Arts a la Carte Department of Fine Arts December 2011—January 2012

Westfield Public Schools Westfield New Jersey

www.westfieldnjk12.org/finearts

*ALL CONCERTS BEGIN AT 7:30PM unless otherwise noted

Date Place Performance 12/6 WHS EIS 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Chorus & Broadway Singers 12/6 Franklin Band 12/6 Wilson 5th Grade Band & Chorus 12/7 McKinley 5th Grade Band & Chorus 12/7 Washington 5th Grade Band & Chorus 12/8 Franklin Chorus 12/12 RIS 6th & 8th Grade Bands & Orchestras 12/13 RIS 7th Grade Band & Orchestra; Early Morning Orchestra & Jazz Ensemble 12/14 WHS Chamber Orchestra & String Symphony 12/15 RIS 6th, 7th, * 8th Grade Chorus & Sharps & Flats 12/15 Tamaques Band & Chorus 12/19 Jefferson 5th Grade Band & Chorus 12/21 EIS Elementary Advanced Strings 12/22 WHS Choral Concert 12/23 Elem. Schools Auditioned Groups Tour 1/9/12 WHS Instrumental Groups 1/11/12 EIS Symphony Orchestra & Early Morning Orchestra 1/12/12 EIS 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Bands & Jazz Ensemble 2/8/12 EIS Elementary Beginner Strings-4th Grade (MCK, TAM, WIL) 2/9/12 EIS Elementary Beginner Strings-4th Grade (FR, JEF, WASH)

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Arts a la Carte December 2011-January 2012

Westfield

High School Art

The Foundations of Art classes

collaborated on the creation of an

anamorphic perspective chalk drawing on Tuesday, November 8.

The drawing was done in the courtyard outside of cafeteria B at

the high school. It was started during first period and completed

by the end of the school day.

Over 200 students participated in the creation of the drawing, which

was designed by Meghan Pettit, 9th grade, and Sameena Asija, 9th

grade, and is based on techniques

developed during the Renaissance, and made popular by current

artists such as Julian Beever. The drawing will slowly fade over time

as nature gradually washes it

away.

Please consider participating in any of the following fundraisers that will help offset costs of the

Westfield High School Bella Cora and Concert Choir’s Spring Break trip to perform in Austria and

Italy

Through February 2012 – Supermarket Gift Cards WHS Chorus is selling Shoprite and Stop & Shop gift cards. Both

supermarkets are giving 5% of all sales to WHS Chorus. (Order form is available on website below)

Wednesday, 11/30/2011 – Restaurant night at Five Guys

Five Guys (Westfield) will donate 10% of all sales from 4pm to 10pm to WHS Chorus.

Saturday, 12/3/2011 - Westfield Symphony Orchestra

The Westfield Symphony Orchestra has graciously invited Westfield High School’s Bella Cora and Concert Choir to perform in their Home for the Holidays concert. 50% of the ticket sales with code WHS11 will go to sponsor the WHS Chorus for their upcoming trip. (Ticket

ordering information is available on website below)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 & Monday, January 9, 2012 - Restaurant day/night at Chili’s

Chili’s (Clark) will donate 10% of all sales with flyer to the WHS Chorus. (Flyer is available on website below)

Saturday, December 10, 2011 - Poinsettias

Orders for holiday poinsettias will be accepted until December 5, 2011 and delivery will be made to WHS on the morning of December

10th. WHS Chorus will receive 50% of all sales.

Saturday, January 7, 2012 – Christmas Tree Disposal WHS Chorus members will pick up and dispose of Christmas trees for Westfield families for $10. (Information is available on website below)

Friday, February 3, 2012 – Dinner Theater

WHS Chorus will host a dinner theater event at the Westfield High School with performances, food and prizes. Donations welcome.

(Ticket information will be able on website below soon)

For more information/flyers and to order tickets/reserve/participate on these fundraising events, please go to Mr. Brzozowski’s WHS

website – http://www.westfieldnjk12.org/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=2

214&

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December 2011-January 2012 Arts a la Carte

In Mrs. Jarvis & Mrs. Hatzikyriakou's Foundations of Art

classes, students have been busy continuing to develop their

observational drawing skills by studying the art elements line,

texture, and value. The

exploration of these elements have allowed students to create highly

realistic renderings of still-life compostions. Students have also

found connections between math,

science, and art through the study of one point perspective. By

completing drawings of interior spaces, students have learned how

to put a 3 dimensional quality in

2D art.

