Arts a la Carte Department of Visual & Performing Arts June 2018

Westfield Public Schools Westfield New Jersey

http://tinyurl.com/nx8rzac

Julian Mazzola, Kimmi Zimmerman, Mr. Devlin and Charlotte Fountain-

Jardim at MSU “Theatre Night Foxy

Awards”

Members of the Cast and Crew of Romeo and Juliet at

MSU “Theatre Night Awards”

Members of the Cast and Crew of The Man Who Came To Dinner at MSU

Theatre Night “Foxy Awards”

Morgan Eng- Paper Mill Playhouse “Rising Star Student Achievement

Award” recipient for Graphic Design and Pit Orchestra

BURISS MUSIC & MACRITCHIE TECHNICAL AWARD: William Collum

CHARLES ADDAMS MEMORIAL ART AWARD: David Sampson DIRECTOR’S AWARD FOR BAND: Nadia Matin

DIRECTOR’S AWARD FOR THEATRE: Julian Mazzola JEAN MCDERMOTT SCHOLARSHIP: Natalie Paterson

JOHN PHILIP SOUSA BAND AWARD: Lucy Ritter LOUIS ARMSTRONG JAZZ AWARD: Benjamin Kevelson

MADELEINE WILD-BRISTOL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS: Catherine Moore

NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION OUTSTANDING JAZZ MUSICIANS: Jack Garceau, Catherine Moore, Lucy Ritter, Josh Markowitz, Benjamin Mizrach

NATIONAL BAND ASSOCIATION OUTSTANDING MUSICIANS: Fiona Gillespie, Daniel Shenker, Kenneth Meyer, Benjamin Outten, Michael Paglialunga, Jonathan Silva

RACHEL MATHER SULLIVAN SCHOLARSHIP: Natalie Paterson

THEATRE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Charlotte Fountain-Jardim THESPIAN OF THE YEAR: Devyn Tibbals

WESTFIELD ART ASSOCIATION AWARD: Julia Roth WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR ESPRIT DE CORPS: Kylinn Kraemer

WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL CONCERT CHOIR AWARD: Catherine Moore WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL TECHNICAL THEATER AWARD: Marissa Lehmberg

WESTFIELD THEATRE DEPARTMENT ESPRIT DE CORPS: Abigail Connolly

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Arts a la Carte June 2018

Jack Frankola, Morgan Eng, Nicole

Player, Abigail Connolly, Devyn Tibbals, and Connor Abrams at the

Paper Mill Playhouse

Westfield High

School

Drama

As the year winds down to a close, the WHS Theatre Department finds

itself busier than ever, both in class and out. In the Intro to Theatre

course, the students are working on

their final performance scenes from All My Sons, by Arthur Miller. The

Theatre Workshop students are also preparing their final projects. They

are exploring their audition skills as they work on the audition monologue

workshop. In Advanced Theatre

Production, the students are examining the actor’s approach to

Musical Theatre by analyzing and performing songs from assorted

Broadway musicals. In Stagecraft, the

students are working on their final Scenic Design projects, which will

culminate with the building of scale models representing their original

scenic designs.

In addition to these various projects,

the end of the year brings several external recognitions of student work

this year. WHS was nominated for six awards by Montclair State University

at its annual Theatre Night “Foxy

Awards”, which recognizes excellence

in high school plays. The fall production of The Man Who Came To Dinner received one award,

“Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role” for Julian

Mazzola. During the ceremony, WHS Theatre Department teacher and

director Daniel Devlin was recognized

with the prestigious Joanne Fox Award for Excellence in Commitment

to Theatre Education.

Meanwhile, at the Bucks County Theatre Festival in New Hope, PA, the

students performed Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, by Christopher Durang. Jack Cerria received the

“Outstanding Performance by a Comedic Actor” recognition.

Closer to home, the members of the WHS Thespian troupe celebrated the

end of the year with the Seventh Annual “International Thespian Gala”,

which was held at The Westwood on May 11th. This marks the eighth year

that WHS has been involved with the

International Thespian Society which is the National Honor Society

representing high school theatre students. At the Gala, the students

celebrated the many successes of the

year with family and friends. This celebration included various

recognitions, academic accomplishments and community

service commendations as well as

department awards. This year the end of year Theatre Department

awards went to the following students: “Theatre Director’s Award”

– Julian Mazzola; “Theatre Achievement Award” – Charlotte

Fountain-Jardim; “Technical Theatre

Award” – Marissa Lehmberg; Theatre Esprit de Corps – Abigail Connolly and

“Thespian of the Year” – Devyn Tibbals.

