Oak Knoll hosts middle school choral groups for annual workshop

SUMMIT, NJ, November 12, 2015 – More than 150 middle school choral students gathered at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child Wednesday for a collaborative workshop that ended with several spirited performances.

Students from Oak Knoll, Kent Place, Morristown Beard, Borough School in Morris Plains, Newark Academy and Frelinghuysen Middle School – which are members of the New Jersey Consortium of Middle Schools – joined together for the annual event.

In the addition to the workshop, each choral group performed two pieces followed by all six groups joining together to sing “Siyahamba,” an African hymn.

Oak Knoll has hosted the non-competitive choral consortium since it was founded in 1980s by middle and high school creative arts teacher Ruby Robertson-Knox, who called the event an unique opportunity for students to seek “artistic goals and insights” in a harmonious environment.

“This celebrates the cooperative spirit and creativity found in the performance arts while exposing personal understandings that cannot be found in any other part of the school curriculum,” Mrs. Robertson-Knox said.

“Music is one of the few academic disciplines that develops both the analytical and emotional sides of the mind,” she remarked, noting the students’ craft benefits from both the workshop as well as evaluations provided by choral directors in attendance.

Larry Gonsky, music teacher and choral conductor for Frelinghuysen Middle School, said event is his students’ highlight of the year.

“This validates our art and shows it’s as important as other coursework in our schools,” Mr. Gonsky said.