Thursday, January 13, 2011

Family Sing Night

Please join Fort River's music teacher Anne White for
Family Sing Night
Thursday, February 17th
6:30-8:00 pm
Fort River Gym

Anne White and the Fort River PGO are pleased to announce two very special upcoming events. On March 2nd, the Latin musical group MarKamusic will conduct student workshops and give a school wide performance. On Thursday, February 17th, as a fundraiser to help bring MarKamusic to Fort River, you and your family are invited to the Fort River Family Sing Night where Mrs. White will be joined by parents and teachers to lead everyone in songs from around the world.

Please join us and make a suggested donation of $2.00 or whatever amount you like.
There will also be a student run bake sale to satisfy your sweet tooth!

We would like this event to represent the rich cultural diversity of our school community. As part of the music curriculum, Mrs. White will be working with students and parents to learn special songs to teach all families on this evening. Parents and other family members, we welcome your input and involvement. Please contact Mrs. White at whitea@arps.org, or 362-1238, if you want to help with the music.

A parent coordinator is also needed for the bake sale. If you would like to help with this event, please contact Pam Rietkerk at pam.fortriver@gmail.com or 256-2605.

This is going be a great community event!


MarKamusic performs traditional, folkloric and pop music of South and Latin American origin, fused with Latin jazz and western textures and instruments. The group has played its unique repertoire at international music festivals, educational events in schools, museums, and cultural institutions.

During its performances, MarKamusic accents the contributions of the four major cultural influences that have shaped modern Latin American music—the indigenous South American, the West African, the Euro-Iberian, and the contemporary North American. Traditional rhythms and melodic forms from these diverse cultures intermingled over the centuries, creating much of what is Latin American popular music today.

MarKamusic’s musical purpose is to drive home to its audiences that America is larger than just the United States: that America, in fact, extends from Alaska to the southernmost tip of Chile. The members of MarKamusic also feel that the diverse cultures of the Americas— tied by history and geography, but separated by politics and language—can effectively be reconciled by the sharing (indeed, by the merging) of their many musical expressions. MarKamusic’s musicians: one Peruvian, three Puerto Ricans, one Ecuadorian and one Guatemalan represent the potential of this harmonious exchange.