Additionally, the WHS spring musical production of Follies! was recognized

with six Paper Mill Playhouse “Rising Star Awards” nominations including

“Outstanding Performance in a

Featured Role” – Abigail Connolly, “Outstanding Performance by a

Featured Ensemble Member” – Nicole

Player, “Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction” – John Brzozowski,

“Outstanding Lighting Achievement” – Michael and Lisa Kimmell, “Student

Achievement Award” – Devyn

Tibbals, Stage Manager, “Student Achievement Award” – Morgan Eng,

Graphic Designer/Pit Orchestra and three honorable mentions, including

“Outstanding Overall Production”, “Outstanding Performance by a

Featured Ensemble Group” – The

Showgirls, “Outstanding Achievement by a Teacher or Outside Director” –

Daniel Devlin. Morgan Eng brought home the RSA “Student Achievement

Award” for her work.

The year was capped off with the

annual Broadway Workshop, where members of the WHS Theatre

Department had the opportunity to work with current professional

Broadway actors and casting

directors during the “Open Call” audition workshop. The audition

process and feedback from these professionals was an outstanding

experience for everyone involved.

Following the workshop, the students attended the matinee performance of

the Tony nominated musical revival of Carousel.

Congratulations to all of the WHS theatre students for their outstanding

work, both on stage and in the classroom.

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June 2018 Arts a la Carte

Art

Students in Crafts Exploration have

finished up the Sculpture Unit by each completing a hand carved

soapstone sculpture. Some of the completed pieces were displayed in

the District Art Show. The entire unit consisted of a bas relief balsa foam

letter, 3-D needle felted animals, and

the soapstone carving. The last unit of the year is mixed media. This unit

covers handmade journals, Koinobori Fish Kites and a student planned

project. Below are pictures of some

of the Crafts Exploration pieces form the District Art Show.

Ceramics 1 classes completed their

wax resist organic bowls and are ending the year by carving a 6 inch

square tile. Students will be combining some of the techniques

learned throughout the semester in

order to roll out an even square slab, carve out their design in multiple

layers, and then glaze the final

project. I hope you had the chance to check out all of the amazing

Ceramics projects at the District Art Show.

Drawing students incorporated all the techniques and knowledge they

have gained during the year into their final projects. After going through

proportions of the human head they

created life-size profile portraits of their classmates.

Composition students have been

working hard to develop acrylic tromp

l’œil paintings. Using personal objects and images as subject matter, they

created complex compositions in a shallow space still-life. They have

been learning about color mixing and viscosity as they try to recreate color

swatches. Focusing on subtle

shadows to create depth, the paintings are beginning to fool the

eye!

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Arts a la Carte June 2018

Advanced Portfolio Prep & Art

History students have finished their art history presentations. Using the

Formal Critical Method to write

complex critiques and creating an accompanying slide show with a wide

variety of art historical references, students present their writing to the

class. Senior Exhibition Walls which

have been displayed throughout the year are now being evaluated by the

Art IV classes.

The District Art Show was a huge success and pictured below is a

sample of the many works that were

displayed.

Music

WHS Concert Bands

The WHS Wind Ensemble participated

in the U.S. Marine Band’s “March Madness” contest this spring.

Members of the band (and a few

faculty members from the high school) filled out brackets pitting 32

famous marches against each other.

Junior trumpet player, Duncan Cook, was crowned the “March King” and

conducted the winning march, Commando March, at the spring

concert.

On April 23rd, the Symphonic band

students were treated to a special performance by Westfield native,

Jonathan Wintringham. Jonathan just completed his Doctorate in

Saxophone Performance at the

prestigious Eastman School of Music. The students were in awe of his

masterful performance and left the session inspired to keep practicing!

Dr. Trish Cornett from Temple University visited with the Wind

Ensemble students in May as they put the finishing touches on Roger Cichy’s

Bugs. Dr. Cornett, like all of the guest

conductors this year, helped push the students to a new level of excellence.

Page 5

June 2018 Arts a la Carte The year ended with a terrific concert

on June 11th, filled with wonderful performances by the Concert Band,

Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble.

Best of luck to the Class of 2018! Thanks for your efforts over the last

four years. We hope there are many years of music-making in your future!

Italy Trip This spring break, 93 band students

traveled overseas for a performance tour of Italy! It was a once-in-a-

lifetime experience learning about Italian culture and collaborating with

other musicians. Highlights were a

shared concert with the Lucca Community Band, a clinic with the

Italian Army Band, and a guided tour of the Coliseum. The band shared

classic American music like Sousa’s

The Stars and Stripes Forever and Bernstein’s Somewhere. They also

were able to view an Italian Opera in Venice and perform historically

significant Italian repertoire. One of their favorite performances was of

Giacomo Puccini’s Nessun Dorma, which they played in a 14th century church in Puccini’s town of birth!

Jazz Bands

WHS’ Jazz I and Jazz II had a busy

festival season, competing at

Princeton and Scotch Plains High Schools. Both groups played

exceptionally well, earning top honors. Several soloists from

Westfield were recognized for their outstanding performances: Ben

Mizrach, Saxophone; Jack Garceau,

Saxophone; Ben Kevelson, Saxophone; Stephen Park,

Guitar; and Lucy Ritter, Drums.

