Opens Monday, November 1st.  Online registration will be open in a week.  If you didn’t get a brochure, give us a call and we’ll make sure you get one.  Thanks!

May folks have asked – so I thought I’d post a little note to remind everyone that we do have classes on Halloween.  Thanks all!

This is an update for anyone who received invoices for private lessons for fall that showed you having lessons over our Thanksgiving and Christmas Breaks.  We had a computer glitch that printed the wrong dates on a batch of invoices – so please note that we DO NOT have classes or private lessons from November 23-29th or from December 22nd – January 3rd.  Please call Lesley Swanson for any specific information. 847-577-5982 X240

September

Fall Session Begins
Tuesday, September 8

October

MYS Halloween Concert
Saturday, October 31

November

Spring Early Registration
Monday, November 2

Teacher’s Pick Recital
Saturday, November 7, 1:00pm

Thanksgiving Break
Monday, November 23 – Saturday, November 28

December

String Studio Recital
Wednesday, December 2, 7:00pm

Elif Allenfort’s Grand Studio Recital
Saturday, December 5, 10:00am

Chamber Ensemble Recital
Wednesday, December 9, 7:00pm

MYS Holiday Concert
Tuesday, December 15, 7:00pm

Holiday Break

Tuesday, December 22 – Sunday, January 3

January

Fall Session Ends
Saturday, January 23

Adult SOPA Showcase
Saturday, January 23, 2:00pm

Fall SOPA Showcase

Sunday, January 23, 2pm (Adult Student Showcase)
Monday, January 25, 5:00pm (MetropolTots) and 7:00pm (Studio Program)

Tuesday, January 26, 5:00pm and 7:00pm (K-12)

Spring Session Begins
Saturday, January 30

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,                                                                                       FALL 2009

Welcome to Metropolis School of the Performing Arts!  We are thrilled that you are here and hope that you thoroughly enjoy your experience with us!  Here are some important reminders to keep you in the loop.

COMMUNICATION AND BLOG

In order to inform parents of up to date information and events at SOPA, we will:

• Post updates at our school Blog www.metropolisarts.com/sopanews including school closings, schedules and special events.
• Send updates home with students and put extra copies in the folders hanging outside the classroom.
• Post updates on the BULLETIN BOARDS around the school.
• Send an EMAIL with updated information, including a digital welcome packet.

VIP TICKETS

Each student enrolled receives one VIP discount, which is good for 10% off the full ticket price on most single ticket purchases towards Metropolis Stage shows. Please take this letter to the box office window to receive the discount before January 1, 2010.

SOPA SHOWCASE AND PRODUCTION

The end of term SOPA Showcase is an opportunity for family and friends to get a peek into the classroom experience that the students had during the session.  The FALL SOPA Showcases will be January 23, 25 and 26^th on the Metropolis Stage! Please check the calendar for more specific details.

The SOPA Production, Treasure Island, is on May 1^st & 2^nd on the Metropolis Stage.  Students registered for Fall and Spring Sessions will be eligible for recommendation to audition for the SOPA Production.

RECITALS

The Music School provides several performance opportunities for students including; 3 Teacher’s Pick Recitals per year, 1 Grand Department Recital per year, 1 Studio Recital per session and 1 Chamber recital per session.  Please check the calendar of events for specific dates and detail on all the exciting recitals!

EVENTS

Please sign up for our March for Metropolis on September 19^th.  This fundraiser will help us ensure that we can keep reasonable tuition rates!  Also, please check out the website for fantastic opportunities for students – like our Shawn Mullins Master Class on Songwriting in November.

We welcome you as a part of our SOPA family! Thank you for allowing us to serve you! Always feel free to give us feedback – our aim is to give students the best in arts education.

Sincerely,

Annie Sisson Rezac

Education Director

847.577.5982 x 221                                                                      www.metropolisarts.com

Please read the following information very carefully as it contains important dates, times and details for the SOPA Showcase on the Metropolis Stage. The SOPA Showcase is a fabulous opportunity for our students to present a 10 minute performance they have been preparing in class this session.  This is an exciting way for our families and friends to see the development and progression of our young artists.

Details to remember:

• The Summer Showcase is on Sunday, August 23^rd from 3 pm to 5 pm on the Metropolis Stage.
• Students should be present and ready to go 30 minutes before the start of the Showcase.
• Please ask your instructor on the proper dress for your student as the event gets closer.
• Tickets are on sale and may be purchased for $3 each from the box office.  All proceeds will go toward our SOPA scholarship fund.  Any other contributions to the scholarship fund are invited and welcomed.
• The SOPA scholarship is a financial need based scholarship for students enrolled in SOPA.   To apply, stop in or call the Education Office at 847.577.598 x221.
• Due to the large amount of students performing in the summer showcase, we are unable to accommodate complimentary tickets.  Tickets will be general admission and first come first serve.
• You do not need to purchase tickets for students participating in the Showcase; they will be sitting with their class for the duration of the program.

Watch for more details from your instructor during these last weeks of the Summer Session regarding specifics for the day of the showcase.  We ask that you and any friends or family that come to the Showcase stay for the entirety of the class performances. They would love your support, and we want to encourage our students to learn from observing their peers.

The Shawn Mullins Master Class
http://www.metropolisarts.com/index.php/content/sopa_music_masterclass_mullins.html

Singing for the Stage II w/Michael Ingersoll
http://www.metropolisarts.com/index.php/content/sopa_music_singingforstage.html

Check these out and call the education office for a spot!

