WHEN YOU HAVE TALENT LIKE THIS, IT DESERVES ATTENTION!
Keep scrolling to see ALL of our staff & student spotlights:
Jusleen Basra is a 17-year old student at John P. Stevens High School in Edison, New Jersey and receives art lessons at the Westerhoff School.
Westerhoff's art director Mickey Waring has taught Jusleen for many years and watched her grow into a creative and talented artist and writer. An avid admirer of Jusleen's artistic talents and work ethic, Ms. Waring said, “What I really appreciate in Jusleen is her passion in these areas and her authenticity. She is always kind and considerate to the students in her class and never tries to draw attention to herself. Sweetly, humbly and quietly she just follows that which interests her and seems to find it.” We hope this interview inspires you: How do you feel when you are creating art? For me, art is the most liberating thing in the world. It is totally unstructured -- no rules, no expectations, no limits. Art is a place where I can be totally, unapologetically myself, and I have the ability to create or communicate anything that is on my mind. It's the perfect stress-reliever, and an ideal way to express my thoughts. Who is your favorite artist? Gustav Klimt is one of my favorite artists. His art is very unconventional (especially for his time!) and I love his use of gold and vibrant color. I even created a self-portrait once attempting to mimic his style! It involved a lot of glitter. What are some of your favorite materials to work with? I don't think I have a favorite medium! Honestly, my favorite is probably mixed-media. I use media as a means of communicating whatever it is that I am trying to communicate through my artwork, so I use whichever medium I believe suitable for that purpose. If I had to choose though, my favorite would probably be gouache. Or acrylic. What is something you would like to learn? I would love to learn how to whittle. I know it's not the most popular form of art nowadays, but I've always admired how hands-on and detail-oriented it is -- it must be very therapeutic. It's also kind of a lost art, so I'd love to revive it! |
"Art is a place where I can be totally, unapologetically myself, and I have the ability to create or communicate anything that is on my mind." 
"I use media as a means of communicating whatever it is that I am trying to communicate through my artwork, so I use whichever medium I believe suitable for that purpose." Tell us about the awards you have received for your work.
I have been fortunate enough to win a couple awards recently! I was one of three recipients of the 2017 Edison Arts Society Angelo Orlando scholarship, for finding a way to use art to give back to community. (I painted murals in a preschool for almost a year, and I'm in my school's National Art Honor Society and have an executive position in Art Club, where we host an event called Empty Bowls every year to raise money for the Hands of Hope Food Pantry). I also won the 2017 AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese) NJ Poster Contest, where I created a hand-drawn poster illustrating a theme related to the benefits of learning Spanish as a foreign language. |
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"I learned how to be |
Kavya Thakkar is a high school sophomore and has been attending the Westerhoff School of Music for the past 2 years as a vocal student studying under Janette Goleme. Kavya recently participated in a competition sponsored by the Classical Singer Community held at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Each year, the community selects a few thousand participants to audition, whether it be live or through a recording, to go to the Classical Singer convention in Chicago. Over the course of 4 days, the convention brings together a variety of vocal talent and professional singers who host workshops and introduce various topics to budding classical singers. They also host the final rounds of the competition and include performances by opera singers, musical theatre singers, and other professionals. Kavya shared, "I learned how to be confident and sing out! The experience was intimidating, but once I started singing I simply could not stop. I would most definitely recommend this amazing opportunity to others. The human voice is an instrument after all, and is important to know how to use it."
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Christopher Schwartz is a guitar teacher at Westerhoff, and we sat down with him for an interview. Check it out!