Drawing students are moving right

along learning traditional academic

drawing skills. They recently added sighting to their repertoire and are

creating pieces incorporating layers of seeing from rapid light

gestures to controlled comparative

measurements. They have begun to use sighting tools to find plumb

lines and horizontal scans for spatial relationships and

proportions. Their diverse use of line sensitivity is wonderful to see.

Composition students are working

on acrylic paintings. They are first

studying basic geometric solids to understand how light fall across a

form. Later they can relate this

information to everything they see and paint. They continue to work

on brush time, as they become familiar with mixing paint,

quantities of paint and paint application to a gessoed and toned

surface. They have been working

on value massing and starting to understand how the Principles of

Design relate to creating more solid, compositionally intriguing

works of art. Their handmade

sketchbooks containing many of their studies will be in the art show

in May. Craft classes at Westfield High

School are learning about the difference between recycling and

up-cycling. Up-cycling is the term

used when the artist takes items that would normally be thrown

away and incorporates them into their work, in other words, turning

trash into treasure. With the

guidance of art teachers Leah Jarvis, Amanda Hatzikyriakou and

Lauren Schwarzenbek, students are learning how to create

beautiful artwork out of garbage.

Students were told to save old magazines, clothing tags, shopping

bags, junk mail, etc to use as inspiration for the project. Each

student had to brainstorm a theme and then begin creating.

Several students in Lauren

Schwarzenbek’s Crafts classes

have decided to donate their hand knit or crocheted scarves to

soldiers currently stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. When Mrs.

Schwarzenbek’s brother, Platoon

Sergeant Frank Schwartzberg, was serving in Iraq, her classes sent

over the scarves as holiday gifts to show the troops how much they

were appreciated. Not only were the scarves a reminder to the

soldiers that we are all still

thinking about them, they also came in handy during sand storms.

In Ceramics students have learned how to utilize a slab-rolling method

to complete several different projects - tiles, plates, and

containers to name a few.

Creating all original work, students are designing functional and

decorative pieces by both carving away and adding on clay. Next

up, students will be learning about

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Arts a la Carte December 2011-January 2012

the ancient history of pottery making through the study

of vessels and techniques that are thousands of years old.

Music

The WHS Choral Department has

been very busy this fall with some wonderful music events. The Bella

Cora and Concert Choir attended a trip to Westminster Choir College

on October 28 where the students observed a Westminster

Symphonic Choir rehearsal of the

Brahms Requiem under the baton of Dr. Miller. On November 9, the

Chorale Choraleers, WHS’s premier chamber chorus, performed solo

and group numbers for the

Womens Club of Westfield at Echo Lake Country Club. Additionally, on

December 7 Concert Choir will be performing at Mid-Day Musicales

at the Congregational Church of Westfield.

One of the most exciting events

this year is a trip to Austria and

Italy scheduled for spring break 2012! Bella Cora and Concert Choir

will be touring the cities of Vienna, Salzburg, Venice, and Florence.

The singers will be performing in

cathedrals and castles alongside other choral groups from around

the world. A notable highlight will include touring the home of WA

Mozart.

In preparation for this exciting trip, the Choral Department - along

with the help of generous parental and community support - have

scheduled a variety of fundraisers to offset the cost of the trip for the

students. The parent fundraising

committee for the WHS Choir Department has organized many

fundraising events. Anyone interested in finding more

information about how they can

help can go to the WHS Choral website at

http://www.westfieldnjk12.org/education/staff/staff.php?sectionid=22

14&.

The Westfield Symphony Orchestra has graciously invited the student

singers to perform in the Home for the Holidays concert that will take place on Saturday, December 3 at

the Westfield Presbyterian church. Anyone interested in purchasing

tickets to the concert and allowing

50% of their ticket cost to go towards the choir may go to

Westfieldsymphony.org for more information.

Westfield had 7 students accepted

into the NJMEA All State Mixed Honor Choir. These singers

performed in Atlantic City at the

NJEA Teacher’s Convention on November 11 as well as NJPAC on

November 20.

On December 17, members of the Concert Choir will be attending a

reading of Charles Dicken’s classic story, A Christmas Carol at the

Baptist Church on Elm Street.

Students will be singing carols in between readings of the chapters.

The night will be music-directed by former WHS Choral Director, Mr.

Bill Mathews with readings by WHS

teacher and Project ’79 coordinator, Mr. Peter Horn.

