Winona Area Public Schools
“Although at times we struggle to start, we are born to create.”
That was one of the inspiring messages that resonated with students and families alike this week at the Spring Concerts performed by Goodview Elementary, Jefferson Elementary and Washington-Kosciusko Elementary.
- Watch the Goodview Elementary concert here
- Watch the Jefferson Elementary concert here
- Watch the W-K Elementary concert here
The “spring sings,” an annual tradition at Winona Area Public Schools, are the culmination of weeks of hard work by the students under the direction of WAPS elementary music teachers Jaime Hanratty and Melanie Sheridan, as well as Winona State University student teacher Jayna Domeier.
The theme for this year’s concerts was “Music Matters,” and it was inspired by the book “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds. The book features a student who is unsure of their artistic ability until a teacher tells them to “just make a dot, and see where it takes you.”
“We start with one dot — one voice — then we blend them all together to make beautiful art,” the introduction to one song said.
March is both Youth Art Month and Music in Our Schools month, and these concerts were a reminder of the importance of expressing yourself through art.
These concerts are made possible not only by the efforts of the elementary music teachers, but also by the school PTAs, the WAPS maintenance staff and the WAPS information systems department, including sound technician Chrisitan Siech.