Festival of Colors | APS Schools Bring Music, Song, Dance and Art

If you are an APS graduate, chances are you participated in the annual May Festival at some point. This is the 99th year of the festival. The district’s festival featured art, dancing, singing, orchestra, band and jazz musicians. 

There were soloists, trios and combos featured in both choir and musical selections.

About 200 students, fourth grade and older, performed during the festival and 200 artists, students  K-12, participated in the Art Gallery display. 

The audience at the Akron Civic Center was packed with students, parents and friends to cheer them on. 

Superintendent Mary Outley thanked parents, family members and friends for their support in showing up for the students.

“I am so proud of you students for all your hard work and thank you families for nurturing the students and teachers for inspiring the creativity, courage and dedication of the students,” she said.

This year’s theme was colors:

• The Middle School Honor Orchestra played Field of Green and Gold and Red Pepper.
•  The HIgh School Honor Band played Black in the Color and Blue RIdge Reel.
• The High School Honor Choir sang Black is the Color of my True Love’s Hair and True Colors. 
• The Elementary Honor Choir continuing the color theme sang Green Eggs and Ham from Dr. Seuss, Colors of the Wind, Blue Skies, De Colores and Kaleidoscope. 

The students poured their hearts and soul into singing. Some couldn’t resist swaying and dancing to the beat – often at the beat of their own drums. 

Each presentation was introduced by students with the origin of the music and songs. They talked about what motivated songwriters to create their unique brand. 

In between performances Ellet High School CLC eleventh grade students Matthew Kramer (tenor sax), Pierce Boone (alto sax) and Trevor Menth (piano) from the Honors Band, entertained the audience. A video highlighting last year’s festival was shown to the audience before the program began.

As the dark auditorium brightened with soft lights, heads turned to the movement in the aisles.  Dancers from The Miller South Honor Dance Ensemble moved to the music on their way to the stage, rhythmically waiving colorful scarves.

The art show prefaced the on-stage performances. The same jazz trio from Ellet in the Honors Band entertained people in the theater’s grand lobby where the Art Gallery was presented.

Anyla Martin, 7, a first grader at Case CLC, was proud of her artwork of a cat, smiling as she pointed to her drawing.

Chase Merchant, 6, a first grader at Seiberling CLC, decided to take his drawing to outer space, using his creativity to draw a rainbow lizard in space. His mom, Tierra Jacobs, said she bought him a sketch book and he often shares his drawings with her. 

“I’m very proud of him,” Jacobs said, “and he does a good job. His favorite character is Sonic the Hedgehog. (the main protagonist in the cartoon series, his greatest ability is his running speed, known as the world’s fastest hedgehog)

“Chase doesn’t trace his character. He does freehand drawing. At first I didn’t believe him and he sketched it again for me while I watched. He’s pretty good.”

Kylee Collett,10, a fourth grader at Voris CLC drew a colorful Galaxy. 

Her father, Kyle Collett, said he likes her artwork. “She draws a lot at home, especially Anime (a diverse style of Japanese animation),” Collett said. 

Kylee’s grandmother, Kelly Reedy, added that there is a renown artist in the family – her aunt Dani Reedy.

Kylee’s mother, Kelli Collett, chimed in that she was also pretty good at drawing when she was in school, but that it was a long time ago and she doesn’t do much drawing anymore.

Some family members came to enjoy the musical talents of their family members.

Rashawn and Lisa McCraney came to see and hear their son, Rashawn McCraney Jr. an eleventh grader, who plays percussion in the High School Honor Band at Buchtel CLC. He is also the drum major for the school’s marching band.

“ We have been coming for several years,” said his mother. “There's always one of our kids in the festival every year.”

Cynthia and Robin Stokes attended to hear their granddaughter, 10-year-old Alaina Carr, a fifth-grader at Resnik. Alaina’s mother, Chelsea Blake, said her daughter was very excited to perform and had been working hard practicing with the choir for a couple of months twice a week. 

Dawn Wilson, supervisor of Fine Arts for APS said the event was a collaborative effort to be shared with everyone.

“The May Festival of the Arts gives our community a chance to experience and enjoy our scholars’ presentations, guided by their teachers, across Kindergarten through 12th grade Fine Arts programs, culminating in this annual event.”

She also thanked the Music Foundation for their generous grant to help equip APS elementary students with new musical instruments and instructions.

Wilson also acknowledged the selection of Akron Public Schools as one of the Best Communities for Music Education for the past nine years. 

The Best Communities for Music Education program is from the NAMM Foundation that recognizes and celebrates districts for their support and commitment to music education and their efforts to assure access to music for all students as part of a well-rounded education.