July 10, 2009

Dear Music School Families and Friends,

Summer session is well underway and Fall is rapidly approaching.  There is a lot to look forward to in the coming year.  I wanted to highlight the new changes and events that will be occurring.

First, we must announce the departure of our Music School Manager, Tali Allen. Tali is moving to St. Louis to get married and start her new life. We are sad to see her leave, but grateful for her contribution and wish her well.

Often sad endings bring new beginnings, and we now have the chance to welcome two great additions to the team. We’re very excited to introduce Leslie Swanson as the new Music School Administrator and Colleen Corning as the Metropolis Youth Symphony Administrator. They come to us both with a lot of experience and passion, and we couldn’t be happier to have them on board.

Another important development at the Music School is the creation of a Spring Music Festival Steering Committee.  We are committed to developing a Spring Music Festival that is a top quality, community event that students of music can look forward to every year. The committee will be made up of professional musicians, staff and parents.  If you are interested in being involved, please contact Lesley Swanson at lswanson@metropolisarts.com.

Following is a list of other noteworthy events and opportunities coming up:

• The Holiday Metropolis Youth Symphony Concert will be an all Music School event where select students will be invited to perform.  More details to come.
• Many new Early Childhood and introductory level music classes are available, including: Music Together, Intro to Piano and Music, Intro to String Playing and Intro to Voice.
• A new class, The Art of Musicianship will be available for 6-12 graders.
• Improvisation workshops will be open to all student musicians, culminating in a Jam session on stage.
• Rock Band classes and Singing for the Stage Workshops which have been very successful will be opening new sections for interested students.

In addition to all of this exciting news, we want to heavily encourage any returning private lesson students to call or stop in and claim their lesson time from Spring 2009 session.  New students, please let us know what time slot you are interested in and we will place you with an instructor as soon as possible.

Please mark your calendars for the August 19^th Open House event at 7pm in the theatre. There will be student performances, instructor introductions, lots of food and drink and a free group class giveaway.

Please feel free to contact any of us any time.  Also, please check the blog www.MetropolisArts.com/sopanews and bulletin boards as they are updated regularly with calendar, recital and event information.

June
Summer Session Begins
Sat, June 13

High School Perf Exp. Begins
Mon, June 15

Camp Session 1 Begins
Mon, June 15

Registration Fall ‘09
Mon, June 22

July
Camp Session 1 Ends
Fri, July 10

Lights Up! Show 101 Dalmations
Sat, July 11, 10:30am

Curtains Up Play Aladdin Jr.
Sat, July 11, 1pm & 3:30pm

Curtains Up Musical Aladdin Jr.
Sun, July 12, 1pm & 3:30pm

Camp Session 2 Begins
Mon, July 13

Singing for the Stage
Sat-Sun, July 18-19. 9am-5pm

High School Performance Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Mon, July 20 – 25, various times

August
Camp Session 2 Ends
Fri, August 7

Lights Up! Play Aesop’s Fables
Sat, August 8, 10:30am

Curtains Up Play Beauty and the Beast Jr.
Sat, August 8, 1pm & 3:30pm

Curtains Up Musical Beauty and the Beast Jr.
Sun, August 9, 1pm & 3:30pm

Camp Session 3 Begins
Mon, August 10

Camp Session 3 Ends
Fri, August 21

Summer Session Ends
Sat, August 22

Summer SOPA SHOWCASE
Sun, August 23. 3:00pm

Summer Session 2009

Dear Parents, Students and Friends,

Welcome to Metropolis School of the Performing Arts! We are thrilled that you are here and hope that you thoroughly enjoy your experience with us! Here are some important reminders to keep you in the loop.

COMMUNICATION AND BLOG
In order to inform parents of up to date information and events at SOPA, we will:
• Post updates at our school Blog www.metropolisarts.com/sopanews including school closings, schedules and special events.
• Send updates home with students and put extra copies in the folders hanging outside the classroom.
• Post updates on the BULLETIN BOARDS around the school.
• Send an EMAIL with updated information, including a digital welcome packet.

VIP TICKETS
Each student enrolled receives one VIP discount, which is good for 20% off the full ticket price on most single ticket purchases towards Metropolis Stage shows. Please take this letter to the box office window to receive the discount before June 2009.

SOPA SHOWCASE
The end of term SOPA Showcase is an opportunity for family and friends to get a peek into the classroom experience that the students had during the session. Our students will show off the skills that they learned over the course of the semester on the Metropolis stage. The Spring SOPA showcase will be held on August 23rd at 3pm

SOPA PRODUCTION and THEATRE STUDIO PROGRAM
The SOPA Production, Treasure Island, is on May 1st & 2nd on the Metropolis Stage. Students registered for Fall and Spring Sessions will be eligible for recommendation to audition for the SOPA Production or for entry into the TSP . See the blog, brochure or website for more pre-requisits regarding acceptance into the TSP.

OPEN HOUSE
Please come to our Open House on Wednesday, August 19 at 7:00pm in the theatre. See a performance by students, meet and greet the faculty, have refreshments and enter to win a Fall class giveaway!

We welcome you as a part of our SOPA family! Thank you for allowing us to serve you! Always feel free to give us feedback – our aim is to give students the best in arts education.