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Our City, Our School, Our Program
Kearney Nebraska, the county seat of Buffalo
County, is located on the north bank of the southern most point of
the Platte River and adjacent to Interstate 80. Kearney is home to
over 28,000 people who enjoy an enviable balance of urban amenities
and small town quality of life. It is home to the University of Nebraska
at Kearney, two major hospitals, regional shopping and services, cultural
and recreational attractions, excellent schools, numerous corporate
headquarters and many other major employers. http://www.kearneycoc.org
Kearney Public Schools is comprised
of 9 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 senior high school.
Over 4,500 students
attend KPS, with instruction and services provided by 600+ full time
and part-time faculty and staff. http://www.kearneypublicschools.org
The Kearney Public Schools Orchestra program offers
eight different orchestras at three different levels.
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The middle level program includes four different
orchestras; sixth grade strings, seventh grade strings, eighth grade
strings and an introductory full orchestra. Each of the string orchestras
meets separately in each of the two middle schools. Three times a
year, these orchestras are combined at grade level for public performance.
In addition, full orchestra (a combination of string, wind and percussion
students) is provided for seventh and eighth graders at Sunrise Middle
School. These orchestras have had the opportunity to perform for
the Nebraska Legislature during the "Music In Our Schools" celebration
in 1998,2000, and again in 2004. In addition, they have participated
in the NEASTA Middle Level Festival, where they consistently received
superior ratings.
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High school orchestra students are provided with
three different orchestras to participate in: Chamber Strings, Symphonic
Strings, and Symphonic Orchestra. Chamber Strings serves as an entry
level orchestra for the less experienced player. Symphonic Strings
is for the more advanced player and the younger player through audition.
Symphonic Orchestra is a combination of the Symphonic Strings, wind
and percussion players. These groups have consistently received superior
ratings at district contest. In 1999, the Symphonic Orchestra and
Symphonic Strings received superior ratings as well as best in their
division and best overall at the Festivals of Music-Music In The
Park at Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2001, 2003, and 2005 the Symphonic
Orchestra and Symphonic Strings repeated their success with best
in their division and best overall at the Festivals of Music-Music
In The Park at St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois and a return
to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Symphonic Orchestra was the only Nebraska
high school orchestra to be selected to perform for the Nebraska
Music Educators Convention in 2003.
In Addition:
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The summer program consists of two weeks in June
where various levels of performance are offered. Two weeks of beginning
lessons are offered to anyone grades 5 and up. During those two weeks,
various areas of performance are offered to the exisiting player.
These include: A "I know that tune"(a listening class), "I
can write a tune"(a computer composition class), "Scales
mania", "Never enough time for...", "Beginning
and advanced fiddling", and "Small group performance." Week
two concludes with a "brown bag" concert, held in the high school
cafeteria, that features both beginners and the small groups that
met during the second week.
The staff for the orchestra program includes:
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Dave L. Klein is in his twenty-sixth year of
teaching with the last seventeen years as string specialist for Kearney
Public Schools. Prior to teaching orchestra, he was a band director
in Ewing, Valentine, and Norfolk. Dave graduated from Hastings College
and received his Masters in Music Education from the University of
Nebraska at Kearney. Dave has served as Chairman of Orchestra Affairs
for Nebraska Music Educators Association, as well as past president
of the Nebraska Chapter of American String Teachers Association.
He has also served as a consultant and faculty member for the Nebraska
Department of Education Frameworks Curriculum for Visual and Performing
Arts for Nebraska K-12 schools and was selected the "1999 Teacher
of the Year" by the Nebraska Chapter of American String Teachers
Association. Dave is currently co-director of the Tri-City Youth
Symphony, adjunct instructor at the collegiate level, principal bass
for the Hastings Symphony, and is an active clinician and adjudicator
throughout Nebraska. Dave is the leader and a musician of the Wild
Clover Band that performs regularly throughout Central Nebraska,Kansas,
and Missouri.
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Carol Ellenwood is in her thirteenth year of
teaching for Kearney Public Schools. Prior teaching experience includes
thirteen years with Pleasanton Public Schools and four years with
Amherst Public Schools. She has earned her Bachelors and Masters
in Music Education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Her
current teaching assignment includes elementary orchestra (9 schools)
and team teaching sixth and seventh grade orchestra at both middle
schools. Her professional organizations include Nebraska Music Educators
Association; American String Teachers Association and their Nebraska
chapter of which she serves as their webmaster; National Education
Association; and executive secretary for the Kearney Concert Association.
In 2003, Carol was selected the "Teacher of the Year" by
the Nebraska Chapter of American String Teachers Association.
The success of the program is a result of four essential
parts;
The school district, who provides the financial
commitment to the program.
The staff, who provides the instruction.
The parents, who provide the encouragement.
The students, who with their hard work make
it all happen.
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.
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