all students,” said Assistant Superintendent of School Choice Dave Wheat.  “We want to help families choose an ideal school for their children based on the students’ interests, talents, and needs.”

The schools at the fair are those that still have space for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year.  The representatives from these schools will be available to answer questions, provide detailed information about their campuses and help parents fill out the application on site.

Information will be provided about HISD’s magnet schools, early colleges, vanguard programs for gifted and talented students, preschool programs, multilingual programs and other specialty programs, including the district’s newest additions to its portfolio, the Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan and The Energy Institute High School.   Parents and students have until May 16 to apply for these two new magnet schools that will feature a highly rigorous curriculum emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

For more information about the School Choice Fair, please contact the Office of School Choice at 713-556-6947.

Annual ‘Hooray for Neff’ Event Showcases Young Students’ Musical and Artistic Talents

Event in collaboration with the Houston Grand Opera

What: HISD’s Neff Early Learning Center, in collaboration with the Houston Grand Opera, continues its tradition of displaying the young students’ artistic and musical talents at the annual ‘Hooray for Neff’ performance and exhibition on Thursday.  Throughout the academic year, with the support of the Houston Grand Opera, the students create art, learn how to use technology, and practice singing, dancing, and performing in preparation for this grand event.  The Houston Grand Opera provides the school with supplies and resources, as well as guest performers that work with the students on their artistic projects.

The Houston Grand Opera collaborates with the Rice University’s Center for Education for support to fund this project at Neff Early Learning Center.

Who: Neff Elementary students, parents and community members

When: Thursday, March 28, 2013; 9a.m. – 10a.m. (Performance), 10a.m. – 1p.m. (Exhibits)

Where: Neff Early Learning Center, 8200 Carvel Lane, Houston, TX 77036

HSPVA Alumnus Robert Glasper Wins Grammy Award

Robert Glasper

Photo by Mike Schreiber. Courtesy of EMI Music.

Robert Glasper, an alumnus of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, took home the award for Best R&B Album earlier this month at the 55th Grammy Awards.

Glasper, who turns 35 in April, won for his latest album, “Black Radio.” The album blends jazz, R&B, funk and hip-hop and features appearances by Lupe Fiasco, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and others.

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Waltrip Ram Band Invited to Perform at Inaugural Celebration

The Waltrip High School band has been invited to participate in the Inaugural Celebration in Washington, D.C.

The award-winning band has been invited to perform at several venues at the Inaugural Celebration, including the World War II Memorial and the Post Office Pavilion. The band also is a candidate to be the representing band program for the State of Texas in the Inaugural Parade. 

Band Director Jesse Espinosa said after more than 30 years of success and building a great reputation under recently retired band director, Charles Stevens, the Waltrip Ram Band is still achieving excellence in educating young student musicians.

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Johnston MS Orchestra Recognized at State and National Levels

Johnston Middle School’s Sinfonia Orchestra recently earned recognition at both the state and national levels.

The group was ranked as one of the top five most-outstanding middle school orchestras for the third consecutive year by the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), through the TMEA’s Honor Orchestra program. This annual competition seeks “to recognize and honor quality musicianship in the performance of advanced literature at the highest level” since 1960.

On the national front, Johnston was also named one of the Foundation for Music Education’s commended Mark of Excellence winners in the “string orchestra” category of the National Orchestra Honors project (Lanier MS is the other honoree from HISD; it won in the “full orchestra” category).

The Johnston Sinfonia Orchestra is directed by José Rocha.

Sharpstown High School Band Performs with the Houston Symphony

The Sharpstown High School Band will receive the rare honor today of performing with members of the Houston Symphony.
The performance takes place at 2p.m. at Sharpstown High School (7504 Bissonnet). The Sharpstown students will perform one of the musical arrangements from the Symphony’s rendition of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets – An HD Odyssey”.

“The Planets” is one of the Symphony’s most celebrated pieces. It tells the story of NASA’s exploration of the solar-system while high-definition images of the planets are shown on a screen behind the orchestra.

Today’s performance is part of an ongoing partnership between the Houston Symphony and HISD. The Symphony is donating a DVD copy of its performance to each of the district’s 279 schools. Teachers will also receive the educational companion disc, which will provide interactive-cross curriculum lesson plans for all grade levels.
“We’re very excited that our band has been chosen to perform with the Houston Symphony. This is a tremendous honor for Sharpstown High which speaks volumes about the hard work of our teachers and students,” said Principal, Rob Gasparello.

HISD Board of Education Trustee Greg Meyers and Houston Symphony General Manager Steven Brosvik are scheduled to speak at today’s event.
“The Houston Symphony and the Houston Independent School District have had a rich and deep partnership and we are pleased to continue to grow these opportunities,” Brosvik said. “As music is needed to provide a complete education for our children, we hope this resource will provide a synergy for learning across the curriculum.”

The Symphony’s generous donation is being made possible because of a gift from Marathon Oil.

Schools perform at Hattie Mae White for “Fine Arts Friday”

Watch a performance by the Marshall Middle School Band at a recent “Fine Arts Friday” event at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center:

Click image to view video. If unable to access YouTube, go to: http://houstonisdtx.swagit.com/play/03262012-512

You can watch a different school perform every Friday during lunchtime at the cafeteria located inside district headquarters at 4400 West 18th Street.

Click here for a schedule of upcoming performances.