All of the ensembles have been

preparing diligently for their winter

holiday concert that will take place on December 22nd. A highlight will

be a collaboration between the WHS Symphony Orchestra and

Concert Choir, with the students performing Gloria by John Rutter

and Hallelujah by LV Beethoven.

Hope to see you there!

The Westfield High School Marching Blue Devils have had an

extremely successful 2011 season. The band finished 6th at the U.S.

Scholastic Band Association’s New Jersey State Championships held

at Union High School on November

5th. The band finished with a score of 91.95 amongst a very

competitive group of bands. The band capped off a great

competitive season by traveling to

Orlando Florida as a feature performing ensemble at Disney’s

Magic Music Day’s parade down famous Main St. in the Magic

Kingdom. The band performed for

thousands of people who lined the streets for the parade. The band

will perform in the Homecoming Parade and Home Football game

on Thanksgiving Day before wrapping up their 2011

performance commitments. The

band would like to thank the Westfield administration and Band

Parent Association for their continued support.

The WHS Wind Ensemble and

Concert Band will give their Winter Concert on January 9th at 7:30 pm

in the High School Auditorium. The

Concert Band will be performing works by Karl King, Marco Pütz,

James Swearingen, and Claude T. Smith. The Wind Ensemble will be

performing works by Vaughan

Williams, Johannes Hanssen, Norman Dello Joio, Steven Bryant,

as well as Franz von Suppé. Both bands have been working

extremely hard to prepare these

challenging programs and they

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December 2011-January 2012 Arts a la Carte

hope to see a good turnout for what is sure to be a great concert

on January 9.

Auditions are currently taking place for the Westfield High School Jazz

Ensembles. The jazz bands will debut at an added concert

scheduled for Sunday March 18th

at 3 pm, which will include the Concert ensembles presenting

their NJMEA festival programs as well performances by both jazz

ensembles. Possible performances for 2012 include the Princeton Jazz

Festival, The Mongtomery High

School Jazz Festival, and the J.P. Stevens High School Jazz Festival.

Dates for these events are still being finalized.

The WHS Chamber Orchestra and

Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mr. Raymond Wojcik

will be in concert on Wednesday, December 14th at 7:30 PM in the

WHS auditorium. The Chamber

Orchestra will perform Johann Strauss’ Overture to “Die

Fledermaus”, “Serenade“ for strings by Elgar, and John

Williams’ “Air and Simple Gifts”. The full Symphony Orchestra will

perform “Procession of the Nobles”

by Rimsky-Korsakov, the first movement from Dvorak’s

“Symphony No. 9” (from the “New World”), Borodin’s “On The

Steppes of Central Asia” and

Gershwin’s “An American in Paris”. The Chamber Orchestra will also

collaborate with the WHS Concert Choir in works by Rutter, Berlioz,

and Beethoven on December 22.

Roosevelt

Intermediate

Art

Mr. Thompson's 7th grade classes are finishing up the marking period

doing watercolor pencil insect illustrations. Our objective is to

improve our drawing skills through observation. Students are using

tons of reference material to draw

their insects as realistically as possible, carefully noting

proportion and shape. They will then finish their illustrations with

fantastical designs using

watercolor pencils.

Mr Thompson's 8th grade class has

just finished a very successful still

life project using "counterchange", the art of creating a checkerboard

effect of contrasting colors where one area crosses over another. As

you can see from the photo, the

results are stunning. Eighth graders have just started a very

green sculpture project entirely constructed of recycled cardboard.

We looked and discussed the art of

Louis Nevelson for ideas and inspiration.

Mrs. Cohen's 6th and 7th grade classes will begin the new marking

period with a still life drawing- they then will create their design for the

square one fundraiser!!!! Every

piece of artwork will be made into a set of "free" stickers for each

student!!

Mrs Cohen's 8th grade students will continue to work on their

enlargement drawing project and then they will be starting their clay

creations. They will sculpt a room (real or imaginary), make furniture

for it out of clay, and use fabric and other materials to enhance

their creation!!!

In Mr. Greenwood’s 6th grade

classes students are finishing up first quarter projects. This year the

students created artworks based on the artists Georgia O’Keeffe and

Vincent Van Gogh. 6th grade students also created figure study

pieces using abstract techniques

developing figures in motion. Inspired by the October snow fall,

students created winter watercolor scenes. This was balanced out by

seeking warmth making fantasy

tropical fish paintings and sculptures. In Mr. Greenwood’s 8th

grade classes Students created Fall still life drawings of pumpkins and

gourds. The emphasis was on

color development and contrast as half or each drawing was divided

between color and black and white. 8th grade students took on

current events topics with a mixed media collage while learning about

the artist Robert Rauschenberg.

