On a recent Thursday morning, the Linden High School auditorium was alive with rhythm, imagination, and bold self-expression. But what might have looked like a special event was, in fact, just one moment in a powerful six-week creative journey—𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 taking place during regularly scheduled classes led by Music and Theatre Director Howard Whitmore, with support from 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 (𝐍𝐉𝐏𝐀𝐂).
Thanks to Title IV funding, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭’𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞 & 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐉𝐏𝐀𝐂 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐱-𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧-𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 for students in Whitmore’s Madrigals and Musical Theatre classes. Every Thursday from early March through April, the workshops are designed to spark creativity, build performance skills, and give students the tools to express themselves in powerful new ways.
According to 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐆. 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢, 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐞 & 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 & 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬, the collaboration serves a deeper purpose.
“Working with NJPAC aligns with my department’s goal to bring real-world opportunities to our students,” said Lorenzetti. “For students to strive for a higher level of performance, they need to see and hear what that looks and sounds like. Bringing professionals to work with our students gives them an opportunity that students typically cannot access. It’s been fun watching their interaction.”
𝐑𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐦𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠
First up each Thursday morning is Whitmore’s Madrigals class, where students are immersed in NJPAC’s “Hip Hop Emceein’/Rap (Rhythm and Poetry)” workshop. In these sessions, students use percussive and melodic rhythms to create original written-word pieces that reflect what matters most to them. As NJPAC describes it, the residency delivers “a high-energy experience where students make a statement about what’s important to them.”
On April 3, NJPAC teaching artist Kyleel Rolle, a Newark-based MC and educator, challenged students to think of their chorus as a thesis statement. “It’s what your whole song is about,” he told them. “As an MC, your goal is to move the crowd—with your words, your story, and your energy.”
Rolle’s sessions blend musical technique with self-empowerment, encouraging students to confidently express themselves. “If you feel something, speak on it,” he said. “Chances are, someone else feels the same way. That’s what connects us.”
𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬: 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰
Immediately following the Emceeing session, the focus shifts—but the creativity doesn’t stop. Whitmore’s Musical Theatre class transitions seamlessly into 𝐍𝐉𝐏𝐀𝐂’𝐬 “𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩, where students trade rhymes for scripts and explore the foundational elements of dramatic storytelling.
On April 3, under the guidance of NJPAC teaching artist Henry Gardner, 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭—𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞 featuring two daughters lost in the desert, a magical camel with opposable thumbs, and a quest to grow a money tree. The whimsical story showcased the students’ imagination, teamwork, and understanding of scene structure.
“They took every idea, justified it, and turned it into something cohesive,” Gardner said. “That’s what playwriting is all about—collaboration, creativity, and crafting a story through character and conflict.”
The workshop, as described by NJPAC, helps students “gain a better understanding of what makes a play” while developing short scenes or one-act plays of their own by the end of the residency.
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬
Though our visit on April 3 offered just a snapshot, it reflected the full scope of this dynamic residency—one that unfolds entirely within Howard Whitmore’s classroom, under his watchful eye. With his leadership and NJPAC’s expert teaching artists working hand-in-hand, students engage in real-world arts education experiences—without ever leaving campus.
As the six-week program continues through April, students will continue refining their creative projects—Emceeing students sharpening their lyrical performance and Playwriting students shaping original dramatic scenes.
And whether they’re delivering rhythm and poetry or performing from the page, one thing is sure:
Linden’s young artists are finding their voices, telling their stories, and rising boldly into their moment in the spotlight.