Arts a la Carte Department of Visual & Performing Arts February 2015 - March 2015 Westfield Public Schools Westfield New Jersey http://tinyurl.com/nx8rzac Congratulations to Westfield High School students accepted to a 2015 CJMEA Region Ensemble: 2015 CJMEA Region II Orchestra Dale Beyert, Trumpet Soo Min Chung, Violin Amy Liang, Cello 2015 CJMEA Region II Symphonic Band Albert Chen, Bari Saxophone Michael Hauge, Clarinet Alistair Kapadia, Bassoon These students were selected through audition amongst hundreds of other auditioning students from throughout the Central New Jersey Region to perform in the CJMEA Region Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra. On Thursday January 29 th these students auditioned for the New Jersey All-State Ensembles with hopes of joining the best musicians in the state at the New Jersey Music Educators Association Conference held in New Brunswick in February, 2015. Congratulations to the following WHS students who were accepted into the 2015 Region Mixed and Women's Choruses: These students will be performing with other students in the Region on February 1st at Monroe High School. These students were chosen from over a thousand auditioned students. 2015 CJMEA Region II Mixed Chorus Noah Bram Catherine Moore Abby Rothenberg Laura Surace Max Wasilewski 2015 CJMEA Region II Women's Chorus Lauren Brumfield Alison Jaruzelski Melanie Snyder Congratulations to our Intermediate students who were chosen to audition for the 2015 CJMEA Region Ensembles! Roosevelt Intermediate: 6 th grader Alex Cha, Clarinet; 7 th graders Clea Demuynck, Alto Sax and Max Tennant, Trumpet; 8 th grader Michael Charlton, Percussion Edison Intermediate: 6 th graders Jamie Beyert, Clarinet, Anna Qiang, Clarinet, Aprina Wang, French Horn and Kailey Zhao Flute; 7 th graders Alex Joseph, Clarinet, Andrew Kapadia, Percussion and Brooke Walden, Flute; 8 th graders Austin Chen, Trumpet, Colby Chen, Trumpet, Mateo Gonzalez-Nolde, Clarinet, Justin Joseph, Tenor Sax, Sara Shen, Flute and Ethan Useloff , Trumpet Congratulations! Please see page 21 for ways you can help or donate to the WCA.
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Arts a la Carte Department of Visual & Performing Arts February 2015 - March 2015
Westfield Public Schools Westfield New Jersey
http://tinyurl.com/nx8rzac
Congratulations to Westfield High School students accepted to a 2015 CJMEA Region Ensemble:
2015 CJMEA Region II Orchestra
Dale Beyert, Trumpet Soo Min Chung, Violin
Amy Liang, Cello
2015 CJMEA Region II Symphonic Band Albert Chen, Bari Saxophone
Michael Hauge, Clarinet Alistair Kapadia, Bassoon
These students were selected through audition amongst hundreds of other auditioning students from throughout the Central New Jersey Region to perform in the CJMEA Region Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra. On Thursday
January 29th these students auditioned for the New Jersey All-State Ensembles with hopes of joining the best musicians in the state at the New Jersey Music Educators Association Conference held in New Brunswick in February, 2015.
Congratulations to the following WHS students who were accepted into the 2015 Region Mixed and Women's Choruses:
These students will be performing with other students in the Region on February 1st at Monroe High School. These students were chosen from over a thousand auditioned students.
2015 CJMEA Region II Mixed Chorus Noah Bram
Catherine Moore Abby Rothenberg
Laura Surace
Max Wasilewski 2015 CJMEA Region II Women's Chorus
Lauren Brumfield Alison Jaruzelski
Melanie Snyder
Congratulations to our Intermediate students who were chosen to audition for the 2015 CJMEA Region Ensembles!
