They say music makes everything better. The directors of the Kingwood Park and Kingwood Middle School orchestras are hoping that holds true with pizza making. Josh Taylor of Kingwood Park and Kenneth Hale of Kingwood Middle will prepare the pizzas at the booster club Spirit Night hosted by Papa Murphy's on Thursday, May 7th.
The Spirit Night is a fundraiser for the Kingwood Park and Kingwood Middle school orchestras. On May 7th, from 11 am to 8 pm, Papa Murphy's will donate a portion of the proceeds of pizza bought by those patrons who mention the orchestras. Taylor and Hale will be preparing the pizzas themselves from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm.
This joint effort is a continuation of collaboration between the orchestras of the high school and middle school that began at the beginning of the school year. Both Hale and Taylor took over as director of their respective schools in the fall of 2014. The freshmen directors both had a passion to strengthen the link between the high school and its feeder middle school, as well as the outreach of both orchestras in the community.
Each orchestra has a history of strong artists and performances. The KPHS orchestra recently performed at the Alamo Showcase in San Antonio and was awarded Best in Class and a superior rating. The Chamber orchestra also won Sweepstakes in this year's UIL contest and 42 performers received the highest rating. Four students were chosen to perform in the Symphony Region Clinic orchestra and a few will compete for a spot in the all-state orchestra later this year.
"Beyond technique and performance skills, we want our students to come away with an understanding of giving," explained Taylor. "Music is a gift you give to and share with others. If the musician's focus is on themselves, there will be no soul to the music."
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The Kingwood Park HS performing Small Overture at the 2015 Alamo Showcase
The directors hope to instill this philosophy in their students by encouraging community involvement. The high school have opportunities to mentor the middle school orchestra students. "For our students, music is more than just something they do for a class credit," states Hale, "Many of our students use music as a way to give back to the community by playing in churches, community events, and for individual groups, even at the middle school level."
The community is invited to join the Kingwood Park and Kingwood Middle School orchestra at their combined spring concert on Tuesday, May 19th at 7:00 pm at the Kingwood Park High School Performing Arts Center located at 4015 Woodland Hills Dr. in Kingwood.
The Spirit Night on May 7th is part of an ongoing effort to fund more of these community outreaches. Help support the Kingwood Park and Kingwood Middle School orchestras by mentioning them when purchasing a pizza at Papa Murphy's any time between 11 am and 8 pm. Papa Murphy's is located at 4566 Kingwood Drive.
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The KMS Symphony Orchestra performing at the Fine Arts Dessert Social.
About the Kingwood Park HS Booster Club
The Kingwood Park Booster Club is a volunteer organization supported by parents and friends of the KPark orchestra. The goal of the organization is to promote the orchestra through fundraising and community awareness