Over 500 people packed the

WHS Cafeterias on May 12th for our annual Jazz Night. The

Band Council, under the leadership of Senior Nadia

Matin, did a fantastic job

planning and operating the evening. Thanks to all the

musicians from RIS, EIS and

WHS for their fine

performances!

June 7th marked the end of

the jazz season. All three big bands at WHS played with

the featured guest, Al Chez. The students enjoyed

working alongside such a

talented professional musician!

WHS Winterguard

The 2018 Winterguard earned the Silver Medal in their new class of

“Regional A” at MAIN Championships. The team worked hard all winter,

under the direction of Danny Matos,

to have the most successful season WHS has ever seen! They look

forward to continuing their success this fall.

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Arts a la Carte June 2018

Marching Band

The WHS Marching Blue Devils have announced their 2018 production

entitled “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

The show will be centered around the Elton John ballad of the same name and will also feature excerpts from Dmitri Shostakovich and Hans

Zimmer. After several spring

rehearsals in June, the Marching Band staff is excited to get underway

with the new edition of the Marching Blue Devils!

To keep up with all the exciting news

in the Westfield Band program, follow

online at: www.westfieldhsbands.org

WHS Bands Friends, Family, and Alumni

whsbandsfriendsfamilyandalumni

Westfield High School Bands

WHS Choir

We are coming to the end of what

has been an amazing year for WHS Choir! The students have made

incredible music and have forged relationships and memories through

singing that will last a lifetime!

Finland/Baltics Tour

From April 2nd to April 12th the choir took an amazing performance tour

through Finland, Estonia and Latvia. Some highlights were a performance

at the Rock Church in Finland,

attending a rehearsal of the world famous Estonian Chamber Orchestra

and Estonian Chamber Choir, visiting the famous singing festival grounds in

Tallinn, Estonia where

the “singing revolution” took place, and

performing alongside a

local choir in Riga, Latvia.

Due to an airport strike

in Germany, we were

required to stay two extra nights in Riga!

The students made the best of it, visiting a local

zoo and performing at an international school.

Carnegie Hall On April 28, the students in Chorale

performed Randall Thompson’s

Frostiana at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall. The students from

Westfield performed alongside choirs from across the country and were

accompanied by a professional

orchestra.

Rutgers ACDA Festival On May 23, the students in Bel Coro, Concert Choir, and Chorale attended

an all-day choral festival at Nicholas

Music Center at Rutgers. The groups

each performed three pieces that were adjudicate by a professional in

the field of choral music. The performance was followed by a sight

reading assessment. Bel Coro and

Chorale received the highest rating of “Superior” at the festival and the

Concert Choir and Chorale both received the highest sight reading

score of “Exemplary.” We couldn’t be

prouder of these students for all of their hard work this year!

A big congratulations to eight

students who were accepted into the 2018-19 All State Choirs

Vincent Mora Matt Siroty

Zachary Lemberg Joseph Maldonado

Samantha Horvath

Alison Brown Nicole Player

Charlotte Geary (pictured top L-R & bottom L-R)

Congratulations!

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June 2018 Arts a la Carte Blue Devil Treble times Two

After several requests from upper class women, we welcomed the

junior/senior Blue Devil Treble group

to the stage this spring. The Blue Devil Treble Freshmen/Sophomore

ladies were excited to welcome them as they now have a place to move to

next year when they are no longer

sophomores! Both groups performed in our spring concert. Next up,

coordinated blouses!!

Thank You! Thank you to the Westfield Choral

Parents Association! WHS Choir is

grateful for your service and generous contributions to our choir!

Susan Pink, President

Kate Browne, Vice President

Scott Singer, VP of Fundraising Eliana Carvajal, VP of Marketing

Monica Bergin, Treasurer Roseann Pizzi, Secretary

Thank you to all of the choir families

for your support and for a great year!

Sincerely,

John Brzozowski and Maureen Francis

WHS Choir Directors

WHS Orchestras

It has been another great year for the WHS Orchestras! The last few

months have seen a flurry of exciting

activities and recognition for the orchestra.

On May 22nd, three of our students

were honored at the Board of Education meeting for their

participation with the NJ Region 2

and All-State Orchestras. Once again, congratulations to Kevin Li, Kelly

Eagan, and Junlin Yi.

On May 24th, the String & Chamber

orchestras were proud to present their 2018 spring concert. It was a

fun night with a lot of really wonderful performances by the

students. It was also a great chance

to recognize all of the hard work by the WHS Orchestra class of 2018.

It has been a wonderful 2017-2018 school year and we are looking

forward to seeing you all back in September! And don’t forget to keep

practicing!

Roosevelt

Intermediate

Art

With the conclusion of this year’s

District Art Show to finish out the

year, the 6th graders in Mr. Greenwood’s classes completed

artworks based on the American artist Edward Hopper. Other projects

the students worked on were designing Fantasy houses. Students

were shown architecture from around

the world and were challenged to create their own fantasy design.