Roosevelt Intermediate: 6th grader Alex Cha, Clarinet; 7th graders Clea Demuynck, Alto Sax and Max Tennant,
Trumpet; 8th grader Michael Charlton, Percussion
Edison Intermediate: 6th graders Jamie Beyert, Clarinet, Anna Qiang, Clarinet, Aprina Wang, French Horn and Kailey
Zhao Flute; 7th graders Alex Joseph, Clarinet, Andrew Kapadia, Percussion and Brooke Walden, Flute; 8th graders
In the 7th grade, students have been studying Art history of
Optical Illusions in Mrs. Frees class with two projects using the
elements of art, line, shape and
value to create their original designs. The class is also creating
a mixed media piece using different patterns to relate back to
what they learned in the beginning
of the year with two point perspective. They are using gel
pens, oil pastel blending techniques and drawing methods
of hatching, crosshatching and stippling.
Ms. Hooper‟s students are working on a 2 Point Perspective unit which
includes using Dr. Seuss illustrations as an inspiration for an
imaginary Cityscape. After
studying artists from the Surrealism period (Salvador Dali,
Max Ernst and Joan Miro), each drawing incorporates a situation
that could not happen in real life. The Cityscapes will use colored
pencil to show value and illusion of
space. The students in both Ms. Hooper‟s class and Mrs. Frees
completed a Clay Rattle after learning the history of rattles.
Rattles are the oldest form of
music and have been made from animal parts, vegetation as well as
ceramic clay. Rattles have been used in ancient cultures around
the world for various spiritual purposes. Ms. Hooper‟s and Mrs.
Frees‟ students constructed their clay rattles by building 2 pinch
pots and joining the pieces together to create the main rattle
shape. Additional clay pieces were
added to create form and add detail. Themes for the project
varied from images of animals, human faces and inanimate
objects. The clay was decorated
using clay glazes. 8th Graders in Mr. Black‟s Crafts
class are working on plaster masks. They did research in the
library on the history of mask making and their cultural purpose.
They are building with recycled
cardboard and plaster. Students in Ms. Hooper‟s class completed a
unit on Print Making. Beginning with a String Print, students
learned the basics of the printing
process including how to evenly roll out the ink using a brayer,
pulling a print, “registering” a print (properly lining up a print) and
signing a print. A second project
was added using either Styrofoam or linoleum which allowed for
further experimentation of the medium to create multiple prints.
The students are beginning a 3-D
sculpture Vessel; a hollow container which will be both
decorative and functional. The Vessels will be constructed from
recycled plastic and glass cups,
covered with Paper Mache to create a uniform surface and
decorated with beads, and ribbon to add surface interest. Students
in Mrs. Frees Craft‟s class are working on finishing clay houses
for their unit on clay making. They
each had a chance to make paper from paper pulp and learned about
the ancient history of paper making. The students then used
the handmade paper and
embellished it with quilling art. They are creating flowers, animals
and different 3-D designs. They are moving onto working on
painting on wet plaster, or fresco next.
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Arts a la Carte February 2015 - March 2015
Music
EIS BANDS The Edison Bands ended 2014 with
spectacular performances! Many thanks to the students, parents, teachers and administrators who made those events so successful.
The 6th and 7th grade bands are spending the winter getting back
to the basics. A special emphasis has been placed on efficient
practice techniques as they work with the SmartMusic software in
class. With the program‟s help, students are able to assess their
personal performance and develop a systematic plan for improvement.
They are eager to employ the new
strategies on the spring concert music!
Entering into their last semester at
EIS the 8th grade band got a
glimpse at what lies ahead at the WHS Fine Arts Recruitment Day
pictured below.
On the morning of January 14th, they traveled up the road to the
high school to see a presentation by the music department, rehearse
alongside the wind ensemble and converse with high school
students. That evening, they stood
shoulder to shoulder with the RIS 8th Grade Band and the WHS Wind
Ensemble in an incredible performance of Brian Balmages‟
“Rhythms and Riffs.” The 8th grade
band loved their “high school preview “and they wish to thank
the high school teachers and students who made it possible.
Starting this winter, the EIS
percussionists are getting their
chance to move from the back row right into the spotlight with the
creation of the EIS Percussion
Ensemble. Interested percussionists
will meet on Friday mornings to
study percussion technique and “percussion-only” literature.