8th grade students next developed winter watercolor paintings and

illustrations of New York City. Lastly this first quarter the 8th

grade students have been

preparing for an art history quiz based on selected famous

artworks.

Music & Drama

The bands at Roosevelt are excited

to perform in this year’s holiday

concerts! Our first performance is on Monday December 12 at 7PM.

This concert will feature 6th and 8th grade bands performing along with

the 6th and 8th grade orchestras. Some of the composers you will

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Arts a la Carte December 2011-January 2012

hear include Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Dvorak, and Feldstein.

Please come out and support our children as they perform holiday

themed selections along with standards from the classical music

repertoire.

On Tuesday December 13 at 7PM

the 7th grade band and the RIS Jazz Ensembles will be performing

along side the 7th grade orchestra and the Early Morning Orchestra.

This night you will hear plenty of holiday favorites, as well as the

music of Johann Sebastian Bach

and jazz composer Vince Guaraldi. Audience members will also have

the opportunity to see two jazz big bands- The Accidentals and

Morning Jazz. These two groups

will be performing in a variety of styles, including swing, jazz waltz,

samba, gospel rock, and popular music. It’s a must see!

The Accidentals will have another

performance on December 23rd when they travel to Franklin,

Washington, and Wilson Elementary schools. During this

tour current RIS musicians have an opportunity to play in front of their

old teachers and principals, as well

as for some of their younger siblings! The audience at the

elementary schools is always fantastic, and the students are

given a chance to see some of the

musical opportunities they will have when they reach middle

school. It’s a wonderful send off for Christmas break!

In our next issue, we’ll talk about

some of the exciting projects the RIS bands will be beginning after

the New Year. We will also talk

about upcoming performances for our jazz bands in the early spring.

Until then, stay groovy and have a wonderful holiday season!

At RIS The Eighth Grade chorus as well as the Sharps and Flats made

their performance debut at the annual Veterans Day Assembly.

Both groups sounded great and added to the day of honoring our

veterans. Now the groups are

focusing on their Holiday Concerts in December. The Eighth Grade

Chorus has been learning Key Signatures and building Major

scales. We are focused on singing

all three types of Minor Scales and they are doing a great job.

Seventh Graders are also

preparing for their performances while focusing on rhythm work.

We have been labeling various rhythm figures which helps them

learn music quicker. They are also

doing a great job learning and singing three part vocal music.

Sixth Graders have been learning

various vocabulary words to speak

more like musicians as well as learning how to approach learning

a piece of vocal music. They are a great group this year and we are

having a blast. I am sure the Holiday Concert Season will be fun

for all

The Drama Competition Club will

be participating in The Rumson Country Day School Forensic

Festival on Saturday, March 19th. They will be competiting in

Declamation, Dramatic Scenes and Storytelling. There are 21

students from RIS and the High

School attending the festival! Good Luck team!

Edison

Intermediate

Art

December will be an exciting month for Fine Arts students at

EIS in Mrs. Frees and Mr. Black's Class. They are collaborating on a

Diego Rivera inspired mural on the lockers in the hallway showing

events in recent history, and

influential political figures and issues of the USA. The students

will be visiting the Museum of Modern Art to see a show of Diego

Rivera Paintings and also the work

of Willem deKooning. The students have been drawing from

life beginning with skull drawings, self portraiture and working also

on a large grid drawing painting in the style of Pop Art. The students

have been preparing for the mural

through their life drawing lessons, and creative drawing exercises.

Crafts students have been making

use of grinders and glasscutting machines from a generous grant

for the Coalition for the Arts and

fundraising from the EIS art department. Students in 8th grade

crafts have been making fused glass tiles. They are truly enjoying

this exciting medium. At the Art Educators Conference Mr. Black

and Mrs. Frees went to a workshop

on felting with alpaca fiber. The students first worked on a

bookmark using needle felting. Then they created pumpkins out of

the fiber as seen in the pictures

below. The students enjoyed trying this new medium.

Sixth grade students worked on acrylic paintings exploring the

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December 2011-January 2012 Arts a la Carte

basic elements of art: color, line, shape, space and texture to create

abstract works of art. The students learned about the

Expressionism and Abstract Expressionsm movement during

this lesson. They truly enjoyed

working on this mixed media project with the addition of yarn,

carboard and other found objects. They all felt very successful with

their finished projects.

Seventh and Sixth grade students

are learning about weaving in

different forms. They are making twined baskets (Mrs. Frees gave a

presentation on this method at the Art Educators Conference with

Mrs. Alison Hooper-Korkuch from

Mckinley). The students created a weaving in the round to create a

vessel. They loved the method and found it to be a relaxing way

to express themselves. Both Seventh and sixth grade students

are creating recylced magazine coil

baskets to try another method of weaving.

At Edison Intermediate School, Ms. Wolff has been stressing the

importance of creating contour line

drawings as a way to develop ones drawing skills. In some of the

lessons she teaches, the students first create blind contour line

drawings, which means they are

not allowed to look at their paper while they draw. This forces their

brain to draw what they actually see, not what they think is there.

Some students feel uncomfortable not being able to look at their

paper, but Mrs. Wolff reminds

them that it’s just an exercise that helps to develop hand-eye

coordination.

Contour line drawing is so important, because it truly helps

an artist to accurately depict what they see in their everyday life. It

can be seen as an exercise that gets students away from drawing

symbols, to drawing a more realistic object or person. Ms.

Wolff reminds the students that

practice is what helps to develop ones artistic talent, and it doesn’t

come overnight. She also explains that even artists like Leonardo

DaVinci used contour line drawing

as an exercise to become a better artist.

Music & Drama

The Eighth grade Strings will join the EIS Choirs in concert on

December 6th at the WHS

auditorium at 7:30 PM. On January 11th at 7:30 PM, the 6th, 7th, and

8th grade orchestras at EIS will also join in the celebration of John

Williams’ eightieth birthday with music from “Harry Potter”, as well

as music by Tchaikowsky, Soon

Yee Newbold, and Handel.

The bands at Edison are in preparation for the upcoming

concert season. With over 220 students in the band program, it is

the largest group of performers

that we have had. The first concert performances for the

bands will be on January 12th when all four of the performing

groups –Jazz Ensemble, 6th Grade Band, 7th Grade Band and Concert

Band—will be on display.

The EIS award winning Concert

Band has already had the opportunity for performing when

they played a medley of patriotic tunes for the annual Veteran’s Day

assembly.

The Jazz ensemble will be traveling to the south side elementary

schools on December 23rd for their

annual holiday tour as well as to

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Arts a la Carte December 2011-January 2012

the Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast in March.

The EIS Eighth Grade Chorus and

the Concert Band recently performed at Edison School's

annual Veterans Day assembly, held on Friday, November 4th. The

Chorus, under the direction of

Kristine Smith-Morasso, performed several pieces, including a medley

of the service songs of the Armed Forces, which was accompanied by

photographs of veterans who are relatives of Edison staff and

students. The Concert Band, Under

the Direction of Dr. David Shapiro, performed patriotic marches and a

medley of patriotic music. The assembly also featured a Marine

Color Guard unit from Red Bank

and a speech by former Edison teacher John D'Andrea.

The EIS grade-level choruses, as

well as the Broadway Singers, are busy preparing for their Winter

Holiday concert, to be presented on Tuesday, December 6th at 7:30

PM. The concert will be held at

Westfield High School. The Broadway Singers will also perform

at the Westfield Recreation Department Holiday Concert, to be

held at Edison School on

Wednesday, December 14th.

The "Creating Opera" class has been busy learning about the art

of opera and the methods used to create an original work. They will

begin shortly to create the story that will eventually become a fully

staged production in the spring.

Students at EIS are excited about

the upcoming auditions for this year’s Spring Musical, Cinderella.

Auditions will be held during the first week of January. Actors,

singers and dancers will learn about the audition process at an

information meeting on November

22nd. The play will be produced

during the third week in March. Details will be forthcoming in the

next Arts ala Carte edition.

Franklin

Elementary

The Art students at Franklin School

are busy exploring and creating

with a variety of media.

The 1st Grade students just completed a self portrait using

crayon. Mirrors and observations assisted them with the placement

of their facial features. The end result was a success and proved to

be a wonderful tool for awareness.

The 2nd Grade students worked

with permanent markers. They learned the term "cropped". An

animal face was drawn, cropped and placed within a background.

This background was divided into puzzle pieces. Patterns of warm

and cool colors filled in each shape

and colors were explored and could be seen.

The 3rd Grade students used many

a texture to create a symmetrical

Indian mask. Feathers, beans and patterned paper added to the

whole experience. A good understanding of how texture can

be used in a project to create

interest was a highlighted moment.