During the last week of school students, will be introduced to

commercial art and product design

and marketing concepts while being asked to design their own brand of

soft drink. After the design phase, models of their can designs will be

completed.

Seventh graders worked on developing illustrations of bodies in

motion. They created abstract

backgrounds that supported black and white pointillist figure designs.

The 8th grade students in Mr.

Greenwood’s classes recently completed projects that include

double sided 3-dimensional billboards and 12 sided dodecahedrons. Each of

these 12 sided paper sculptures is to

be decorated with black and white ink designs or have a particular theme.

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Arts a la Carte June 2018

Currently 8th grade Fine Arts students

are working on symbolic self-portraits. Each student is to design a

collage of images that best

represents their own personality and self-interests. Finally they will wrap

up the year glazing their ceramic sculptures.

Edison

Intermediate

Art

Sixth graders finished up their hand

built mugs. They learned about how to roll a slab, score, slip and smooth

their work. The students also watched demonstrations of wheel

throwing, which is an entirely different technique. They learned

the steps in throwing a pot on the

wheel. After school at Art Studio, we made wheel thrown pots. The 6th

graders also worked on their endangered animal project in three

mediums. They have been learning

techniques in pencil, oil pastel and watercolor. Students will finish the

year working with another project in form; they will work on plaster

sculptures inspired by Wayne

Theibaud.

Seventh graders collaborated with 7th

grade history teacher Mrs. Messinger to learn about Aztec and Mayan art

forms. They worked with metal and

engraving. We learned about the sacred colors of the Mayan people,

the cardinal directions, and about how ancient society lived. We are

also working on comparing this tribal

art form to Optical illusions and contrasting it with a realistic drawing

in still life.

Eighth graders in Fine Arts were busy learning to wheel throw, working on

murals, oil painting and participating

in a contest based on a quote by Ghandi “the future depends on what

we do in the present”. The students learned about public art through

viewing parts of “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and discussion of artists,

Shepard Fairey and Bansky.

Eighth grade Fine Arts students in Dr.

Ruggieri’s and Mr. Black’s classes are continuing to learn about art history,

starting with Medieval Art and the

Renaissance, and discussing stylistic and cultural changes through the

subsequent centuries. The year will be rounded out by creating a number

of beautiful pieces of art inspired by some of these time periods and

artistic styles. For example, students

just finished learning about Analytic and Synthetic Cubism as well as

Surrealism. Students are working on the creation of several collages. Their

first collage will integrate the collage

techniques developed by Picasso and Braque in the early 20th century and

the dream-like characteristics found

within Surrealism.

Arts and Crafts students are learning

how to create their own series of hand-made cards. Each student is

making a series of three to five cards and their own envelopes. Students

then learn to write in calligraphy and

cursive, as well as how to address an envelope. In a digital age, taking the

time to create a personalized card and hand-write a message to a friend

or family member has become a lost art and is being given new life in the

Crafts class!

Students in Mr. Black and Dr.

Ruggieri’s 7th grade classes are focusing on landscape painting. They

have studied the history of landscape

painting and the changes that have taken place between the Renaissance

and now. Many groups of artists and styles have been discussed and

studied, including the Hudson River School, Impressionism, and Post-

Impressionism. Students learned

about the technological developments which took place at the time, such as

the invention of photography and paint being tubed for the first time,

which allowed artists to start painting

outdoors more frequently. Within their works of art, students practiced

blending color gradients, overlapping to create depth, seeing and creating

highlights, mid-tones, and shadows

within their work to build a sense of three-dimensions on a flat surface.

Sixth grade students finished working on a printmaking unit, learning about

block printing techniques, positive and negative space, and how to use

line and color to create a beautiful

printed edition. Students are now -working on an animation unit,

learning about the history of animation cels and the transition to

digital animation. Starting with the

creation of an original animation cel and background, students will then

progress to creating their own original flip book animation.

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June 2018 Arts a la Carte

It has been a wonderful year, which has proven to be meaningful for the

students at Edison Intermediate

School. The District Art Show was a huge success! We were so happy to

have so many students, parents, and community members present for this

wonderful occasion. We are so

fortunate to have a community that understands and appreciates the arts,

in all its forms.

Looking back on when they first entered Dr. Ruggieri’s and Mr. Black’s

classes, students have shown

technical growth, improving skills in printmaking, drawing, painting, and

sculpting to name a few. Moreover, students have shown an increase in

their ability to discuss and understand

works of art, ranging from their own to master works of art. It is our

sincere hope that students continue to create works of art over the

summer and throughout the years ahead.

Franklin

Elementary

Art

The 2nd grade art students at Franklin

School finished a textural fish project

which was a great segue into Model Magic. Model Magic has an inviting

texture which opens up discussion about shape and form. These

elements should be understood so that a 3-D owl sculpture can be

developed. New vocabulary and

techniques are needed for the development of these Franklin School

mascots. Success can be seen throughout the classroom and

students are enjoying the overlapping

of colors and the choices that they were given.