The Emerald Jazz Band is
devoting its winter rehearsals to
the study of improvisation. Each student is taking a swing (that‟s
jazz humor) at creating their own 12-bar blues solo! They‟ll follow
that study style up with “Basic
Basie”, emulated after the legendary Count Basie Orchestra.
Take a listen as they join several other district groups for the March
7th Pancake Breakfast.
EIS Orchestra The New Year has brought
about many exciting endeavors in the Orchestra classes at Edison
Intermediate School. After an amazing visit to the Midwest Clinic
in Chicago, Illinois, the string
students at EIS are now incorporating new techniques to
optimize their ability on their instrument. Whether it's playing
long tone scales, which helps build
intonation skills and can help the group stay focused or studying
Bach chorales to improve listening skills, the EIS string students have
already come a long way in their studies since implementing these
new methods. In addition, several string students will be auditioning for the Region II
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February 2015 - March 2015 Arts a la Carte
Orchestra and we wish all of them the very best of luck! The Edison Orchestras have also
begun work on our new pieces for
the Spring 2015 Concert. The 6th grade Orchestra has launched into Haydn's, “Surprise Symphony”. The 7th grade Orchestra has mastered
"Happy" by Pharrell Williams and the 8th grade Orchestra's program
includes Mozart's "Abduction from
the Seraglio" and "For Good" from the hit musical, Wicked. With such
a great start to 2015, it's safe to say that it will be yet another
wonderful year!
Drama
EIS Spring Musical
Disney Channel's smash hit movie musical comes to life on Edison
Intermediate School‟s stage in Disney’s High School Musical.
With such famous songs as Getcha
Head in the Game, We‟re All in This Together, Stick to the Status
Quo and Breaking Free this musical promises to be a
showstopper.
Troy, Gabriella and the students of
East High must deal with issues of first love, friends and family while
balancing their classes and extra-curricular activities. It‟s the first
day after winter break at East
High. The Jocks, Brainiacs, Thespians, Skater Dudes and the
rest of East High find their cliques, recount their vacations and look
forward to the New Year. Basketball team captain and
resident jock Troy discovers that
the brainy Gabriella, a girl he met singing karaoke on his ski trip, has
just enrolled at East High. They cause an upheaval when they
decide to audition for the high
school musical, led by Ms. Darbus. Although many students resent the
threat posed to the "status quo," Troy and Gabriella‟s alliance might
just open the door for others to shine as well.
Disney's High School Musical is fun for the whole family. Starring a
large cast of Edison Intermediate School students including Kate
Armstrong, Katie Ceraso, Ally
Escaldi, Gabby Estrada, Jack Gerris, Ethan Jaffee, Pat McElyn,
Abbie Painter, Cooper Prieto, and Justin Venturina this show
promises to bring a lot of fun and
smiles to anyone in attendance. So come see Edison Intermediate
School‟s High School Musical. Pre-sale ticket price is $8 and $10 at
the door.
Performance dates: March 5th at 4:00pm March 6th and 7th at 7:30pm
Franklin
Elementary
Art At Franklin School, the Art
students in grades 2 through 5 are busy with color, line, shape,
texture and space. A variety of media is being used to help them
make art. It also assists them with
their art vocabulary and artistic expression. Under the direction of
Mrs. Coveney, many different projects are being introduced and
enjoyed.
The 2nd grade students observed
and discussed works of Pablo Picasso and how he painted
asymmetrical portraits. The students created their own
portraits using crayon and
successfully understood this concept. This idea was brought
into the classroom once they finished their unit on symmetry. In
order to complete their learning, radial symmetry was introduced
and it “rounded” out the art
making.
The 3rd grade students are learning about positive shape and negative
space. A body with its proper
proportions is in doable pose. The student becomes the model of this
pose and color enhances the drawing. Complementary colors
are introduced and warm and cool
colors are reviewed. Colored sharpies create a very pleasing
result.
The 4th grade students finished their “Lines of the City”.
Foreground, middle ground and
background could be seen within their cityscapes. Lines were
reviewed which they learned could create texture and movement as
they added them onto their
buildings using black sharpies. Contrast could be seen as color
sharpies were used and color was placed in their backgrounds for
their warm and cool skies.
