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The Appalachian heART
Welcome to The Appalachian heART! This is an arts oriented newsletter missioned to uplift and connect artists within Appalachia. We've been in business since May 2025, and have published monthly since.
July has been a jam packed month for the arts, and we hope you enjoy learning all about it!
July 2025
Highland Harmony's Upcoming Season: An Opportunity to Join in on Joyous Music Making
Highland Harmony, a community chorus directed by Jessica Rash, is excited to announce the approach of its third season! They welcome everyone, including teens fourteen and up, from those with music degrees to total beginners. The group performs a concert in the spring, and takes December off to avoid holiday conflicts. It's a lot of fun, and a wonderful way to find community. If you're someone who is interested in art or performance, or someone who would like to be exposed to classical music training, sign up! It's an enriching, engaging experience.
The kickoff rehearsal is on August 28th, from 7:00-8:30pm, at the Scott Christian Care Center. They rehearse twice a month, same time and place. There is an annual fee of forty dollars, but scholarships are available based on need.
If interested, you may sign up at the link below, or contact us at the listed email. Please sign up ASAP!
highlandharmonychorus@gmail.com
appalachiansocietyofthearts.com/highland-harmony
This is the PDF file of the flyer containing more detail and information around the program and the benefits of choral singing.
The Scott County Schools Middle School Band Camp
At Middle School Band Camp, students and educators voluntarily sacrifice a week of their summer for the sake of music education. This is the camp's seventeenth year, and it has always been at no charge to the students. They practice upwards of four hours a day, and the camp employs instrument specific instructors- an unprecedented concept for small, rural bands. After five days of intensive rehearsal, the band performed an awesome concert! It included pieces like Ode to Joy, Appalachian Overture, Cardiff Castle, and Pixels. There were also section features, which included; Ave Maria, performed by the flute section and arranged by flute instructor Ashlee Glaspy; New Haven, performed by the clarinet section; Theme From Surprise Symphony, played by the trumpet section; Jurassic Park, played by the low brass section; Fault Line, played by the percussion section and composed by local band director Steven Rodgers; and The Muppet Show Theme, played by the staff of the camp. Middle School Band Camp is graciously hosted by Burchfield band director Cole Hunt, and other staff include Ashlee Glaspy, Kris Burke, Arthur Acres, Jacob Boshears, Dr. Ryan Hoffman, Rebecca Acres, Ellie Maxy, Steven Rodgers, Micah Phillips, Brandan Hunt, Aliyah Brosnan, and Joslin Floyd.
It's clear that it takes dozens of moving parts to plan and execute something as comprehensive as Middle School Band Camp, but it's worth it. When budgets must be cut, music education is generally one of the first things to go. Thankfully, this is not the case in Scott County, but wherever you are, you need to make your appreciation of music and art education known to the leaders of your community.
The Misty Mountain Musicians Concert- Dazzling Success!
On July 2nd, the Misty Mountain Musicians community band performed a smashing premiere concert. The group held a full audience rapt for nearly an hour, making music they had put together in only four rehearsals together. Director Cole Hunt included a variety of pieces, including but not limited to; John Williams in Concert, Fairest of the Fair, and Muppet Movie Medley. The group plans to reconvene next summer, when they will surely put on another concert of such epic proportions.
Inherit the Wind: A Theatrical Masterpiece
At the Black Box Theatre of Scott Christian care Center, the Plateau Players performed Inherit the Wind, a play about the Scopes Monkey Trial. The real trial took place in Dayton, Tennessee. Even though it was a dramatized version of events, the players conveyed every scene with true gravity. The emotion, the conviction, all of it somehow completely different and much the same as modern day. The cast was truly exceptional, and held the audience close through each twist and turn. if you didn't attend one of the eight shows, you missed out.
Be on the lookout for the next Plateau Players production!
Plateau Players Having Fun in the Fourth of July Parade!
The ASotA Junior Board
The AsotA Junior Board is a student composed, lead, and oriented group. The mission of the Junior Board is to serve their communities through the arts. The kids work together to become better leaders, creatives, and build a community of young artists in the Appalachian region. While they benefit from the guidance of the ASotA Board, the meetings are executed by board members, who make budgets, agendas, and practice the process of a real board meeting.
The Junior Board was instated soon after ASotA itself, and it has truly taken off in recent months. The group is small, but diverse in talent and ability. If you're a teen, interested in the arts and joining a community of like-minded people, get involved with ASotA. You won't be admitted to the JR. Board immediately, we need to get to know you first, but you will have the opportunity to get invloved and get to know us.
What's Up With Fiber Arts?
A better question may be, 'What are the fiber arts?' The technical definition, a category of art forms that involves working with fibers, fails to capture the whimsy and character of the craft. The fiber arts include things like knitting, crocheting, embroidery, sewing, and much more. Take a moment to imagine all the things in your life that are a product of the fiber arts, of present and past. There are a lot! Even though, the fiber arts are often underrepresented. I encourage you to give it a try! It's a great way to express your creativity while creating something functional.
Submissions
Here at the Appalachian heART, one of our greatest joys is giving artists the opportunity to share their work. This month's submissions come from very talented artist Mary Helen. She noted that this collection was created with a sense of nostalgia. The layered colors and textures create striking visuals, from fowl to ghost.
How To Submit Your Work
We're looking for art, photography, short stories(<5000 words preferably), poems, of articles. Get creative! For example, you may not be able to include a sculpture, but you can send a picture of a sculpture. We're also happy to present write ups and of art related things happening in the community. Please don't allow your inhibition prevent someone from experiencing art they may enjoy.
All submissions must be appropriate, culturally sound, and respectful. Abosolutely no profanity or vulgarity. The Appalachian heART retains the right to reject all submissions it deems unsuitable.
For written word(poetry, stories, etc.), email it to the editor in the form of a word document or google doc. If that is for some reason impossible, please reach out to the editor. We are willing to work with you. Please include your name, your preference on anonymity, and any context you are willing to share about the work.
For visual art(photography, sketches, paintings, etc.) or images, email the editor the image, along with your name, preference on anonymity, and any context you are willing to share.
Thanks to reformatting, The Appalachian heART is now open to a new art form, video! If you find that the art is not only in the finished product, but in the creation itself, we now have a place for that! You may submit a video of you creating art, like pottery or painting, or even singing a song you wrote. We anticipate time lapse videos, because they are shorter, will work best. We recommend no more than four minutes per video, but this is subject to change as we learn how to maximize our platform.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email the editor. We look forward to receiving your art!
Editor: Joslin Floyd floydjoslinnews0@gmail.com