The 3rd grade art students

experimented with and understanding radial symmetry. A mandala was filled

with selected colors and symmetry

could be seen. Sharpie was the medium of choice and radial

symmetry was added to their art knowledge.

The 4th grade art students became familiar with the creation of a

downtown area at “street view”. Buildings were designed with curb

appeal and store fronts were creatively drawn. It was very exciting

to see the use of line and color and

the importance of what is needed to round out a downtown.

The 5th grade art students were

introduced to Tin Tooling. This folk

art technique was viewed and the vocabulary words of embossing and

stippling were discussed and demonstrated. A colorful presentation

was completed and enjoyed. The students showed creative

development and student learning

was apparent. Success could be seen in each and every project.

The District Art Show was an evening

of success. Artistic growth could be

seen and witnessed. The progression of our artists from Kindergarten to

High School is always enjoyed!

This is my last Arts a la Carte

submission and I would like to say thank you for the wonderful

opportunity I had teaching here in Westfield for the past 15 years. This

has marked my 30th year in education and I have enjoyed and grown both

professionally and personally. As I

move forward in my new adventures, art will always be a constant. I read a

quote believed to have been stated by Edgar Degas who said “Art is not

what you see, but what you make

others see”. Let us continue on this path and open everyone’s eyes to the

beauty of art!

Have a great summer and I will miss

you!

Music

It’s been a wonderfully musical spring

at Franklin with concerts and special cultural assemblies. Our 5th graders

performed beautifully during their Chorus concert. They were

challenged with complex harmonies

and pieces; there were black lights and kick lines; and there were

advance xylophone pieces performed in canon. Overall, it was a lovely

evening of music with a packed

house that was standing room only.

For the past month our students in

grades 1-4 have been reviewing the instruments of the orchestra and

going further in depth with this concept. Our 3rd graders learned

about sound production through

vibration and kept a weekly diary of the instruments to assist them in

their choosing an instrument for next school year.

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Arts a la Carte June 2018

The 3rd and 4th graders are enjoying

the Osmo kits recently purchased by our PTO. To teach them about coding

and music, the Coding Jam extension

kit works with an app on the iPads. A lot of problem solving is going on

when playing with the Coding Jam blocks as instructions are minimal

and exploration and discovery is

encouraged. The students have created their own jams as they’ve

become familiar with the coding sequence necessary to compose.

This month, the 5th graders sang the national anthem at the beginning of

the Somerset Patriots game on June 14th. This fun night out also featured

the Glee Club singing “God Bless

America” right before the national anthem. It’s one of our favorite

nights as a school community. This year we sold over 350 tickets!

As I begin cleaning up the music room, I want to thank you for all of

your hard work in music class and chorus. You’ve created some

beautiful musical moments

throughout the year, and I’m very proud of all that you’ve accomplished.

I’m looking forward to coming back in the fall with some new ideas and

lessons as I complete my Orff Level 3 training at Villanova this summer.

Have a wonderful and restful

summer!

Jefferson

Elementary

Music

Jefferson Elementary General Music

classes have had a wonderful spring with specific lessons in Tone

color/timbre (May), and form/style (June)!!

First grade topics and songs have

included: “Counting Up The

Dinosaur”, “The Dinosaur Dance”, “Out In The Garden”, “Take Me Out

to the Ballgame”, “The Seventh Inning Stretch”, “Wiggleworm”, “The

Itsy Bitsy Spider”, and “Over In The

Meadow”. The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was discussed.

June’s final project will be the creation of review flowers; with

flower petals representing 18 of the

student’s favorite songs/topics from this year.

Second grade topics and songs have

included: “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, a variety of spring and Patriotic

songs, Ludwig van Beethoven, and a

study of the four instrumental families.

Third grade topics and songs have

included: “America the Beautiful”,

“This Land is Your Land” (composer: Woody Guthrie), “The Color of

Music”, and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. The students had a

wonderful assembly of the instrumental families – giving all third

graders the opportunity to choose an

instrument for 4th grade. Along with the creation of their review flowers,

we also discussed Johann Sebastian Bach.

Fourth graders have finished up their study of Musicals with partner songs

“Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little” /

“Goodnight Ladies”, “Seventy-Six

Trombones” and “The Wells Fargo Wagon” from The Music Man.

Additional topics and songs will

include: “Erie Canal”, “Oklahoma Land Rush”, “The Wreck of the

Edmund Fitzgerald”, “Side By Side”, “The MTA Song”, “The Inchworm”,

and “Stars and Stripes Forever”

(“March King” composer: John Phillip Sousa).

The Fifth grade general music classes

are working to know their key signatures (the Circle of Fifths) and

scales (moveable Do – Do1). We

hope you enjoyed having our favorite rascally pirates back on stage in May;

seeking adventure and treasure on the high seas. “Pirates 2” was

performed on Tuesday, May 22nd in

the Jefferson Auditorium. The band, orchestra and chorus did a GREAT

job! The chorus even gave a special performance of their musical “Pirates

2” for Grandparent’s Day on Wednesday morning, May 23rd. We

would like to thank the really

AWESOME Jefferson School staff and parents for their help and support!!

