Bill to fund Morganza refilled
January 8, 2007NSU student among UL Lafayette scholarship winners
January 10, 2007
The South Louisiana Center for the Arts has added children’s and honor choirs to its 2007 spring semester lineup.
Cherie Martinez, choir director at Ellender Memorial High School, is excited about her new role. She believes the two choirs are going to have a huge impact on the community because not many schools in Terrebonne Parish offer a choir program.
“Parents are paying for their children to come and be a part of the SoLa choirs. The students are here because they want to develop the gift God gave them to its full potential,” the chorale director said. “I hope to give the students at SoLa an opportunity to perform for the community.”
Executive Director Jonathan Foret said Martinez holds a high standard of excellence in her rehearsals.
A native of Labadieville, Martinez spent most of her life in Bellingham, Wash., where her musical talents were developed and nurtured. The 32-year-old choir director said her love for music was instilled at a very young age. Her memories stem back to when she joined her first choir at Larrabee Elementary School in Bellingham.
“There is a strong emphasis put on performing arts in Washington. Growing up we were a part of large choirs and orchestras because the schools had the resources and funding to afford big performing arts programs,” Martinez said.
“Most of my family has some musical talents. My mother is a great singer and she has taught me everything she knows. I plan to pass it all to my students at SoLa and Ellender. I feel that working on something as difficult as singing is rewarding within itself,” she said.
Martinez has since rooted herself in Labadieville with her husband Kevin and 2-year-old son, Simon. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Nicholls State University in 2003. Throughout college, she taught private music lessons, and more recently she has sung at weddings and funerals in the Tri-parish area.
The former Mary Kay sales director and Catholic Church youth minister said she is excited about working with the teens because music is such a big influence in their lives. She believes that music gives them an opportunity to express themselves.
SoLa’s Park Avenue campus in Houma is now accepting participation applications.
The children’s choir, which is open to second through sixth grade students, meets on Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. The honor choir n open to seventh through 12th grade students n meets Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m.
The registration fee for either choir is $15, and classes are $10 weekly.
In addition, SoLa’s Spring 2007 lineup includes art and acting classes. Space is limited, Foret said, and family discounts are available. A detailed description of all classes is available at www.slcaarts.com. Private lessons in guitar, voice, piano and violin are also available.
A list of the Spring 2007 classes follows:
• Art for the Home-schooled StudentnSession 1, Mondays, 1 to 2 p.m.; Session II, Mondays, 1 to 2 p.m.;
• Art for BeginnersnMondays, 5 to 6 p.m., grades 2-6;
• Artful ExpressionsnTuesdays, 4 to 5 p.m., grades 7-12;
• ActingnSession I, Tuesdays, 5 to 6 p.m., grades 2-6; Session II, Tuesdays, 6 to 7 p.m., grades 7-12;
• Children’s ChoirnThursdays, 4 to 5 p.m., grades 2-6;
• SoLa Honor ChoirnThursdays, 5 to 6 p.m., grades 7-12;
• Celebrating the ArtsnFridays, 4 to 5 p.m., ages 4-6;
• Intro to Handbuilding/CeramicsnSaturdays, 1 to 3 p.m., grades 3-8.
SoLa is located at 7839 Park Ave. in Houma. For class information, contact Foret at (985) 876-2222.
Staff photo by Sophia Ruffin * Tri-Parish Times * Ellender Memorial High School Choral Director Cherie Martinez said she is excited about being the new role at the South Louisiana Center for the Arts (SOLA).
