Post on 10-Mar-2020
Arts a la Carte Department of Visual & Performing Arts February 2017 - March 2017
Westfield Public Schools Westfield New Jersey
http://tinyurl.com/nx8rzac
Congratulations to Westfield High School students accepted to 2017 CJMEA Region Honors Ensembles!
2017 CJMEA Region II Orchestra
Morgan Eng- Violin Kevin Li- Violin
2017 CJMEA Region II Band
Dale Beyert- Trumpet: Wind Ensemble and Orchestra Austin Chen- Trumpet: Symphonic Band
Michael Hauge- Eb & Bb Clarinets: Wind Ensemble Matthew Schiff- Alto & Bass Clarinets: Wind Ensemble
Sara Shen- Flute: Symphonic Band Daniel Shenker- Alto Sax: Symphonic Band
Brooke Walden- Piccolo & Flute: Wind Ensemble and Orchestra
Congratulations to Dale Beyert, Michael Hauge and Brook Walden who placed 1st overall on their instrument!
These students performed in a region ensemble in January and auditioned for All-State on January 21st. We are so very proud of these seven individuals and are honored that they are representing our school in a region group this year.
Congratulations to the following Westfield High School students accepted to 2017 New Jersey All State Band! They will perform with the All-State Band on February 25, 2017 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center at 3:00 pm.
2017 All-State Band
Dale Beyert- Trumpet Austin Chen- Trumpet
Michael Hauge- Eb Clarinet Matthew Schiff- Bass Clarinet
Brook Walden- Piccolo
Congratulations to the following Westfield High School students who were accepted into the 2017 Region Chorus! These students performed in a concert with students around the central NJ area at Monroe High School on January 29th.
2017 Region II Chorus
Alison Brown Charlotte Fountain – Jardim
Charlotte Geary Joseph Maldonado Abby Rothenberg Matthew Siroty Laura Surace
Special recognition to Laura Surace who has been accepted into Region Chorus for all four years in high school!
Also, to Abby Rothenberg for placing 1st in the alto 2 section!
Congratulations to Abby who was also accepted into the All Eastern Honor Choir and Dale who was accepted into the All Eastern Honor Band.
They will be performing at the NAfME Convention in Atlantic City in April.
Congratulations!
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
Westfield
High School
Art
The Computer Graphic Design I classes just completed computer
illustrations using Adobe
Illustrator. They previously learned basic tools and functions
of Adobe Illustrator to prepare them for more complex concepts.
They had to create preliminary marker comprehensive drawings of
a product with new enhancements
or a totally new invention. After creating the marker comprehensives, the students re-created the products on computer. One of the
challenges was to create complex
gradients and gradient meshes to create the illusion of form on their
products. The gradient meshes allow students the ability to
pinpoint specific highlights, shadows, and color value changes
anywhere they want on an object.
In addition, some students added text to place their illustration into
an advertisement for the product. The final computer graphic results
were beautifully rendered, and lots
of fun with imaginative additions to existing products as well as
totally new inventions which may be seen sometime in the future.
Drawing students are in the middle of a mixed media drawing.
They are investigating layering, transparency, and opacity of
media, while working with the challenge of draped fabric and
activating space with pattern. Next
Drawing students are delving into the indicators of depth and value
to create the illusion of believable space and form.
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February 2017 - March 2017 Arts a la Carte
Composition students continue their investigation into acrylic
painting and composing with intent. We have been delighted to
work with The Rake and Hoe Garden Club this year. They
selected 6 works from Composition
students and recreated them through a floral arrangement for
their meeting in January. In April they will select works and express
the compositions through floral
arrangements for their Art and Bloom Show at the Presbyterian
Church. The work of the floral designers is beautiful and being
able to see how they express their responses to the student works is
fascinating.
Advanced Portfolio Prep & Art History (Art IV) students
continue to prep for their Art
History Mid-term and will give presentations in the next marking
period on the works they studied.
They are developing their close observation skills as well as writing
with written and oral critiques. After an extensive period of time
working on Art History, it will be back to the studio to create
original works of art for the Art IV
students.
Crafts Exploration students have been hard at work learning about
and creating various types of
carved sculptures. We began the subtractive method unit by
designing and carving an initial and decorating it with an indented
Zentangle pattern. We will move on to carving a piece of soapstone.
Ceramics I students are finishing
out the semester by creating a Bas Relief tile. Students had to
brainstorm ideas for the design, plan out the positive and negative
space, then carve the finalized
design into leather hard clay. Make sure to attend the District Art
Show in May to see some of the final pieces!
Music
In Choir Classes, the students in
all classes are getting prepared for choir placements for next year.
The choir placements include an a cappella audition that consists of
scales, a solo, “Shenandoah” and
Tonal Memory.
The students in Bella Cora and Concert Choir have begun work on
pieces for Night of Love Songs as well as beginning to prepare music
for festival performances coming
up in the spring.
The students in WHS Mixed Chorus have just completed a choral
concert critique where they gave
thoughtful critique on the pieces
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
sung from the winter concert. They also completed their second
listening journal of the year where they were exposed to outstanding
professional and college level choral groups. The listening
journals are meant to inspire
students towards their best vocal sound in a choir.
The Mixed Chorus students have
also begun song projects where
they are responsible for creating a performance that requires them to
work collaboratively and creatively in small groups.
We welcome Ms. Reineke from
Rutgers University who will be
student teaching with WHS Choir until March 3rd. Ms. Reineke has
already begun working with the students, leading warm-ups in all
classes and helping to teach vocal
parts to students. Ms. Reineke is a senior at Mason Gross School of
the Arts at Rutgers University where she is heavily involved in
the choral program as an
undergrad music education major. She also works with the Rutgers
Children’s Choir and is president of the student-run Cabaret Theater in
New Brunswick.
