The FAN Page
Norman Public Schools Fine Arts Newsletter
Welcome to the New Year!
It's hard to believe we are already into the second half of the school year. Below are a few Fine Arts highlights from the end of December as well as January. We hope you enjoy.
Teacher Feature
Longfellow Middle School art teacher Allyson Wyss discusses the importance of art in schools and why she enjoys teaching for Norman. Allyson is in her second year of teaching and comes to us from Indiana.
https://youtu.be/0bUhRFIwnkY
Honorable Mention
IMS orchestra poses with their director, Sarah Chan and principal, Jonathan Atchley at the OkMEA convention in Tulsa. The orchestra was selected as an honor group to perform at the convention this year.
Larger Than Life
The NHS art club takes a tour to view bronze sculpture Jocelyn Russell's Norman studio. Students had the opportunity to watch her work one of her latest pieces, "Secretariat," which honors the late 1973 Triple Crown winner. The sculpture stands at just over one and a half times the horse's actual size. Once finished, Secretariat will be relocated to his final destination in Lexington, KY.
Legendary Experience
NNHS band student Ben Egan poses with award-winning jazz trumpeter, Arturo Sandoval. Egan saw on Instagram that Sandoval was offering private trumpet lessons to anyone who wanted them. Egan's parents then made arrangements for him to fly to L.A., where he had his lesson at Sandoval's house.
Sweetly Singing
NNHS Choir performs contemporary hits at the Norman Chocolate Festival on Saturday, Jan. 26. The group met in the cafeteria and serenaded festival goers as they sampled chocolates.
Above and Beyond
2019 Teacher of the Year finalists attend a breakfast in their honor. Fine Arts teachers Catherine Buckley (music) and Dr. Martha Griffith (band) were among those chosen this year. We are proud to have them represent our department.
One Man Show
Norman-based artist and NNHS art teacher Mat Reed attends the opening of his art exhibit on Friday, Jan. 18 at the Individual Artists of Oklahoma Gallery. Reed's show, "One Man Group Show" will run through Feb. 10 at IAO, located at 706 W Sheridan Ave in Oklahoma City.
Reed says of his show: "The title of the show is a self-acknowledgment of my tendency to move from, and between, one idea and the next; jumping between the representational and the abstract. Working in this way as opposed to the conventional mode of creating a body of work comprised of different solutions to, basically, a singular idea; leaves me open to follow a variety of visual ideas further without becoming completely tethered to one expression."
Chocolate Confections
NHS jazz band students sample various chocolates at the Norman Chocolate Festival on Saturday, Jan. 26. The jazz band performed at the annual event which was held at Norman North HS.
MLK Remembered
4th and 5th grade NPS students visit Catlett Music Center at OU on Friday, Jan. 18 for the Norman Philharmonic's "Meet the Composer" series. The Phil, under the direction of Dr. Richard Zielinski, performed samples from James Oliverio's piece, "World House Concerto." The piece was written to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Oliverio was present to answer audience questions as well as discuss what inspired him to write the piece.
Your Art, Your Story
NHS student Vincent Williams wins the Oklahoma Art Education Association's flag design contest. His design, titled "Your Art, Your Story," will be printed on a 3X5 foot flag and go to Boston for the National Art Education Association convention to represent the state of Oklahoma. It will also be hung at all of the OAEA events for the year.
Best of the Best
Norman instrumental students attend the Oklahoma Music Educators Association convention in Tulsa Jan. 17-19. Students earned a spot in OMEA honor groups by audition and performed with other students from across the state.
On Display
The artwork of students from NHS teachers Tracy Gibson and Tauri Sims is displayed at the State Superintendent’s Gallery this month. The art is displayed in the State Superintendent's office hallway and conference room. Click HERE to take a virtual tour of the gallery!
Fire Away
Band coordinator Roger Nunn takes a class at Liquid Light Glass Studio in Santa Fe, NM over Winter break. The class was led by award-winning glass artist Elodie Holmes. Nunn chose to make a paperweight, which he designed and fired.
Middle School Mavens
WMS students attend the Central Oklahoma Directors Association honor band clinic at OU on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 11-12. The students earned a spot in the regional groups by audition.
Acting Out
AMS and NHS drama perform their Holiday Reader's Theatre in December.
Somebody to Lean On
Elementary school music teachers show their support for first year Jackson Elementary music teachers by attending Jackson's production of "The Nutcracker" in December.
Brass Attack
Jackson music teacher Ben Jorge performs with a trombone choir conducted by Irv Wagner at the OMEA convention in Tulsa. Check out the clip below.
https://youtu.be/ZUzpYJYqSvk
Take Note:
-Norman High School has 12 students with artwork in the Oklahoma Art Educators Association Young People's Art Show. The work is displayed at the Inasmuch Gallery at OCCC until March 9.
-LMS art students have their work posted at the Norman Central library through the end of February. Go check it out.
Fine Arts Calendar
Click here for all upcoming Fine Arts events.