Category: KCKCC

KCKCC vocal music program prepares for spring concert

by Kelly Rogge
The Kansas City Kansas Community College Choir Program is preparing for one of its final concerts of the semester.

The KCKCC Spring Choral Concert is at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 4 at Trinity Community Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. The concert is free and open to the public.

The concert will feature the Chamber Choir, which will be performing selections from British composer Paul Mealor. This includes the song cycle: “Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal.”

In addition, the concert will feature selections from the High Lonesome Mass, sung by the Community Chamber Choir. This piece will include a bluegrass ensemble along with the choir. It is a mixture of American Folk hymns and the Catholic Mass.

For more information on the choral program at KCKCC, contact John Stafford at [email protected] or call 913-288-7137.

 

KCKCC offers new online social media in business certificate program

by Kelly Rogge

Have you thought about using social media to communicate market and serve your customers and clients more effectively?

The new online Social Media for Business Certificate Program at Kansas City Kansas Community College will introduce individuals to the growing and exciting opportunities that social media provide for businesses and organizations.

Students will discover new principles of communication that apply across all social networks including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and more. This includes learning how to develop two-way communication and marketing strategies and leaving the course with a concrete plan to help to begin using social networks immediately for marketing services and for communicating with clientele. Whether new to social networks or already involved, students will find practical value in this certificate program.

The certificate program consists of three one-month courses:
•         Introduction to Social Media
•         Marketing Using Social Media
•         Integrating Social Media in Your Organization.

Students may take the complete Certificate Program (three courses) for $495 or take any of the individual courses for $195 each.

For more information or to enroll, call KCKCC Continuing Education at 913-288-7170 or 913-288-7660.

KCKCC to hold Jazz Summit April 23-25

by Kelly Rogge

Kansas City Kansas Community College will be playing host to students from middle school, high school and college this week during the 2014 Kansas City Jazz Summit.

The summit is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 23 to 25 in the KCKCC Performing Arts Center, 7250 State Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

“The goal (of the Jazz Summit) is to attract jazz band, combos and choirs from across the United States and hopefully Canada, making Kansas City a destination location,” said Jim Mair, professor of music and director of instrumental studies at KCKCC. “There will be great performances all three days, world class adjudication and on Thursday, there is the KC Heritage ‘Basically Basie’ competition with text voting – a first for jazz festivals.”

The Jazz Summit caters to jazz groups at the middle school, high school and college level in both competitive and non-competitive sessions. This not only includes bands, but choirs and combos as well.

There are three levels of participation. These include:

·         Jazz Summit. A non-competitive group where jazz groups perform for adjudicators. No winners are named, but outstanding groups and soloists are recognized. Groups that participate in this category receive a plaque or trophy.

·         Kansas City Jazz Heritage – “Basically Basie.” This is a competitive category on Thursday of the Jazz Summit. Groups are required to pick three songs from an established list of Count Basie repertoire. These selections must have been recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra. Judging is based on the authenticity and attention to detail. The top two groups will compete for audience voting, which is done by text message. The winning group receives a traveling plaque. Blue Valley Northwest High School has won the trophy the last three years.

·         Jazz Tyro. This is specifically designed for younger bands with little experience. Those that participate receive positive comments as well as a clinic following their performance.

“Band enrollment is up 60 percent,” Mair said of this year’s summit. “Bands are coming from South Dakota, St. Louis, Oklahoma and Wichita, Kan.”

Local schools attending the Jazz Summit include Piper, Basehor-Linwood, Turner, Lansing, Tonganoxie, Shawnee Mission East, Blue Valley Northwest, Olathe Northwest, Olathe North, Shawnee Mission Northwest and Johnson County Community College. The KCKCC Jazz Ensemble will perform at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, followed by the KCKCC Jazz Combo at noon. The KCKCC Standard Jazz Choir will perform at 12:30 p.m. Friday.

For complete schedules for all three days of the event, visit www.kansascityjazz.org/kansascityjazzsummit.html. For more information or for questions, contact Jim Mair at [email protected] or by phone at 913-288-7503.