Pictured below: Students in Concert Choir, Men’s Chorus, and
Chorale performed for the 8th
graders at Recruitment Day on January 11th.
WHS Choir and Band Christmas Tree Pickup
On January 7th, the students in the band and choir picked up over four
hundred Christmas trees from Westfield residents and brought
them to the conservation center.
This annual service to the Westfield community raised over
six thousand dollars to help towards future trips and other
expenses in the music department.
We are very grateful to the over seventy parent and student
volunteers that helped out in making this a very successful
fundraiser.
8th Grade Recruitment Day
On January 11th, the students from EIS and RIS came to the High
School to experience life as a music student at Westfield High
School. The students were treated
to performances by the band, orchestra, and choir. The 8-12th
grade students sang together in a rehearsal and students from the
choir gave testimonials about life
as a high school student and as being part of the music program at
WHS.
Students and parents help out at
the WHS Band and Choir Christmas Tree pickup.
Student leaders, Nadia Matin and
Bella Wright are busy assigning
routes to volunteers.
Pictured above: Students from 7th -
12th grade sing together in a combined number at the District
Choral Night Concert on January 18th.
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February 2017 - March 2017 Arts a la Carte
District Choral Night On January 18th, singers in 7-12th
grade performed in our second annual District Choral Night. The
night featured students from EIS 8th Grade Chorus and Broadway Singers as well as the RIS 8th
Grade Chorus and Sharps and Flats. The WHS Concert Choir,
Chorale, and Men’s Chorus performed. The night culminated
in a combined number sung by
over 250 intermediate and high school students!
WHS hosts Region Chorus
Rehearsal On January 21st, Westfield High
School hosted approximately 275
students from the central New Jersey area for a Region Chorus
rehearsal. Thanks to student coordinator, Abby Rothenberg and
the WHS choir leadership council
students who organized and ran this event seamlessly that day.
WHS Choir leadership working hard at the Region Chorus
Rehearsal!
Night of Love Songs
On February 11th in WHS Cafeteria B, the WHS Choir Department
along with the Westfield Choral Parents Association will be holding
their annual performance and
fundraiser, Night of Love Songs. This event will feature solo, small
group and ensemble performances by the students in Bella Cora and
Concert Choir.
See Page 17 for Night of Love Songs
Flyer
The Westfield Choral Parents will be organizing a “tricky tray” style
auction and raffle with prizes from local merchants. Dessert
refreshments will be served.
Admission is $5 for students and $10 for adults.
WHS Bands
On Wednesday, January 11th, the WHS Music Department hosted the
Fifth Annual 8th Grade Day.
Accompanied by their music teachers, students from EIS and
RIS were bussed to the high school for an interactive day of
discussion and music-making
alongside the WHS Wind Ensemble, Concert Choir and
Chamber Orchestra. Guest speakers included Principal, Derrick
Nelson and Director of Guidance, Maureen Mazzarese. We look
forward to seeing many of these
8th graders in next year’s WHS ensembles!
The event concluded with a special band concert (pictured below) with
performances by the EIS and RIS
Concert Bands, the WHS Wind Ensemble and the WHS Marching
Band. At the end of the concert, Intermediate and High School
students stood side by side in a combined performance of John
Philip Sousa’s The Washington Post. Bravo to all for a great day of music-making!
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
CJMEA Region II Honors Ensembles
Picture l to r: Trevor Sindorf - WHS Band Director, Matthew Schiff,
Brooke Walden, Sara Shen, Dale Beyert, Austin Chen, Michael
Hauge, Daniel Shenker, and Chris
Vitale - WHS Band Director
US Army All-American Marching Band
Michael Hauge- Clarinet
WHS Jazz Bands
You won’t want to miss the three WHS jazz bands in action this
spring. Mark your calendars!
February 24th- Jazz II @ Scotch
Plains-Fanwood HS Jazz Festival, Time TBA
March 18th- All Bands @ Rotary Club Breakfast with the Bands,
WHS Cafeteria,
March 31st- Jazz I @ JP Stevens HS Jazz Festival, Time TBA
April 29th- Jazz I @ Princeton HS Jazz Festival, Time TBA
May 7th- Jazz I/II @ Westfield
Spring Fling, Time TBA May 13th- All bands @ Annual
WHS JAZZ NIGHT, 6:00pm Start, WHS Courtyard
June 8th- All bands @ Spring Jazz/Percussion concert, 7:30pm,
WHS Auditorium
WHS Winterguard
Under the direction of Danny Matos, the WHS Winter Guard has
begun their fourth fully competitive
Winter Guard season! An ensemble made up of 20 WHS students, the
guard rehearses twice a week and
is scheduled for the following
performances sanctioned by the Mid Atlantic Indoor Network:
February 4th- Hillsborough High
School March 4th- South Brunswick High
School
April 1st - Somerville High School April 8th- North Plainfield High
School April 22nd - MAIN Championships
at South Brunswick High School
WHS Orchestras
On January 11th, the WHS Chamber Orchestra, along with the
Concert Choir and Wind Ensemble hosted the 8th graders from
Edison and Roosevelt for our
annual 8th grade music recruitment day. The 8th grade
students were able to see a performance from some of the top
performing groups at WHS, sit in
during a rehearsal, and had time to ask questions and meet their
high school counterparts. The evening of January 11th the 8th
grade orchestras of Edison and Roosevelt, along with the WHS
Chamber Orchestra, hosted the 1st
Annual District Orchestra Night. All three orchestras performed for
Westfield orchestra parents and students that spanned from 5th
grade to high school. Each group
performed sections of their respective winter concerts and
combined for a final piece together on stage. The District Orchestra
Night was a great opportunity for the orchestra students from across
the district to meet, play together, and make connections with each
other. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a tradition and many
more District Orchestra Nights to
come.
