To highlight the talent and skills of New Jersey public school students, the New Jersey School Boards Association will showcase several performances by students during the 2017 Workshop Conference. The students will perform on Oct. 24 and 25 at the Atlantic City Convention Center.
In the spring, NJSBA put out a call for student performances and received many impressive entries from public schools throughout the state. The following groups were selected by NJSBA staff.
Performances will take place throughout Workshop, as follows:
- Tuesday, Oct. 24, 9 a.m., at the entrance area of the exhibit hall during the Workshop kickoff ceremony, Gloucester Township School District Select Choir
The choir at Ann Mullen Middle School is an auditioned group open to all students as an extracurricular activity. The students perform annually in the district’s holiday concert and Honors Concert. The choir also makes regular visits to the sending elementary schools. The select choir is a group of 10 students who have completed a secondary audition and have put in additional rehearsal time.
- Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 10:30 a.m., in the Atlantic City Convention Center Atrium, Bridgewater-Raritan Symphonic Choir
The Symphonic Choir is the premier curricular ensemble at BRHS. The Symphonic Choir meets every day, where they rehearse challenging repertoire for performance at festivals and competitions. Its members earn honors credit for their participation. Each year, the Symphonic Choir participates in a wide array of festivals and competitions, including the Roxbury Choral Invitational, the Westminster Choir College Invitational, the Montclair State University Invitational, and the NJ-ACDA High School Choral Festival. The BRHS Symphonic Choir has earned superior ratings at each festival for the last ten years.
- Tuesday, Oct. 24, 12 p.m., at the County Café, the Paramus Public Schools, PHS Jazz Combo
The Paramus High School Jazz Combo is a select group of some of the most advanced student musicians of the school’s band program. Each year the combo plays throughout the greater Paramus community, and can be seen at venues and events including Barnes & Noble, IKEA, movie theater openings, malls, as well as several community service functions. The PHS jazz combo repertoire features student-developed arrangements of instrumental jazz classics, funk, Latin jazz, and vocal standards.
- Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2 p.m., on the Investors Bank Theater Stage, Neptune Township School District, Scarlet Sound A Cappella
Scarlet Sound A Cappella is the premier vocal ensemble of Neptune High School. Since its inception in 2015, the group has received numerous state and regional accolades. Recently, the group became quarter-finalists in the International Competition of High School A Cappella, and received superior ratings at the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival this past June. Scarlet Sound has performed at various venues, including a performance last spring at the Walt Disney World Resort.
- Wednesday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m., on the Investors Bank Theater Stage, Hanover Park Regional High School District, Park Dance Team
The Hanover Park Regional Dance Team, coached by Carly Marcketta and Katerina Molnar, is comprised of students from Hanover and Whippany Park. Annually they perform at football games and other school events. The Park Dance Team competes at the Battle of the Northeast Championship in South Brunswick, at the Garden State Dance Classic in Millburn, and the City Lights Championship in Wayne. Last year, the Park Dance Team placed first at the City Lights Championship. The Park Dance also volunteers and performs at an assisted living center in Florham Park.
- Wednesday, Oct. 25, 12 p.m., at the County Café, Berkeley Heights Public Schools, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Percussion Ensemble
Governor Livingston High School believes that music is for everybody, and therefore created a music ensemble for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. Under the direction of Mr. Josef Ellis, the percussion workshop class holds annual concerts for students to showcase what they learn throughout the semester, including music theory, history, technique, world percussion, and the ability to read music. Each student has the opportunity to perform solos, duets, and trios as well as perform in a large ensemble. The students learn rhythms and instruments through a variety of ways, whether it be signing and counting rhythms or transcribing what they feel through balloon dictation.
About Workshop 2017 The largest professional development event for school leaders in New Jersey, Workshop 2017 will offer more than 250 training sessions. In addition to opportunities for board members to earn NJSBA Board Member Academy credits, NJSBA has been authorized to issue Qualified Purchasing Agent (QPA) credits for school business administrators; professional development credits for Certified Educational Facilities Managers (CEFM); and sustainability credits toward Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification. Workshop 2017 will also offer expanded training for school technology professionals, as part of NJSBA’s commitment to helping schools reach their technology goals.
Workshop Registration/Pricing/Housing The Workshop group registration rate is $1,500, and has been expanded to cover 18 team members (up from 14 team members) including: school board members, business administrator, superintendent, facilities managers, curriculum professionals, IT staff, and other district professionals. The individual member rate is $300 per person. Registration is available online, and must be handled by the school business administrator. A block of hotel rooms have been secured at a number of hotels for Workshop 2017 attendees. Housing information is listed on the Workshop website.
For updates and more information on Workshop visit the Workshop website.