
Bedford Central School District
Performing Arts Program: What you need to know. 2016-17
". . . the arts have been an inseparable part of the human journey; indeed, we depend on the arts to carry us toward the fullness of our humanity. We value them for themselves, and because we do, we believe knowing and practicing them is fundamental to the healthy development of our children's minds and spirits. That is why, in any civilization - ours included - the arts are inseparable from the very meaning of the term 'education.' We know from long experience that no one can claim to be truly educated who lacks basic knowledge and skills in the arts."
–National Standards for Arts Education
Our Mission
The Bedford Visual and Performing Arts Department is committed to providing an arts education that prepares students for an aesthetically enriched adulthood in a culturally diverse society. Creating, performing and responding to the arts are essential to the well-rounded education of all children and vital to full human development. The skills students acquire increase critical thinking ability, concentration, self-discipline and cooperative learning. The result is an overall student achievement. Our faculty is committed to a quality Arts education for each and every child.
Welcome to the Performing Arts Department of the Bedford schools!
More than 4,000 students in our district study music and theater from a distinguished faculty of 20 certified teachers.
Our music offerings include general music (grades K-5), band (grades 4-12), chorus (grades 4-12) and orchestra (grades 3-12). In middle school we also offer an exploratory music program (grades 6-8), applied piano and applied guitar (grades 7-8). In high school, music technology, performance technology, music theory, AP music theory, acting and theater technology are additional offerings.
There are many co-curricular and extra-curricular ensembles and clubs for students to participate in before or after school. These include elementary district band, bel canto vocal ensemble, honors choir, symphonic winds, sinfonetta, a cappella groups, pep band, jazz bands, jam club and rock ensembles.
Each year the high school presents a fall play, spring musical and a student-directed play. The annual middle school spring musical involves more than 100 student actors, musicians and technical crew.
We look forward to welcoming you to the BCSD performing arts program!
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Tooker
Points of Pride
Each year, students engaged in the BCSD Performing Arts distinguish themselves as members of local, state, and national honors ensembles. These include NAfME all-national and eastern division, NYSSMA all-state and WCSMA all-county music ensembles. Our students broaden their music and theater experiences through out-of-school programs. These include Greater Westchester Youth Orchestra, Hoff Barthelson Festival Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony programs and Jazz at Lincoln Center programs.
The NAMM Foundation (National Association of Music Merchants) surveys school districts across the United States seeking to acknowledge communities for their commitment to and support for music education in schools. For the fourth year in a row, the Bedford Central School District has been recognized as one of the 2016 NAMM Foundation Best Communities for Music Education.
Bedford FAME has nurtured BCSD students’ educational experiences for over 20 years. This is a volunteer group of parents, community members and faculty committed to funding meaningful initiatives beyond the scope of the school budget.
FOX LANE HIGH SCHOOL THEATER SEASON TO MARK 400TH YEAR OF SHAKESPEARE’S DEATH
William Shakespeare, arguably the world’s most influential playwright, died on April 23, 16161 at the age of 52. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of his passing, the theater students at Fox Lane High School will be presenting an all Shakespeare-themed season. Over the 2016 – 2017 the Fox Lane Players, Fox Lane High School’s theater group, will present four performances: Shakespeare’s Haunted House, Queen Lear, Dream 70, and Scenes From Shakespeare.
Running for two days in October, Shakespeare’s Haunted House is a unique haunted house that will feature notable characters and events from Shakespeare’s plays. Visitors will get a chance to walk the halls with the ghost of Hamlet, the witches from Macbeth, and even catch a glimpse of zombie Romeo and Juliet.
The following month theater director Tom Slot and his Fox Lane Players students will present Queen Lear which features all the text from the classic King Lear tragedy, but with Lear, Gloucester, and other iconic roles recast as women instead of men. “I’m excited to play a role that a girl wouldn’t normally get to play and have the show be viewed from a different perspective,” Senior Devin Davis-Lorton, who plays Queen Lear, said about the opportunity. Senior Emma Goodman, who has appeared in every play and musical over her four years at Fox Lane, added, “It’s incredibly exciting to work on this show. I couldn’t be more thankful to work with this talented cast and crew for my last play.”
In the spring, the Fox Lane Players will perform the debut production of Dream 70: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Musical. Dream 70 takes the classic Shakespearean comedy and transplants it from Athens Greece in the Elizabethan era, to Athens Georgia in 1970. “It’s an exciting time period to explore both musically and historically,” composer and director Tom Slot stated. The show features a wide variety of musical styles ranging from the country music Nashville Sound of the 40s, Janis Joplin’s Flower Power acoustic pop rock of the late 60s, and the rock and roll feel of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, all side by side with traditional musical theater songs.
The culminating event for the season will be Scenes From Shakespeare, an evening of student directed scenes from Shakespeare’s most iconic productions including Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and others.
Season Dates & Times in the FLHS Mary Lou Meese Theater
- Shakespeare’s Haunted House – October 21 from 3 PM to 9 PM and October 22 from 1 PM to 9 PM
- Queen Lear – November 18 & 19 @7pm and November 20 @1pm
- Dream 70 – March 31 & April 1 @7pm and April 2 @1pm
- Student Directed Play – June 2 & 3 @7pm