Define your 'teaching style.' It's a balance of creative fun and discipline while getting my students to think and practice like musicians. In the internet age you can get information about music online, in books, et cetera, but that doesn't teach you what to do with it. How to practice the information, how to break it up and work on it in the way that will internalize the information and allow one to play it in the most musical fashion possible so that is a big component of what I try to impart on my students. That and music is a life long endeavor, I've been playing for 15 years and I'm still studying and growing as a musician. That's the beauty of it: there's no end point, so getting my students to think long term and just enjoy the process. You've played at a lot of world-famous venues like The Blue Note and The Count Basie Theater, among many others. What goes through your head right before you take the stage? I take a few deep breaths to clear my mind and try not to think about anything other than having a good time. I have this conversation with a lot of my students around recital time as some of them get nervous. Performing has an energy, an excitement to it, but if you let it overwhelm you, you become nervous. You can't get rid of it, so just have fun and ride the wave, so to speak. When did you first pick up the guitar? I played piano and trumpet for a few years and then picked up the guitar the summer I entered high school. My sister had an old beat up acoustic guitar and my parents were always trying to get me to develop hobbies so they signed me up for guitar lessons that summer. I loved it from minute one and have been playing every day since. |
"Performing has an energy, an excitement to it, but if you let it overwhelm you, you become nervous. You can't get rid of it, so just have fun and ride the wave, so to speak." |
Do you play any other instruments?
I play drums as it's a fun way to work on rhythm and I dabble with bass, piano, and ukulele. I also sing a lot while I practice as a way to really internalize what I'm working on but I don't have a great voice so outside of the practice room I typically reserve my singing for the car and shower.
For students who are planning to go to college for music, what advice can you give them?
There's your ability to play music and your ability to make a living. Realize that those are two very different things and college mainly teaches you the first one so spend time planning how you want to use your talents to make money. A big part of that is networking, I lot of the work I've done and continue to do I get through connections from college so make friends with everyone, both inside and outside of your program.
What was Vic Juris like as a teacher? What were some of the best pieces of advise you got from him?
I still continue to study with Vic, more than a teacher he's a great friend and mentor. Its tough to say in a few words all I've learned from him over the years, it goes beyond the guitar and into my conception of what music should be, the preparation and commitment that makes one a professional, and being a good person.
What was it like to study with Bob Devos and Chris Morrison? What were your biggest learning takeaways?
Chris was my first jazz teacher and he really showed me the ropes as to what jazz guitar is. We still meet up when I go to my home town in Connecticut, and he's always been very supportive and influential in my thinking about music. Bob has been another big influence on me over the years. With Vic, Chris, and Bob, it goes beyond any one musical idea or piece of advice and gets into what it means to be good person and musician.
Who is your most favorite non-guitarist musician, and why?
It's tough to pick just one, you might get a different answer each time you ask. That being said, I've always been a big fan of saxophonist David Binney for his outside the box thinking/playing and unique compositional approach. There's something about has ability to blend genres in a way that is experimental but also with a great hook that really speaks to me. Also want to mention pianist W.A. Mathieu who's books combining western and eastern musical approaches and the philosophy of music have been a major influence on me over the last few years.
I play drums as it's a fun way to work on rhythm and I dabble with bass, piano, and ukulele. I also sing a lot while I practice as a way to really internalize what I'm working on but I don't have a great voice so outside of the practice room I typically reserve my singing for the car and shower.
For students who are planning to go to college for music, what advice can you give them?
There's your ability to play music and your ability to make a living. Realize that those are two very different things and college mainly teaches you the first one so spend time planning how you want to use your talents to make money. A big part of that is networking, I lot of the work I've done and continue to do I get through connections from college so make friends with everyone, both inside and outside of your program.
What was Vic Juris like as a teacher? What were some of the best pieces of advise you got from him?
I still continue to study with Vic, more than a teacher he's a great friend and mentor. Its tough to say in a few words all I've learned from him over the years, it goes beyond the guitar and into my conception of what music should be, the preparation and commitment that makes one a professional, and being a good person.
What was it like to study with Bob Devos and Chris Morrison? What were your biggest learning takeaways?
Chris was my first jazz teacher and he really showed me the ropes as to what jazz guitar is. We still meet up when I go to my home town in Connecticut, and he's always been very supportive and influential in my thinking about music. Bob has been another big influence on me over the years. With Vic, Chris, and Bob, it goes beyond any one musical idea or piece of advice and gets into what it means to be good person and musician.