The 5th grade students reviewed
the color wheel with the primary and secondary colors. They
observed and discussed the Scarlet Macaw with all its layers of colorful
feathers. The “woodless” colored
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Arts a la Carte February 2015 - March 2015
pencils were the medium of choice to create their drawings of this
most colorful bird. Success could be seen and a review of value was
a part of their art vocabulary. Many a project can be seen and
learning is evident.
Music
In many schools around the
country, students were challenged
to perform as many kind deeds as they could in one week. To aid
our Franklin students, we participated in the Great Kindness
Challenge, which provided them
with a list of kind deeds to complete within one week. In our
music classes, we practiced these acts of kindness to help build
community in all areas of our
school. The students even came together as a school to sing “A
Kind-Hearted Hand” at the conclusion of our kindness
assembly. We hope that these acts of kindness rippled out into
your own homes and beyond.
February‟s key concepts will focus
on pitch and melody, while building upon other learned
concepts. The 2nd graders have just discovered Re in their music
and are learning how to sing more songs using Re, use Curwen hand
signs to build note reading skills
and even compose short musical phrases using the pentatonic scale.
Third graders will develop their note reading skills as well, using
the entire diatonic scale. Our 4th
and 5th graders will be working on their compositional skills using
both staff paper and iPads.
With a strong foundation in
singing, the students at Franklin are developing their part singing
skills as they explore more canons, partner songs and individual part
work throughout the next few
months. To help secure and differentiate some of these parts,
creative movement as well as our new Orff instruments will be
incorporated.
We at Franklin would like to thank the Coalition for the Arts for their generous donation for the
purchase of new Orff instruments for the music classroom. For those
unfamiliar with the Orff approach, the use of speech, movement and
classroom instruments help
develop the curious, musical nature of students. The use of
barred instruments such as xylophones and metallophones
sized appropriately for young
students help develop musicality, creativity and ensemble skills.
Unfortunately many of the older instruments too big for the music
cart were damaged and
unplayable. So much of my summer was spent repairing and
cleaning the salvageable ones, but we still needed new instruments to
replace some of the old ones. After approaching the Coalition for
the Arts, they fully supported this
project and funded the purchase of one bass xylophone, two alto
xylophones, and two soprano xylophones. These were used in
our December Chorus concert as
several of the fifth graders accompanied their peers during
one of their songs. I look forward to further exploring these
instruments with all of our Franklin students as the year goes on.
Thank you for your support!
Jefferson
Elementary
Art Jefferson students have been
hoping for a big snowfall. They can‟t wait to get out there and go
sledding, build snow people, and
have snowball fights. While they are waiting for that, they can live
vicariously through their art.
In 1st grade, the little artists are
creating their snow-dreamscapes with their “Snowmen at Night”
lesson. They build dexterity by tearing paper in a controlled way
and creatively collage snow people who sneak away from their yards
at night to engage in crazy
activities with other snow people.
Second graders are about to use acrylic paint for the first time to
paint their pinch pot turtles. After
that they will be continuing with their unit on trees.
The 3rd graders are just beginning
their big group project, Aboriginal
X-ray Paintings. They will learn about the history of the Aboriginal
people of Australia, making connections between them and our
Native Americans. The paintings will be large depictions of
Australian animals done in the
Aboriginal style.
Fourth grade students are embarking on their One-Point
Perspective adventures. This is
always a tough lesson with hard concepts; but they always
manage to stick with it and try, try, try until they “get it”. The
beautiful, intricate cities that they create are breathe-taking. The
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February 2015 - March 2015 Arts a la Carte
kids get to use professional grade watercolor paints from tubes for
the first time and they love it!
Paper mache monstrosities have taken over the 5th grade hallway…
YES, the fish are back! The children learn about Dan “The Monster Man” Reeder, a contemporary fabric mache artist based in Seattle, Washington. We study his website, www.gourmetpapermache.com, where you can see time-lapse
videos of him creating his art. The students get to see and touch one
of his actual sculptures which
inspires them in their creations. We are only in the paper mache
phase, but soon, we will be using wire, glass, fabric, glue, markers,
tape, paint and clay to construct
our sea-creatures.
