[SLEIGH BELLS] [MUSIC] Andrew Oppmann: The following is a presentation of the students and faculty of the College of Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University, with the Center for Educational Media.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC ENDS] Andrew Oppmann: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

I'm Andrew Oppmann, and welcome to this special edition of “Out of the Blue: Joys of the Season”.

This annual celebration features the incredible talents of our students and faculty in the College of Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University.

Joining me again is my co-host, Dr.

Leah Tolbert Lyons, Dean of the College, and what a great show we have this year, Dean.

Dr.

Leah Tolbert Lyons: I'm really looking forward to it.

Thank you for having us back again this year, Andrew.

It is always such a thrill to be a part of this holiday tradition representing the College of Liberal Arts, where we have more than 200 arts events every year, and we're excited to share some of the wonderful performances of our visual and performing arts programs.

Andrew Oppmann: Well, let's go ahead and get this started.

Let's head over to Tucker Theatre for a lively musical theater performance to start the show.

Professor Kristi Shamburger's students will perform “Turkey Lurkey Time” from the classic Broadway musical “Promises, Promises”.

This upbeat number was originally choreographed by Michael Bennett, who later created “A Chorus Line”, and it's known for its joyful, high-energy dance that perfectly captures the festive spirit.

[MUSIC] >> Hey everybody, it's the Party Planning Committee!

>> Whoo!

It's turkey lurkey time Tom Turkey ran away, but he just came home It's turkey lurkey time He's really home to stay, never one to roam Let's make a wish, and may all our wishes come true, ooh!

A snowy, blowy Christmas A mistletoey Christmas A turkey lurkey Christmas to you A turkey lurkey Christmas to you [MUSIC] It's loosey goosey time She was a gadabout, but she's back again It's loosey goosey time Her time is running out, and we all know when Let's make a wish and may all our wishes come true, ooh!

A snowy, blowy Christmas, a mistletoey Christmas A loosey goosey Christmas to you A loosey goosey Christmas to you [CHEERING] Turkey lurkey, loosey goosey Some for Uncle Joe, some for Cousin Lucy Everybody gather round the table Dig in, dinner is being served Eat all the turkey you are able Can't you see a partridge in a pear tree?

Climb up and bring it down for me That's something I would like to see!

[CHEERING] [MUSIC] Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba Ba-da-bah Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba Ba-da-bah [CHEERING] [MUSIC] [DRUMROLL] [CHEERING] [MUSIC] Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba Ba-da-bah Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba Ba-da-bah [CHEERING] [MUSIC] >> Ooh!

[MUSIC CONTINUES] Hah!

Hah!

Hah!

Hah!

Hah!

Hah!

Hah!

Hah!

[CHEERING] [MUSIC] A snowy, blowy Christmas, a mistletoey Christmas Talking 'bout a Christmas with you-ooh!

You-ooh!

You-ooh!

You-ooh!

Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle bells, jingle bells Da da da da dah!

[MUSIC ENDS] Dr.

Leah Tolbert Lyons: Now we return to Tucker Theatre for two delightful dance pieces from The Nutcracker Suite.

Our talented Dance students will perform “Candy Cane” and “Hot Chocolate”, two variations from this beloved ballet.

When “The Nutcracker” premiered in St.

Petersburg in 1892, these colorful dances were designed to celebrate different cultures through music and movement, adding a global flair to the holiday classic.

["Hot Chocolate" from "The Nutcracker" plays] [MUSIC ENDS] ["Candy Cane" from "The Nutcracker" plays] [MUSIC ENDS] [MUSIC] Andrew Oppmann: Welcome back to this special edition of “Out of the Blue: Joys of the Season”, I'm Andrew Oppmann.

Up next, we have a creative and fun activity for the whole family.

I'm joined by Professor Debrah Sickler-Voigt of our Department of Art and Design, who coordinates our Art Education program, and she's going to teach us an exciting new holiday craft for all ages, with the help of our friends Abby Rose, Baker, and Huck.

Professor, what are we going to be making today?

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: I'm so excited to be here and share an idea that's really accessible for many families this year.

Costs are going up, and I wanted something that the family could enjoy without having to spend a lot of money.

What I figured is we can go through all of our old Christmas stuff.

We can look for old cards or recycled cards, junk mail that comes in, and we're going to repurpose them and turn them into ornaments and also mantle Christmas displays.

Andrew Oppmann: That's fantastic, and who better to help you than these three kids?

I'm going to get out of the way and have some fun.

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Great.

I'm so happy to have some help today.

What we're going to start off with is let's look at some Christmas cards.

Now, when we look at this one, the penguin, what part do you think we'd want to cut out for an ornament?

Abby Rose: Like the whole thing?

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Yes, exactly!

Now, when you cut, be careful.

Be patient.

You always need to know where your fingers are when you cut.

And it's okay to go a little outside of the body.

You don't have to go too close.

That's perfectly fine.

Would you like to try that, Abby?

Abby Rose: Yeah!

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Now, over here we have a polar bear, we have a snowman, and a little Santa Claus.

Any one of these you'd want to cut out?

>> Mmm.

>> Like the bear?

What about you?

You want to try the Santa?

So, you want to think about your scissor safety.

When you work on that, remember, these are very sharp on the tips.

Always know where your hands are, and be very careful.

Same thing.

Because the paper's thicker, you can open it up if it makes it easier for you, and it's okay if you're not perfect.

You want to try?

Baker: I can do the cutting.

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Remember this is very sharp here, so watch your fingers.

Thank you for helping.

You're doing a great job!

Look at that.

Abby Rose: I might be using this for maybe something else.

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Absolutely!

Using the words from the cards is a great idea.

Now, as they're cutting, one of the things I want you to think about is if you're going to do something different than a card or an ornament card.

The cards are very simple.