We will finish out our year with “Animusic 2”; cutting edge computer

animation with digitally created

music.

Have a very happy, healthy summer!!

McKinley

Elementary

Music

The 1st graders at McKinley have been learning about and listening to

“Peter and the Wolf”. Students created little books to show the

characters and their instruments

along with drawing their favorite character in the story.

Page 11

June 2018 Arts a la Carte The 2nd graders at McKinley have

been finishing up their journey with Carnegie Hall’s Listening Adventure

covering all about instruments and

how they produce sound. Students have also been reviewing concepts

they learned all through the year by doing center activities and playing

games.

The 5th graders at McKinley have had

a busy spring performing at their spring concert and the Somerset

Patriots game. Students have also been working on a project to show

how instruments produce sound

where they build their own instruments. Below are a few pictures

of some of their creations. The 5th graders are getting ready to wrap up

the year by singing a few pieces at

graduation on June 20th. It’s been a great year!

Tamaques

Elementary

Art

It’s been an awesome year in the art room at Tamaques School! Everyone

is finishing up their final projects.

The 1st grade students used their

imaginations to invent a unique insect sculpture. They learned to build an

armature with newspaper and masking tape and then learned all

about plastering. They painted their

creations and added wings and legs. They look fantastic and are ready to

fly home!

Second grade students created 2-D cut paper vases and painted tempera

flowers to fill the background space.

They focused on recapping color theory: warm and cool colors, mixing

primaries and secondaries, and tinting colors with white paint.

The 3rd graders are sailing off into summer with paintings of boats and

their reflections on the water. They began with folding their paper to

create a horizon line between sky and

water. Next they created a watercolor wash on their paper, adding salt for

interesting crystallization effects on their backgrounds. Finally, they

painted boats with tempera and folded the paper again to create

reflections of the painted boats in the

water. They are beautiful!

Fourth graders finished up the year learning about three-dimensional

form creating Minions. Their

creativity was shining with this class favorite project! There was an

amazing collection including baby and chef minions, a skier, and a very tall

Celtics basketball minion just to name a few.

The 5th grade students finished up

the year with color theory. They learned about the color wheel and

creating tertiary colors. Applying their

knowledge, they painted concentric circles with a primary, secondary, and

the tertiary that is created when the two are combined. If time permitted,

they filled the negative space of the

paper with zentangle marker patterning. Fabulous!

Have a safe, happy, art-filled summer

vacation!

Music

Tamaques & Washington 4th & 5th Grade Band

Congratulations to both the Tamaques and Washington 4th and

5th grade bands on terrific spring

concerts! Some favorites of the 4th grade program included: Old MacDonald Had a Band, Ode to Joy, Hard Rock Blues, and When the Saints Go Marching In! It was their

first time ever performing, and they should feel very accomplished! Some

favorites from the 5th grade program included: Reason to Rock, Warp Speed, and Let’s Go Band! This is an exciting time of year, as

the 3rd graders decide what instruments they will play next year

in 4th grade. We had Elefante Music professionals visit and perform fun

pop tunes for the 3rd grade, to

demonstrate all the different instruments. The 3rd graders then

got to try their instruments of choice and make their exciting decisions!

A huge Congratulations to the All City Band, Chorus, and Orchestra

members on a fantastic performance!

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Arts a la Carte June 2018

Washington

Elementary

Art

First graders learned all about

animals while creating their giraffe-inspired drawings. Students were

encouraged to draw a giraffe with an extremely detailed background that

would give the viewer more

information about their animal’s environment.

The 2nd graders are learning about

animals from the jungle while

creating their chameleon drawings. Students were encouraged to include

at least three other animals in their drawing and everyone used oil to

blend bright & bold colors together to

create the colorful bodies of their chameleons.

Third graders have been busy

studying optical art while creating their newest art project. Students

created a black & white background

with colored spheres using colored pencils and sharpie markers. A great

emphasis was placed on students using their colored pencils to create a

light, medium and dark shadow that

truly showed a full-color scale on their spheres surface.

The 4th graders have been hard at

work on their own version of an optical art project. Just like 3rd

graders, 4th grade is learning more

about how to properly use light and shadow within a work of art. This is

an important skill required to make a realistic work of art and a skill I'm

hoping they take with them

throughout their K-12 art-making career.

Fifth grade has been learning about &

creating traditional Azulejo tiles from Portugal. Students learned about

how the symmetrical tile designs

were originally inspired by Islamic art. Students also learned about how the

traditional tiles were painted blue with cobalt oxide paint but were free

to add the colors of their choice to

their tiles.

