Arts a la Carte · 2018-09-09 · Page 4 Arts a la Carte February 2017 - March 2017 sung from the...

Arts a la Carte Department of Visual & Performing Arts February 2017 - March 2017

Westfield Public Schools Westfield New Jersey

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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.

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


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.


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!


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


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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http://teacherdjd.wix.com/whstheatredept


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


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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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


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


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.


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!


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.


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,


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.


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.


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 [email protected]. 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

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