BM, Eastman School of Music; MA, SUNY Buffalo; PhD, Columbia University
Dr. Louise Chernosky is a choral and instrumental music director, pianist, and arranger. She earned her PhD in Historical Musicology from Columbia University in 2012, where she was the editor-in-chief of the journal Current Musicology and wrote her dissertation about National Public Radio’s commissions of experimental music. Louise has over twenty years of experience with choral ensembles, as a director, accompanist, and singer, which has contributed to her deep love of choral repertoire. She has performed with the Rochester Oratorio Society, the Eastman Repertory Singers, the Eastman/Rochester Chorale, the Shrewsbury Chorale, Charites, and Columbia University’s Collegium Musicum, as well as conducted and accompanied for high school and festival choirs throughout the Northeast U.S. She is currently the Artistic Director for the Celebration Singers of New Jersey, a large community choir based in Union County.
Lara M. Friedman-Kats
Assistant Professor of Dance
BFA in Dance Performance and PreK-12 dance education certification, Towson University; MFA in Dance, Montclair State University
Lara M. Friedman-Kats, born and raised in Central NJ, began her dance training at Kaye-Lynn Dance Studio in Edison. In 2008, Lara received the NJ Governor’s Award for Excellence in Dance. Ms. Friedman-Kats graduated with her BFA in Dance and PreK-12 certification from Towson University in 2013 and earned her Master of Fine Arts in Dance at Montclair State University. In 2011, she won the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) regional competition for Art of the Solo and went on to compete and place nationally. She also received the Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education Award in 2013 from Towson University. Lara has performed with Dissonance Dance Theatre (DC), Deep Vision Dance Company (Baltimore), Deviated Theatre (DC), Mish-Mash Productions (NYC), Nikki Manx Dance Project (NJ), Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre/Sean McLeod Dance Experience (NYC), and most notably, Carolyn Dorfman Dance (NY/NJ) from 2015-2021. She also had her work adjudicated at the American College Dance Festival Association (now ACDA) in 2011. Lara was the long term leave replacement teaching dance at the Academy for Performing Arts in Scotch Plains from 2014-2015, Piscataway High School from 2021-2022, and Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy in 2022-2023. Ms. Friedman-Kats continues to teach both dance and fitness throughout studios, schools, and gyms in NJ. She served as adjunct professor teaching Modern II at DeSales University and Dance Appreciation at Montclair State University. To Lara, “Dance is a way of healing and finding acceptance within one’s own life. Socially charged work and personal experiences have motivated my creative endeavors. My mission is to bring awareness to the surface that which remains unseen or unspoken. Everyone has a story to tell- I tell mine through my body.”
David D. Oquendo
Assistant Professor of Visual Arts
BFA, Rutgers University-Newark; MFA, Montclair State University
High School Art Courses
BARD091 Introduction to Arts I BARD092 Introduction to Arts II
In this two-semester sequence, modular in nature, students experience a wide variety of art forms, including visual arts, theater, dance, and/or music. Students are encouraged to explore these different forms of artistic expression, and in the process discover commonalities and variations. These explorations prepare students to select one or more art forms to study in greater depth the following year.
BARD094 Dance
The goal of this course is to introduce you to the history of dance from folk/vernacular dance to the concert stage. As a class we will explore movement from the early 1900’s to present. This course is a mixture of lecture, discussion, and movement workshops. Students will engage in challenging movement workshops consisting of dynamic variation, improvisation, and spatial awareness. Students will learn how to express their social and psychological development through the arts.
BARD093 Studio Art
This course is an introduction to the basics and principles of color theory in practical usage. It will focus on the physics and applications of color in the visual art and design worlds. Students will explore the history, scientific background, emotional effects, and power of color and its presence in our and other cultures.
College Courses
BARD098 College Studio Art: Color Theory, Painting & Drawing
Modeled on an art school foundation program, this course enables students to develop basic skills in drawing, painting, and design. Students meet in the studio each week to explore various media and develop an understanding of the principles of representation and of abstract composition. Emphasis is on observation and self-expression. No previous art experience is required. Students may earn credit for this course more than once.
BARD101 College World Dance
This course is an Intermediate/Advanced Modern dance class. This class will prepare BHSEC students with the tools and movement skills to enter into a B.A. or B.F.A. program in dance post-graduation. Students will engage in several different somatic practices to increase body awareness. This course will focus on spatial awareness, poly-rhythms, modern dance technique, and basic composition. All students are required to wear appropriate dance clothing during this course (sweats, shorts, leggings, etc).
BARD100 College Dance: Intermediate Modern
This course is an intermediate Modern dance class. This class will prepare BHSEC students with the tools and movement skills to enter into a B.A. or B.F.A. program in dance post-graduation. Students will engage in several different somatic practices to increase body awareness. This course will focus on spatial awareness, poly-rhythms, modern dance technique, and basic composition.