Drama
WHS Spring Musical
The Westfield High School Theatre
Department will be presenting
Carrie, the Musical, as their Spring Musical production on March 16,
17 & 18, 2017. Based on Stephen King's bestselling debut novel, the
story of Carrie White has seen several chilling incarnations,
including the classic 1976 film,
staring Academy Award nominee Sissy Spacek in the title role. This
musical adaptation, which is very faithful to the original novel,
follows the tragic tale of Carrie
White, a high school student who has been endlessly tormented by
the popular, “in” crowd, invisible to the caring, yet oblivious faculty,
and unsupported by unyieldingly
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February 2017 - March 2017 Arts a la Carte
rigid, religious mother. Carrie, however, discovers that she is not
like the myriad other teenage victims of bullying. She has been
blessed with the psychic gift of telekinetic powers and, as the
inner rage grows within her so, it
seems, do these potentially lethal abilities, culminating in a night
you’ll never forget. Carrie, the Musical hasn't returned to the
stage since its legendary
(infamous) 1988 Broadway production. However, recently the
show's original authors joined with MCC Theater for a newly reworked
and fully re-imagined vision of this gripping tale. Updated to 2010 and
set in the small town of
Chamberlain, Maine, Carrie features a book by Lawrence D.
Cohen (screenwriter of the classic film), music by Academy Award
winner Michael Gore (Fame, Terms
of Endearment), and lyrics by Academy Award winner Dean
Pitchford (Fame, Footloose).
The WHSTD production, featuring
over 130 student actors, technicians and musicians, once
again capitalizes on the myriad talents of the WHS fine arts
students and their various disciplines as well as continuing
our tradition of exploring theatrical
works which explore contemporary society via lesser known
productions.
Performance dates:
March 16, 17 & 18 at 7:30pm
Tickets will be available starting February 25, 2017 by visiting the
WHSTD.BOOKTIX.COM. For more
information regarding past and present performances, you can
visit the WHS Theatre Department website at: teacherdjd.wix.com/whstheatredept
Theatre Class The Westfield High School theatre
students have been diligently engaged in furthering their studies
of the world of theatre. In Intro to Theatre, the students have just
completed their exploration of
Medieval Theatre and its contributions to world theatre. In
addition to the historical aspects of the period, the students also
examined the specific elements
from the time period still seen in contemporary theatre via the
performance of scenes from Arthur Miller’s classic drama All My Sons.
The Theatre Workshop students have completed their study of
Shakespearian theatre, focusing
Elizabethan comedy. This exploration included analysis and
performances of scenes from Much Ado About Nothing. Currently, the
students are exercising their
technical foundations through the investigation of Sanford Meisner
and his repetition technique. In Advanced Theatre Technique, the
students have been examining
Modernist Realism and contemporary American drama.
This investigation concluded with extremely impressive performances from David Auburn’s play Proof, which were representative of the
overall student growth throughout
the semester. WHS students are also continuing their exploration of
the world of theatre behind the scenes in Stagecraft. The students
have been engaged in learning the various roles that exist in the
technical theatre and the numerous
employment opportunities they present. Currently, the students
are learning the fundamentals of Makeup Design and Scenic
Painting as well as the various
techniques used within the theatrical production process.
Roosevelt
Intermediate
Art All of 7th and 8th students in Mrs.
Cohen’s classes have been working
on clay. They learned the coil, pinch and slab methods. After
creating their hand built "masterpieces", they will be bisque
fired. Next they will glaze their
pieces and go into the kiln for a second firing. Pictured below is a
sampling of some finished clay pieces from 7th and 8th grade
students.
Music RIS Bands
The bands at RIS are excited to begin the second half of the school
year. So far, our students have
had a very successful year, performing several concerts for the
parents and students of Westfield. Most recently, our 8th grade band
participated in the annual
Recruitment Day and Recruitment Night concert with the WHS Wind
Ensemble. Students spent an afternoon working with Mr. Vitale
and Mr. Sindorf, and learned first-
hand what it is like to be a member of the WHS band
program. The event culminated
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
with a combined concert, featuring the 8th grade bands from Roosevelt
and Edison, as well as the Wind Ensemble and Marching Band from
Westfield High School. Mr. Vitale, Mr. Sindorf, and the high school
band students are looking forward
to our 8th graders joining the program next year!
During the winter months, the
bands will take a break from
learning concert music and will spend more time working on core
music skills. The 6th grade band will be focusing on learning major
scales, improving technical facility on their instruments, improving
independent practice skills, and
creating a quality tone. Some students are also learning new
instruments to create a better balance within the ensemble. The
spring concert will feature
additional baritone sax, tenor sax, bass clarinet, French horn, and
baritone horn players!
The 7th grade is also working on
fundamental skills, through small ensemble playing. Each instrument
section will be preparing music for our upcoming Chamber Music
Night on April 26th. The 7th grade Percussion Ensemble, Brass
Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble,
Flute Ensemble, and Clarinet Ensemble will be performing a
variety of genres, including classical, folk and rock tunes. The
8th grade will also be performing
on Chamber Music night, but in even smaller, conductor-less
groups. Ranging from 3- 8 players, the 8th grade ensembles are
currently selecting and rehearsing tunes for the concert. Most of their
preparations for this concert are
done independently, without the aid of a teacher or conductor. As
the concert draws nearer, Ms. Minogue and Mr. Doyle will coach
each ensemble and help them fine
tune their selections. This is a great opportunity for students to
work independently, using and applying the skills and knowledge
they have learned during their 2½ years at Roosevelt.
