Jonas Foundation brings Irish music to area students

Published 12:03 am Tuesday, February 4, 2020

The O.N. Jonas Foundation, in cooperation with the Creative Arts Guild, provides art education programs in the community. The foundation supports these in-school programs by placing artists at all schools in the Dalton, Whitfield and Murray county systems, including non-traditional schools.

One of the featured artists for the 2019-2020 school year is the group Ah Surely, who recently performed in the Whitfield County Schools, NorthStar School and the Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center. The Ah Surely trio performed a program of pure, authentic Irish music and dance, combining masterfully played instruments, including the uillean (Irish) pipes (a soft-spoken cousin of the Scottish bagpipes), fiddle, concertina, flute, tin whistle, bodhran, banjo and guitar with traditional Irish step dance. Their performances also included teaching the students about the various instruments and helping them learn an Irish dance.

The Jonas Foundation is the only organization in Georgia that totally concentrates its efforts in bringing talented artists into the school systems — at no cost to the students. The foundation is fully committed to helping all students achieve their full potential.

The O.N. Jonas Foundation art education programs cover areas of the fine arts, including visual arts, music, theory and dance. For a full listing of artists in residence scheduled for the 2019-2020 school year, visit www.onjonas.org.