Dear GDS Community, The MAD (Music, Art, and Drama) Society/ GDS Fine Arts Booster Club has been in existence for about 15 years. Created by Ruthie Tutterow, Merrill Keeley, and Ann Sapp, the MAD Society is a dedicated group that helps support the vibrant arts programs at Greensboro Day—especially at a time when so many area schools are phasing out their arts programs. Annually, The MAD Society does so many things to help the Fine Arts programs at GDS, including an allocation of a small fund to each arts department to help annually bring in guest artists, fund special performances, purchase equipment, and more. Below are the ways that the MAD Society supported Fine Arts at GDS during the 2016-17 year: • helped fund guest artists for Fiddle Fusion • helped fund making a CD recording of the Jazz Band • brought in a performance for the Upper School during Winter Term called “Let Your Children Tell” about the Holocaust. • helped fund a guest artist (Jay Jones) who creates mobiles and worked with our middle school classes for the Art Department • provided an honorarium for GDS Alumnus, Mike Megliola ’00, who is a lighting designer in NYC to come in and work with our stagecraft class. • host receptions for all major performances (music concerts, drama opening nights, the AP Arts Showcas etc.) • assisted the art department in installing the all school arts shows in the theatre lobby at the end of each semester. • hosted a luncheon for the Senior Arts Awards each spring for the graduating seniors The MAD Society invites anyone who has students that are active in any of the fine arts to become members of the MAD Society. Members contribute yearly dues at varying levels depending on whether their students are in Lower, Middle, or Upper School. These dues are automatically renewed annually for the time that each family is at GDS or until the family wishes to discontinue their membership. There is also an alumni membership. GET INVOLVED: We rely on the help of volunteers—even if you can just volunteer for one reception, or to put up artwork one time—we can certainly use your help! Please contact next year’s MAD President, Marianne Bennett, if you can volunteer or if you are interested in becoming a member of the Board. While many of our members have been active volunteers in the drama program, the MAD Society is very active in supporting Music and Art as well—we actively seek volunteers and Board members who have students who are primarily involved in those arts disciplines. We would love to have your support for the Fine Arts at GDS! To join MAD go to www. greensboroday.org/madsociety. And to our current members and board members—thank you so very much for making these events and programs such a great part of what makes Greensboro Day School such a great place to be! Cecile Winstead Parent of Morgan Winstead ’18 2016-17 MAD Society President MAD Society The French Quarter Where better to study jazz history than New Orleans? After navigating the trolley system, the group spent a full day visiting the fascinating and history-filled French Quarter. Students enjoyed a guided tour by a local jazz historian, experienced fantastic street musicians, hot beignets from Café Du Monde, and sampled other great New Orleans cuisine. On The Road Again … With their new confidence and polished skills, the GDS Jazz Band returned to Greensboro to continue a semester packed with jazz performances. This band of dedicated students performed for the Upper School, the Middle School, Canterbury School, WellSpring Retirement Community, Friends’ Home West, River’s Landing, the Senior Arts Awards Ceremony, the Upper School Spring Concert, the “Groovin’ in the Gardens” concert, sponsored by Greensboro Beautiful and topped off the year with a performance at our Senior Convocation in June to accompany our talented vocalist, Emily Dean ’17. “Jazz Legacy CD” on sale now! One of the unexpected highlights of the year turned out to be a recording session at Ovation Studios in Winston Salem during the Winter Term class. Recording engineer, Bill Stevens went beyond the basic work of recording our group to produce excellent tracks. It became obvious this project could go a lot farther than just a day at the recording studio. After months of mixing, mastering, securing legal rights, duplication and jacket design, we are now the proud owners of a professional CD that is being distributed and sold. As far as we know, this is the first CD ever recorded by a GDS ensemble. Stop by the Bengal Bookstore for a copy; we hope you will take time to give it a listen! And thanks to … We owe a special thank you to the parents who supported the Jazz Band this year by coming out to so many of our performances and who also made the New Orleans trip possible for these young musicians. We also send our gratitude for musical and chaperone assistance this year to Dr. Ward Robinson, Mr. Allan Beck, UNCG music major Michael Kralik, Dr. Pam Pittman, and especially to Mrs. Janet Mintz for her never ending support, assistance and love for each of the members of the Jazz Band this year. Thanks also go out to award-winning jazz educator Bob Sinicrope of Milton Academy, and Ruthie Tutterow for their encouragement! In the words of Wynton Marsalis, “Jazz music is America’s past and its potential, summed up and sanctified and accessible to anybody who learns to listen to, feel, and understand it. The music can connect us to our earlier selves and to our better selves-to-come. It can remind us of where we fit on the time line of human achievement, an ultimate value of art.” Jazz students are learning a lot more than just jazz rhythms and improvisation at Greensboro Day School. The Jazz Band has come a very long way, and our talented students are looking forward to next year’s new adventures. They are ready to “Take it from the top!” t GDS Magazine | 29