workshop-2015-logoTo highlight musical education and the talent and skills of New Jersey public school students, the New Jersey School Boards Association will showcase several musical performances by New Jersey students during the 2015 Workshop Conference. The students will perform on October 27 or 28 at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

In March, NJSBA put out a call for student performances and received several impressive entries from public schools throughout the state. The following groups were selected through a secret ballot vote of the NJSBA staff.

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m., Exhibit Floor Stage The Trenton Public Schools Districtwide Marching Band, which includes students from grades 6 through 12, is a contemporary performance group with an Afro-Latino musical style. The band’s instruments have been donated by the VH1 Save the Music Foundation grants.  Historically, marching bands have been quasi-military, so it is traditional to have a “battle cry” and flag that encapsulates a band’s philosophy in one phrase. The Trenton Public Schools band’s battle cry and banner is “Stay In School!”

The group was recently hired by the Princeton University Graduating Class of 1971 for the annual reunion P-Rade on the Princeton campus. Among its many engagements, the Trenton Public Schools Districtwide Marching Band was featured last year on the national television show “American Graduate Day 2014.”

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m., Exhibit Floor Stage The Vernon Township High School (VTHS) Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Jennifer Krott, is comprised of the school’s top orchestra students, who rehearse weekly after school. The VTHS Chamber Orchestra, which functions primarily as a community service group, performs at up to twenty school and community functions on a yearly basis, including honor society inductions, recruitment assemblies, awards ceremonies, town meetings, community concerts, and the Vernon Historical Society Photography Show. In addition to performing at numerous district and community events during the 2014-2015 school year, members of the orchestra had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall with the NYC Salute to Music City-Wide Middle School Chorus; at Baltusrol Golf Club for the National Boy Scouts of America Major Gifts Reception; and in the Sussex County Teen Arts Showcase.

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m., Exhibit Floor Stage Entering its 12th school year under the direction of Mr. Shaun M. Brauer, the Salem Middle School Select Chorus consists of approximately 30 exceptional choral music students auditioned from the larger 90-student Concert Choir.  The students frequently perform at community events, festivals, churches, luncheons and annual concerts, and were selected as one of the guest groups for the 2012 annual NJ D.A.R.E. convention in Atlantic City, and have been regularly invited to perform for the Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia 76ers.  The chorus performs music from all genres, and has studied music and culture from around the world, singing in more than 10 languages including all the major romance languages as well as Japanese, Ukrainian, Swahili, Mende, Native American and American Sign Language.  Each year, the students are judged at festivals and have won 22 awards over the last ten years, earning either an “excellent” or “superior” rating at every local, state, regional, or festival performance they have participated in.

About Workshop The annual Workshop Conference, the largest training and information conference for school officials in the state, will offer more than 200 individual sessions to New Jersey’s local school officials. The conference draws more than 7,000 attendees and exhibitors, and is a destination where educational leaders from across New Jersey can come to find solutions to the challenges they face in their school districts. School officials attending Workshop can learn ways to lower district operating costs, technology solutions for their districts, methods for improving student achievement, ways to integrate STEM and sustainability into the curriculum, ideas on creating healthier schools, and more.

Registration/Pricing The cost of Workshop group registration for boards of education and member charter schools is $1,300. The group registration covers up to 14 team members, which may include school board members, the business administrator, superintendent, facilities manager, curriculum coordinator and technology director. Registration must be handled by the school business administrator. Individual member registration is $250. School business administrators may start the registration process online at any time, but are encouraged to download and review the registration instructions prior to registering.

Housing Information Blocks of rooms have been secured at a number of hotels in Atlantic City for Workshop 2015 attendees. Please review the Housing Information page on the Workshop website. Housing must also be handled by the school business administrator.

For a preview of Workshop, watch the Workshop video. For updates, or to learn more, visit the Workshop 2015 website.