The sounds of the Robert Treat Academy chorus, band and orchestra filled the Newark charter school's auditorium as a standing-room only crowd of parents, friends and extended families turned out for the annual Spring Concert and Art Show.
The annual concert and art show has been a staple at the school for the last nine years and has always attracted a large turnout, said Michael Pallante, principal of the Blue Ribbon K-8 school.
"The concert and art show is a great way for parents to see how hard their children have been working throughout the year," Pallante said. "It's a lot of hard work and practice for the students to get to the point where they are comfortable performing in front of a large group."
Students in the band, chorus and orchestra practice for two hours a week after school in addition to time they are expected to practice at home, Pallante said.
The 58-member chorus conducted and accompanied by music teacher Veronica Heinlein Wood performed "A Gospel Alleluia" and "Together Wherever We Go."
The band and orchestra consists of 23 violinists, three percussionists, 2 bass players, five flutists, three clarinetists, 2 saxophonists, and a trumpeter. Conducted by Reynaldo Jorge and accompanied by Mike Vinas on piano, the band and orchestra performed several crowd-pleasing selections, including "Lightly Row," "Long, Long Ago," "Oye Como Va," and "Tequila."
Sarina Aquino, Hennesis Encarnacion and violinist Dorothy He were the featured solists as the band and chorus performed "Graduation (Friends Forever)" to rousing applause.
Before the concert, students had an opportunity to show their parents their colorful paintings and sculptures, which adorned hallways throughout the school.
"For our students to be well-rounded, we feel it's important that they develop their artistic side as well as their academics," said Stephen N. Adubato, who founded Robert Treat Academy in 1997.
Robert Treat has been a top-performing school with the highest standardized test scores in urban New Jersey. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Education named it a Blue Ribbon school and highlighted it as a "high achieving, high-poverty" school on its web site, one of only eight schools nationwide to receive the honor.
Adrianne Davis, the vice president of the Robert Treat Academy Board of Trustees, said it gives her great pride to know that students had a chance to showcase their skills to their friends and families.
"It's proof that our children are receiving a well-rounded education at Robert Treat Academy," Davis said.
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