Haystack School of Crafts and UNH Summer Youth Music School
Scholarship Awards were a Success for Students
This year the Kittery Art Association is proud to have presented two well-deserved scholarships to two Kittery area students. These scholarships are financed by the KAA Marcia Abigail Ryder Scholarship Fund. With creative ingenuity and good old Yankee sense, and despite the uncertainty of these economic times, the KAA continues to contribute to the Kittery Community.
Rachel Philbrick, now a senior at Traip Academy, has attended a three day intensive crafts program for distinguished art students at the Haystack School of Crafts, located in Dear Isle, Maine. Rachel specialized in porcelain clay, fiber art and dyeing. She commented about her experience by saying it was beyond her expectations, and she would not have ever considered herself as a candidate for the program if it had not been for Traip art teacher, Dianna Anderson who suggested the program and KAA Scholarship as a means to go.
Nate Thayer, a percussionist and freshman at Traip Academy, has attended the UNH Summer Youth Music School. The SYMS offered students a chance to spend time making music together. Nate found it to be an awesome and fun program where he was able to work with “cool” instructors, make great friends and perform in the top bands in exciting end performances. When asked what were the most important lessons he learned from the UNH Youth Music School, he commented that learning to sight read music, study in a chorus class and the opportunity to work with bells and the xylophone. While Nate focused on jazz and concert music, he was surprised to discover he had a talent for vocals- something he had never thought of developing before attending this school. As the only young person from Maine, it was a challenge to get to know everyone, and he looks forward to staying in touch with these new acquaintances and possibly attending next year.
The Kittery Art Association also supports younger children with financial assistance for individual music, art and drama lessons, and whenever possible utilize the talents of our KAA members.