Music
Jefferson School‟s Music Dept. WELCOMES Mr. Kyle Hill, a
Senior Music Education major from
Kean University. Mr. Hill will be working in the elementary vocal
music setting alongside Mrs. Woodfield until mid-March, when
he will continue his student teaching experience in
instrumental music at Scotch
Plains-Fanwood High School. Mr. Hill resides in Cedar Grove, NJ.
Throughout February and March, the students of Jefferson School
will continue to focus on their Winter Celebrations Unit and the
musical “Rocks” Pitch/Melody (February) and Texture/Dynamics
(March). February will celebrate
Black History Month, Groundhogs day, Valentines‟s Day, President‟s
Day and the Chinese New Year. March will celebrate Music In Our
Schools Month with morning
MUSIC TRIVIA MADDNESS!!
First grade students will study different melodic versions of “This
Old Man” and have some singing and movement fun with songs like
“The Groundhog Jig” and
“Skinnamarink”. They will also study the Norwegian composer,
Edvard Grieg and “The Adventures of Peer Gynt”.
The 2nd graders will continue their study of African American
Spirituals “Get On Board” and “Little Wheel A-Turnin‟”, take an
adventure on the “Lone Star Trail”,
creating new verses for a Valentine‟s Day song and enjoy the
folk song/story about “Abiyoyo” the giant by Pete Seeger.
Third Graders will be singing the
months and days of the year in our
Spanish song, “Uno de Enero”. To celebrate Valentine‟s Day, we will
find the humor in two funny cat songs: “Don Gato” and “But The
Cat Came Back”. President‟s Day
will include Charles Ives‟ “Variations on America” and
several melodic versions of “I Know An Old Lady”.
In the 4th grade, the students will
focus upon Patriotic Songs and folk
songs of the 49er‟s: “Oh, Suzanna”, “Clementine”, “Sweet
Betsy from Pike” and partner songs “My Home‟s In
Montana/Home On the Range”.
Beyond their monthly “rocks”, the 5th grade is busy at work on their
spring musical, “Dig It!: A Musical Tale to Ancient Civilizations”.
From Mesopotamia to Egypt to India, China, Greece and Rome…
the 5th graders are making
connections through music. Save the date: Wednesday, April 22nd
at 7PM in the Jefferson Auditorium.
Jefferson & McKinley Strings String students have excitedly
jumped into beginning music for the spring concert. We have many
exciting pieces that we will be starting in the next few weeks. In
addition, many of our fifth
grade students are preparing music for their All City Orchestra
auditions. We are hard at work and excited for all the new music
we have ahead of us!
McKinley
Elementary
Art
First grade students are quickly
moving through projects in the
New Year. We‟ve just completed an overlapping project where
students constructed a patterned design with cut paper and then
overlaid a symmetrical cut out on
top of this design. This project will be a great reference for
understanding negative and positive space in 2nd grade next
year. Our next project uses a grid
to separate 20 different 3” x 3” squares. Within each square the
students will draw up to five lines and change the direction of the
lines in the surrounding squares. Outlining their lines will help to
demonstrate an understanding of
visual movement within a work of art. The student‟s eyes travel
around their work and follow the directions of their twirling,
spinning, wavy, bumpy, slanted and straight lines. The project will
be finalized with watercolor paint to provide just the right color to
complete this focused art piece.
Understanding artistic vocabulary
is key to expressing the concepts of art. Second grade students
continue to add to their word wall
of art terms and review them each class to ensure their significance.
Contour lines will be investigated with a yarn portrait where
students‟ silhouettes and features are outlined using yarn. The yarn
helps to aid in the understanding
that contour lines separate negative and positive space.
Finally, oil pastel will be used to finish off the piece and give artists
an opportunity to make their
creative mark.
Very excited to be working with clay, the 3rd graders are all smiles
during our 45-minute art class. Working with the coil building
technique and understanding
repetition as used in art processes, these happy students will be
building their own coil sculptures. After they are built and air dry,
these students will prime their
works and use transparent glazing techniques to bring their works to
life.
