Monday, November 14, 2016

FRPS Fine and Performing Arts 

Wrap Up- 11/10/16

Engineering Teacher Chris Golembewski painting during the Arts Integration PD

Collaboration and Growth: As we wrap up a short week, I want to thank the teams that worked together to either learn new strategies or plan engaging lessons for our kids during the full professional development day. Here's the wrap up of what we completed:

  • Elementary Music was very busy!  They spent the morning with Becky Chez at Letourneau, taking apart the new Link Up program for students- teasing out skills students need to be successful, and identifying which songs and rubrics they will focus on and adopt as a team.  Great work!  
  • In the afternoon, K-8 Music worked with Terry Walkowicz learning how to make a musical instrument with online resources and their new Makey Makey boards.  This stuff is AMAZING!!!!  We will spend some time during the January PD day to plan an engaging lesson for the 5-8th grades using this technology.
  • Elementary Art spent the morning at their schools, and in the afternoon, discussed what they want to have as components in their maps, and discussed lessons that help students achieve the standards.  They also looked at the current Boston Public Schools Map for Art and like the idea of "end of grade standards." They will be beginning the PD day in December by bringing samples of lessons that focus on specific elements and principles and I will spend time with them to support this work as they collaborate to build a common "working" map.    
  • Band and Orchestra Directors perused music and themes for the 2017 All City Band and Orchestra Performances.  This year's music is sure to surprise you!  Save the dates- All City Band is April 4th, and All City Orchestra is April 6th!  Directors also worked on preparing NBYSO tickets for our students to be able to attend the 11/20 concert.  In the afternoon, we had a luthier (string instrument repair specialist) work with teachers to teach them how to fix minor repairs on their own instruments.  They also reviewed the Watkins Farnum Scale Method that will help them to help students achieve their SLG!
  • K-8 Art worked during the afternoon session on mapping and are making good progress as they discuss standards and the tasks they plan for each.  
  • Durfee Teachers were involved in the Durfee rotating PD courses, including ELL strategies, Instructional Technology and the New Teacher Courses.  In addition, I want to give a HUGE shout out to Barbara Mullen, Mark Carvalho and Ana Arsenio.  Many DHS staff took their "elective" course on Arts Integration, and I sat in to observe.  It was a proud moment for me!  The Blendspace prepared took teachers on a visual journey through how to use art and projcet based learning to drive home their own content.  Here is the link to the presentation!  https://www.tes.com/lessons/OZPpDBwuW-8wiQ/arts-integration
The next professional development day will be held on Thursday, December 1st.  It is a release time day, so I will send out the plan next week with plans for each group, but I would like to have you all here!  Many of you would like to hold the monthly department meeting after this meeting, so I will send an email out to poll, and let you know what the team decides.

Share Outs n'Shout Outs:
  • Mary Zema wants to share this with music teachers!   https://youtu.be/IeTKY5S48
  • Toby Monte has student musician tickets (free admission) for Fall River instrumental students to the New Bedford Symphony Youth Orchestra's fall concert on Sunday, November 20th at Kuss.  Accompanying adults can enter for a reduced rate of $5.  FYI, normal rates are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.  For more info about the organization, check out the website at:  nbsyo.org
  • Keith White wants to share the Doran Kindergarten music class practicing steady beat in their pumpkin parade! 
  • I want to share a lesson plan with you that not only asks students to communicate visually, but to synthesize, compare, contrast and persuade for action and reaction.  Just like persuasive writing, political art asks viewers to consider a point of view, or just to think about what is happening in the world around them, but through visuals.  Take a look at how Mark Carvalho at Durfee communicates visually:
Snapshots from around the city...
       
           Lara Beth Terry's Theater Make Up Artists           Stephanie Pereira's Artists do Klimt!

