Dec. 21, 2022 - During the month of December, students at Ackerman, Litzsinger, and Southview Schools have performed live on stage; singing, dancing, acting, and playing instruments in their annual Winter Programs. 

“The students showcase their strengths and talents as a performer/creator,” said Kyle Spies, Litzsinger music teacher. “It gives the students a goal to work towards. Performing and preparing for a show is a skill that I believe all students should experience.” 

Schools like Ackerman started preparing as early as August with intensive rehearsals taking place in October. Stephanie Jones, Ackerman music teacher, says her students picked out the entire repertoire for the concert. 

“It’s incredible,” said Jones. “I am very proud of them and pleased with how everything turned out. In class, students picked the songs they wanted to perform and we worked together to create rhythms and picked instruments that worked best with the music.” 

Student performances varied from acting out the snow ball scene in the movie “Elf” to a band covering the song “Dream On” by Aerosmith and dancing to the song “Jingle Bells”. Greg Heaney, Southview music teacher, believes any IEP goal can be met through musical production and creative expression. 

“That’s why we do it every year,” said Heaney. “Some students didn’t want to perform because they were nervous. However, every student who told me that still got on the stage and did it. Congratulations to them. I’m very proud of them for getting up on stage and persevering.” 

This is the first time Southview has held a concert with an in-person audience since 2019 due to COVID. All three schools will host Winter Programs in 2023.