Who is your most favorite non-guitarist musician, and why?
It's tough to pick just one, you might get a different answer each time you ask. That being said, I've always been a big fan of saxophonist David Binney for his outside the box thinking/playing and unique compositional approach. There's something about has ability to blend genres in a way that is experimental but also with a great hook that really speaks to me. Also want to mention pianist W.A. Mathieu who's books combining western and eastern musical approaches and the philosophy of music have been a major influence on me over the last few years.
"I admire my students because they never give up, even when they are working on challenging assignments" 
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Yumi Suehiro is a piano teacher at Westerhoff, and we sat down with her for an interview for this Staff Spotlight. Enjoy!
Do you play any other musical instruments and if so, which ones? Yes, marimba. That's also my primary instrument which I have started since I was 7 years old. What do you love most about teaching piano? It's always such pleasure to see how they're improving. Also, I admire my students because they never give up, even when they are working on challenging assignments. How many hours a day do you practice piano? Depends, but if I have a day-off, I practice as long as I can. Maybe 11 or 12 hours. What do you tell students who are struggling with a difficult piece? I try to make them to be confident and encourage them with saying, "I will make you be able to play!" Who has been your biggest inspiration as a pianist? My teacher, Peter Vinograde |
Where was your most favorite place to perform a concert?
It could be anywhere as long as there are nice audiences who are open minded in appreciating music.
How do you feel right before you get in front of an audience?
Very nervous. Before the concert, I have to really concentrate and encourage myself, repeating to say "I can do it."
What goes through your mind before and after a performance?
After a performance, it's a very complicated feeling. I'm always concerned about and regret the parts which don't go well. So not a happy feeling, however very relieved and feel like going back to the regular life!
It could be anywhere as long as there are nice audiences who are open minded in appreciating music.
How do you feel right before you get in front of an audience?
Very nervous. Before the concert, I have to really concentrate and encourage myself, repeating to say "I can do it."
What goes through your mind before and after a performance?
After a performance, it's a very complicated feeling. I'm always concerned about and regret the parts which don't go well. So not a happy feeling, however very relieved and feel like going back to the regular life!
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Brandon Leus, a JP Stevens sophomore and Westerhoff guitar student, auditioned at the The College of New Jersey, and was one of twenty students part of the esteemed 2017 New Jersey Musical Educators Association (NJMEA) Honors Guitar Ensemble. Competitors were judged on a point system for correct notes and rhythms, tone quality, musicality: dynamics, phrasing, interpretation and overall quality of preparation for prepared piece, ensemble excerpt, scale and sight reading.
Brandon, who has taken lessons at Westerhoff for four years, has excelled with guitar ever since he first picked up the instrument. He was the only freshmen at his school to skip Guitar 1 and head straight to the elective Guitar 2, because of the skills he honed while studying at Westerhoff under the direction of Gerry Edward and now Chris Schwartz. Brandon is interested in pursuing a career as a musician/guitarist and has his sights set on colleges with strong music programs, like the Berklee College of Music in Boston. An ardent fan of guitarist Eric Johnson, Brandon also listens to a wide range of music from blues to rock to electronic dance music. "I love playing guitar because the feeling you get when you play the instrument and hear your own music is amazing and nothing can compare to it. Kids should try guitar because it's a very diverse instrument that can create very unique sounds and music." And while not proficient (yet!), he also plays the piano, further rounding out his instrumental interests. When he's not playing music, Brandon can be found at United Blackbelt in Edison, where he is an assistant instructor and holds a 4th degree blackbelt in Taekwondo. |
"I love playing guitar because the feeling you get when you play the instrument and hear your own music is amazing and nothing can compare to it. Kids should try guitar because it's a very diverse instrument that can create very unique sounds and music." 
Brandon Leus, practicing in Westerhoff's recital hall.
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Pictured left, Brandon joined the NJMEA Honors Guitar Ensemble on May 6 at the College of NJ.
Congratulations, Brandon! We are so proud of your accomplishments as both a guitarist and a well-rounded individual! |