On the Calendar:
  • 11/10: Term 1 ends! Trimester 1 (for trimester schools) ends December 2nd!
  • 11/16 Durfee Monthly Department Meeting 2:45PM
  • 11/17 Durfee Parent Teacher Conferences 5-7PM
  • 11/24-25- Thanksgiving Recess!
Planning Ahead...
  • The Durfee Music Department is planning a Polar Express Night for kids! Friday, December 16th from 5 to 7 PM- tickets for sale at the door! Proceeds will help send DHS Musicians
  • K-8 Arts Teachers: The 2nd Annual K-12 Arts Expo is Thursday, April 27th. We will discuss during December Department Meetings. We can look at our notes from the reflections from last year's.. :)
  •  Winter Concert Time!
      • Durfee- 12/15- 7PM
      • Durfee Community Based Classrooms- 12/14- 6PM
      • Morton- 12/13 7PM
      • Kuss- 12/15- 7PM
      • Talbot- 12/7- 6:30PM
      • HLCS- 12/13- 7PM

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Week of 5/28/16

This week in the ARTS!
This week, I am inspired by Phillip Sossou.

Phillip Sossou of Boston Latin School decided to draw a portrait of all 411 seniors, which now hang in the school’s hallway. It took Sossou four months to draw all of them. Sossou said a few parents and students were very touched when they saw all the portraits hanging up and were moved to tears. He said he did not expect people to be so moved by his artwork. Sossou will study animation at Bunker Hill Community College and UMass Amherst. In an interview with NECN, Sossou said that he wanted to bring everyone together, because he felt that students were becoming very fractured. At one point, he was creating 16 pieces a day, staying at school until 8PM to complete the work.  He stayed the course, and completed the work..  Art CAN bring people together.

Terry Walkowicz, who worked with music teachers this year would also like to stay the course in music..
From Terry (New Bedford Symphony Orchestra):
At the end of each year, I always wish that I could continue the lessons and learning from the year’s curriculum. So many times, I hear students asking if we can return again, or can they hear more about our musicians, our music and even their pets. Well, I have launched a blog called “Musicall” on the NBSO website. Kids can check in and see what’s new, hear about new music or even learn more about our music, art and science connections! Could you please share the link with the third grade teachers and music faculty? My first blog post has a special request from Peter’s pet rock, Dwayne. (The kids are sure to like that!)
Thanks so much,
Terry


In the spotlight this week:

This Week, Kuss Middle School performed in their Annual Spring Concert, which was a huge success.  Kudos go out to the HUNDREDS of students who performed, and the teachers who prepared them for AWESOMENESS!  Ms. Russo, Ms. Laprise and Mr. Monte have worked hard all year to make this event a success and it worked!  Kuss students also received a SUPERIOR rating at the Trills and Thrills Music Festival at Lake Compounce in Wallingford, Connecticut.  Simply amazing..

We are growing!  Both Band and Orchestra numbers are increasing at Durfee!  In looking at the incoming student course requests, we are seeing growth of approximately 15%, which means more students are interested and staying the course..  This is great news.  Also, for the first time, we will be offering Dance as an arts course at Durfee!  We had a huge demand for this course and will be running it in the next school year.

Have a restful weekend, filled with fun, sun, family and friends..

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Sticky Note!  Important Dates:
  • 5/24- Senior Awards Night at Durfee at 6 PM
  • 5/25- Kuss Spring Concert at 7 PM
  • 6/7- Morton Spring Concert at 7 PM
  • 6/8- Talbot Spring Concert at 6:30 PM
  • 6/10-11- Art All State at UMASS Dartmouth
  • 6/8- Performing Arts Awards Night 6:00 PM
  • 6/9- Durfee Alumni Concert 
  • 6/14- HLCS Spring Concert at 6:30 PM
  • 6/15- Ms. Zema's Student Talent Show- TBD
  • 6/16- Spencer Borden Spring Concert- 9:30 AM
  • 6/27- Last day of school!

Fall River Public Schools Students Celebrate the Arts!


Check out the Talbot Band!  They wowed their judges this weekend!  Click on the picture in the link to below see the video of our kids!

Talbot- Karen Souza's Website

Also, Check out these pictures from the Durfee Art trip to Boston!