Moving from a very layered under
the sea collage project, the 4th grade students will be able to
focus on a textured value
scratchboard drawing of one of their favorite animals. Learning
how to create value and texture through line qualities, the students
will also revisit past concepts in
their repertoire like foreground, middle ground and background to
bring more thought into their chosen compositions. We will look
at black and white as well as color
reproductions of Henri Rousseau‟s work to connect our learning with
one of the most imaginative artists of the 19th and early 20th century.
Fifth grade students have just
completed an observational value
drawing to better understand the effects of light and shadow. Next
we look deeper into this relationship through the
construction of a clay portrait. Convex, concave, incise lines,
overlapping and creasing their sculptures will add the necessary
shadows, contrast and dimension into their works. Seeing the human
head as a 3-D form will help us in
our next project when we return to drawing and painting.
Music
McKinley 1st graders have been
learning how music is made up of
patterns this month. They have been creating some of our
standard patterns used to write music. In addition, they have
created some unique patterns of
their very own.
The 2nd graders at McKinley have been learning about Rondo form.
We have listened to Antonio
Vivaldi's Spring to help us learn about Rondo form. They have
used listening maps to understand the sections of this piece.
Additionally, we have broken into groups and danced to represent
the sections while listening to the
music. The students have had a great time with this activity!
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February 2015 - March 2015 Arts a la Carte
McKinley 3rd graders have been expanding their knowledge in
musical form this month. We have discussed and experienced several
form patterns with a variety of fun songs. Now we are using our
knowledge of musical form to
create our own form and compose short pieces of music in small
groups. It will be exciting to hear how they all turn out!
The 4th graders at McKinley have been learning about Theme and
Variation this month. We have listened to several pieces of music
to experience the theme and variation concept. Recently, the 4th
graders used their experiences to
create their very own theme with three variations.
The 5th Graders are busy learning
about different musical styles.
Each student researches a different style and then teaches
their style to their classmates. They get to use individual iPads
and brianpop to do their research
which is always fun! Over the next few months we will continue to
work on our musical reading skills and learn new music for our Spring
Concert!
McKinley & Jefferson Strings
String students have excitedly jumped into beginning music for
the spring concert. We have many exciting pieces that we will be
starting in the next few weeks. In
addition, many of our fifth grade students are preparing
music for their All City Orchestra auditions. We are hard at work
and excited for all the new music we have ahead of us!
Tamaques
Elementary
Art
Students in 1-R and 1-M learned
that sculpture is 3-dimensional,
having height, width and volume.
The students in Mrs. Massenzio‟s
class thoroughly enjoyed working
3-dimensionally, using Model
Magic, when they created
wonderful polar bear sculptures.
They learned all about polar bears,
their habitats and characteristics.
The children learned how to create
texture using various tools. This
lesson helps develop small muscle
dexterity and gave students a
chance for creative expression.
The 2nd grade students at
Tamaques created whimsical
birdhouses, complete with Model
Magic birds. Mrs. Massenzio
discussed various types of birds
and their coloring. Utilizing this
knowledge, the children were
excited to begin their own
creations. The results were
impressive, beautifully decorated
houses with bright and colorful
birds! This lesson reinforced how
to mix colors, science and small
muscle dexterity.
The students in Mrs. Massenzio‟s
3-F2 class created large, graceful
3-D butterflies. The class learned
all about butterflies and their
characteristics. Did you know that
there are about 18,000-20,000
known butterfly species
throughout the world? Butterflies
weigh as little as two rose petals
and have an average lifespan of
about 2 weeks. This comprehensive
lesson incorporated science, art
and symmetry.
The 4th graders in Mrs. Massenzio‟s
class enjoyed drawing castles in
the style of Medieval Europe.
Students learned about why and
how castles were constructed.
They learned about life in the
Middle-Ages, and were able to
appreciate the architectural
ingenuity of the people of those
times. Perspective, value and
texture were focal points in this
lesson.
