St. John hits high notes with Music Showcase
Published 12:05 am Wednesday, June 1, 2016
- ESJH Band Director Antonio Gardner and his students take a break from instrumental music to add vocals to a performance of ‘Total Praise.’
RESERVE — St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District students showed off their talents during the district’s first Music Showcase May 14.
Emily C. Watkins Elementary School seventh-graders Neshelle Brimmer, left, and Pilar Martinez perform one of three numbers during the Music Showcase.
The event featured instrumental and vocal music students performing for the community in the East St. John High School gymnasium.
“For over two years now we, the music teachers of St. John the Baptist Parish, have been brainstorming about an all-music event that would feature the music students from all of our classrooms,” music teacher Jeremy Rodrigue said.
“This year we started extensive planning and made it happen. The music showcase was really a dream come true for us.”
Participating students included the East St. John High School Band, the John L. Ory Communications Magnet School First Grade Chorus, the LaPlace Elementary School Chorus, the LaPlace Elementary School Band, the Fifth Ward Elementary Boom Wacker Music Class and the Emily C. Watkins Elementary School Band.
Organizers plan to expand the event in the future as the St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District music program continues to grow.
Providing quality music education has been a renewed focus of the district in recent years.
Rodrigue joined LaPlace Elementary School as a full-time music teacher this year as part of those efforts.
“The best and most gratifying thing about the music showcase and teaching students to play instruments is knowing that they are experiencing music just as I did as a child,” Rodrigue said.
“Being on the other side as a teacher is truly indescribable.”
