NORTH SHOREVIEW MONTESSORI PTA

In 2005, North Shoreview Montessori was designated as an Arts & Music Magnet Program within the San Mateo-Foster City School District.  A federal magnet school grant provided funding to furnish the school with a wide array of equipment to support instruction in the visual and performing arts, including a clay kiln, an electronic music keyboard lab, stage lighting and curtains, and musical instruments for every classroom.  Art and music education continues at NSM thanks to dedicated teachers, parent volunteers, and supportive community organizations.  If you can share your talents and love of the arts with NSM students, please contact the school office or any classroom teacher. 

Art in Action

NSM is extremely fortunate to have a dedicated, fully equipped art room that includes its own clay kiln. Students at our school receive art instruction through Art in Action -- a volunteer parent-run program that teaches children about the language of art and artistic techniques using famous works of art for inspiration and instruction. Each lesson teaches art history, art skills, and art appreciation. With the grade-specific programs, students learn the fundamentals of portraits, landscapes, still life, and abstract art, while gaining experience with tempera, watercolor, oil pastels, chalk pastels, clay, printmaking, and collage. Skills are developed sequentially lesson by lesson, year by year. An amazing Art in Action exhibit of student work takes place at the end of the school year, with the gym transformed into a beautiful art gallery. For more information on the Art in Action program visit their website at www.artinaction.org. If you would like to help out with the program, please contact NSM's Art in Action site coordinator.

Broadway By the Bay

NSM has been fortunate to be partnered with Broadway By the Bay’s educational program for children. In this series of optional after-school workshops, students learn about various dramatic techniques, practice script reading and acting skills, and learn group songs and dance choreography.  Fall performances emphasize dance and vocal music for different grade levels.  Spring productions have included adaptations of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Our Town."  Broadway By the Bay offers opportunities for students to perform in many different venues, which contributes to self-esteem and skills for working in a group.

Fifth Grade Band and Orchestra

With funding contributed by the SMFC Education Foundation, the SMFC School District offers students in fifth grade the opportunity to explore instrumental music on violin, trumpet, clarinet, or flute.  Group lessons are offered weekly for much of the school year.

Music & Language Lab

NSM's Music & Language Lab includes 12 Yamaha PSR-293 electronic keyboards, connected through an LC2 Music Lab controller to allow up 24 students to rehearse individually or in small groups.  Playback of students' performances and musical accompaniment, as well as language lessons, is possible through the integrated headphone system.  In addition, each classroom is equipped with a Yamaha keyboard attached to a computer with Garage Band or Sibelius electronic music software to allow for keyboard practice and music composition exercises.

Music for Minors

NSM participates in the Music for Minors In-School Docent program. The program places trained volunteer music educators (docents) at NSM to teach children in grades kindergarten through three. Docent-led classes provide children with a variety of musical experiences, including singing, movement, theory, dance, musical games, and use of rhythm and Orff instruments. Lessons are 30 minutes long and take place once a week per class during the school day. Some of the docents are NSM parents, and more are needed! If you are interested in being trained as a docent, please contact Music for Minors at (650) 237-9130, or visit www.musicforminors.org.

Performing Arts for Youth Society (PAYS)

PAYS is an educational non-profit organization founded in 1971 by parents and educators to bring live symphony, opera, theater, and dance to elementary and middle-school students of San Mateo County and other nearby Bay Area communities. The goal of PAYS is to instill a love and appreciation of the performing arts in students, inspire them to use their own creative abilities, and appreciate those of the performers. By presenting programs of the highest quality, PAYS strives to enrich and enhance arts education in the schools and to build future audiences. Each year professional quality performances are held during the school day. PAYS is highly respected by teachers, administrators, and parents, as exemplified by the participation of more than 28,000 students each year. We at NSM are extremely supportive of the program, and our students attend at least two shows per year. Visit their website at www.performingartsforyouth.org.

Stage Crew

The NSM stage has been renovated with professional quality audio-visual equipment and aesthetic improvements. Managed by parent volunteers, students in grades 3 and up may join the stage crew to be trained and then be responsible for running and maintaining the stage and its state-of-the-art equipment.

Steel Drum Bands

Originating from Trinidad, steel drums are 55-gallon oil drums hammered to produce a whole range of chromatic tones. These unique pitched percussion instruments can be used to play a wide variety of music. NSM students in fourth grade and up can learn and perform the steel drums as an after-school enrichment activity.