Music

The year is coming to a close in Westfield, and at Washington School,

the music won’t stop until we do! The last few months of the year have

been chock-full of musical

performances and music learning, both in and out of the classroom. In

May, we learned all about how instruments make sounds, whether

they are pitched or unpitched, and

what family they belong to. We had an especially good time in 3rd grade,

where we made up our own Instrument Family Mad Libs to

practice what we learned! In 4th and 5th grade, we also learned to connect

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June 2018 Arts a la Carte the different types of high and low

instruments to the high and low singing parts of the choir.

Washington students were able to see their learning in action a great

deal throughout the month of May. The 5th grade chorus was hard at

work, singing the national anthem at

the Somerset Patriots game on May 11th and then presenting their spring

concert on May 17th! We had a great time taking the field at the Patriots

game, and the chorus’s singing definitely brought the audience to its

feet. Our concert featured crowd

favorites like “The Rainbow Connection” and “Simple Gifts” as

well as a new favorite song all about musical symbols and markings,

“Pardon the Expression.” They

especially liked that song because they got to hold up signs to represent

the expression they were singing about- it was a big hit!

June 6th found the Washington

School 4th and 5h graders at WHS to

hear their friends and classmates of the All-City Chorus, Band, and

Orchestra present the pieces they have been working hard on all spring.

The day and evening concerts were

wonderfully successful, and students loved to hear songs like “Remember

Me” from the movie Coco, “Secret Agent Man” in a fun orchestral

arrangement, and a great band tune

called “Junk Funk” which featured the percussionists taking up trash cans to

add a fun and funky vibe. We were very proud of the twenty-two

students representing Washington School throughout all three

ensembles!

It has been a marvelous year of

music, and I hope that your summers are all full of singing, dancing, playing

instruments, and listening to all the

music that this wonderful area has to offer. I will look forward to hearing all

about it in the fall!

Wilson

Elementary

Art First grade classes enjoyed creating

an owl collage. There are about 180 species of owls worldwide. The

children learned that there are two

groups of owls, barn owls or typical owls. Owls are birds of prey which

means; they hunt other animals for food. This lesson integrated science,

art, and literature.

Second graders in Mrs. Massenzio’s

art classes had a lot of fun using geometric and organic shapes to

create large sized robots. The

students worked diligently to produce some very creative and inventive

designs!

In 3rd grade, students were introduced to Zentangle drawings,

which is an easy-to-learn, relaxing,

and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured

patterns. The children created leaves, and drew either regular or random

repeat motifs. Pattern increases

visual excitement, and enriches surface interest. The results were

impressive!

Fourth grade art classes enjoyed making Mexican inspired folk art

peacocks. Using Model Magic, the

students created colorful, whimsical birds. Folk art is usually created by

indigenous people or craftsmen with no formal artistic training. The

students learned how to mix colors to

create secondary and tertiary colors with Model Magic.

The 5th grade students learned all

about the painted elephants of

Jaipur, India. Elephants decorated with paint and fine cloth, are used in

special ceremonies throughout Asia.

Students created their own decorated elephants like those used in the

spring festival in Jaipur. This lesson

enhanced technical skills such as cutting and pasting. Shape, color,

texture, and pattern are stressed in this lesson. The experience provided

a chance to learn about other

cultures and traditions. Everyone was excited about their finished artwork!

Lincoln

School

Wow! The kindergarteners have had an amazing year creating all different

kinds of art. They started the year making line drawings to the sounds

of “Peter and the Wolf” to guide us.

They learned guided drawing techniques to paint a turkey for

Thanksgiving and learned all about artists like Kandinsky,

Mondrian and Van Gogh. And to top

it all off, we have decorated the gym with hot air balloons for their

Kindergarten Celebration! We have done so much and now these

students are ready to fly off to 1st grade. 

 

Lincoln’s Pre-K artists are just starting out  in their artistic journeys, but I

must say;  there is a lot of talent in these young artists! They love

experimenting with various

techniques and materials. Their creativity astounds me. In Pre-K, we

mainly focus on process art, which is art that uses various tools and media

with a result that is open-ended. These artists work at their own pace

to create art that is satisfying to

them. I love watching these little ones explore. They are ready to

move on up to Kindergarten!

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Arts a la Carte June 2018

Department of Visual & Performing Arts Retirees

Best Wishes for a Happy & Healthy Retirement!

Lincoln School worked very hard preparing for their graduation on

June 15th. Some of their favorite

songs included “Alphabet Soup”, “When I Grow Up”, and “Best Year

Ever”. Students have also been going outside and playing a variety of

music games including one of our

favorites “Instrument Pond”. Students sing the instrument pond

song and pass a frog around to the beat. If the frog lands on them they

get to pick a duck from the pond that says strings, brass, woodwind or

percussion on it. They then have to

correctly name an instrument in that family.

Marie Coveney

Mrs. Coveney has been inspiring the

students of Franklin School for 15

years. She has made art class a peaceful time of engagement and

discovery and has guided students in recognizing their own unique gifts as

artists.

In addition to bringing out the best in

her students, Mrs. Coveney has served as a valuable mentor to many

novice art teachers in the district. She was also involved with the

Character Education Committee in

Franklin School and helped to develop new activities to promote

kindness and respect.

Marie has been an asset to the school and our department and will be

dearly missed! We wish you all the

best as you begin this new chapter in life!

Theodore Hendricks

Mr. Hendricks has worked in this

district for 16 years. His tireless efforts in offering a well-rounded

education to his music students have

not gone unnoticed. His choirs always demonstrated good tone and

often performed in multiple languages with added choreography.

The students really enjoyed their lesson time with Mr. Hendricks. He

had a warm and caring demeanor that kept his students engaged and

enjoying their musical experiences.

Theodore thank you for your genuine

caring and valuable work you have done for your students and our

department. Wishing you all the best in your retirement!

Kristine Smith-Morasso

Mrs. Smith-Morasso has worked in

the Westfield School district for 34 years. She has kept the students

engaged and enjoying their music

education. Her standards are extremely high as evidenced by the

wonderful concerts…. Always an amazing sound!

Mrs. Smith-Morasso has also given of

her time outside the classroom.

Always a team player hosting many district music PLC’s, contributing

valuable information in recruiting and retention in the arts. In addition, she

has also accompanied her colleagues at many elementary school concerts

over the years.

We thank Kris for her hard work and

dedication to her students and our programs. We wish her well as she

enters the wonderful world of retirement!

Congratulations to all Band, Chorus and Orchestra members selected for the

All-City groups. We are proud of you and your fine musical accomplishments!!

Ruth Vincent All City Band Award Kathy Xiang

Franklin School

Ruth Vincent All City Orchestra Award Keaton Shepherd

Wilson School

Drude Sparre Crane All City Vocal Award Kyra Lentzner

Jefferson School

Congratulations to Franklin student, Mila Talati! Winner of the 2018 All City T-Shirt / Program Cover Contest

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June 2018 Arts a la Carte

Best Wishes for a HAPPY, HEALTHY & SAFE Summer!

WESTFIELD COALITION FOR THE ARTS

Dear Westfield Arts Lovers! Fall 2017

The mission of the Westfield Coalition on for the Arts is to act as an advocate for the arts in our schools, including music, fine art, theatre, visual art and dance. We speak out on behalf of the arts and their importance in our schools by raising public awareness of the arts’ programs currently in our schools, supporting the schools when there is no room left in the budget, and encouraging our students’ artistic endeavors. We cannot do this without your support!

We are very fortunate to live in a community that reveres the arts and strongly believes in nourishing the diverse talents of our youth. This community has demonstrated its commitment to the arts’ programs by donating to the Coalition. Once again, last year you generously gave over $20,000 for us to support programs in all of the schools. For instance, with your donations, the Coalition has helped to maintain our robust arts’ programs and implement new programs such as: ★ Purchase of 5 marching baritones for the WHS Marching Band

★ A clinic and performance by the Rutgers Bassoon Ensemble and their leader, Dr. Chris Wickham for WHS Band

★ Entry fees and partial transportation costs for the WHS Concert bands to attend the CJMEA Concert Band

Festival ★ Shared transportation costs for the WHS Jazz band to attend the Holmdel Jazz Festival

★ Music staff-lined white boards for the Wilson School music teachers in conjunction with the Wilson School PTO

★ Purchase of equipment for working with glass for the Edison Intermediate School fine art and craft classes

★ Funds for opera singer, vocal clinician and music educator, Maureen Francis to work with the WHS choirs

★ Funding for heavy-duty storage shelving for musical instruments at Edison Intermediate School

★ Continuing education classes for WHS art teachers

★ Purchase of 3 double French horns for Edison Intermediate School

★ Purchase of a bass rack for WHS orchestra

The Westfield Coalition is an independent, nonprofit, organization, and we depend solely upon the generosity of supporters and parents like you! We hope that you will once again demonstrate your commitment to the arts by making a donation today. With your support we can continue to make sure the arts are protected in our schools and that our children continue to have access to outstanding arts programs, supplies, teachers, and extracurricular offerings. We welcome your feedback or any ideas you have to help us with our mission. You can email us at WestfieldCoalition@yahoo.com, visit our Facebook page and visit our website: www.WestfieldCoalitionForTheArts.weebly.com. Please say you will stand with us as art advocates! DONATE TODAY! Simply return the bottom portion of this letter with your donation to WCA Treasurer, 562 Pierson St, Westfield, NJ 07090. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ~ Margaret Smith, President

Yes, I/we would like to 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 be printed in the Winter & Spring concert programs.

NAME: (as you would like it listed in the programs) _______________________________________________

EMAIL: _____________________________________________PHONE:________________________________

NAME OF WESTFIELD SCHOOL THAT YOUR YOUNGEST CHILD ATTENDS: __________________________

YES, I/we are interested in volunteering for the WCA_____________________________________________

Please make checks payable to the Westfield Coalition for the Arts.