By Mark Wender | Chief Operating Officer
SNAP! After School Summer 2012 Report
In honor of the Wattstax’s 40th Anniversary, this year’s Stax Music Academy’s SNAP! Summer Music Experience (SME) program was a special salute to the 1972 event. Students studied Wattstax through a curriculum that included workshops, classes, musical training, and special speakers who performed at Wattstax. In addition to the focus on Wattstax, the core of the SME program this year has been music business, with a special faculty of instructors teaching the nearly 80 middle and high school students’ daily classes in music history, marketing, public relations, songwriting, music production, and more. Here are a few highlights of the student’s activities:
June: SME Summer Session - Workshops and unique performance opportunities
Piano Workshop – This workshop was conducted by one of Europe's top emerging young pianists, Edvinas Minkstimas (www.minkstimas.com/biography)
University of Memphis “Delta Everything Southern Conference” – An annual conference sponsored by the Univ. of Memphis' Friends of The Library focused on the history of the Delta region. A small group of Stax summer students performed before a crowd of authors, historians, and guests. All students attended an educational session on the "Music of the Delta".
Tuesday’s “Brown Bag Series”- Legendary artists conducted Q&A sessions during and spoke of their experiences in the music industry, specifically focused upon their involvement in the 1972 Wattstax festival/concert. Artists included Songwriter, Norman West, The Temprees and The Mad Lads.
Lemoyne-Owen College Honors Coach Johnson- Stax students performed during a birthday celebration honoring former L.O.C. Coach Johnson at the college.
Brooks Museum - "Soul of A City" - Memphis Brooks Museum of Art showcasing the diversity, vitality, and creativity of African American art in The Soul of a City: Memphis Collects African American Art, an exhibition of more than 100 important and thought-provoking paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, and mixed media works. Stax students selected to perform the soulful music from Stax’ catalog and jazz selections.
SME Grand Finale Concert “Wattstax: 40 Years In The Making” – End of the summer’s blowout concert production, June 30, 2012 at the Levitt Shell pavilion in Memphis, Tennessee. Students performed music of Wattstax including music from Isaac Hayes, the Bar-Kays, the Staple Singers, Rance Allen Group, Kim Weston, Rufus & Carla Thomas, The Emotions, and many of the other artists who performed at the original concert. The concert was the finale of the Shell’s Spring Concert Series.
July: Summer Soul Tour
“WATTSTAX: 40 Years in the Making “ Northern Tour: July 17th-20th, a group of approximately sixteen (16) Stax students took their Wattstax tribute and performed live at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and at the Levitt Pavilion in Westport, Connecticut on July 19th. Memphis is one of Berklee College of Music’s City Music Program’s satellite partners and the Stax Music Academy teaches its PULSE curriculum.
In Summary…
These are merely a few rare and unique opportunities to mentor Memphis youth through music education and unique performance opportunities. Please continue to assist our efforts and know that your gift is being put to use, celebrating the soulful past—and securing the bright future—of this legendary ‘Soulsville’ community. Thanks for your generous support! We invite you to share your thoughts.
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