RIS Jazz The RIS jazz program will be very
busy the second half of the year! The Stage Band and Jazz Band are
preparing for SIX (!) upcoming
performances! They will both perform at the Rotary Club
“Pancake Day” on March 18th, the Terrill in Tempo Jazz Festival on
March 22nd, the RIS Spaghetti Dinner on April 28th, District Jazz
Night on May 13th, Dorney Park on
May 19th, and our final Jazz Ensembles Concert on June 15th.
Our students will be working hard! In addition, Ms. Minogue and Mr.
Doyle will begin the 6th grade Jazz
Lab in February. This group is open to all 6th graders interested in
learning about jazz. We will meet once a week, and the Jazz Lab will
perform on May 13th and June 15th
with the other jazz ensembles.
The Afternoon Ramble Mr. Losco and Mr. Doyle are
having a great time jamming with this year’s Afternoon Ramble Club!
So far, we have been working on
blues improvisation, as well as learning tunes from Creedance
Clearwater Revival, The Beatles, and Imagine Dragons. The
Afternoon Ramble hopes to
perform on Fine Arts Day, as well as District Jazz Night and the RIS
Jazz Concert on June 15th.
As always, we must thank the Roosevelt PTSO and the Westfield
Coalition for the Arts. Without
these two organizations, the children of Westfield would not
have such an amazing experience in the arts and in our schools. Mr.
Doyle, Ms. Minogue, and the entire
RIS music faculty want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Hope to see many of you at one of our upcoming concerts!
CJMEA Region II Band
Auditions
We wish all of the following students good luck on their
audition!
6th Grade
Brayden Abo- Alto Saxophone Naomi Maurer- F Horn
Sonia Olson- Flute Ava Pranke- Flute
Tyler Richter- Alto Saxophone Jorge Suris- Trombone
7th Grade Dylan Ferraro- Bb Clarinet
Kevin Gao- F Horn Kevin Shao- Bb Clarinet
Samuel Sherman- Trombone
8th Grade
Adam Dunaief- Bb Clarinet Ben Zakharenko- Flute
RIS Chorus 2016 ended with wonderful
concerts by all groups. As always the Holiday Tour was a fun and
exciting day for our auditioned groups. The New Year is off to a
busy start with 7th grade chorus
students doing song writing projects. They have also chosen
their theme for the spring concert which will be Male/Female duets.
We will sing some Abba, Mams
and the Papas, Elton John and Kiki Dee. It is going to be a blast.
Eighth graders have had a great experience with recruitment Day
as well as District Choral Night. Both events motivated our
students to sing their best and
look forward to the program at WHS. Both the eighth grade
chorus and Sharps and Flats sang wonderfully at the concert and we
could not be more proud of their
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February 2017 - March 2017 Arts a la Carte
accomplishments. We are working on the music to our Spring Musical
Fame and the Sharps and Flats will have the privilege to sing with the
Newark Boys Choir on February 10th at the annual Black History
Month Assembly.
Drama
RIS Spring Musical
RIS students rehearse for their spring musical Fame!
Performance dates:
March 24th and 25th at 7:30pm March 26th at 2:00pm
Tickets can be purchased online at
ris.booktix.com or at the door.
Edison
Intermediate
Art
The 6th graders in Ms. Hooper's classes are busy learning the
procedure for drawing shapes in 1-
point perspective. After studying famous art works, such as
Leonardo Da Vince's The Last Supper, the students can better
visualize how a simple mathematic formula can represent 3-
dimensional objects on a 2-D surface. Using rulers, templates
and free hand designs, the
students are creating the same type of illusion within their own
compositions.
The 7th graders are wrapping up
their unit on Medieval Gargoyles.
They learned about the history of gargoyles and how these mythical
creatures were carved at the top of churches and cathedrals to ward
off evil spirits. Gargoyles also
acted as water spouts to keep the rain from running down the sides
of the buildings which would cause the stone to deteriorate over time.
The students modeled very expressive gargoyles from ceramic
clay and painted their imaginary
creatures using a variety of clay glazes.
The Crafts classes celebrated this
Winter season by designing 3-D
Snowflakes constructed from recycled paper towel tubes. You
probably know that every snowflake is unique, but did you
know that each snowflake has six symmetrical "arms?" See the
samples in the photo which
capture the essence of one of nature's most beautiful wonders.
The 8th graders prepared for their current project, Plaster Masks, by
using the computers in the library
to research a mask from a culture of their choice. Each student
sketched at least two different versions of their mask before
starting the building process. Cardboard and recycled plastic
containers have provided
the perfect base to begin. Plaster of Paris strips are being used to
add texture and strength. Lastly, the masks will be painted with
acrylic paint and decorated with
beads, feathers and ribbons.
The 6th grade students in Mrs. Frees classes learned about the
use of an ellipse to create cylinders. We drew actual cylinders
from life and made up versions.
We had previously studied color theory and mixing using primary
colors. On this project, we focused on the color purple, which is most
challenging to create. Purple was
made in both tertiary forms, red violet and blue violet.
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
Students in Mrs. Frees class in 7th grade were finishing up a lesson
comparing the use of line to create Op art, pattern and movement on
the page. They did several exercises. They created a cityscape
in 1-point perspective that gave
them an opportunity to practice the use of hatching, crosshatching,
and stippling. They were able to use repetition and pattern to
create a 1-dimensional landscape.