The 4th Grade students were busy

painting using tempera and India Ink. Values were first discussed

and then drawn using a pencil. A still life was set up and through

observation, a painting was

created. Warm and cool colors could be seen and success was

had by all.

5th grade students at Franklin

School learned about Native

American art, in particular, about the Plains Indians. They learned

about the process of how shields were made and used. The symbols

painted on the shield, the feathers,

tassels, and other ornamentation, all had symbolic meaning. The rich

and colorful history of the Sioux Indians was further brought to life

as Mrs. Massenzio related some

stories about when she lived and taught on the Pine Ridge Indian

reservation in South Dakota. Students enjoyed a chance to

express their individual creativity when they painted and decorated

their own 3- dimensional shields.

SURPRISE!!! Did you go to this year’s Book Fair at Franklin? If

you did, you were probably thrilled

by the flash mob that opened this year’s fair. As people tried to

make their way through the packed gym to buy their books, a

beat in the background began out of nowhere. Before you knew it,

the fourth and fifth graders began

singing and dancing amidst the unsuspecting families. The song

“Dynamite” was rewritten by Mr. Geyer with lyrics that got more

students to the book fair this year,

because “they put their nose into a book each day, saying Ay-O.

Gotta read-O!”

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December 2011-January 2012 Arts a la Carte

In second grade, the students

have been practicing their rhythms through dictation and games.

They’ve also been singing a

number of fun holiday songs and will continue their note reading

throughout December. The third graders are also working on new

rhythms and notes and just recently discovered their mystery

rhythm the sixteenth note.

As the holiday season approaches,

the fourth graders will continue to sing songs of the season but in

harmony this year. They’ve studied different ways to create

harmony and are tackling it

through their singing beautifully.

Already exposed to this concept, the fifth graders will present their

chorus holiday concert this

December 8th through a variety of two part songs, rounds, and

partner songs. The Glee Club will also sing at this concert along with

another concert for the Women’s Club of Westfield in December,

and a caroling trip with the

Student Council later on in the month.

McKinley

Elementar

y

The students in the first grade at the McKinley

School were introduced to a Cityscape, a picture of a

city. They viewed photographs and paintings

of famous artist’s

interpretations of a city and identified the many

building shapes and styles. Using Color sticks

and crayons, the children

designed their own imaginary cities and

added water color washes to fill in the background

and sky.

The children in the second

grade used their Art time

to build a Tabby Weaving. Each student began this

project by creating a paper weaving for

practice. They learned the

appropriate language used by weavers including loom

(the surface to weave on), warp (the vertical strings) and weft (the

weaving strings). Afterwards, the students graduated to a more

challenging medium – felt. Once

their felt weaving was complete, each student used found objects to

stamp colorful patterns on top of their finished fabric designs.

3rd grade students started a project which incorporated a

RADIAL Design. A radial design is one which begins in the center and

radiates to the outside edges. Using rulers, compasses and

templates, the children were busy

Jefferson Artists Display Their Work

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Arts a la Carte December 2011-January 2012

creating original Radial Designs that were symmetrical as well as

eye-catching.

Exploring the artist within, the fourth grade students had the

opportunity to learn about Abstract Expressionism. This type of art,

made famous by artists such as

Jackson Pollock and William DeKooning, introduced the concept

of allowing the artist to “express” themselves freely with paint on

canvas. Each McKinley artist was able to experiment with the

application of paint to create 4

miniature paintings which revealed their own unique, personal style.

The art of shadow to create the illusion of space and depth on a

flat surface has been practiced by

artists for centuries.

The children in the fifth grade used a contour line to render a simple

Still Life object. Once the initial drawing was complete, the object

was brought to life by using pencil to shade and highlight the outer

edges. A blending tool, called a

tortillion, was used to blend the pencil smoothly to give the illusion

of a curved object on a flat piece of paper.

Congratulations to McKinley

students Anthony Maldonado,

Elaina Jones and Greta McLaughlin who had their art work selected to

be displayed at the annual New Jersey Teacher’s Association

(NJEA) conference in Atlantic City on November 10th and 11th. Only

75 pieces of art were chosen this

year to represent the Art Educator’s of New Jersey (AENJ)

efforts to promote the visual arts.

The fourth graders at McKinley are continuing to work on rhythms.

After performing the raps that they had written, they were able to

watch the video of the performance and critique what

they liked and what they may have

changed if they could perform it again. The last few weeks have

been full of rhythm games where students are able to clap and say

rhythms and also write down the

rhythm that they heard. Students are about to start learning how to

conduct and have been singing songs in different time signatures

that will go along with their conducting. Over the next few

months they will be learning

about music from around the world, music from different parts

of the United States, famous composers, and how to read music

throughout the year! The last two months have been

very busy for the 5th grade students at McKinley. In class

students wrote stories that went along with different selections of

music. The students had to have a beginning middle and end, that

corresponded with 3 different

contrasting musical pieces. After the students wrote, and illustrated

their stories, they had the opportunity to share the stories

with a 2nd grade class. The 5th graders have also been working

very hard in Chorus for the concert coming up on December 7th. They

have been busy preparing and memorizing songs, working on

dramatic expressions, and making

the winter concert very exciting for all the family and friends who will

be attending.

Tamaques

Elementary

The Tamaques art room was recently transformed at lunchtime

to host a holiday card making

project to spread seasonal cheer to the brave men and women serving

in our troops overseas. Students eagerly gave up their recess time

to cut, glue, and paste for the extraordinary cause! A special

thanks to all of the moms who

donated supplies and their time to facilitate the project!!

The third grade students have just

completed “artrageous” hats!!! After learning various methods of

construction and paper manipulation, students assembled

creative “thinking caps” adorned

with beads, buttons and macaroni!! They also made

wooden frames to highlight a class photo of everyone in their

artrageous hats!!

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December 2011-January 2012 Arts a la Carte

Fifth grade students are finishing

up the line drawing portion of their self-portraits. They are looking

forward to shading their

magnificent creations with oil pastel and watercolors.

Along with Art Teacher Lauren

Schwarzenbek and First Grade Teacher Mary Montes, two classes

at Tamaques Elementary School had the amazing creative

experience of painting the fences

for the new garden right outside of the school. The students in Mrs.

Montes’ class and Mrs. Eisen’s class got the opportunity to use

their artistic skills while painting

flowers on the fence using hand prints, sponges and q-tips.

Tamaques School's 5th Grade

Band is also preparing for their December 15th 5th grade Chorus

and Band Holiday program.

Selection's include the Jingle Bell Tones, Jingle Bells, Joyous Chanukah, My Dreydl, Ode to Joy and many other seasonal

favorites. Come and enjoy the music!!! The Tamaques Holiday

concert begins at 7:30 PM and is

held in the Tamaques School Gym.

At Tamaques School, students have celebrated the fall holidays

with song while learning something new every day about

music. The 1st and 2nd grades have enjoyed various music

games, activities, and songs that

include solo singing, learning new musical terms, and playing various

classroom instruments. The 3rd grade has been taking the next

step with sight reading rhythms,

notes on the staff, and understanding musical symbols.

The 4th grade has been hard at work practicing and singing their

solfege syllables, while the 5th

grade has been rehearsing for their Winter Concert which

includes Holiday, Velvet Shoes, Simu Shemen, Silver Bells, and

Snow, Snow, Beautiful Snow. The Winter Concert for Tamaques

School will be held on Thursday

December 15th. In the coming months, students will continue to

develop their understanding of music notation, learn about some

influential musical composers, and

maybe become composers themselves!

Washington

Elementary

The Washington School artists are

continuing in their creativity. The first grade students recently

completed a collage still life project. They carefully observed

different fruits before drawing

them on colorful paper. These were then cut out and arranged

onto a uniquely designed background. Everyone is excited

about the yummy results. This group will soon be learning all

about the art of the Ancient

Egyptians. We can wait to see all the mummies, pyramids, and

hieroglyphics that will be recreated in the most interesting of ways.

The second grade artists are

studying the art of Asia. They have painted cherry trees using

ancient Sumi techniques with real

bamboo brushes. It was so much fun to use the same process that

has been around for more than 1000 years! Recently they also

designed a special fish. This

animal was created out of paper and next it will be made with clay.

They will be "swimming" all around the school in no time.

Children in third grade are working

very hard to complete portraits inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

This famous artist used plants and

foods to form faces. These clever portraits have been both humorous

and challenging to make.

Fourth grade students have been learning all about abstraction.

They have begun to put this

creative twist on portraits, landscapes, and shape designs. It

has been fun to take ideas from reality and change them into

completely original works of art.

The artists in fifth grade are studying proportion. It is very

difficult to draw the human figure

with the proper measurements, but everyone has been working

very hard to make people and faces in the most accurate way

possible. They are all very proud of this major accomplishment.

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Arts a la Carte December 2011-January 2012

Washington School's 5th Grade Band members are hard at work

preparing for the December 7th 5th Grade Band and Chorus

Holiday program. Selections include Holiday Sampler, Bring On Da Band, Joyous Chanukah and

many other seasonal favorites. The program begins at 7:00 PM in the

Washington School gym.

Wilson

Elementary

Wilson School’s first grade

students are learning about the

role of an illustrator, and how literature and art are integrated.

After listening to a story that Mrs. Massenzio read to them, the

classes saw first-hand how illustrations enhance a story. In

keeping with the story, the

children created large size whimsical dogs. The children were

encouraged to write their own stories about their canine

creations.

Mrs. Massenzio’s second grade

classes created impressive 3-dimensional butterflies. Using

mixed media, the children learned that the wings of a butterfly are

symmetrical and have symmetrical patterns on them. Did you know

that there are over 20,000 species

of butterflies?

Leaps & Bounds students at Wilson School explored the creative

process as they made picture frames and decorated them, using

a variety of colors, textures, and shapes. Color and shape

recognition, counting, and strengthening fine motor skills

were all incorporated in this fun lesson. The Leaps and Bounds

have completed life sized self-

portraits!! They used paint brushes, experimental painting

tools, fabric, yarn, scissors and glue to create unique portraits.

Each portrait is sitting on top of a

swing that hangs from a tree branch outside of Ms. Flynn’s

classroom!! Stop by and take a look!!

Wilson School fourth grade

students are finishing up their unit on one point perspective. They

studied Salvador Dali’s

“Persistence of Memory” and then created Surreal inspired

landscapes.

The fifth grade students have

begun their unit on self-portraits.

They will critique master works of art by Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo,

and Leonardo Da Vinci to compare and contrast styles of portraiture

before deciding how render their

own likeness.

The first graders at Wilson School

are hungry for Thanksgiving! In a

special song, "Take a Turkey Out to Lunch," we discussed where

we'd like to take a Turkey out to eat. The restaurant list included

Vicky's Diner, Five Guys Burger

and Fries, Ferraro's, Emma's Pizza, and Xocolate. We definitely have

some foodies in the first grade!

They will soon be discovering the different Instrument Families:

Brass, Strings, Woodwind, and Percussion. We will be exploring

these instruments in an interactive book called "The House on Melody

Street" as well as a children's

classic by Sergei Prokofiev, "Peter and the Wolf."

Second graders are checking to

see if any Turkeys are following them home from school! That's

because our song "A Turkey Followed Me Home" is on their

minds. But they're not too sure

where they can hide their feathered friends if they decide to

come home with them, especially during the week of Thanksgiving!

This fast-paced ditty has got

second grade thinking about Tempo, which tells us the speed of

music. Some Tempo Markings include Allegro (fast), Andante

(walking speed), and Adagio

(slow). I wonder how fast they'll be able to sing this song once

Thanksgiving rolls around!

The third graders are diving into Music Ace and learning about the

Treble Clef Staff. With all of their note-knowledge from last year,

putting notes on the staff has been

a snap! Just like their fellow Wilson Schoolmates, third grade is

feeling thankful as well with the song "I Like Thanksgiving." They

are also buttoning up their coats and pulling on their gloves "For the

Winter," a jazzy tune that sets the

mood for the upcoming chilly season.

Lincoln

School

November was a busy month for the Lincoln School artists! We

began with colorful Scarecrows

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December 2011-January 2012 Arts a la Carte

which were decorated with mismatched patterns and patches

(photo). The next project was to build a special Pilgrim Hat to wear

during the Class room Feasts where the children celebrated the

first Thanksgiving between the

Native Americans and the Pilgrims.

The Lincoln School children ended the month by learning how to

manipulate Model Magic clay to create a three- dimensional Terrific

Turkey.

October and November have

proved to be exciting musical

months at Lincoln. The Preschoolers have learned to sing

a variety of Halloween and Thanksgiving songs such as 5 Little

Pumpkins and 5 Silly Turkeys. They have also listened to different

musical books and helped create

sound effects that go along with our story.

The Kindergarteners at Lincoln

have been busy learning about the different Instrument Families and

Peter and the Wolf. They are learning how to identify musical

instruments by their sounds,

decided if the sound they are listening to is high or low, loud or

soft etc. After learning about all of our instruments we have started

learning the musical story of Peter and the Wolf. The students were able to listen to all the different

sounds that go with all of the characters and were able to

identify the sound with the character on a fun coloring

worksheet. The next few months hold more exciting musical lessons,

which include The Nutcracker, famous composers, and more

musical reading.