Totem poles have played an
integral part in the culture of the
Pacific Northwest Coast Indians.
These Native Americans pass on
their history through the stories
each pole tells. In Mrs.
Massenzio‟s, the 5th grade students
learned about the history of totem
poles, how they are made and had
a wonderful “hands-on” experience
when they constructed their own
cardboard totems. In an effort to
work as authentically as possible,
the students learned about the
specific cultural designs, colors and
animals used by these Native
American tribes. The children were
so excited to see the impressive 10
foot finished pole!
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Arts a la Carte February 2015 - March 2015
Music
Tamaques & Washington
4th & 5th Grade Band News!
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. The
students are required to memorize the concert Bb, Eb, F and Bb
chromatic scales as well as prepare the solo material found on page 38
in the Essential Elements 2000 method book. Good luck to all of
the Washington and Tamaques
Band students who are auditioning for the 2015 All City Band!
All City AUDITION Dates February 10th
- The Washington
5th Grade Band students will audition at Washington school
February 12th - The Tamaques 5th
Grade Band students will audition
at Tamaques.
Washington
Elementary
Art
Washington has swung into the
New Year with a variety of creative art experiments! The 1st graders
took a different approach to creating a landscape. While, they
still used a horizon line,
background and foreground, they filled each area of their landscape
with various textures. This effect made way for beautiful and
interesting landscapes!
The 2nd graders have been
preparing all month for The Chinese New Year, which will take
place on February 19th, marked by the new moon. In honor of this
celebration, the second graders
created landscapes that credit the mountains of China and dragon
mythology. Each student picked three Chinese words to add to
their piece to complete their
Chinese New Year tribute.
The 3rd graders have been studying proportion of the face
and how our faces change upon expressing emotions. They have
created a chart, which shows a
face displaying a different feeling or adjective.
The 4th graders have been
studying Fauvism and how the
Fauvist artists used vivid colors to show feelings. In studying Henri
Matisse‟s Portrait of the Green Stripe, the 4th grades have
understood the beauty of creating
portraits that use unrealistic and bright colors. “Les Fauves” means
“the wild beasts,” in French. The Fauvist artists were called this
because of their use a wild colors.
The 4th graders at Washington have been showing their wild side
through their Fauvist Portraits.
The 5th graders have embarked on
their modern art studies by
examining the art that was made during World War 1. They have
learned how much worldly events affect art. These 5th graders have
been working on collage portraits
inspired by the Dada movement. This movement coincided with
World War 1 and was a reflection of the artist‟s opinions. They have
discussed the ideas that were
floating around during that time and are showing their own
opinions through their collage portraits.
Wilson
Elementary
Art
The 1st grade students of Wilson School are continuing to learn
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February 2015 - March 2015 Arts a la Carte
about Color Theory by studying primary and secondary colors.
They had a blast practicing color mixing while creating abstract
paintings. Then they applied their newfound mixing skills to paint
turtle drawings they created.
Second grade is also focusing on
mixing colors. They created large clown drawings and painted them
with primaries, secondaries and tints of the colors. The clowns look
great and the students are now certified mixocologists!!
The 3rd graders recently began
their weaving unit. Always a class
favorite, most students begged to take their looms home to work on
them as homework! They also come in handy as a fun project to
work on during recess on cold,
wintery, indoor days!
The students in 4th grade finished
up their unit on complementary
color sets with a fashion design lesson! They created an outfit for a
star or designed a new uniform for a sports team utilizing
complementary colors. It was a
perfect follow up to their apple paintings.
The 5th graders have begun
coloring their self-portraits with oil pastel. It is easy to decipher who
is who, as the students did an amazing job capturing their own
likeness. They will begin working
in small groups on Photoshop projects shortly!!
4th grade Minion Sculptures
Music
Fifth graders at Wilson School
have already begun working on their Spring Concert repertoire.
This year's program will have an international flavor, with songs in
Portuguese, Korean, French and
English! The evening's attire will reflect the concert's international
character. Note-reading continues to be a major focus for students,
especially the fifth graders. In
addition, we are using repertoire to review other music signs and
symbols.