They then had a lesson reviewing 6th grade 1-point perspective and
will create 2-point perspective drawings as part of a “flexagon”
paper folding lesson. More pictures in upcoming art newsletters! The
students also learned the methods
of working with clay and the history of Medieval art through
making gargoyles. The students enjoyed connecting the work they
were learning in history with Mrs.
Messinger. We worked for several days making gargoyles from air
dry clay and learning the history of Medieval art in a joint lesson. The
students further connected by
creating Gargoyles in clay using all the techniques we have built on
since 6th grade. We also did a lesson on Abstract Expressionism
and we compared the differences and similarities between Op Art
and Abstract Expressionism. Art
history is a focus in the 7th grade.
Eighth grade students finished up their clay unit with a storyteller
inspired by Native American Art. They then went to the library to
research masks around the world. We discussed the similarities,
function and purposes for the use
of masks. We are now building with paper and plaster to create
masks that are inspired by what we learned or from our
imagination. The kids are finishing
up the semester having a great time. If we have time, some
students will learn the art of felting.
Music EIS Bands
It was a wonderful concert season for the EIS Bands. Performing to
packed houses each night, the
students shined bright when it counted the most. Performing for
the first time on the Edison stage, the 6th Grade Band showed how
much progress they have made in only 4 short months of being in
middle school. The 7th Grade Band
performed a crowd favorite “The Merry Christmas Machine.” The 7th
Grade also debuted two small ensembles at their concert. The
Saxophone Ensemble and Clarinet
Ensemble performed without a conductor, which was very
impressive. The 8th Grade Band capped their performance with two
high school level pieces and was able to show their musicality and
expressiveness.
The 8th Grade Band travelled to
Westfield High School on January 11th to take part in their annual
Recruitment Day. After hearing wonderful performances from the
WHS Choir, Orchestra, and Band, the 8th grade students got to sit
side-by-side with the WHS Wind Ensemble and see what it was like
to take part in a high school
rehearsal. Working on the piece “The Washington Post March,”
during the day, the students got to perform that song on stage with
the RIS 8th Grade Band and the
WHS Wind Ensemble the following night showcasing the great band
students throughout Westfield.
CJMEA Region II Band Auditions
This year, there will be another
record setting number of students auditioning for Region Band. The
24 students trying out have been working hard both at home and at
after school help sessions to fine
tune their solos.
6th Grade Lucas Buonopane- Trumpet
Chiara Cosenza- Flute Anushka Desai- Flute
Adrian Gripp- Flute Andrew Matus- Trumpet
James Silecchia- Clarinet
Annika Vesuna- Flute
7th Grade Conor Daly- Trombone
Melissa Didario- Clarinet
Ashley Hu- Flute Rachel Hu- Flute
James Kaprowski- Clarinet Noelle Shih- Flute
Gillian Strout- French Horn Matthew Swenson- Flute
Amy Xiao- Flute
Andrew Zhang- Clarinet
8th Grade Jamie Beyert- Clarinet
Robert Strauss- Flute & Piccolo
Aprina Wang- French Horn Ellery Wolf- Oboe
Andy Zhao- Clarinet Kailey Zhao- Bassoon
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February 2017 - March 2017 Arts a la Carte
We wish all these students good luck on their auditions!
The EIS Jazz Band is in full swing.
After a great winter concert performance filled with many
improvised solos, the group went
on tour to the south side elementary schools to perform for
captive audiences. The Jazz Band is hard at work preparing for the
Breakfast with the Bands coming
up on March 18th.
EIS Orchestra Wednesday, January 11th was a
very exciting day at Edison Intermediate School! The 8th
Grade Orchestra, Band, and
Chorus students all went to visit Westfield High School and sit side
by side with their select ensembles to get a taste of the music
program at Westfield High School.
The program kicked off with a wonderful performance of the
WHS Chamber Orchestra, Concert Choir, Men’s Chorus, and Wind
Ensemble. They certainly had a
positive impression on the 8th Graders! After the performances
the 8th Graders were able to ask the High School students questions
about life at WHS. The whole experience was rounded out by the
first ever District Orchestra Night.
The 8th Grade Orchestra students from Edison Intermediate School
as well as Roosevelt Intermediate School joined together to perform
both for the WHS Chamber
Orchestra and their parents. The finale to the evening was all 8th
Graders and the WHS Chamber Orchestra joining together to
perform a piece together that they had just worked on that day. It
was a wonderful experience for all
students and staff involved and gave the 8th Graders a better
understanding of what to expect in High School.
CJMEA Region II Orchestra Auditions
We wish all of the following students good luck on their
audition!
6th Grade
Kevin Chen- Viola Harish Jawahar- Violin
Clara Yu- Cello Felix Yu- Violin
7th Grade Lillian Qin- Violin
Amy Xiao- Violin and Flute
8th Grade Kelly Eagan- Bass
Dylan McCann- Viola
Drama
EIS Spring Musical
It’s time to cut loose at EIS this spring for our amazing musical,
Footloose! The iconic story
centers around Ren McCormack, a teenage boy from Chicago, who
moves to the small town of Bomont, Indiana. Upon arriving,
Ren finds himself at odds with
most of the town, including the town reverend, which has
convinced the town to outlaw dancing. With the help of friends
like Ariel and Willard, Ren tries to convince the town to let the
teenagers dance. Footloose is a fun musical with exciting songs
and dances that will leave you “kicking off you Sunday shoes”.
The show includes many of EIS’
talented cast and crew including
Sean Marner, MacKenzie Waddell, Dan Sherman, Henry Stewart and
more who, all together, will bring this fun movie from the 1980’s to
life.
Performance dates: March 9th at 4:00pm March 10th and 11th at 7:30pm
Tickets are $8 pre-sale and $10 at the door with a special $5
performance on Thursday at 4:00. Come enjoy the fun and
excitement of Footloose the Musical!
Franklin
Elementary
Art
The Art Students of Franklin
School are moving in a creative direction. They are experiencing a
wide variety of media with an extensive exposure to many
projects. Each project is designed
for growth and student learning.
The 2nd grade students under the direction of Mrs. Coveney are
working on symmetrical and
asymmetrical portraits. After observation and discussion of
Pablo Picasso’s faces, the student’s interpretation of this concept was
certainly developed. The difference could be seen and was
appreciated. Texture is the next
element of art, being introduced. Aluminum foil and sharpies are the
media of choice. Fish are the subject matter as they shimmer on
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
the background. The end result is always a success.
The 3rd grade students observed a
Mask design and discussed its purpose and symmetry. Symmetry
was the essential question used for
this particular project. A mask was drawn and designed using a
technique of a black crayon line which created shapes. The shapes
were then colored in using bright
or neon colors. A black tempera wash coated the entire drawing
and a “wax resist” technique finished off the creative process.
Crayon was the medium of choice which proved to be effective.
The 4th grade students are studying value. Value is how much
darkness and lightness appears in a color. A 9 step value scale is
drawn up and the students can see
and create many a variety of gray. Once they experience and
understand the black and white scale, color will be introduced and
a still life will be drawn. Crayon will
be used for blending and shading. Their 2D flat work will begin to
take on a 3D effect. Success can be seen.
The 5th grade students explored
the element of line. They studied
the artist Alexander Calder who was the originator of the design of
the mobile. We explored his idea of balance and movement through
the process of bending aluminum
sculpting wire in a shape of a fish. We saw how line once connected
created space which then became a shape. Texture was added by
stringing glass bead and twisting them into the shape of the fish.
The concept of 3-D became visible.
The Art students are busy and enjoying their opportunity to
create.
Music
There are a lot of wonderful things happening in our music classes
and we’re only a month into the
New Year. First, Franklin welcomes Ms. Francis from Kean University
to our music room. She will be completing her elementary music
student teaching with Mr. Geyer from January until the beginning of
March. However, Ms. Francis is no
stranger to some of our students. Last year, she completed her
junior field studies with Mr. Geyer as well, and is excited to be in the
classroom full-time this year.
Afterwards, she will complete her secondary placement at Westfield
High School with Mr. Brzozowski.
Because we love visitors so much,
we’ll welcome Miss Reineke from Rutgers University to our music
room as she completes her elementary music student teaching
experience with Mr. Geyer too, right after Ms. Francis. Miss
Reineke will be with us until the
end of April, and we look forward to both of our student teachers as
they learn and grow throughout this experience.
The 1st graders have been busy little bees, as they discovered
phrasing and form in music through “Bee, Bee, Bumblebee”
and “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Rimsky-Korsakov. Working on
their note reading skills, they were
able to decode a song using solfege for each phrase, and then
they created expressive movements and shapes while
listening to the “Flight of the
Bumblebee”. Some of the 1st graders created symmetrical and
asymmetrical shaped trees while others created flowers to
demonstrate their knowledge of levels in musical movement. In
February, they’ll continue to
reinforce their note reading skills by sight-singing songs using sol-
mi-la while developing their ensemble playing skills through the
use of borduns on the barred instruments.
Third graders are continuing to develop their independent and
ensemble skills by using various ostinatos at the same time. This
then lends itself to creating various
forms using instrument only sections, singing sections, and
improvised sections. Recently, the 3rd graders finally discovered Fa
and Ti to complete the diatonic scale; however, they’ll continue to
use DO and La pentatonic scales
for improvising melodies.
The 4th graders have finally done it! A few of the 4th grade classes
have completed all eighteen levels
of the My Note Games app for the first time ever since it was first
introduced about four years ago. This app requires you to sight sing
various exercises beginning with
one pitch and finally the whole diatonic scale. However, some of
the exercises are comparable to that of a first year music major’s
aurals class with random like melodies jumping from sevenths to
tri-tones. Continuing their note
reading skills, the 4th graders will apply their knowledge to develop
compositional skills in February with simple tonal patterns using
the elemental building blocks.
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February 2017 - March 2017 Arts a la Carte
Our 5th graders are exploring multicultural songs using the
drums and other untuned percussion instruments. To lay the
foundation, they were taught the game “Seven” to develop proper
drumming technique as well as
experiencing syncopated rhythms in canonic form. They really
enjoyed this challenge, and I’m looking forward to using the world
drumming techniques I acquired at
the American Orff-Schulwerk Association national conference to
teach these pieces.
McKinley
Elementary
Music
The 1st graders at McKinley have been working on musical patterns!
Not only have we been creating our own musical patterns but we
have also been looking for patterns in songs we are singing. Students
learned a song for Chinese New
Year that they accompanied themselves on boomwhackers.
The 2nd graders at McKinley have been busy learning about Form.
We learned about Rondo form with our Rondo burgers. Students
listened to the Viennese Clock by Kodaly and labeled the sections of
their burger.
Tamaques
Elementary
Art
The 1st grade students of Tamaques School are currently
working on their sculpture unit.
They are learning about 3-dimensional form as they create
abstract wood and cardboard sculptures. After building, they will
paint the finished designs and add
embellishments.
The 2nd graders have finished making shaving cream transfer
print papers and boy was it fun!
They turned the beautiful papers into cupcakes the following week,
after learning about Wayne Thiebaud’s artwork. They are
ready to move on to their color unit focusing on tints and shades.
First Grade Abstract Sculpture
Third grade is busy learning how
to weave! Always a favorite lesson most students request to take their
looms home to work on them
outside of class. The designs are exploding with beautiful colors and
patterns!
The students in 4th grade are
learning about 3-dimensional form. They recently began their plaster
sculpture unit…. creating Minions! This project is hands down the
class favorite! Look for an
awesome display in the main hallway soon!
The 5th graders are finishing up
their unit on Pop Art which began with sculpture and ended with
printmaking. Inspired by Andy
Warhol, they learned to make print plates and experimented with the
printing process over several weeks. The results are impressive!
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
Music
Tamaques & Washington 4th & 5th Grade Band
The Tamaques and Washington 4th
grade bands are busy preparing for their “Music in Our School’s”
Performances. Selections for the performance include favorites such
as “Hot Cross Buns, “Au Claire de
la Lune”, “London Bridge” and many others! The students are
excited to “make” music and perform for their teachers and
friends.
Many of the Washington and
Tamaques 5th Grade Band students are busy practicing for their All City
Band audition. The All City Band is open to any student who is a
member of the Tamaques or
Washington 5th Grade Band.
All City AUDITION Dates
The Washington 5th Grade Band students will audition at
Washington school on Monday, February 13th. The Tamaques 5th
Grade Band students will audition
at Tamaques School on Wednesday, February 15th. The
students are required to memorize the concert Bb, Eb, F and Bb
chromatic scales as well as prepare three short selections from the All
City Band music.
Good luck to all of the Washington
and Tamaques Band students who are auditioning for the 2017 All
City Band!
Washington
Elementary
Art
Welcome New Staff Member!
Nicole Roth is the leave
replacement Art Teacher for Washington Elementary School.
Ms. Roth has a BA in Art Education
from Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ and an MA in Art Education
from Maryland Institute College of Art. While in graduate school she
conducted a thesis research on
student-centered learning environments in the elementary
school art room. Since finishing her masters she has adapted her
thesis research into an article that was published in the January 2017
issue of The Journal of the
National Art Education Association. She is excited to bring her student-
centered style of teaching to Washington School and looks
forward to giving each and every
one of your children the opportunity to express their own
thoughts and ideas in their artwork.
In 1st grade, students have been
combining literature and the arts.
Students read the book The Mitten by Jan Brett and then used oil
pastels, watercolors and color
sticks to create their very own mixed media mittens!
Second grade students are
working on a cross-curricular art project that folds into their larger
unit of study on China. For their
art lesson, 2nd graders learned about traditional Chinese pottery
and how it was crafted from porcelain and finished with hand
painted designs. Students then
used white paper and blue ink to design their own Chinese Vase.
Third grade has just started their
unit on Gothic art. Students learned about Rose Windows
created from stain glass and how
they are traditionally found in churches and cathedrals
constructed in the Gothic architectural style. Students
designed their own Rose Window
using sharpie markers, colored pencils and color sticks.
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February 2017 - March 2017 Arts a la Carte
Fourth grade artists are hard at
work learning about the impressionist style of painting and
the famous impressionist artist,
Claude Monet. No lesson on Monet would be complete without
water lilies, so 4th graders are using oil pastels & watercolors to
create their own Monet inspired
paintings of water lilies.
In 5th grade, students have been focused on the works of M.C.
Esher and tessellations. Students
created their own tessellated works of art while also learning
about how the popular shape correlates to what they learn about
in math class.
Music
After a few busy months of winter
concerts, Washington School has been continuing strong in the New
Year. We have just learned about Form in music, being able to break
apart songs and other musical
pieces, labeling them just by listening. We have also used
dances and different movements to represent specific sections of
the music!
In February, we will focus on
familiar musical concepts including Pitch and Melody, followed by
Dynamics and Texture in March. We will continue to work on our
identification of notes on the staff and their placement in our voices
and on instruments. We will also learn new music and dances that
incorporate body percussion and
even instruments.
Save the date for our Valentine’s Day Sing-Along on February 14th!
We will be singing a myriad of
songs about love and friendship, but also Patriotic songs in honor of
Presidents Day, which is only a few days later. Some of our favorites
include “Viva Valentine”, “Compromise”, and “We Share
America”.
Our 5th graders have begun
working on new repertoire for our next concert this Spring. We have
talked about Theme and Variations, and have discussed different ways to make slight
changes in music, but still have it remain the same main melody. In
the next few months, we will talk
about various styles of music, and try to recognize them just by
listening. It is a wonderful way to train our ears. We will also be
working on our music reading skills in preparation for our chorus
concert on May 18th!
Tamaques & Washington
4th & 5th Grade Band The Tamaques and Washington 4th
grade bands are busy preparing
for their “Music In Our School’s” Performances. Selections for the
performance include favorites such as “Hot Cross Buns, “Au Claire de
la Lune”, “London Bridge” and many others! The students are
excited to “make” music and
perform for their teachers and friends.
Many of the Washington and
Tamaques 5th Grade Band
students are busy practicing for their All City Band audition. The All
City Band is open to any student who is a member of the Tamaques
or Washington 5th Grade Band.
All City AUDITION Dates
The Washington 5th Grade Band students will audition at
Washington school on Monday, February 13th. The Tamaques 5th
Grade Band students will audition
at Tamaques School on Wednesday, February 15th. The
students are required to memorize the concert Bb, Eb, F and Bb
chromatic scales as well as prepare three short selections from the All
City Band music.
Good luck to all of the Washington
and Tamaques Band students who are auditioning for the 2017 All
City Band!
Wilson
Elementary
Art
First grade students at Wilson
School were busy learning about penguins! Coordinating art and
classroom studies, Mrs. Massenzio helped to bring the lesson to life as
the children explored exciting facts about our flightless friends, as well
as creating their very own
penguin. They learned that there are 18 different kinds of penguins.
They are distinguished by the markings on their head, and by
their size. Did you know that
penguins can drink sea water? There is a special gland in their
body that acts like a filter to separate the salt from the water.
Second grade art classes enjoyed learning about the Chinese culture,
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
its history and traditions, through the celebration of Chinese New
Year; 2017 is the Year of the Rooster. The children were
fascinated to learn about the various rituals, and superstitions
that take place for the New Year.
Each student had fun creating their own special rooster, and at the
same time, learned to appreciate other culture, and its customs!
Georgia O’Keeffe was a famous American artist (b 1887) that
played a pivotal role in American modern painting. Mrs. Massenzio’s
3rd grade students were excited to create large close-up abstract
paintings in the style of this iconic
artist. The students learned about “cropping,” which is a technique
that focuses in on a particular area of an object, making it highly
detailed and abstract. The children
were able to explore and observe nature, with its lines and colors,
and they produced impressive pictures!
The 4th grade art students in Mrs. Massenzio’s class had fun creating
a western cowboy boot using their own name written in cursive, as a
mirror image, to create an organic center design. Western motifs
were added as well. This lesson
focused on learning the difference between organic and geometric
shapes, symmetry, and visual unity, which is achieved through
repetition of color and shapes.
Wilson School’s 5th grade students
learned various techniques to create realistic self-portraits.
Learning proper proportions, how to shade, and adding texture, all
came into play as the students
explored and experimented with how to make their portraits come
to life. These portraits will be used in the 5th grade commemorative
yearbook.
Lincoln School Kindergarteners have worked very
hard to create art to decorate the
gym for Grandparents Day. Piet Mondrian was the muse for this
primary color heart project. And as we work our way through the
elements of art (line, shape, color,
value, texture, form, space), we will focus on another famous artist.
Van Gogh’s Starry Night will inspire us to create our own winter
landscapes. March will bring another exciting time at Lincoln
School. We will be creating
whimsical artwork to decorate the gym for our Annual Sing-a-Long.
Our pre-schoolers at Lincoln continue to be busy with the
process of making art. Sculpting, painting, printing, and gluing are
just some of the techniques we are using during art class. And they
love it! Valentine’s Day and Dr.
Seuss’s birthday will give us the motivation to create even more
art.
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February 2017 - March 2017 Arts a la Carte
Lincoln School has been buzzing about Grandparents and Special
Person’s Day! Students have spent
all of January preparing songs for the celebration on January 27th.
Songs included Bushel and a Peck and Mail Myself to You. The
preschoolers have been busy welcoming Percy the Polar Bear
and singing his favorite song.
The Westfield Coalition for the Arts donations benefiting so many students throughout the district this year include: Master Classes for WHS Chorale, Shelving for EIS Band Room, Sandblaster & Air Compressor for EIS Crafts and Fine Arts Students, Music Staff Board for Wilson School, Wenger Strings Bass Rack for WHS Orchestra and 3 Yamaha Double French Horns for WHS Bands.
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Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017
Westfield Coalition for the Arts
FALL 2016
Dear Westfield Parents:
Another school year is upon us and we are here, once again, ready to advocate for the ARTS IN OUR SCHOOLS! Our mission is to act as an advocate for all of the arts, including music, drama, visual arts, and dance in all of the Westfield Public Schools, by speaking out on behalf of the arts, maintaining public awareness and utilizing sources of community, financial and philosophical support.
Each year we award grants to different arts programs in the schools based upon applications submitted to us from the Westfield Schools’ faculty. This year, we were happy to award over $25,000 in grant money for the following: Guest Band Conductor at RIS, continuing education programs for several faculty members, an art project that connected Tamaques 4th graders with students in Rwanda, Africa, sound-recording equipment for the WHS Choirs, new instruments for the WHS bands, new uniforms and instruments for the WHS Marching Band, a new piano for Jefferson, magnetic chalkboard for art classes at EIS, a new kiln for ceramics at WHS, new costume accessories for EIS’ Broadway Singers, percussion instruments for EIS, and a digital keyboard for RIS.
We are so fortunate to live in a community that reveres the arts and believes strongly in nourishing the diverse talents of our youth. Demonstrate YOUR commitment to the arts by making a donation today. With your donations we are able to assist the music, choral, fine art, and theatre programs at the elementary, intermediate and high school levels.
We are an independent, not-for-profit organization, and we depend solely on the generosity of parents and supporters. In addition, the Coalition is interested in your ideas, suggestions, and comments and hope that you will take the time to email us at WestfieldCoalition@yahoo.com. PLEASE “LIKE” us on FACEBOOK and visit our website: http://www.WestfieldCoalitionForTheArts.weebly.com. We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your support.
~ Margaret Smith, W.C.A. President _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes, I/we would like to support the WCA. I/we will donate:
Benefactor $500 Sponsor $75 Angel $200 Sustaining Member $50 Patron $100 Donation $_______
In appreciation of your gift of $75.00 or more, your name will print in the Winter & Spring concert programs.
Name: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ (If donating $75 or more, please print the name as you would like it to appear in the programs.)
Email: _________________________________________________Phone: _______________________________________
Yes, I am interested in volunteering with the Coalition. Westfield Public School (where youngest child attends): __________________________________________________________
Please make checks payable to Westfield Coalition for the Arts, and mail to: WCA Treasurer, 562 Pierson St., Westfield NJ 07090