MLES students add second verse to MLPS Holiday Concert series
The second of three Monday evening Holiday Concerts, presented by the Mountain Lake Public School (MLPS) Music Department, was held Monday, December 14, in the school’s auditorium. This program showcased the Mountain Lake Public Elementary School’s (MLES) Kindergarten-to-Sixth Grade classes, along with the Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Bands.
The MLPS Music Department is composed of Director of Bands Kurt Jahnke (Grades 5-12), Director of Choirs Andrea Brinkman (Grades 6-12) and Elementary Music Instructor Marilyn Fast (Grades Kindergarten-5).
Holiday Concert finale performance next Monday
+ The final holiday concert – the Java-N-Jazz Concert – will be held next Monday, December 21, at 7 p.m., will be held at the Mountain Lake Alliance Church, located at 809 5th Avenue. It will include a collage of the High School Music Department’s small groups. The Junior High and Senior High Show Choirs, Junior High and Senior High Jazz Bands and Junior High and Senior High Percussion Ensembles will all perform, as well as select soloists and small groups in a coffeehouse atmosphere. Dessert and beverage will also be available.  Desserts will be provided by Sweets By Am (Amberly Hulzebos). A free-will donation will be accepted in support of upcoming travel plans for the Senior High groups.
Celebrate the season with instrumental and vocal music from Mountain Lake Public Schools.
Below is a photo gallery from this past Monday evening’s MLES concert:
THE KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS of Nicole James and Kelli Tucholke opened the Monday evening MLES Holiday Concert. The children, under the direction of Marilyn Fast, MLES Music Teacher, bottom right, and accompanied on piano by Martha Standerwick, Mountain Lake Public High School Student Advisor, at left, sang a pair of songs, “Sing, Sing the Carols,” by Jerry Estes and “Jingle Bell Parade,” by Teresa Jennings. Featured singers on the second song were Keymoni Bent, Isabel Nelson, Truin-Kaine Mallory and Tristan Lugo.
EXCITED KINDERGARTEN SINGERS. Front, from left, Bryseida Montesinos Ramirez, Brennan Perkins and Claire Adrian. Back, Cael Boldt, left and Ezra Savage, right.
KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS PROVIDED actual jingle bell background to the selection, “Jingle Bell Parade.” Front, from left, Taryn Marcy, Jonathan Harder Schrock, Truin-Kaine Mallory and Bianca Aguirre. Back, from left, Heidi Pfeiffer, Tienna Hopper and Neveah Ott.
“THIS IS CHRISTMAS,” by Teresa Jennings and “Snowman, Where’d You Go?,” by Teresa and Paul Jennings, were the numbers shared by the first grade students of Kim Blomgren and Stacey Stade, as led by their music teacher, Marilyn Fast.
FIRST-GRADERS EAGERLY shared the sounds of the season during their time onstage. Front, from left, Bella Anacker, Ian Nelson, Elizabeth Talavera and Diane Gonzalez. Back, from left, Damien Davison, Keara Anacker, Logan Dunn, Maxton Fast, Athea Witt and Logan Brugman.
IT WAS A “big finish” to the song, “Snowman, Where’d You Go?” From left, Jordan Siharath, Jason Wright, Elena Stade and Keaton Khempohomma.
SECOND-GRADE SINGERS presented the selections “Joyous Hanukkah,” by Karl Hitzemann and “Peppermint Candy Cane,” by Teresa and Paul Jennings. The students’ teachers are Kristine Friesen and Amberly Hulzebos.
SECOND-GRADERS making sure to follow the lead of their director, MLES Music Teacher Marilyn Fast – well, mostly. From left, Bre’ Anna Reyes, Thorne Boldt, Liliana Topete and Layken Marcy.
SOPRANOS OF THE second grade. From left, Lucy Simon, Kelby Janzen, Reagan Christians and Alondra Velasquez.
MLES MUSIC TEACHER Marilyn Fast, front right, directed the third grade students of Marilyn Tusa and Jennifer Fast in their two songs, “Sleep, Little One,” by George Strid and ‘Bring on the Snow!,” by Jay Althouse. Mountain Lake Public School Social Worker Amy Hartzler is at the key board as piano accompanist, at left.
