As of next fall, I will have two kids at Greensboro’s Weaver Academy, the arts magnet high school in Greensboro. I’m there all the time — art-school kids have a lot of performances — and every time it seems to me like an episode of “Fame,” or maybe the movie Fame, depending on how old you are.
So it seems crazy that it took so long for Patrick Lui, the guitar teacher, to start committing some of this talent to a series.
The Weaver Academy Stairwell Sessions allow students from every discipline to show what they’ve got: guitarists, vocalists, fine artists, string players, dramatists, with most of the performances going down at the foot of the large stairwell that dominates the interior of the school.
They’ve got more than 20 of these uploaded to the YouTube channel, including a performance by Thommasaht Nhouyvanisvong, the guitar senior who in February won the statewide Hayes Young Artist Competition, earning him the top music scholarship at Appalachian State University.
There’s also some Bach from violinist Dwyla Pearson, a watercolor slideshow from painter Cassidy Harding, a monologue from drama student Abby Burris and a performance by the entire vocal chorale, with more scheduled as the school year wanes.
It’s as local as it gets and it’s completely compelling, even if you don’t have a student at Weaver. And if you do, it’s pretty amazing to see your kid’s ridiculous friends (talkin’ to you, Joey Radomski) execute acts of genuine artistry.
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