At AIS-R, the halls are indeed alive with the sound of music!  At nearly every moment of the school day, and often after school as well, at least one of our performing groups is hard at work, rehearsing for an upcoming concert, performance, or event.  At our United Nations Celebration in October, upward of 280 students, from grades 3 - 12 sang and played their instruments to the delight of the AIS-R community and visiting dignitaries.  While AIS-R has a long and established tradition of excellent band and string programs, the newest kid on our musical block has been the creation of our choir program at both the middle school and high school levels.  Our school concerts are invariably unique and original, and our recent November Fall Concert, entitled "Celebrations" featuring over 160 music students, was no exception.

The evening was a milestone for the school in many ways:

• -The concert opened with the combined MS and HS Bands, numbering 80 members, presenting “Fanfare for Trumpets”, featuring our 18 heralding trumpets.
• -The concert debuted “Crossing the Desert,” a musical composition by Mr. Jay Winograd that was commissioned for the upcoming SAKAIC Music Festival.
• -The concert featured our 60-member string ensembles and the introduction of Ms. Bronwen Gill to the AISR community.
• -The concert also premiered the newest addition to our AIS-R Performing Arts Department- our Middle School and High School vocal ensemble under the direction of Mr. Jay Winograd.

From the magnificence of an 80-piece band, to the precision of our middle and high school string orchestras, to the gentle beauty of our choirs, the young musicians amazed the packed audience.  As one patron suggested afterward, "I only wish the concert didn't have to end...everybody was outstanding.”

In addition to our AIS-R performances, students have had the opportunity to showcase their talents away from school, both in the local community and on the international stage.  In recent years, both band and orchestra members have been selected to perform in the prestigious International Honor Band and Choir.  They most recently performed in Manila and Shanghai.  This year, three middle school girls have been selected to perform with the International Middle School Honor Choir in Doha in January.  Our AIS-R chapter of the TRI-M organization (Modern Music Masters) has performed at the U.S. Embassy at a reception for Rusty Schweikart.  Our elementary choir has also performed at winter celebrations at Escot Compound.

For those high school students who excel in their musical ensembles, we have added an IB music class to our class offerings.  In this class, upper division students can take their passion for music to an even higher level.  In our pilot class this year, we have six students, and we hope to expand this offering in the years to come.

As well, AIS-R has the privilege this year of hosting the SAIKAC Middle School Music Festival (our Inter-Kingdom Activities Conference) from April 26-28, 2011.  We are expecting over 100 students and 12 teachers from International Schools throughout the Kingdom to be in attendance.  An event of this magnitude always takes a great deal of community support in order to be successful.  AIS-R has a well-deserved reputation of being a gracious host to visiting schools.

We had a wonderful response of volunteers to host SAIKAC musicians in home-stays at our recent concert, yet we will need many more willing hosts to open their homes for this exciting musical event.

We invite you to be a home-stay to a couple of student-musicians for our upcoming SAIKAC Music Festival, as we enthusiastically anticipate filling our halls with the "sound of music." We invite you to be a part of this wonderful experience. If you are willing and able to host a middle school musician or two, please contact Stephen Raatz ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), and you will be contacted with more information as the time of the festival draws near. Thank you in advance for your generosity in hosting and continuing to strengthen the positive AIS-R reputation in the Kingdom!

Music and young people...what a winning combination!