In the schools, Andean music, art and basketball

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

Students a Williston Northampton School will expand their musical horizons later this month when they hear a performance from a popular Amherst band that performs Latin, Caribbean and South American music.

At an 8:30 a.m. assembly Oct. 26, the Andean music group MarKamusic will perform at an upper-school assembly at the Chapel and then spend the remainder of the school day visiting music and Spanish classes.

"We try to have performances at our assemblies that highlight some of the exciting things that are going on at our campus," said Andrew Shelffo, the school's director of communications. "They will continue to perform in classrooms throughout the day."

The seven-person band performs traditional, folkloric and pop music from South and Latin American origin fused with Latin jazz and western instruments.

Meanwhile, the public can enjoy "Inside and Out," a collection of paintings by Rachel Folsom and Natania Hume on display at a free exhibit this month at the Grubbs Gallery in the Reed Campus Center at The Williston Northampton School.

Hume, a local ceramicist and painter who has taught art at the Easthampton school for six years, will display paintings of some of her pottery.

"Between the worlds of two and three dimensions, I am able to explore a wide variety of artistic sensibilities and stay perpetually engaged in the painting process," Hume said.

Also on display will be Folsom's still life paintings and portraits. Folsom, who grew up in Roosevelt, N.J., studied painting in Florence, Italy, and went on to teach studio art at Wheelock College in Boston.

In connection with the exhibit, Hume's drawing class will visit The Cunningham Center for Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at Smith College as they begin a unit on portrait and figure drawing.

On the tour, students will view a variety of portraits to gain a historical perspective on the works and to find inspiration.

Easthampton youth basketball

All students interested in participating in Easthampton's Youth Basketball League must register before the end of the month. Although three registration events were held earlier this month at White Brook Middle School, those who were unable to attend can download registration forms on the league's website and should be mailed to: Easthampton Basketball Association, P.O. Box 1322, Easthampton, MA.

The registration fee for kindergartners and first-graders is $55. For students in grades 2 through 12, registration is $80 for the first player, $55 for the second player. A family with three or more players pays $175. Non-Easthampton residents will be charged an additional $15 per player - unless the child attends an Easthampton school.

The league is also accepting applications for scorekeepers, timekeepers, coaches and referees.

For questions or to download a registration form, residents are encouraged to visit the league's website: www.easthamptonbasketball.com or call the city's Parks and Recreation Department at 529-1440.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com