Mike Lee’s Recital was tops!
Mike Lee (named the 2011 Best of Botetourt’s best music teacher) held the annual student recital on Sunday May 15 at the Geraldine Lawson Performing Arts Theater. 53 students performed in two different shows. The first show from 2-4 p.m. was for the younger students. The next show some four and a half hours long was held that evening for teens and adults. Four judges picked the best performers out of the larger group of teens and adults.
Best performers: Creek Turner, 1st place, Taylor Leonard, 2nd, Ashley Cummings, 3rd, Jessie Kidd and Morgan Carter tied for fourth.
Lee said, ” I think the talent level and quality of music goes up every year. I really love taking the students to the theater. John Lawson knows the sound system and the teens in particular enjoy being on the stage in a great setting. some of these students have been with me for five years now and their music is just getting better and better.”
Lee has students from every age as evidenced in the photos!
Debbie Turner of Fincastle who sent photos of the two events to us also commented, “ The teen concert continued until 11PM with an abundance of talented folks displaying their developing skills at guitar, mandolin and singing. Many of the students did double duty adding extra practice time to learn songs in order to accompanying other performers. Together, all the students and their teacher, Mike Lee, presented the audience with an amazing evening full of musical entertainment!”
Photos by Debbie Turner, story by Cathy Benson
May 19, 2011 - 5:39 PM
The students in the flickr pics. are Preston Clark (a 4 1/2 year student), Taylor Leonard (a 7 yr. student), Morgan Carter ( 3 1/2 yr student), Jessi Kidd (4 1/2 yr student) with Creek Turner ( 8 years ), Dan and Adam Bowser ( 2 yr students), Charissa Sangster ( 9 years – my longest running ), Chuck Whiting ( came to me 30 years ago and has had several stints of lessons, WOW!), Keith Mitchell ( 6 year student ), Colin Tickner ( 8 mo. student ), Jacob Wagner ( 5 mo. student ), and lastly Kent Clark ( a 2 1/2 yr. student ) and back-up Jessi Kidd. Patience is the key especially with a 4 1/2+ Recital in addition to the younger Recital which was 2 hours. Did I mention that patience is the key! Thanks!
It was my first show and it will not be my last. It was amazing. The enthusiasm and talent was shinning through. It was so inspirational and I was so completely impressed with Mike Lee himself. That I signed up for lessons with him. I am 53 tears old and have always wanted to learn. I believe he will be the perfect man to learn from.