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Today's #ThankfulThursday goes to Mr. Eric Mendez for being a teacher, conductor, and mentor to young students in our community. Mr. Mendez grew up playing the Trombone and Euphonium throughout his time in school. He is now a music teacher and the band director at Maitland Middle School and teaches band and jazz band for sixth through eighth graders. In addition to his work with Maitland Middle, Mr. Mendez is a regular sectional coach and guest conductor for FSYO.

We asked Mr. Mendez when he realized he wanted to be a teacher, he said, "I was in high school and had tremendous respect for my music teachers. I knew then that I would want to help students be the best they could be in the high school band because I saw the value of this organization for developing young people into good citizens". Once realizing his desire to teach, Mr. Mendez went to Valencia Community College and then Florida State University to obtain a Bachelor degree in Music Education.

After graduating college, Mr. Mendez went on to start his teaching career at Lake Gibson Junior High in Lakeland, Florida. Once he was engaged to be married, he moved to Orlando where he taught at Jackson Heights Middle School for a year. At the end of that year, a fellow FSU alum called him to interview at Discovery Middle School and he taught there for seven years. In 2001, he began teaching at Maitland Middle School as the co-band director and within three years became the full band director.

Mr. Mendez enjoys watching students progress from beginners to artists that can make music happen at a high level within three years. When asked why he believes music education is important to teach, he said, "Music is the language of the human heart. Anyone who grows up without a knowledge of it grows up without one of the most important aspects of human creativity".

Sarah Morrison Headshot 2016 This week's alumni appreciation post is about our very own Ms. Sarah Morrison. She is currently the conductor of our Prelude Orchestra and was previously the conductor for our Overture Strings Orchestra from 2012-2017. Ms. Morrison participated in Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras for seven years as a student violinist and went on to graduate from our program back in 1991.

Upon graduation, Ms. Morrison went on to attend Rollins College and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for her undergraduate studies. After receiving her B.A. in Music and Humanities at Rollins College, Ms. Morrison went on to teaching private violin lessons. This was when she realized she wanted to deepen her understanding of string pedagogy and learn how to better teach children. She decided that the best way to help her develop a voice as a music educator was to attend Florida State University and get a Master of Music Education in Strings and a Master of Music in Violin Performance.

While at FSU, Ms. Morrison learned that teaching music is most certainly a lifelong journey and that we continually learn and grow as teachers and musicians. She believes we learn daily from the student musicians with whom we have the privilege to work, as well as from the mentors and master teachers who cross our paths. Through studying and performing music together, we can create art in a way that taps into our shared humanity in a unique and powerful way.

After graduating from FSU, she started teaching as a director for Crownover Middle School in Denton, Texas, and later served as an elementary string specialist in the public schools of Salem, Oregon. She most recently taught orchestra for second to eighth graders locally at Rochelle School of Arts in Lakeland, Florida, from 2006-2014. Once her son was born, she decided to focus on providing private lessons for violinists in Lakeland and continue conducting with FSYO.

"We strive to achieve a common goal and focus on what unifies us in spirit and intention, creating something which makes the world tangibly better, instead of being distracted by our differences. The world could take a lesson from what our FSYO student musicians accomplish each week in rehearsal." - Ms. Sarah Morrison

For today's #ThankfulThursday, we are showing our appreciation to Dr. Jeannine Mongeon for being a teacher, conductor, and mentor to young students in our community. Dr. Mongeon grew up quite musically involved, playing the violin, viola, and piano. As a young student, she was involved in the Young Peoples' Philharmonic of Bethlehem, PA, for eight years.

While in her first semester of college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Mongeon was asked by a family to help their daughter learn the violin. From there she fell in love with teaching and changed her major to Music Education. As a result, she went on to get a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania; a Masters from University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music; and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami all in Music Education.

After graduating college, Dr. Mongeon went on to start a string program for first through twelfth graders from scratch at a private school in Miramar, FL. Her career as a music teacher has taken her to all over the United States and to Canada. In 2011, she started working at L'ecole des Ursulines, in Canada, teaching violin and music theory in French.

She is now a music teacher at Montverde Academy where she teaches Music Appreciation, Chamber Music, and Sight-Singing courses for second through twelfth grade. In addition to teaching at Montverde Academy, she also teaches private string lessons for violin, viola, and orchestras. When asked why she thinks music education is important she said, "Music is basic to being human. Music Education contributes to the general growth and development of humans. There is nothing else like it".

On Saturday, March 3rd, FSYO held a photo shoot in preparation for its Rhapsody in Blue Gala and Concert. Three FSYO students, Christina, Kayla, and Micah, from our Symphonic and Jazz orchestras, were styled in their 1920's best and given a chance to show their stuff in front of the camera. The wonderful team at Orlando Vintage Clothing and Costume helped to create these 20's looks, donating their time and talent to fit and style our students. Once fitted, the students had their hair and makeup done by the amazing team at Paul Mitchell The School Orlando.

The backdrop was the beautiful Longwood Village Inn, which was built around 1885 and still captures the vintage charm. Also used to the set the stage was a 1927 Cadillac LaSalle, which local car enthusiast and non-profit supporter, Tony Rossi was gracious enough to let us borrow. This shoot would not have been complete without the expert eye of photographer Iwona, who brought the best out of the students and captured some amazing shots.

Here are some sneak peek behind the scenes photos from the shoot. Look out for the real photos as we get closer to this exciting event. The Rhapsody in Blue Gala and Concert will take place on April 14, 2018, at the Plaza Live. Tickets are on sale now and Sponsorships are available.

1920's attire is encouraged, so head over to Orlando Vintage to rent and reserve your outfit and don't forget to visit the amazing students at Paul Mitchell The School Orlando to complete your look. We hope to see you on April 14th!

ORLANDO, FL - On Sunday, February 11, Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras will present its first Spring Classics concert. Held at Edgewater High School auditorium, this concert will feature FSYOs Overture Strings, Prelude, and Philharmonia orchestras. The concert aims to encourage audience appreciation for classical music and the profound effect it has on student development.

FSYO Alumna, Anjali Shinde (flute), will be the guest artist at this concert, performing Chaminade's Concertino for Flute and Orchestra. FSYO's Symphonic Orchestra accompanies soloists every season, but this will be a first for the Philharmonia Orchestra.

"I am incredibly honored to be a part of Philharmonia's first programmed concerto! Being a part of the FSYO family has been one of the best parts of my musical career thus far. My experiences with rehearsals and concerts always left me inspired to become the best musician and person that I can be, and I couldn't be more grateful to have been a member."- Anjali Shinde, flute

The concert will begin at 3:00 p.m. at Edgewater High School - 3100 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, FL 32804. Tickets range from $10 to $15 and can be purchased at www.fsyo.org. As always, teachers receive free admission to this and all FSYO Season Subscription events.

ABOUT ANJALI SHINDE: Florida native Anjali Shinde has just started her freshman year at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville studying flute performance under Shelley Binder. She started playing the flute at 12 and was immediately invested. Since then, she has worked and studied with Jim Walker, Clint Foreman, Amy Porter, Noralee Garcia, and Linda Toote and attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in 2015 and 2016. She was an active member in FSYO for three years, two as principal flutist of Philharmonia and one as the second chair of the Symphonic orchestra, and was an integral part of the Boone High School marching band and wind ensemble.

ABOUT FSYO: Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras exists to encourage children and young adults, through the practice and performance of orchestral music, to become passionate leaders, thinkers, and contributors in their local community and beyond. In its 61st Concert Season, FSYO comprises three full orchestras, one string training orchestra, an advanced chamber ensemble, and a new jazz orchestra made up of more than 250 students from nine Central Florida counties. Programs are sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Orlando Utilities Commission; The City of Orlando, Mayor's Matching Grant; and United Arts of Central Florida. We thank these groups for their generous support.

Learn more: web: www.fsyo.org | FB: @TheFSYO | Twitter: @FSYO | IG: @F_S_Y_O | Youtube: @fsyo

ORLANDO, FL –On Sunday, February 4, 2018, at 2:00 pm, Blue Bamboo Center of the Arts will present Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras' Jazz Orchestra. This is the Jazz Orchestra's first stand-alone concert since its inauguration this season and will feature music from the books of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Michael Philip Mossman, Chick Webb, and more.

The orchestra is comprised of nineteen (19) talented jazz students from six Central Florida counties. These students are excited to show off their skills and the hard work they have been putting in this season. The students are led by Jeff Rupert, Yamaha Saxophonist, Composer, Arranger, and UCF Jazz Professor.

The concert will be held at the Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts, 1905 Kentucky Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through the FSYO website (www.fsyo.org) or at the door. A 20% student or military discount is available at the door with ID.

About Jeff Rupert: Jeff Rupert is Pegasus Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at UCF. He is a saxophonist, composer, record producer, and recording artist. Rupert has been a featured soloist on dozens of recordings with artists including Maynard Ferguson, Sam Rivers, Mel Tormé, Diane Schuur and Benny Carter. He played on Carter's Harlem Renaissance which won a Grammy. He played and arranged for the New Jersey-based Blues band The Fins. He has also performed with Kevin Mahogany, Ernestine Anderson, Joe Farnsworth, Ray Drummond, Harry Allen, pianist Benny Green, Kenny Drew Jr, trumpeter Michael Philip Mossman, and pianist and singer Judy Carmichael.

Rupert currently is the leader of The Jazz Professors, a sextet which had top JazzWeek charting hit albums in 2012 and 2013. "The Jazz Professors: Live at the UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival" (Flying Horse, 2011) which and peaked at #19 during its seventeen weeks on the JazzWeek charts. His third album, "From Memphis to Mobile", with Kenny Drew, Jr.

Rupert joined Sam Rivers' band in 1996 and appeared in four recordings with the group. He has performed in hundreds of concerts with Rivers, including performances at Lincoln for Ed Bradley's Jazz from Lincoln Center (broadcast on NPR), the Vision Festival NYC and Columbia University. He has been a member of the Jaguar International Jazz Series alongside Joe LaBarbera, Tom Wharington, Larry Koonse, and John Fedchock.

About FSYO: Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras exists to encourage children and young adults, through the practice and performance of orchestral music, to become passionate leaders, thinkers, and contributors in their local community and beyond. In its 61st Concert Season, FSYO comprises three full orchestras, one string training orchestra, an advanced chamber ensemble, and a new jazz orchestra made up of more than 250 students from nine Central Florida counties. Programs are sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Orlando Utilities Commission; The City of Orlando, Mayor's Matching Grant; and United Arts of Central Florida. We thank these groups for their generous support.

Learn more: web: www.fsyo.org | FB: @TheFSYO | Twitter: @FSYO | IG: @F_S_Y_O | Youtube: @fsyo