Our 3rd and 4th graders have begun preparing for the annual Music in
Our Schools program coming this Spring! Each grade will present
specially selected repertoire. During the program, they will also
sing together as a mass chorus. The 3rd and 4th graders continue
to work on improving their note-
reading skills.
February is for Valentines and the 1st and 2nd graders are preparing
to sing for their parents during the annual Valentine's Day Assembly.
February is also African-American
His (Her) story month and what a great time for spirituals! We learn
about the historical context in
which they developed, thus increasing understanding of their
importance in our lives. On occasion we are treated to
(recorded) performances of
spirituals by outstanding singers, in addition to our own singing.
Lincoln School
Our Pre-K artists have been
learning all about line, form, texture and color. So in February
and March, we will put this knowledge to work using winter
and the February holidays as a
focus. In March, just about the time when we say we‟ve had
enough of winter, we‟ll put some color back into our lives with
rainbows and “glass” sculptures.
Pre-K class with
Dr. Seuss sculptures
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Arts a la Carte February 2015 - March 2015
Snowmen sculptures
Kindergartener using painted
paper for Eric Carle insects
In February, our kindergarteners
will be studying some of the very first artists. The Lascaux cave
drawings are estimated to be more
than 17,000 years old. We‟ll be going back in time in the art room
to create some of our own cave art and maybe discover some “fossils”
along the way. Once we are back
in the present time around March, we will be creating art for Lincoln
School‟s Sing-A-Long, scheduled at the end of the month. The
students will be learning about art in the cubist style and working in
groups to prepare the gym for this
fabulous show. Busy, busy, busy!
Lincoln School students celebrated Grandparents and Special People
on January 30th. The students sang a few songs and afterwards
accompanied their special people to their classrooms. The
kindergarteners all worked very
hard preparing to be on stage for the first time (pictured below at
rehearsal)!
Thanks to the generous support of
Westfield Public Schools and the Westfield Coalition for the Arts,
Westfield music teachers Amanda Gant (EIS), Trevor Sindorf (EIS)
and Chris Vitale (WHS) traveled to “The Midwest Clinic,” an
international band and orchestra conference in Chicago, IL. Joining
them in attendance were more
than 17,000 teachers, professors, administrators and musicians
representing all 50 states and 30+ countries. The four day event was packed with clinics hosted by internationally renowned educators,
exhibits and 40 concerts ranging from
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to a middle school jazz band. Mrs.
Gant, Mr. Sindorf and Mr. Vitale are eager to share their
experiences with their students
this semester!
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February 2015 - March 2015 Arts a la Carte
Westfield Coalition for the Arts
FALL 2014
Dear Westfield Parents: The mission of the Westfield Coalition for the Arts is to act as an advocate for the arts, including music, drama, visual arts, and dance in the Westfield Public Schools, by speaking out on behalf of the arts, maintaining public awareness and utilizing source 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 $20,000 in grant money for the following: Special Guest Conductor of the Rutgers Children’s Choir, Dr. Rhonda Hackworth works with McKinley’s 5
th Grade Choir; new
String Instruments for Edison School; helped to fund cost for WHS Wind Ensemble to attend the Avery Fischer Festival in NYC; aided in the development and expansion of the WHS Winter Guard; purchased a new choral riser for the WHS choirs; bought materials needed for an interactive art project at Jefferson School where the 5
th graders
collaborated with professional, contemporary artist, Dan Reeder; Maureen Francis, opera-singer and voice teacher works with the WHS Concert Choir on elements of vocal technique and expression. 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 vocal music, 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 NEW WEBSITE: www.WestfieldCoalitionForTheArts.weebly.com. We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your support.
In appreciation of your gift of $75.00 or more, your name will print in the Winter & Spring concerts programs. Name: __________________________________________________________________________ (If donating $75 or more, please print the name as you would like it to appear in the programs.) Email: _________________________________________________Phone: _________________________ Westfield Public School (where youngest child attends): _____________________________________
Yes, I am interested in volunteering with the Coalition. Check here:
Please make checks payable to Westfield Coalition for the Arts, and mail to: