Here are some of the exciting things that have happened in our Fine, Practical, and Performing Arts classes during the month of May as well as some exciting upcoming activities!
Mrs. Blanchard – RHS Vocal Instructor
- The Concert Choir and Select Choir had an extremely successful spring concert on Thursday, 5/04. Both groups performed a variety of pieces. Some highlights of the evening include synchronized clapping to Yo le Canto, Alexandra Tasev’s solo in Great Day, and the combined wind ensemble and choir piece Dream On. Students will have another opportunity to perform solos and small group acts at the Evening of the Arts. In addition, the Concert Choir will be competing at the High Note Festival.
Mr. Brigante – UMS Instrumental Instructor
- Over the months of May and June, select UMS Band students will be playing percussion at a variety of concerts, attending the Bergen County Teen Arts Festival, playing with a professional group at the Rutherford Multicultural Festival, attending the High Note Music Festival and playing in the Memorial Day Parade.
Ms. Cafiero – RHS Foods and Nutrition Instructor
- The Foods courses are currently working on the dessert unit, where they are learning about the different classification, baking techniques, and ingredient components for cookies, cakes and pies. Each class has been making desserts from each section of the unit, while maintaining safety and utilizing the scientific principles that go into the art of baking. Some of their creative designs will be displayed at the Festival of the Arts. We will finish our semester with dairy and eggs.
- The Fitness through Nutrition courses are finishing up the six major nutrients, which include carbohydrates, protein, lipids, vitamins, minerals and water. Students were able to identify key components for each of these nutrients and how the types of foods and beverages they consume can affect their health. Students have been completing great tasting food labs based on the specific nutrient being covered, while always keeping calorie and fat content to meet dietary standards. We will finish our semester with sports nutrition, body image, and eat disorders.
Mrs. Grillo – RHS Fine Arts Instructor
- Basic Drawing and Design 1 focuses on negative and positive space as students work hard to complete their negative space still life projects. Students had to use visual problem solving skills to create a composition that engages both positive and negative space dynamically, using sharpie, pencil, and colored pencil to develop the information in a way that clearly defines their image for the viewer. Since we introduced colored pencil at this level in a basic way, we are going to further develop concepts of color, including hue, tint, tone, and contrast in a final collage project. To begin, students will move away from observational drawings from life and even original photographs taken by students themselves in order to learn how to use online reference photos and manipulate it into something original. Once students have found their references and sketched out changes, they will begin to collage small pieces of found color (from magazines) to recreate the image. The first part of this project aims to guide them in learning how to appropriate an image they did not take so the final work goes beyond mere duplication. The second part of the project engages their visual comprehension as they analyze color, space, and shape within the work.
- Basic Drawing and Design 2 students are concluding their portrait unit with an in depth colored pencil project of an “extreme close-up” of themselves or someone they know. This portion of the unit involves their first in depth look at color as it involves layering undertones and overtones while working with light and shadow to recreate the form. Students learned how to use/blend blues and purples to enhance their darker tones of umber and black, as well as how to layer light tones with golden yellows and reds to achieve a skin tone. Analyzing and applying color in this way is a useful foundational skill, especially for students who plan to advance in their high school art career. At the conclusion of the portrait unit, students will segue to the theme “From the hand’s perspective” where they will photograph a scene with the hand(s) as the focal point in foreshortened perspective. They will recreate this image in pastels as their final project.
- AP Studio Art students have concluded a portfolio of 24 works of art at the advanced level. Students are now preparing for the Festival of the Arts, the annual show that displays the school’s body of work. As the students prepare their personalized displays, one senior is creating a solo art show to be displayed in the Guidance office as the featured artist. These same students are also preparing an interactive canvas with the intention of involving the Rutherford community in making art as experience. Once the art show passes, students will be focusing on creating their own artist website. At the conclusion of the course, students will present their websites.
- Photography 2 has concluded their Hockney unit and are in the process of developing two independent shoots, each aiming to achieve composition and content clearly and with skill. The first photoshoot is their sports themed shoot, where students are tasked to capture portrait, action, and product. The second shoot, entitled “Five Senses” where students will stage/create a depiction of each of the five senses. Students are also simultaneously scoring and folding their accordion landscapes as students prepare work for the art show. Once complete, students will begin the next and final unit, incorporating film using the Pentax K1000 SLR, known to be one of the best learning cameras because it includes everything one does need and nothing one doesn’t. Alongside the film shoot, students will be learning about historical photographers in order to imitate concept in their works. This includes the work of Barbara Kruger in the “Make a Statement” project and Cindy Sherman in the “Unselfie” project.
Mr. Kinne – RHS Instrumental Instructor
- The RHS Band and Choir Concert was May 4th! The concert was wonderful. This is a talented group of students who truly worked together to create a beautiful program.
- AP Music Theory spent April reviewing and studying for the AP exam. The students just took the AP test yesterday and are recovering nicely 😉
Ms. Klubeck – UMS Fine Arts Instructor
- Klubeck’s art classes at Union School just had their work on display for all to see at the annual art show! The event showcased the 7th and 8th grade students’ extraordinary talents and creativity. There were a few exciting additions to the art show this year. First, the show featured work from the brand new art electives. Additionally, the show was extended to the cafeteria, where student volunteers ran various art stations. The night was a huge success! In the upcoming weeks, students have more to look forward to, as the Teen Arts Festival is around the corner. Select students will have their work featured in the district-wide art show, and will even get their artwork critiqued by professionals! As the school year comes to a close, it is safe to say that Union School has had a wonderful year celebrating the arts.
Mr. Mett – RHS TV Production Instructor
- The TV Production 1 classes are beginning their final project of the year, the music video. This is the last, the biggest, and the best project of the year! Students are challenged to showcase all of technical and cinematic skills that they have learned throughout the year in one final production.
- The TV2: Studio Workshop classes are currently producing their “Short Film” projects. The process of planning for our “Short Film” started back in Q2 by writing a treatment and continued into Q3 with script-writing and the production of the opening title sequence. Over the next few weeks the students will complete filming and editing this 8 -10-minute-long project. A team of 5 students also created a 3-minute short film for the NJHS Film Challenge. See it
- The TV 3: Portfolio Development class closed out Q3 with the production of a “Free Choice” project. The students were each allowed to design a project through the creation of a treatment that defined a project overview, project goals, a production schedule, and technical and media requirement assessments. The students are currently working on their final projects that will close out Q4 before creating their final film reel. A team of 5 students created a 3-minute short film for the NJHS Film Challenge. See it here.