Category: Events

We are having a combined art and music show at Seth Boyden on Monday, May 6. The art show will start at 6pm, and we hope you can come to see the amazing artwork our kids have been making all year.

The 5th grade orchestra and band and the 4th and 5th grade choruses will be performing in the auditorium starting at 7pm. Performers should wear a white shirt, black pants/capris/leggings/skirt, and black shoes. Ties are optional, and short sleeves are highly recommended.

Orchestra members should report to the library at 6:30pm, and band members should report to the library at 6:45. Chorus members who are not in band or orchestra should be in the auditorium at 6:30.

Please feel free to contact the music teachers with any questions: Ms. Bloch, Band (jbloch@somsd.k12.nj.us), Mrs. Hershfield, Orchestra (jhershfi@somsd.k12.nj.us), and Ms. Van Doornik, Chorus ( lvandoor@somsd.k12.nj.us).

Rolando Zapato, the head custodian at Seth Boyden, and his brother Humberto visited classrooms last week to share information about their family avocado farm in Colombia.

Their presentation included information about avocado farming and  childhood stories, and the students even got to taste guacamole. We are so fortunate to have Rolando’s expertise, kind heart and wealth of information at our school, and we look forward to hearing more from him.

Seth Boyden students and teachers had the privilege of hearing some great jazz during two assemblies on Thursday that featured a quintet from the Bufford School of Music in West Orange.

Drummer Greg Bufford led the band in playing different types of jazz for the audience, and talked to students about the music’s origins in Africa, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad,  Brazil, and the U.S.

The wonderful musicians (Belden Bullock on upright bass, David Braham on piano, Doris Spears on vocals, and Lance Bryant on saxophone) had kids and teachers dancing in their seats with their renditions of songs like Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train,” Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child,” and Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” along with examples of various types of jazz and rhythms from all over the world.

Mr. Bufford had students come up and play some beats with the band, got teachers and students to do the limbo, and ended each hour answering students’ questions about jazz, the musicians, and their instruments.  It was a fantastic addition to the school’s celebration of Black History Month; don’t be surprised if your SB student now wants to learn to play or sing jazz!

(Thanks to Susanna Einstein for the write-up and photos!)