MANFIELD UNIVERSITY HONORS EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN KEEPING DR. KING’S DREAM ALIVE
Pheifer Middle School Choir Performs With HerStory Cast
Phifer Middle School Choir & KEY ARTS collaborate in an inspiring Celebration of exceptional Women Pioneers
Key Arts Cast Performs with Middle School Choir
Phifer Middle School Choir and soloist Mariah Gutierrez, along with HerStory production cast members, give a rousing rendition of the inspirational song "Rise Up."
For the first time, Key Arts Productions collaborated with and performed with Phifer Middle School’s school choir in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
Phifer choir director Dyan Conklin directed the choral ensemble during a dynamic performance of Key Arts Productions’ engaging multimedia presentation, HerStory. HerStory took an auditorium packed with enthusiastic students on a journey through time, highlighting the lives and accomplishments of trailblazing women who have left an indelible mark on history and continue to inspire generations of women today.
At the assembly, Phifer choir member and soloist Mariah Gutierrez gave a rousing rendition of Andra O’Day’s “Rise Up,” an inspiring song of encouragement to rise above adversity, reach goals, and make a difference.
I enjoyed performing with the professional singers from [Key Arts Productions]. They were very nice and encouraged the kids to do their best during the performance,” recalls Ms. Conklin.
It was an awesome opportunity to sing with the performers today,” says eighth grader Mariah Gutierrez. The choir rehearsed with HerStory producer and creator Joe Patterson cast members Veronica Menyweather and Joy Tribbett shortly before the first of two performances that day.
The audience, comprised of youngsters in grades 5 through 8, eagerly cheered as their colleagues in the school choir and Mariah gave a stirring delivery of the inspirational tune. “It was totally awesome to see our classmates singing with the group,” exclaimed a student from the audience. It was really cool!”
Phifer Assistant Principal Tracey Turner invited Key Arts to participate in the school’s celebration of International Women’s History Month. Turner feels the importance of providing essential diversity learning experiences for her students, hoping that it will foster cultural awareness and help her students become well-rounded global citizens.
HerStory is a one-of-a-kind multimedia presentation that provides an incredible opportunity for Phifer students to learn about remarkable women like Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and Sonia Sotomayor, who have shaped our world and continue to inspire us to push for progress.
Students listened to informative commentary, which provided the stories behind the songs and the historical context surrounding their release. Participants in the auditorium clapped and sang along to the inspirational songs that evolved from slave chants, the labor movement, and the black church.
“The students and I enjoyed the program and will have Mr. Patterson and his group back to our school,” says Ms. Chantell Wilson, the seventh-grade science teacher and coordinator of the Black History assembly.
“Music is a powerful way to bring us together. It engages young people and enables them to think and feel the message of unity, freedom, and justice that we try to express to them. We feel their energy, and it’s fantastic, ” says Key Arts president Joseph Patterson.