SOL FEST 2008
June 16-July 11

Sol Fest 2008 is taking applications for children between the ages of 5-18 years of age. All classes are age appropriate and broken down by levels. There will be a non refundable enrollment fee of $30 (administrative, music and costume cost) due with application.

Vocal Technique: Stressing breathing, relaxation, characterization and creativity.

Repertoire: All students study the great works of classical, opera and Broadway.

In the Spotlight: Musical Theater, Acting, Improvisation and scenes from shows will be a daily activity

The Art of Dance: Study all basic dance steps and learn choreography from your favorite shows. Students can also sign up for the Dance class learning ballet, tap, modern and hip hop.

I Can Hear Clearly Now: Ear training teaches relative pitch, hearing harmonies, melodic and rhythmic dictation and solfege.

Keyboard Skills: A keyboard lab will be used for beginners and more advanced students. Beginners learn to find their way around a keyboard. Advanced students will study improvisation and harmonies.

Drums of Steel: Learn the basics of rhythm, drumming and playing a steel pan. Various levels of instruction will focus on technique singing your part, bringing out a great tone from your pan and the art of improvising. Caribbean rhythms will be taught using instruments native to the area.

Week 1: June 16-20
Week 2: June 23-27
Week 3: June 30-July 4
Week 4: July 7-11

Theater/Music Program…………………… 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Drums of Steel Program…………………... noon – 3:00 pm
Theater/Music And Drums of Steel………..noon – 6:00 pm
Dance/ballet, tap and modern……………..noon – 2:00pm

Students may attend any session. There will be an in house performance after the 2nd week with a major performance during the final week. Classes are formed based on age and skill level with a separate track for high school students.

TUITION
                                                                  Weekly         4-Week Session
Theater/Music                                         $150              $500
Drums of Steel                                        $150              $500
Dance                                                       $125             $450
Theater/Music and
Drums of Steel                                        $275             $1,000

SCHOLARSHIPS ARE LIMITED.  FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE KEY WEST SYMPHONY OFFICE AT 305.292.1774

ANY SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED MUST BE FINALIZED BEFORE THE OPENING DATE OR YOUR CHILD WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE.

Why Sol Fest?

Sol Fest’s primary goal is to increase the abilities of local schoolchildren so they can understand and participate in music, and to use their perceptions and ideas in the appreciation and enjoyment of all styles of music, including symphonic music.  Sol Fest helps compensate for the low level of funding for music education in the public schools.  Sol Fest introduces students to music and musical concepts and improves overall academic performance.

Specific advantages reaped by participants in programs such as Sol Fest include improved communication and reasoning skills, enhanced understanding of history and increases in the following areas: self-esteem, self-motivation, math and science aptitudes, abstract thinking abilities, and multi-cultural awareness.

Music training benefits preschoolers
A study reported in Neurological Research Journal reported a 34% increase in math and science abilities in preschoolers exposed to a few months of music training.

Music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking
A recent study by the University of California, Irvine concludes that students with training in and knowledge of the arts outperform their non-art peers in both verbal and math skills.  Arts trained students in this study surpassed their non-arts peers by 59 points on the verbal portion and 44 points on the math portion of standardized tests.  The study concluded that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking.

Music keeps kids in high school
A UCLA study tracking 25,000 students in grades 8-10 from 1,000 schools found that students involved in the arts fared better on standardized tests, in addition to being four times more likely to graduate from high school.

Musicians surpass biochemists in medical school admissions
Beyond elementary and high school, college students who participate in music tend to be high academic achievers, with 66% of music majors applying to medical school being admitted.  Not even biochemistry majors can match this rate.

The Key West Symphony Orchestra presents the symphony orchestra as one of the most encompassing of human inventions, capable of performing such a vast array of musical languages and styles as to touch the soul and imagination of every child in our community.