Summer Quarter 2004

Washington D.C. National Symphony Orchestra visits Music Arts

Ilia Steinschneider, center, talking with Tsuna Sakamoto and Pavel Pekarsky at the String Clinic.

In addition to playing concerts and visiting public schools in East Tennessee, members of Washington D.C.’s National Symphony Orchestra held a String Clinic especially for Music Arts string students.

Pictured right is violin instructor Ilia Steinschneider, center, talking with Tsuna Sakamoto and Pavel Pekarsky.

Nearly all of our violin and cello students took part in the clinic, given without cost to them. Because of the large number of students attending, and our desire to provide individualized attention to each one, the group was divided into two sections, meeting in separate rooms.

Although a few students were there only as observers, most performed short pieces and were given suggestions and observations. There was obviously quite a bit of pressure from having to perform in front of a large group of other students as well as parents and relatives, but everyone did very well. Even the students who didn’t take their turn in front of the groups were able to learn from listening and observing.

Money-saving tips from the Student Guide

This is a good time for a reminder about how to help with the cost of your private lessons.

Those of you who have paid your bills on time since the beginning of the school year will be delighted to find a 10% discount on your continuing lessons this summer.

DID YOU SAY THANK YOU? A few days after the clinic, all participating students received a letter from director Nancy England, requesting that they write a thank-you note or letter as their “payment” for being able to attend the clinic. Unfortunately, at this date we’ve only received a small handful of replies. If you were at the clinic and haven’t written at least a few sentences and mailed it to Ms. England, please do it now! It’s a small price to pay, and we know that the NSO musicians would really like to hear that their two hours of work were appreciated.

An even more spectacular way to save comes from simply referring new students to any of our Music Arts instructors. For every full quarter the new student completes, you’ll be awarded one free lesson. And that deal continues for a full two years after you’ve done your thing! Think about it - refer 12 students and you could earn two years’ worth of free lessons! More details on page 8 of your Student Guide.

What Student Guide?

Don’t have your copy handy? Ask your instructor for another copy, or read the Student Guide online.

Why not take a quick look there, anyway, and become more familiar with the great variety of instruments and learn more about our wonderful instructors?

Welcome to our New Faculty Members!

Cheryl Scappaticci, voice and flute. A 1986 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, Cheryl attended Cumberland College, where she majored in Music and Psychology, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Voice and Flute in 1991. For graduate work, she attended Colorado State University, earning a Master’s in Music Therapy. While a student, she was honored with several music scholarships and awards, including the Theodore Presser Music Award.

Between having earned her Master’s degree and her arrival in Oak Ridge, she acquired a rich history in teaching. At the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, in Michigan, she taught both voice and flute. She has also taught privately in Colorado and in New York.

A coloratura soprano, Scappaticci has performed in several operas, including Carmen, The Magic Flute and Gianni Schicchi. Oratorio experience includes such favorites as the Messiah, Elijah and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.

Scappaticci’s own specialty is opera and music theater, including Broadway. She has studied with two music theater teachers, one a Broadway performer, but over the past two years in New York, her main instructor was an internationally recognized operatic tenor and specialist in coloratura technique. She also enjoys Art Songs and Lieder and will also teach pop music and country.

Jim Mann, clarinet and saxophone. Jim is a familiar face to fans of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra and the Knoxville Pops Orchestra. A founding member of the KJO, Mann has toured Europe with them.
Mann first picked up a saxophone in fifth grade, and developed his interest in clarinet in high school. He now teaches and performs on both with equal talent and enthusiasm. In addition to playing jazz, he is also Principal Clarinet of the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra, his main outlet for classical music.

His interest in clarinet reached high levels in college, where he was involved in numerous woodwind ensembles. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Tennessee, studying with Bill Scarlett.

In addition to his studies at UT, Mann also spent a year studying in New York, where he studied with such recognized names as Joseph Lovano, tenor saxophonist; Rufus Reid, bass player; and Joseph Allard, bass clarinetist with the New York Philharmonic.

As with Scappaticci’s emphasis on air production, with both flute and voice, a big focus for Mann is breathing and breath control. “It sometimes amazes me, what small amounts of air people take in, and expect to get a good sound out of the horn. When you come down to it, breathing is more important than embouchure,” he adds. “I can work with basic technique, and I enjoy beginning students as well as more advanced students, where we can move on to phrasing and interpretation.” And naturally, he’s just as effective in helping jazz students as well as those who prefer the classics.