Iroquois County Fine Arts
April, 2018 Page 1
Iroquois County schools
Fine
Arts
A special supplement by Iroquois County’s Times-Republic April 2018
Page 2 April, 2018
Iroquois County Fine Arts
Watseka Visual arts, choir, band thrive at Unit 9 Watseka Unit 9 has a visual arts program for 7th, 8th and high school level students. Those classes are taught by Kay Devine. According to Devine: At Glenn Raymond, the 7th graders and 8th graders are introduced to the vocabulary of the arts, some basic art styles and the artists associated with each, and explore a variety of medium. This year they have worked with acrylic paint, water colors, pen and ink, chalk pastels, and paper sculptures. The students have created self-portraits, Pop Art paintings, and water color batiks; all of the students have had at least one piece of art exhibited at the Old Courthouse Museum. WCHS has two main classes. Basic Art is offered to students who have little or no experience with art. They learn the Elements of Art, the Principles of Art and basic Color Theory. They too explore a variety of medium, but have the opportunity to do multiple projects within each. Presently they are learning the structure of the human face by using the grid system to enlarge photographs of their choice. This class focuses on improving their ability to create as well as developing an aesthetic awareness of the world around them. With that being said, they learn about the vocabulary of art and how to critique both their own artwork and that of artists from various periods. There are two advanced art classes that are offered on alternate years. The first year focuses on painting one semester; this allows the students to Photos contributed study acrylic, watercolor, and possibly oil paint more in depth. The second (Top, left to right) Emily Rayburn and Courtney Kramer-McKinseney and (below, left to right) Nathan Minard and Jeff Mense work mester on spaghetti and marshmallow sculputures. stresses 3-dimensional art where the students explore sculptural processes The Watseka Community High School Drama Department is being revived. Director Erik Parmenter said that the first production since the early 1990s was in 2016. That was “Murder in the Heir”. In 2017 the production was “Is There A Doctor In The House”. The 2018 production just wrapped up. This year was “Down In Front”. Each year, more students have been involved and the interest in the community continues to grow. All of our performances have taken place at the Watseka Theatre, he said. Parmenter is also the band director. He outlined the bands: WCHS Concert Band 48 students participated in 2017-18. This group is the foundation of the entire WCHS Band program. We perform at Christmas concert, spring concert, IHSA Organizational Music Contest, graduation. This is also the group that is traveling to Disney World June 3-8. Perform a wide variety of music, from traditional marches to overtures to modern pop music. WCHS Pep Band - made up of all the concert band members. Performs at almost Members of the Watseka Choir perform during the every home boys basketball game as well as several girls basketball games. Has played Christmas concert in December at the Watseka Theat the IHSA State Tournament games in Bloomington. atre. WCHS Jazz Band - made up of 21 members in 2017-18. Performs at the Christmas concert, spring concert, IHSA Organizational Music Contest, And All That Jazz and various other community functions. Performs a wide variety of music from swing to rock to Latin styles. Students also learn how to improvise solos as part of jazz band. Many students learn other instruments in order to participate in the jazz band. WCHS Marching Warriors - made up of 61 students in 2017-18. All of the concert band members plus color guard members and several 8th graders that perform with the marching band as the front ensemble. This is the most visible part of the band program, performing at all home football games, pep rallies and marching band competitions throughout the state. In 2018, the Marching Warriors won 1st place at every competition we attended, including the Illini Marching Band Festival at the University of Illinois. Alyssa Norden is the director of the Watseka Community High School Choir and also the Watseka Sensations Show Choir. The choirs perform at a variety of events, including a Christmas concert, spring concert and graduation. The show choir performs at several competitions each year throughout the region as well as hosting its own show choir invitational in March each year.
The cast of “Down in Front” smiles at the end of the most recent production.
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Iroquois County Fine Arts
April, 2018 Page 3
Milford MHS keeps arts alive The fine arts are alive at Milford High School.
Photo by Wendy Davis Ren McCormack (Dakota Stevens) opens the final scene, the prom scene, in the MHS production of Footloose.
Sandy Hamende oversees the music department at Milford High School, with band in the fall in the fall and choir in the spring. Many of the band students perform in both band and choir and the students have a spacious area to work in the lower floor of the new high school building. Milford High School is also home to a thriving theatre department. The theatre department has presented productions of several classic musicals along with more modern fare, most recently featuring productions of “Guys and Dolls” and “Footloose.” The Milford High School Theatre Department is overseen by Brian Zecher, Kena Clarke, Tyler Blanchette and Karen Thrush. Members of the Milford High School Band gather for a photo. Pictured are: front row: Emily Duis, Cooper Frerichs, Devin Rudisill, Isabella Cohn and Katherine Torbet; back row: Lyndsey Leitz, Jonathan Kline, Gared Thrush and Sarah Teig. Not pictured: Reagan Hanson. Photos by Jordan Crook
Members of the Milford High School Choir gather for a photo. Pictured are: front row: Isabella Cohn, Sarah Teig, Quincy Jensen, Cooper Frerichs, Emma Mann, Lakita Walker and Jerkita Walker; back row: Jojo Fosnaugh, Anthony Shaner, Emily Duis, Gared Thrush, Jonathan Kline, Devin Rudisill, Lyndsey Leitz and Katherine Torbet. Not pictured: Trent Hamende.
