November is certainly when the pace picks up around here! From musical theater performances to the first concert cycle starting to thinking about submissions for the Scholastic Art Awards, everyone gets busy!
I am abundantly grateful for the care and endorsement there is for the arts and arts education here in the West Genesee community. From fundraisers to volunteering to attending performances and art shows to celebrating our wildcats, the community's continued support is always felt. I am eternally grateful for the past educators and school district leaders that encouraged and developed the arts education programs that we have and for the current team that keeps us moving forward toward excellence.
Keep track of our events and join us throughout the year - you'll be continually astonished by our amazing wildcats!
~Sarah Gentile
**Just a reminder, citrus pick-up is at the WGHS band garage on December 8th (2:30 pm - 6:00 pm) and December 9th (9:00 am - 11:00 am).
WGHS will be presenting Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on February 8th (7 pm), 9th (7 pm) and 10th (1 pm & 6 pm). This "Broadway Version" is the newest adaptation (book by Douglas Beane) of the classic musical and features new characters, a hilarious libretto, surprising twists, and the unforgettable score" we continue to love (quote from concordtheatricals.com).
Ticket purchasing is available starting on December 1st. All seats are reserved. To purchase via credit card head to wgfinearts.ludus.com (or scan the QR code) and click "buy tickets." To reserve your tickets via check or cash, contact the WG Fine Arts Office at 315-487-4612. We can't wait for you to see what the students are working so hard to prepare!!
Last fall, our West Genesee String Festival underwent a bit of a change and the Baker High School (Baldwinsville) Orchestra was invited to share the stage with our wildcats. This fall, we were invited to share their stage! This collaboration is the result of a partnership between the two orchestra directors, Mr. Bill Mercer (WG) and Mr. Carkey (B'ville) but the connections run even deeper! Mr. Mercer is a graduate of Baker High School and has been the orchestra director at West Genesee High School for the past 30+ years. Mr. Carkey is a 2000 graduate of West Genesee, having played in Mercer's Orchestras all through high school, and is now the orchestra director at Baker High School. Both conductors mentioned this at the concert on Wednesday, November 1st, 2023 with Mr. Mercer saying how special it was to "be back home" in a way and Mr. Carkey thanking Mr. Mercer for having such an impact in his life.
In addition to this fun concert twist, all three ensembles (WG Orchestra, Baldwinsville Orchestra & WG Symphony) played a great concert with a variety of selections on the program. The concert ended with a rousing arrangement of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture - performed twice! It was such a great evening and a wonderful kick-off to our first cycle of concerts for the 23-24 school year!
CMS gave an amazing musical performance of Once On This Island over the first weekend in November. The story, a Caribbean-set retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale, The Little Mermaid explores themes of identity, prejudice, love, loss, and hope. The CMS students presented the show with incredible maturity and conviction.
The production featured over 40 cast and crew members. Several 8th grade participants commented that they've had such great learning experiences in shows at CMS and they can't wait to continue doing shows when they move up to the High School!
Click here to read the full article on the West Genesee website.
Our WGHS dance students, along with dance teacher, Ms. Skidmore, attended a performance of Disney's Aladdin as the national touring company made their way through Syracuse earlier this month. Aladdin, adapted from the animated Disney film, is brought to live theatrical life in this musical production. Not only were the students were able to experience one avenue of professional dancing as a career, but they were able to do so in the historic Landmark Theatre! Attendance at this musical was made possible in partnership with the Arts in Education Services through OCM Boces. Such a fun opportunity!
The production featured over 150 WGIS students in the cast and crew-almost 1/4 of the school! For many of these students, especially the 5th graders, this was their first time participating in a musical theater performance and they did a wonderful job!! Audiences were packed with sold out shows for all 3 performances!
Click here to read the full article on the West Genesee website.
Clayscapes Pottery, Inc., a local studio and ceramics business, was back to holding their annual Raku Day and WG artists and art teachers were able to join this year! Raku firing is a process by which pottery is fired at a relatively low temperature and then moved, while hot, to a closed container with combustible materials, (such as paper or sawdust) that ignite and cause a reaction creating colors and patterns on the pottery's surface (from ClayscapesPottery.com).
Although it was a chilly Syracuse day, the sunshine held out and the wildcats had a great time!
Congratulations to the 40 musicians that were recently selected to represent West Genesee at the Onondaga County Senior High All County Festival in January 2024. The Senior High Festival includes an auditioned based band, chorus, and orchestra of 10-12th grades from across the county. Students, with their teachers, spend the early fall preparing for the auditions which take place in mid-November. Once selected, students spend the next two months preparing, again with their teachers, the concert music. During the festival weekend, the students finally come together for concentrated rehearsal time with the guest conductors and the festival ends with the concert performance.
Click here to see a list of students and read the full article on the West Genesee website.
CMS band director, Erin McConnell, was one of 14 NYS music educators that participated in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Over 900 band directors across the United States applied to participate and Mrs. McConnell was one of the 400 selected to participate. It was so exciting to see the many social media posts of students, former students, colleagues, former teachers, friends, and family so excited to find her on TV and cheer her on!!
The theme for the Band Directors Marching Band was "America's Band Directors: We teach music, we teach life." This is a message that Mrs. McConnell says she feels 1000% saying, "I've never taught band just to have a great concert. I have loved teaching band as a vehicle to teach and connect on so many educational and social emotional levels. Music connects and this experience was an incredible was to show that."
On Wednesday, November 29, 2023 during the CMS 8th Grade Band Concert, NYS Senator John Mannion surprised Mrs. McConnell (and the 8th grade band!) with a NYS Declaration in recognition for her selection and participation in the Macy’s Day Parade! We are so proud to have her in our Wildcat Family!!
The Arts are Fundamental to Society
- The arts are integral to the lives of our citizens. We appreciate them for their intrinsic benefits—their beauty and vision and how they inspire, soothe, provoke, and connect us. The arts ennoble us as people. They provide bridges between cultures. They embody the accumulated wisdom, intellect, and imagination of humankind (it’s how you track our civilization on the radar screen). Government and private-sector support are essential to promote full access to and participation in exhibits, performances, arts education, and other cultural events regardless of family income.
- The arts are essential to the health and vitality of our communities and our nation. They improve the quality of life in our cities and town. They enhance community development; spur urban renewal; attract new businesses; draw tourism dollars; and create an environment that attracts skilled, educated workers and builds your third millennium workforce.
- In the rapidly changing (and challenging) times in which we live, the arts are salve for the ache. Both military and civilian populations have long relied on the arts for inspiration, to hold up morale, to fight anxiety, and to express our democratic values. Arts leaders are strong partners, especially in tough times.