They don't have a background.

They don't have a base.

But if you want to do something that's like a framing device, then you want a surface to work on.

These are Christmas cards.

This came from a Christmas card.

These were cut up from pieces of Christmas card.

This is just some red paper on the background, and then we have a gift-wrapped name tag.

Same thing over here.

Excuse me.

Now over here, this one's a little bit different.

What you're going to see is it seems like these little snowflakes are floating in space.

It's transparent.

There's not an open hole in them.

What I did there is I just took a sheet of acetate.

If you don't have any of that, a regular plastic sheet holder that you can get at an office supply store can also work well to give it that transparent look.

This one came completely from a gift- Oh!

That is beautiful.

Can you show the camera what you did?

So proud of you.

That's some great cutting.

Thank you.

Oh, look at that!

What we'd love you to do now is let's glue that on.

Have you worked with a glue stick before?

Ok, one thing to remember when we're working with our glue sticks.

Always know where your cap is because we have to put it back on 'cause it'll dry out.

But you want a place where you use your glue.

You don't want it to be in the area where your gonna get your ornament sticky.

So you want to work to the side of it.

Also, for those of you at home, it's really important to have a strong adhesive for a glue stick.

Some glue sticks aren't made equally, and they'll peel right off.

Ok, you've got your polar bear ready to go.

Would you like him to have the style of, maybe a hat?

Gold top.

That could look nice, too.

What do you think you like that one?

Baker: Gold top.

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Ok, you're going to turn this upside down.

You want to keep the glue away from that area.

When you use your glue stuck, put your body weight into it, and really just get that nice surface in there.

Oh, excellent!

Turn it over, make sure we get the top is there.

You okay with that?

Baker: Yeah.

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Okay, excellent.

Then put your body weight into it, press down.

It's really good when you're working at a table to get that body weight in there, because that helps it stick.

It looks lovely.

We have two ornaments, ready to go.

And, yeah, we have a third one there.

How fun is that?

So, let's think.

I'll take this one here.

That's got- cut that off.

Like I say, everything here is with found objects, so we're just working with what we have available to us.

So now we can glue it on.

You could have it up or down.

So glue it where you'd like.

Andrew Oppmann: These look fantastic.

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Aren't they doing great?

Andrew Oppmann: Can we hold them all up together and show them what we've got here?

This is great.

Wow.

Professor, all of these materials, like you said, you're just recycling these from other holiday things, and on our website, mtsu.edu/mtsuarts.

We'll give you everything you need to set this up yourself and figure this out at home.

Any final tips, advice on what you think families should do before they engage in this?

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: You need a space where you can get dirty.

For example, a gluing area.

You could take an old catalogue, too.

Let's say you're gluing multiple sheets, and you have a catalog; you can just turn the pages as you glue, and then they could stick together.

You go to the next one.

That's something that's very beneficial.

I'd say be creative, look for what you have around the house.

Always think about scissor safety.

One of the things I did bring today, which we're not using, is a glue gun.

This could be used to attach, let's say, pine cones or things you find outside.

They do come in low temp.

I would definitely recommend low temp.

Be very careful because they can sizzle your skin.

Andrew Oppmann: Very careful.

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: We didn't use these today, but that can be an option for working at home.

I would just say, use your imagination.

Also, one of the things I noticed when I was creating is I had an idea when I started, and then in the creative process, my ideas changed and evolved a little bit.

I would say, be comfortable and work with that, and that's perfectly okay.

Andrew Oppmann: Kids, was this fun?

Did you enjoy it?

Abby Rose: Yep.

Andrew Oppmann: You did fantastic, and Professor, thank you for sharing these great skills and great opportunities for family fun.

And we'll have all of this and more on our website, mtsu.edu/mtsuarts.

Debrah Sickler-Voigt: Thank you so much for your help.

It was a pleasure to work with you today.

I'm so proud of your achievements.

Andrew Oppmann: You did great!

Let's give it up!

[APPLAUSE] >> Well, up next, we are headed to Hinton Hall for a beautiful performance by the MTSU School of Music's Scola Cantorum ensemble.

This vocal group is led by Dr.

Will Chandler, our Choral Director, and they will be performing “O, Come All Ye Faithful,” a carol that dates back to the 18th century.

And today, it remains one of the most beloved hymns sung around the world during the holiday season.

[Schola Cantorum singing] O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!

Ooh [Soloist] Come, and behold Him, born the King of angels!

[Schola Cantorum singing] O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him Christ, the Lord!

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning O Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv'n!

Ooh [Soloist] O Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!

[Schola Cantorum ensemble] O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him Christ, the Lord!

For He alone is worthy, For He alone is worthy, For He alone is worthy, Christ, the Lord!

[MUSIC] Dr.

Leah Tolbert Lyons: Welcome back to MTSU's “Joys of the Season”, I'm Leah Tolbert Lyons.

Our final performance also comes from Hinton Hall, featuring the MTSU Bassoon Ensemble.

This talented group is led by Dr.

Staci Spring in the School of Music, and they will be playing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”.

This song was first introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 film “Meet Me in St.

Louis” and has since become a timeless holiday standard recorded by countless artists.

[Playing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"] [MUSIC ENDS] Andrew Oppmann: Well, it's been our joy to bring you “Joys of the Season” this year.

In addition to the excellent work by the students and faculty in the College of Liberal Arts, we extend our gratitude to the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, specifically the Department of Media Arts, for the use of this excellent XR stage.

Our thanks for making the magic happen to the College of Education's Center for Educational Media.

On behalf of all of us at “Out of the Blue”, I'm Andrew Oppmann.

Dr.

Leah Tolbert Lyons: And I'm Leah Tolbert Lyons.

Andrew Oppmann: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Middle Tennessee State University.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC ENDS]