Whitewater Times

In March, students from Maranatha Music Prep achieved remarkable success in the piano categories at the Wisconsin Association of Christian Schools Fine Arts Competition, which secured their participation in the American Association of Christian Schools (AACS) National Fine Arts Competition held in Greenville, SC. At the national event, they nearly repeated their performance, earning first place in several categories: Sacred Piano Solo, Sacred Piano Duet, and Classical Piano Duet, along with a second place in Classical Piano Solo.

The winners in each category displayed high levels of effort and discipline. In the Sacred Piano Solo, Reggie Robertson claimed first place. Samantha Prigge and Emily Boorujy won first place for their performance in the Sacred Piano Duet. The Classical Piano Duet was won by Meg Morken and Kaylee Oetken, and Meg Morken also took second place in the Classical Piano Solo competition.

Reflecting on the achievements, Mrs. Ruth Brown, one of their Music Prep teachers, stated, "This win is a combination of many efforts. Thank you to our wonderful prep school, who laid a solid foundation of theory, collaboration (even at a young age!), and recital performance opportunities. Thank you to parents who invested in this program and kept their children enrolled and challenged. Teachers and students worked hard to get them ready for the competition. However, the real reward is that they have been stretched in musicality and confidence for performance and ministry in the years to come. Well done!"

Music Prep's Director, Janet Tschida, emphasized their approach, writing, “At Music Prep, we endeavor to develop God-given gifts by providing valuable observation and teaching experiences for our MBU pedagogy interns and top-quality music learning opportunities for the Watertown area community.” Maranatha Music Prep School, affiliated with MBU, involves music pedagogy students in teaching, provides one-on-one mentorship with music faculty, and observes master teachers. The school offers a range of programs including Piano and String Ensembles, Chamber Groups, Theory classes, and Early Childhood Music and Movement classes.

For more information about Maranatha Music Prep School, visit their website at maranathamusicprep.org.