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Iroquois County Fine Arts
Donovan Within the Donovan Junior/ Senior High School its students — (left) high schoolers and (below) junior high students — make up its choir, and three of its students earned first place ratings at this year’s solo/ensemble contest.
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Donovan junior, senior high students perform together Donovan still strives for music excellence.
Kelly Gifford teaches the students from kindergarten. Her high school choir — just like its band — is made up of junior and senior high school students. It totals 14 but she said they give all they got.
The group competes at the organizational contests, and, she said, three of the choir students earned first place ratings at the solo/ensemble competition. The group’s final performance is to see the seniors out for graduation. There are winter and spring concerts in which the students perform.
Often times there have been art shows put on by the students in art classes at the school but those have been discontinued for the time being. Theater is a live and this year the students put on a Brothers’ Grimm tale, and this year will be put on over Mother’s Day Weekend. The school’s theater productions have been directed by Angela Moos.
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April, 2018 Page 5
Iroquois West
Photo contributed The Iroquois West Chamber Choir performs recently for a concert.
IWHS choir student numbers increase, group tours NYC The choir at Iroquois West grew this year.
There are 56 students in the concert choir, which is made up of students who are in the academic class during the school day and participate in the concerts as an extension of the classroom, said director Montana Thomason. There are three concerts: fall, winter and spring. Plus, the students participate in the IHSA Music Sweepstakes Contest, and in the solo/ensemble contest and organizational contest. “Between the two events, the IW Music Department once again became IHSA Class C State Runner-Up in music for the state of Illinois,” Thomason said.
A treat for the students was that in March the music department traveled to New York City to tour it and to see its historic markers, as well as see “Phantom of the Opera” and “Elektra”. “Beyond the concert choir, I direct two extracurricular choirs, the Jazz Choir and the Chamber Choir. The jazz choir is an un-auditioned group and focuses on Swing and Jazz styles of music and has 30 members. The Chamber Choir is IW’s only auditioned choir and is comprised of 11 students. The Chamber Choir performs more difficult repertoire of many genres. The highlight of the year for Chamber Choir was in December when we traveled to
Eastern Illinois University to perform with the university’s choral ensembles as well as their symphonic orchestra,” he said. There are also various bands at Iroquois West, which also perform at the concerts and contests. The school’s theater department puts on a fall play — this year it was “Arsenic and Old Lace” — and a spring musical — this year’s “All Shook Up”. There are also various art classes making up a visual arts department for the high school, with an active Arts Club for the students. There is a photo/3-D design/sculpture class also offered for students grades 10-12.
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Page 6 April, 2018
Iroquois County Fine Arts
Central Photos by Wendy Davis (Left and above) This fall Central High School’s theatre department put on Mary Poppins for its fall production. (Below) The Central High School Madrigals put on its annual holiday program in the high school auditorium.
Central has good tradition in arts eduction Central’s tradition of music ex-
cellence continues. “We have a good tradition within our program,” said choir director Maggie Prendergast. About a third of the school’s students take part in music, she said. There’s two choir classes which meet during the day. The mixed choir has 72 students — freshmen through sophomores. There is also an audition choir,
which has 34 students, and it’s only open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. There’s two extra curricular choirs. The 15-student madrigal choir which performs in the fall and the 22-student jazz choir which performs in the spring. The spring jazz concert will be May 19-20 the theme this year is “Stage and Screen”. The students audition for solos and ensemble parts. Plus, the junior high jazz mu-
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sicians will perform as well. “We’ve been trying to build up our numbers in the past few years. We’re really trying to refine our quality. We’re trying to get expertise and to keep improving,” Prendergast said. One of the perks of being part of the music department this year was a trip to Disney. She said the students not only got to tour the park, but they got to take part in workshops and perform there, as well.
CHS alum Kevin Kohn has directed its theater productions the past few years. This year’s fall musical was “Mary Poppins”. It’s play was “You Can’t Take It With You”. Nikki Shifflet is the visual arts teacher. There’s 2-D and 3-D art offered. The school even offers a class exploring art in careers.
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Iroquois County Fine Arts
April, 2018 Page 7
Cissna Park
Photos by Wendy Davis (Above and below) Cissna Park High School’s Madrigals put on its annual holiday concert in December in the school’s gym.
CP students get variety of fine art exposure want to join. The madrigals perform not just its own show, but also around the community during the Christmas season. Visual arts is taught from kindergarten through 12th grade. At the high school level there’s Art I-IV offered. The art student have tried to get an art show going, put on along with the music concerts. There’s theater, as well.
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the whole range of fine arts. The school has a choir, which is going with about 10 students. The choir, as well as its band, puts on a winter and spring concert. It also has its yearly madrigals, which is made up of both choir students and other students who
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About half of the school’s students take part in the production in some way, whether it be acting, stage hands, or set design, for example. There’s a play every fall. In the spring, each year it alternates between a musical production or a variety show. This year there was a variety show where any student who wanted to participate could put on a performance to show case their talent. GO! FIGHT! WIN!
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Iroquois County Fine Arts
(Above) The Watseka Community High School Jazz Band performs several times a year. (Below) The WCHS concert band performs at the Watseka Theatre. (Left) Kate Norder was one of several students who recently had artwork on display at First Trust and Savings Bank in Watseka.
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