October 28, 2021
Having our students engaged in visual and performing arts isn’t just about fostering an appreciation of the arts, rather it is about helping students develop the ability to practice perseverance, develop ingenuity, and understand that ideas can be expressed in more than just words. Through authentic experiences as musicians, performers, and artists each student has the ability to maximize their artistic potential, build confidence, and create beauty.
True hallmarks of Mounds Park Academy are the live performances where instrumental and choral students share their work with the broader MPA community. It is hard to believe that due to the pandemic the last live concerts held on campus were more than 19 months ago. We are thrilled to share that at this time we are not only holding in person performances, but that guests are invited to attend either in person or virtually. View the MPA calendar and add the upcoming performances to your calendars including the Upper School Instrumental Concert on Wednesday, November 3 at 7:30 PM.
To maintain alignment with the MPA health and safety protocols, each guest who plans to attend the live performances will be required to pre-register and provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination (a picture or scan of their vaccination card) via email to covid@moundsparkacademy.org by 7 PM the night prior to the scheduled concert. If your vaccination card is already on file at MPA through athletics or other events, you do not need to send it again. If you have a medical or religious exception, please contact covid@moundsparkacademy.org with those details as we will provide information and work with you to obtain a clearance COVID-19 test so you may attend. Masking is required on campus.
All pre-registered guests will enter and exit through the Gallery on the south side of campus (door #3) and go directly to their seats in the Nicholson Center where the performances are held.
For the convenience and safety of our community, all performances will also be live streamed at the link below. Regardless of how you view the events, we are excited for you to enjoy the wonderful talent of our students.
JOIN LIVESTREAM
Password: 2051
There will not be a recording distributed afterward due to licensing restrictions.
IMPORTANT HEALTH & SAFETY NOTES REGARDING IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE
Please note that even though health and safety protocols are in place, band and choir performances are highly aerosolized activities. If any attendee develops symptoms within 48 hours of the performance, please contact covid@moundsparkacademy.org for guidance.
COVID-19 is a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening disease declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. Information about COVID-19 is continually evolving and subject to change. COVID-19’s highly contagious nature means that contact with others or contact with surfaces that have been exposed to the virus, can lead to infection. Additionally, individuals who may be infected with COVID-19, whether vaccinated or not, may be asymptomatic for a period of time or may never become symptomatic.
Aware of the foregoing, I am voluntarily attending the in person performance at Mounds Park Academy. To attend these concerts, I acknowledge and understand:
- Given the many unknowns relating to COVID-19, it is not possible to fully identify or list each and every individual risk of contracting COVID-19;
- MPA cannot limit all potential sources of COVID-19 infection.
Auditions are open for the Middle School Play! This year, the play is a series of Middle School One Acts, titled, “The Internet is Distract–OH LOOK A KITTEN!” and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Middle School (but were too busy being stuffed in a locker to ask)!” 
As the new year approaches the Alumni Association welcomes new members and changes in the Executive Committee. Join us in welcoming the new alumni board members and new positions! Please stay tuned for more about new members in future alumni news.
Special thanks to Renee Sonka, MPA visual arts teacher 
Music, particularly singing, has provided me with an opportunity to grow and learn. I attended Minnesota Waldorf School through 8th grade, and music is a significant component of Waldorf education. I learned to play the pentatonic flute in first grade, the C flute in second grade, the viola in third and the Alto recorder in fifth grade. Singing was an everyday activity in elementary school but I didn’t really enjoy it until my freshman year of high school at MPA.
MPA senior Emma Cohen created portraits for The Memory Project for her Senior Service Project. The Memory Project is a nonprofit organization that connects artists with children throughout the world, who then get sent their portraits after completion. Her portraits specifically will be sent to children in Cameroon. This is MPA’s fifth year collaborating with The Memory Project!
We are pleased to be offering an expanded summer program with a larger choice of academic programs, enrichment classes, athletic clinics, full and half day Panther Camp, and much more for students of all ages! As always, our goal is to provide our participants with the highest quality program in the context of a safe and healthy environment.
The Upper School Winter Show, “Almost, Maine,” took part in the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Education program this year. As part of the Spotlight Education program, the show was evaluated and recognized with multiple honors!
by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School