Spring Quarter March 3 - June 1, 2008

Music Arts Shows its Jazz Side

A number of our instructors are jazz specialists, in addition to our retiring jazz cellist David Coulter.

• One of our longest and most professional members is guitarist Harold Nagge, whose Bachelor and Master’s Degrees are in Jazz Improvisation. 
• A more recently included instructor is David King, a member of the prestigious Knoxville Jazz Orchestra (KJO). David teaches Clarinet, Saxophone and  jazz flute with us.
• Another branch of the Music Arts Jazz Society is newly-hired Preston Davis; who teaches both upright bass as well as bass guitar.
• One particularly outstanding member, of course, is Rudolph Nemeth, who has a solid jazz background, noticeable in some of the recital pieces his students play. To say nothing of the several CDs he’s put out!
• And check out new instructor Frank Layton further down in the newsletter.

We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jimmy Mann, our former clarinet and sax teacher. Jimmy, originally introduced to us by Dave King, was a stand-out favorite among students and faculty alike, and we sorely miss him.

Visiting Oak Ridge Schools!

It’s been two years since our instructors visited the Oak Ridge School System to give instrument demonstrations and chat with the kids.

Now, thanks to two grants, from the Tennessee Arts Commission, through the Knoxville Arts and Culture Alliance, along with WalMart, we’ll be sending some of our instructors to the 3rd and 4th grades in the Oak Ridge School System this spring! This is one of our favorite activities. The kids are always enthusiastic and spontaneous, and we like the opportunity to visit with them on a more personal classroom basis. 

Last year our instructors visited a number of schools in the outlying area, with much emphasis on Oliver Springs Elementary.  We’d visited county schools two years ago and hope we’ll get another grant next year to go back there. 

Going . . .

Marcay Dickens

Dave Coulter

We win some and we lose some. This past quarter, we’ve lost French horn instructor Marcay Dickens, who has retired to Indiana. Marcay was one of the original instructors forming Music Arts. We’re hoping to get a new horn instructor soon, but we want just the right one.

Yet another instructor leaving us is David Coulter, a very popular cello instructor, who’s just earned an additional degree in engineering. Seems that supporting his wife and baby are important, and being an outstanding jazz cellist doesn’t quite buy the groceries! We wish him luck in his new life! Congrats too, to his lovely Indonesian wife, who has just been through her naturalization ceremony and is now a proud American Citizen! 

. . . .and Coming

On the happier side, joining us are Jeanine Lafitte, cello instructor, and Frank Layton, voice and trumpet. See below to learn more about lessons with these exciting new talents on our faculty.

Free Symphony tickets offered to parents of Music Arts students

Thanks to an incredibly generous supporter of our scholarship fund, parents of our students are being offered the chance for free tickets to any Oak Ridge Symphony concert for the remainder of this season, so they may attend with their children (who automatically get in free). Interested? Call us a 865-482-5614.

Jeanine Lafitte, new cello instructor

Music Arts is fortunate to have Jeanine Lafitte joining the music school as cellist David Coulter is parting company with us.

Jeanine recently earned her Master’s Degree in Cello Performance at the University of Tennessee.  She’d previously earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance at the University of Oregon.

Her teaching experience includes teaching privately as well as teaching at both universities. At UT, she served as Wesley Baldwin’s teaching assistant in addition to coaching duties with the Knoxville Youth Symphony.

Her orchestral experience is impressive. She’s played with nearly a dozen orchestras in the East Tennessee area, including the Oak Ridge Symphony and the Knoxville Symphony.

“To me, playing cello is an ongoing learning experience,” she smiles, “I hope I never stop growing!” A typical lesson with Jeanine includes work on scales and etudes as well as fun pieces. “I enjoy playing duets with my students, too.  It helps improving music reading skills, and that’s important” she point out. Understanding basic music theory, from simple intervals to more advanced concepts is including at all levels of accomplishment.

She feels that anytime is a good age to start, and will consider students as young as 7 or 8.  “I’ve taught students younger than that, and often it’s hard to keep them on course during the lesson,” she feels. Naturally, much depends on the individual student.

It’s time for your lesson with Frank Layton!

Lisa Griggs and Cheryl Scappaticci point out to new Music Arts instructor Frank Layton that he has both voice students as well as trumpet students waiting for him.

Frank Layton, a former Army band director, is now Magnet Coordinator for the Knox School System’s Vine Middle and Austin-East High Schools and is making time to build up a solid reputation in Oak Ridge as well.

Frank earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Mississippi. Although majoring in voice, he carried a trumpet scholarship the entire time. During his years at Ol’ Miss, Frank was the jazz band’s principal trumpet.  His interest in jazz also led him to direct a vocal jazz group while holding a graduate assistantship, earning his master’s degree in choral conducting.

Married, with four children ages 3 through 11, Frank enjoys teaching adults as well as younger children, and will accept voice students as young as age 6, working on basics, including such things as breath support and matching pitches.  He enjoys working will all styles, including Art Songs, opera, folk and pop, with his admitted favorite genre being jazz.  He adds that he like to occasionally pull out his guitar and “pick and grin” along with students.

Our faculty welcomes him gratefully since both Griggs and Scappaticci have waiting lists, as well as a number of male students they believe could be better served  by a male vocalist. Both women are well-known in Oak Ridge for their charming and often humorous duets, such as Rossini’s “Cat Song” in which the only words sung are “meow” with a range of interpretation. Maybe Frank can add a “woof” to the dialog?