May 10th, 2019- The ARTS are ALIVE in FALL RIVER!

THE ARTS ARE ALIVE IN FALL RIVER!

Our Durfee Band and Color Guard visited the three Middle Schools today to excited and engage our kids!  Hoping to see more 9th graders joining the marching band, drum core and flags! 

I have heard this phrase from several people in the past few weeks, and that is a tribute to the work that the TEACHERS OF OF THE FALL RIVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS do EVERY DAY with OUR KIDS.  I appreciate my teachers EVERY WEEK, not just this one!  We have a great, strong team.  Let's keep this momentum going- we have five more weeks of school!  

Keep those tasks engaging, relevant and COOOOOOL...

Here are a few examples of some tasks I wanted to share!

Gary Bigelow's Music and Audio Students are working through synthesis and creating original timbres, as they write out algorithms- Gary called it "Music Meets Math!"

Ms. Pereira's Art 1 students used watercolors to experiment with color, and then used black ink to "find" forms in their experimentation- then identifying foreground and background by using black to create this depth.

And take a look at our students at SOLO FEST!  This great event was held here at Durfee on Tuesday- soooo many kids, so many trophies!

Some ARTS Updates, Nuts and Bolts!

• DHS is traveling to the Great East Adjudication Festival on Saturday!  Wish them luck as they are judged on their performances in band, chorus and orchestra!
• DHS Faculty Meeting is Tuesday- May 14th.
• The Durfee Festival of the Arts is Friday, May 17th, from 5-7PM!  We will be giving away 100 DICK BLICK pencil cases, donated by Dick Blick for the event!  Let's talk it up with our kids!  First 100 through the door get the art supplies!
• Calculus, The Musical will be here at Durfee on Friday the 17th!  
• Durfee Alumni Concert is Wednesday the 22nd!
• DHS Dept meeting is May 22nd.
• DHS Senior Awards Night- May 23rd.
• Talbot, Morton  and Kuss band, orchestra and chorus and will be heading to their adjudication festival on Friday May 24th!  Good Luck! 
• Band Parent Night (Our Newbies)- May 28th- 7:15 PM
• Orchestra Parent Night (Our Newbies)- May 30th- 7:15 PM
• 5th Grade RI Phil Concert- May 22!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jackie

Spring (CONCERT SEASON) Is Officially HERE!!!

This is how I feel this Friday.  I feel this way because:

• The Arts Expo was AMAZING
• The Durfee Spring Concert was AMAZING
• And I am ready for more spring concerts and arts festivals!  Bring it ON!

Three things to share...

1. Matt Desmarais just visited me in my office to let me know that the ARTS ARE ALIVE and GROWING AT DURFEE!  He attended the concert last night and was so proud of the teachers and students- this is the reaping time!  We have spent months working with our kids, challenging them to learn difficult pieces and have the COURAGE to play them for an audience, and they did not disappoint.  So amazing...
2. The Narrows Fundraiser performances were super awesome, and the groups raised @$3,000 for the After Prom!  Thanks to our faculty and staff who performed and attended!  So amazing, too!
3. We will have ALL THREE MIDDLE SCHOOLS and the HIGH SCHOOL being Adjudicated (an adjudication festival is where students perform for a panel of judges and are rated and awarded according to their musicianship skills) this month.  This is a huge accomplishment.  Kudos to the Band, Orchestra and Percussion Itinerant Teachers- Nicole Laprise, Jay Treloar, Jodie Laprise, Donna Murray, Matt MacMullen, Caroline Herrero, Emily Plunkett and Alex Ollivierre for leading the charge for EXCELLENCE!

THE DURFEE SPRING CONCERT...

And now, for some great shots from Oliver McNeeley, Durfee Science Extraordinaire who was at the concert last night and shared these with us..  Thank you, Oliver!  

...And this last picture embodies the "why" behind what we do.  

In the end, it's about the love- the work, the celebrations AND the challenges, the hurt AND the hugs.

Have a wonderful weekend, team- Jackie

THE BIG ARTS EXPO BLOG and the RAIL TRAIL ACTORS! 4/26/19

And here we are at the end of another great FRPS Arts Expo week...  Thank you to all involved in making this happen- the teachers, the students, the principals, Russ Lewis, custodians, art club, and everyone who posted on Twitter to get families here!  It was AWESOME!

Here are some pictures of the event, held Thursday night at Durfee...

Again, thank you to all who helped to make this event a success.  

And in Acting News...

• Ms. Terry's Acting Students participated in the Annual Quequechan Rail Trail Historical Event today- an amazing event, and our Durfee students memorized their narrative lines so they could interact with students from Silvia Elementary School "in character" portraying someone from Fall River's Mill History from the late 1800's.
• Here are a few photos (see above)!  So proud of our kids!

On the Calendar:

• Durfee Spring Concert- 5/2
• Durfee Alumni Concert- 5/22
• Memorial Day Parade- Monday, May 27th
• Morton Spring Concert- 6/4, 7 PM
• Talbot Spring Concert- 6/5, 6:30 PM
• Kuss Spring Concert- 5/9, 7 PM
• Doran Art and Music Night- May 21 3:30-4:30
• DISTRICT: Solo Fest- 5/7
• DISTRICT: 4/5th Grade STRING NIGHT- 5/29
• DISTRICT: 4/5th Grade BAND NIGHT-  5/30
• 5th Grade District Wide Trip to the RI Phil- Tuesday May 21st 9:45 AM

Thank you, and have a wonderful weekend.

Jackie