The High School Music Department's recent trip to Orlando, Florida was a resounding success.  Our students performed extremely well and represented the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake School District with dignity and class.  Musically, our performing groups had outstanding results as the competition included over 40 music ensembles from all over the U.S. and Canada.  Results are as follows:

Concert Band under the direction of Mr. Peter Giroux - 1st place with a rating of Superior, and overall Best Band in Festival trophy.

Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mrs. Karen Russell - 1st place with a rating of Superior.

Concert Choir under the direction of Mrs. Ann Derrick - 1st place with a rating of Excellent.

Select Choir under the direction of Mrs. Ann Derrick - 1st place with a rating of Excellent.

Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Mr. Peter Giroux - 1st place with a rating of Superior, and overall Best Jazz Band in Festival trophy.

Two of our students were awarded trophies for Outstanding Soloist in the Jazz Band Event:

Nathan Giroux - Outstanding Soloist on Tenor Sax/Clarinet.

Tyler Giroux - Outstanding Soloist on Trumpet/Flugelhorn.

In addition to the competition, each of our ensembles shared their talents at fantastic venues at Walt Disney World.  The Select Choir, Concert Choir, Concert Band, and Symphony Orchestra performed at a beautiful outdoor waterfront stage in Downtown Disney.   The Jazz Ensemble rose up out of the floor of Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe to perform for a standing-room only crowd in Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Our students also enjoyed time at the Walt Disney World Parks and Universal Studios.  Memories that will last a lifetime were brought back to Burnt Hills along with the numerous trophies!  Many thanks to the BH-BL Friends of Music, and all the teachers, administrators, parents, and community members who supported this fantastic endeavor.

Upon returning home, Peter Giroux and the High School hosted the NYSSMA Major Organizations Festival, at which both the Concert Band and Symphony Orchestra performed for evaluation.  Performing music at Level 6, the most difficult published, the Concert Band was awarded Gold “With Distinction”.  The Orchestra performed music at Level 5 and received a Gold Award.

May 29 - 7th Grade Band, 8th Grade Band & 7th Grade Chorus

June 4 - High School Symphonic Band, High School Jazz Ensemble, High School Select Chorus

June 5 - Pashley Elementary groups at High School

Note: ALL concerts will be held in the High School auditorium at 7:30 PM unless otherwise noted.
Admission to elementary school concerts is free. Adult admission to secondary school concerts is $1.00 (except for BH-BL residents with a Senior Citizens Pass), which goes to fund concert expenses and student participation in many extra-curricular music competitions.  Please find the entire Concert Schedule and additional Arts Fest information by clicking on the link provided (Concert Schedule).

Artwork by Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake pupils in grades 1 through 8 will be on display through April 30th at the Town of Ballston Community Library.  All are welcome to view the exhibit during normal library hours or to come to the reception on Saturday, April 26th, from 1:00-3:00 pm.  The library is located on Lakehill Road and Lawmar Lane and is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm, plus Friday and Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Please click on the link provided to view the artwork. Library Artwork

The Arts & Enrichment Service of the Capital Region BOCES School Support Services has invited everyone to attend their 20th Anniversary Art Show.  Artwork will be on display representing over eighteen school districts from April 24th to May 23rd.  The gallery is on 900 Watervliet-Shaker Road, Suite 102, Albany, New York.  Please call 464-3910 for specific times.  Click on the link provided to view additional entries BOCES Artwork

Six BH-BL High School entries have been submitted to the "Doodle 4 Google" competition which was open to all students in the U.S. from grades K-12.  Designs were chosen from Mrs. Corrigan's Drawing class & Mrs. Layden's Advertising class.  Students were asked to redesign the Google logo which visually illustrates a unique solution to "What if...".  State finalists and regional winners will be notified on May 7th.  Those selected as finalists will be on-line for a public vote, May 12-18.  The winning Doodle 4 Google design will be on the Google homepage on May 22nd.  See all BH-BL entries by clicking the link - Entries

