West Milford’s young artists on display

West Milford Township Public Schools held their annual All District Arts Festival on Thursday, May 6.

The event, originally scheduled for April 29, was postponed one week due to rain, since it was held outdoors in the English Wing parking lot at West Milford High School.

Elementary Schools bands, Macopin Middle School bands and Chorus, and West Milford High School Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Pipes and Drums and Chorus all performed during the Music Festival section of the event.

This was the first time in over a year that the groups were able to perform in front of a live audience. This was also the first time the groups performed together.

The students have only been attending in-person, full-time, five days a week instruction for approximately one month.

Until then, under the district’s Hybrid program, half of the students were practicing in-person while the other half were attending via virtual instruction, on an alternating-day weekly schedule.

The performances were spectacular and inspiring, the result of the combination of hard work, practice, and talent and a professional, and innovative District Music Department staff.

The Art Department also had a display of exquisite and impressive original creations by Art Honor Society students and by other student artists from throughout the school district.

The displays were set up inside the high school building, lining three intersecting hallways of the school.

The Art Department also held a “Virtual Art Show,” accessible for parents and spectators to view via a “Quick Response” (QR) Barcode to scan from a smartphone or other personal electronic technology device with a camera and/or a QR Code Scanner app.

The WMTPS All-District Music and Arts Festival was a great success, and was enjoyed by a large crowd of clustered, socially distanced and masked parents and spectators.