AthFest Educates! Gives Music to the Community

AthFest Educates! has recently awarded several mini-grants to area schools and community-based music education programs. As part of the local summer musical festival , AthFest Educates! Is a year-round effort to share the city’s rich musical heritage with local students.

AthFest Educates! bought 14 violins and cellos and donated them to the UGA String Project to become a permanent lending library.

The most recent round of grants will continue to support a successful program, a year-round drum corps at . Directed by teacher Lee Rogers, the program uses the book D.R.U.M. (Discipline, Respect, and Unity through Music) and the skills of local musician Shannon Sausser, a drummer with the band Sursievision and professional music therapist. Sausser meets twice monthly with the group.

Since the program began, there has been a 55-65% drop in office referrals for participants.

“AthFest Educates! is about so much more than just teaching kids about music and art,” said Janine Sheedy, program coordinator.  “It’s about introducing them to something beautiful and helping them to see that there is a positive outlet to express themselves.”

Among the programs recently awarded mini-grants:

--’s after school World Music Program got $681.00 for musical instruments and partial funding for an instructor. 

--Alps Road Elementary was given $300 for musical instruments that will help buy classroom instruments for use during music instruction and $200 to help produce a fifth grade social studies play. 

--Clarke Middle School got $400 that will help buy orchestra instruments.

--The Cedar Shoals orchestra received $500 to help pay for one student to attend a four day residency at Carnegie Hall with famed musician Jonathan Rutter. The entire orchestra was invited to attend. 

Several elementary schools were awarded lunch time or classroom enrichment performances by having a musician perform. These include Barnett Shoals Road,  J.J. Harris, Whitehead Road, Winterville, David C. Barrow, Timothy Road, Gaines School Road, and Chase Street. 

Past performers have included: Carl Lindberg, Jojo Glidewell, Don Chambers and Goat, Claire Campbell, Heather MacIntosh, Hardy Morris, William Tonks and many others.