06.16.2007
Our third annual Elements Amazing Keyboard Competition is complete! Our special guest judge Herman Jackson (keyboardist for American Idol) along with former Elements student Steve Gamo and director of operations Lori Passante had their hands full as 20 awesome keyboardists went head to head for the grand prize of a Yamaha SGX 500 eighty-eight key keyboard. The competition was stiff, but in the end, the winner was 4th grader Jacob Berger of Cherokee elementary school, who played The Nutcracker March, Mozart's Eine Kleine Nacthmusic, and Burgmuller's Arabesque, all after just 30 weeks of keyboard club! Second prize, and a Casio WK 3700 keyboard, went to Min Kwon, a 6th grader from Arrowhead Elementary, who played The Entertainer Rag, The Pink Panther, and A Little Night Music. Third prize went to 2nd grader Christian Leber of Hopi, who played For Elise, The Entertainer, and Arabesque. Also, 2nd year student Aaron Chen, a second grader from Cherokee, won first prize in the open competition, for 2nd and 3rd year students. He played Clementi's Sonatina in C Op. 36, number 1, as well as Scherzo by Von Weber and and Ballade by Burgmuller. 2nd prize went to Dillon Schulz, a 4th grader from Cherokee, who played 100 Years from Five for Fighting, Blue Charlie Brown by Vince Guiraldi, and Bach's awesome Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor. Third prize went to the amazing Drew Stanton, 5th grader at Hopi, who played Bach's Invention in C Major, Clementi Op. 36 number 3, (the harder sonatina in C) and offered a blazing version of Khatchaturian's Sonatina. Congratulations to everyone who participated!!!
