January & February 2017 College News

14 | January & February | College News IN THE COMMUNITY SIX WEEK C.S LEWIS CLASS Steve Beebe [ 1 ] is teaching “C.S. Lewis Master Communicator” for the San Marcos community during the spring semester. The class meets on Tuesday evenings from Jan. 31 to March 7 at the San Marcos Public Library and is sponsored by the Texas State Retired Faculty Association. Nearly forty San Marcos residents are enrolled in the free class. One of the top Communication scholars in the world, Beebe has taught courses on Lewis at Oxford University and via the Texas State Honors College. In this community outreach course Beebe explores the things that Lewis did that might be emulated in the way readers connect and communicate with other people. Emphasis is placed on exploring Lewis’s communication techniques, particularly his use of metaphor and simile. SAN MARCOS STUDENTS SEE THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SNOOPY More than 350 area middle and high school students were treated to a special free matinee performance of The World According to Snoopy . Sponsored by the College of Fine Arts and Communication and the Department of Theatre and Dance, the February 17 production was the first time many of the students had attended a fine arts performance of Snoopy’s caliber. Some students arrived early to have lunch with the student cast members. 1 2 3 Steve Beebe at the San Marcos Public Library photo credit: Rachel Willis Students in their seats before the performance of The World According to Snoopy Students meeting the cast of The World According to Snoopy The Texas State College of Fine Arts and Communication has a long tradition of serving the San Marcos communit y. A sampling of recent projects includes: Student groups included the Girls Club and fifth grade boys from Hernandez Elementary, the Honor Choir and dance team from Travis Elementary, Theatre Arts students from San Marcos High School, third graders from Bowie Elementary, and students from Al Briesmeistre Middle School in Seguin. [ 2 ] Throughout the run of the show, children from the community stayed afterward to get autographs and take photos with the cast. [ 3] SCHOOL OF MUSIC YOUTH OUTREACH On Monday, February 27, the Texas State String Project collaborated with other School of Music youth outreach programs - the Hill Country Youth Chorus and Texas State Mariachi Infantil - to present a free joint public concert in Evans Auditorium. Each group presented its own selections, then the students from all groups joined forces to perform together. Ensembles from all three programs have been performing together since 2011. Since 2010, the Texas State String Project has offered instruction in the orchestral string instruments (violin, viola, cello and bass) to students in grades K-5 from the San Marcos area. The program is open to public, private, and home-schooled families throughout the Central Texas area and consists of weekly group classes and private lessons during each of the university’s semesters. Texas State music students serve as teaching interns — currently Joshua Adams , Teresa Bejar , Shijun Chen , Heather Couture , Nabile Galvan , Josue Martinez , Julia Perez , Oliver Richards , Logan Theoni , Juan Triana , Anna Trevino , Robyn Westerlund , Gabriel Vasquez , Sarah Walters , and Celeste Wilmot . INTERESTED IN THE TEXAS STATE STRING PROJECT? Using the National String Project Consortium model, the program gives current Texas State string students the opportunity to teach classes under the supervision of Texas State faculty, providing group classes and private lessons at a low cost for area families. The Texas State String Project currently serves 65 area students, with 15 Texas State students serving as teachers and assistants. More information on the program can be found at: www.music.txstate.edu/stringproject . Photo (upper right): Ian Randolph plays the bass during a String Project performance at Evans Auditorium College of Fine Arts and Communication | 15