Saturday, May 14, 2016

May 14th, 2016!








   I would like to share some photos and thoughts with you from the 2016 Durfee Festival of the Arts.  What an amazing night it was- parents and family members visited the exhibit to view their student's work and chat with teachers.  The student work displayed a combination of the depth of thought an artist must endure to produce work that is expressive- a narrative of their thoughts and feelings, as well as the more whimsical and playful side of art.  The work was driven by lessons that asked students to think, problem solve, create from an idea and make their thoughts visual through sculpture, drawing, painting, photography and other mixed media.  Kudos to all who were involved in this event- a true success!
 
On Thursday, the DHS Spring Concert was a huge success!  Hundreds of family and community members were in attendance to see the Band, Chorus and Orchestra perform the pieces that they have been working diligently on.  What an amazing array of success and talent these students have..  These students showed us what the output of hard work and constant growth under the tutelage of the DHS Music Staff sounds like, and all of them deserve a standing ovation.  Ms. Betty Yokell, former Director of Fine and Performing Arts was in attendance and commended our students for not only sounding magnificent, but complimented the teachers and students for attempting a repertoire of such difficulty.  Amazing work!

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Welcome to My Blog, FRPS Parents and Community!

               These two pictures are samples of student work from the Annual Morton Art Show!

Inspiration: 

Student Kudos:

  •  It is with great excitement that I inform you that a BMC Durfee Student has been chosen as the recipient of the Southeastern Massachusetts Schools Bandmasters Association Band College Scholarship.  This $1000.00 award will be sent to their teacher, Matthew MacMullen.  He will present the scholarship to this student at her high school's spring concert.  Congratulations to them for all of their dedicated work in her musical ensembles, and for earning this token of local music educators' appreciation for a job well done.  Find out who at the Spring Concert!
  • Kudos also go out to all of the aspiring musicians who attended the FRPS Annual Solo Festival!   It was so exciting to see our students getting adjudicated- individualized feedback for improvement is essential for musicianship, and these students rocked it!

Upcoming Concerts and Events:
  • 5/12- Durfee Spring Concert 6:30PM
  • 5/13 Durfee Festival of the Arts 5-7PM
  • 5/21- Talbot Band and Orchestra travel to Six Flags!  Good luck!
  • 5/24- Senior Awards Night at Durfee!
  • 6/7- Morton Spring Concert
  • 6/8- Talbot Spring Concert
  • 6/10-11- Art All State at UMASS Dartmouth
  • 6/8- Performing Arts Awards Night
  • 6/9- Durfee Alumni Concert
  • 6/14- HLCS Spring Concert
  • 6/15- Ms. Zema's Student Talent Show
  • 6/16- Spencer Borden Spring Concert- 9:30 AM
  • 6/27- Last day of school!

Arts Around Us:
  • The Narrows: http://www.narrowscenter.org/- Saxophone DUO- Greg Abate and Richie Cole, Thursday, June 2nd.
  • New Bedford Art Museum: Artist Talk- ANDRE SMITS- Free talk on 5/12 at 6PM!  Go listen!
  • Tiverton Four Corners- Hosting 4th Annual Spring Nestival...  Saturday and Sunday- noon to 5Pm.  
  • Bristol's Stone Church Coffee House- Aoife Clancy and the Meadow's Brothers- May 7th: Doors open at 6:45
  • Ever want to sneak into our old Victorian Dames to take a look at the amazing architecture?  Fall River Preservation Society will run a historic home tour on Saturday, May 14th from noon to 4PM.
  • Missing Prince like I am?  Triple Bill Tribute Concert: Prince, James Brown and Stevie Wonder will all be covered!  May 13th at 7PM at the Eagle Event Center.  www.eaglefallriver.com

​Celebrate Mother's Day​!  

Thank your moms (in Heaven and on Earth)  for bringing you into the world!
Jackie Francisco
Director of Fine and Performing Arts 
Fall River Public Schools