FSPS Fine Arts News

Happy Fall! Fall season may have started, but temperatures in late August and early September kept us thinking we were stuck in an extremely HOT summer season. Never fear though! Temps will soon fall, and sweater weather and pumpkin spice will surely follow! Fall in the fine arts world of the Fort Smith Public Schools brings many things including the sites and sounds of marching bands, the FSPS City Choral Festival and many fall concerts! In addition, while waiting for the highly anticipated Southside Auditorium safety upgrades, the Northside and Southside Theater Programs will be preparing for their musical White Christmas! Check next month's newsletter for more information about White Christmas! Please continue to check the FSPS Athletics and Activities Facebook and Instagram pages for updates to our Fine Arts performances!

Mr. Chris Ha has been recognized by the International Music Fraternity Phi Beta Mu as the Arkansas Young Band Director of the Year! In July, at the Arkansas Bandmasters Association conference in Little Rock, Mr. Ha was presented with this award in front of his colleagues, friends, and family! Congratulations Mr. Ha!

The August meeting of the Fort Smith Public Schools Board of Education provided opportunities for some of our fine arts programs and their directors to be recognized! The Kimmons 8th Grade Band (directors Chris Ha and Stephan Mitchell) and the Chaffin 7th Grade Band (directors James Palmer and Darrin McKissic) were both selected to perform as honor bands at the 2024 Arkansas All-State Music Conference that will be held in Hot Spring next February! The FSPS Board of Education recognized these fine programs and their directors!

Born and raised in Fort Smith Arkansas, Ms. Pham is a former alumni from Kimmons. This was where her love for music began as she participated in both band and orchestra up until high school. She received her Bachelor of Music Education focused in Instrumental music at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith where she performed in a variety of ensembles including the Wind Ensemble, Lions Athletic Band, Woodwind Quintet, Flute Ensemble, Leonis Chamber, and Women's Chorus. Ms. Pham has also been an active musician since 2017 performing in a plethora of different gigs and providing private flute instruction for all age groups and skill levels. She has also received her Master’s in Music Performance focused in flute from the University of Arkansas - Fayetteville. As her music career was formerly centered around flute, she is excited to further expand her knowledge and teaching skills into the world of vocal music!

Five FSPS orchestra directors attended the Texas Orchestra Directors Association Conference held in San Antonio. The purpose of TODA is to promote the development of orchestras by providing for the professional growth of orchestra directors and creating connections among members. In addition, Chaffin Orchestra Director, Karen Jeter presented a session at the conference entitled "Viva Suzuki! Inspiration for Middle School Orchestra!

When life brings you lemons, you make lemonade! Well, the Ramsey Fine Arts Department has been making a lot of lemonade since late June! On June 28th, a fire occurred in the Ramsey Orchestra Room. While no one was injured, there was much damage to the fine arts wing along with the loss of instruments, equipment, and music libraries. The district moved quickly to place orders to replenish the instruments that were lost, and all students were able to have an instrument for classroom use by the beginning of the school year! The choir, band, and orchestra rooms were all deemed unusable to start the year, but with the help of Ramsey Principal, Dr. Crawford, suitable temporary rehearsal spaces were found. By working together, the staff at Ramsey Middle School along with the FSPS orchestra team have been able to keep the Ramsey Fine Arts programs humming along!

September 28-Fort Smith Junior High City Choral Festival

October 3-Southside High School Choir Pre All-Region Audition Concert

October 4th-Chaffin Middle School All-Region Prep Concert-6:30pm-Chaffin Middle School

October 7th-Grade 7-9 All-Region Choir Auditions

October 10th-Fort Smith Senior High City Choral Festival

October 10th-Ramsey Band Fall Concert-6 pm-Location: TBA

October 12th-Chaffin Middle School Orchestra Fall Concert-6 pm

October 14th-Senior High All-Region Choir Auditions

October 17th-Region 8 Marching Assessment-Northside High School

Email: jsteele@fortsmithschools.org
Website: https://www.fortsmithschools.org/Domain/170
Location: 3205 Jenny Lind Road, Fort Smith, AR, USA
Phone: (479) 785-2501
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fspsathleticsactivities