Mike Gotham - Entry

Please click on the link provided to view some recent pictures of Mrs. Drake's Stevens Elementary School Band. Stevens Band

Friends of Music

We have added a Friends of Music section under our Fine Arts Quick View.  Here you can find out information about the BH-BL Friends of Music.  This includes membership applications, contact information, student scholarship and grant applications as well as other information related to various Friends of Music events.  Friends of Music

Please click on the link provided to view some recent Charlton Heights artwork by Mrs. Ross' classes. Charlton Heights Artwork

Lauren Foley received an Honorable Mention in the Fine Arts Division at the State Level for her Colored Pencil Drawing featured below.  Joanna Smith took First Place in the Ceramics/Crafts Division at the State Level for her Ceramic Stirrup Pot. 

Joanna Smith - Four Children, Ceramic Stirrup Pot - First Place/State Level

Previous Winners in the Fine Arts Division were:

Best in Show: Lauren Foley – Four Children, Color Pencil Drawing; 2^nd Place: Megan Ambrosino - Surreal Dance, Pastel Drawing; 3^rd Place: Mike Gotham - Half Man/Half Creature, Ink and Marker Drawing

Previous Individual Category Winners were:

Jacqueline Goertz – Self Portrait, Mixed Media/Collage; Courtney Schwarting – Swings, Computer Painting;  Sammi Ferri – Skeleton, Graphite Drawing;  Marina Boschi – Ballerina, Sculpture; Sarah Sutliff – Still Life, Acrylic Painting;  Rachel DeAngelo – Frozen Berries, Photography; Elizabeth Dorvee – Four Portraits, Computer Graphics; and Megan Ambrosino – Flower, Abstract Drawing

Previous Winners in the Crafts Division were:

First Place: Joanna Smith – Ceramic Stirrup Pot, Second Place: Jessica Weinlein – Orange Ceramic Vessel, and Third Place: Ethan Gori Orange Ceramic Coil Vase

The Women’s Club hosted a Reception for the winning students during their monthly meeting at the Community Library on March 17 at 12:00 noon.

Lauren Foley - Four Children, Color Pencil Drawing

 Honorable Mention/State Level

The following BH-BL students will have their work on display at the January 30th - February 13th, 2008 exhibition.  Twelve districts entered over 330 works and after much deliberation 145 works were selected.

Nisk-Art Gallery, 1626 Balltown Road, Niskayuna, NY, 382-2511, ext. 4337.  Closing Reception will be on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 from 6:30-7:30 pm, Recognition at 7 pm.

Dominick Viscusi, Ethan Gori, Rachel Mollard, Christina Biasiucci, Kyle Petrask, Erica Taussig, Rachel Stalker, Samantha Barry, Jessalyn Meehan and Alex Wade.

Butzel Gallery at Schenectady High School/SSFA, The Plaza, Schenectady, NY, 370-8100, ext. 142.  Closing Reception will be on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 from 7:30-8:30 pm, Recognition at 8 pm.

Alex Palkovic, Lauren Crabbe, Kyle Vuillaume, Allison Carrier, Marina Boschi and Sylvia Kinosian.

See all BH-BL artwork by clicking the link Art in Three Dimensions

Rachel Mollard:  Coil Vessel - Earthenware, Underglaze & Glaze

High School All-Stars

The following students had entries in the upcoming High School All-Stars show: Courtney Schwarting, Julia Sell, Erica Taussig, Anna French, Elyse Hardy, Matt Furiani, Megan Ambrosino, Katie Hubel, Victoria Dexter, Neala Flanagan, Mike Leupold and Brianne Briggs.  The event was hosted by the Saratoga County Council and was free and open to the public at The Arts Center Gallery on 320 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

Please click on the link to view some of the student art featured at the Town of Ballston Community Library Artwork.  The exhibit featured work done by BH-BL elementary and middle school students.