ASKING FOR THE snow to come on and fall. Front, from left, Angel Vilaiphone, Serinadee Eiynk, Landen Rempel, Karla Hernandez, Noah Holmberg and Jake Evers. Back, from left, Evan Karschnik, Cooper Wenner, Brie Anacker, Briley Nickel, Elsie Buller and Sawyer Carrison.
THREE-FOR-THREE third-grade students in concert. From left, Seth Majerus, Leivy Fuentes-Orea and Abby Sonnabend.
THE FIFTH GRADE Band, under the lead of Mountain Lake Public School Director of Bands Kurt Jahnke, played the selection, “Winter Medley,” arranged by Larry Henry. Instrumentalists above, from left, Peyton Banks on trumpet and saxophonists Alex Blom, Alana Morey and Michala Morin.
FIFTH-GRADE PERCUSSIONIST Meesha Hoek taps out the beat on the cymbal.
SLIDING LOW NOTES on the trombone. From left, Brice Anacker, Theo Evers and Treyton Duerksen.
THREE OF THE clarinets in the Sixth-Grade Band. From left, Olivia Christians, Isabella Louangthilath and Sierra Perkins. The Kurt Jahnke-led group shared the songs, “First Christmas Suite – Movement 1 – Good King Wenceslas and Movement 2 – O Come, Little Children,” arranged by Mike Hannickel and “Jolly Old Sleigh Ride,” by James Curnow.
SIXTH-GRADE FLUTISTS, Olivia Klassen, front and Madison Hartle, back.
SIDE-BY-SIDE saxophonists. Marcos Deleon-Lopez, left and Damon Khamvongsa, right.
THE FOURTH-GRADE students on the risers for their songs of the concert. Their classroom teachers are Matt Anderson and Stephanie Willaby. They sang “A Baby In a Manager, Gloria!,” by Frombach and Courtney and “We Wish You a Happy Holiday,” by Donelly and Strid.
SINGING “A BABY in a manger, Gloria!” Front, from left, Chase Radtke, Deaven Khamkhaykeo, Preston Xayachak and Aiden Saelee, playing the claves. Back, from left, Christyana Lunz, Andres Vetsouvanh, Chase Anacker, Joey Faber and Grant Regier, playing the maracas.
SENDING WISHES FOR a happy holiday. Front, from left, Victoria Lucio, Mareena Jepsen, Annika Brinkman and Jadrah Renquist. Back, from left, Aiden Mendoza, Alan Capetillo, Brayden Stewart and Storie Hoody.
FIFTH-GRADE STUDENTS of classroom teachers Cheri Strom and Justin Thompson have their time to share their songs onstage. Their music teacher, Marilyn Fast, directed the students in their two numbers, “Beautiful Christmas,” by Mike Wilson and “Festive Noel,” by Victor Johnson.
SINGING ABOUT THE beauty of Christmas. From left, Madison Schultz, Kaylie Baerg and Paris Fast.
PUNCTUATING THE LYRICS on their songs are these fifth-graders, from left, Peyton Banks, Kaliyah Pongdara, Shyann Ober, Alana Morey and Keegan Classen.
SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS in their final elementary concert sang three numbers. They included “It Makes A Difference,” Suzanne Sherman; “Sing Alleluia!,” by Victor C. Johnson and “Hip Hop Reindeer,” by Andy Beck. Their classroom teachers are Annette Kunkel and Kyle Blomgren, and their music teacher is Mountain Lake Pubic School Director of Choirs Andrea Brinkman.
SOLOISTS ON “HIP Hop Reindeer,” were, from left, Sierra Perkins, Landon Boldt, Olivia Christians and Cole Kleven.
“HIP HOP REINDEER, working for “The Claus.” These sixth-graders move to the hip hop rhythm of the song. From left, Caden Swoboda, Tommer Vongkaechan and Kayne Chanthaviseth.
