Article Text
March is bringing renewed attention to arts education across Fairfax County Public Schools, with student achievements, innovative classroom projects and new performing arts grants highlighting the impact of music, theater and visual arts.
The observance combines Youth Art Month, Music In Our Schools Month and Theatre In Our Schools Month, recognizing how arts programs can strengthen creativity, confidence and critical thinking.
At Glasgow Middle School, band teacher Andrew Sharrock has helped more than double enrollment in the school’s band program. During his seven years at Glasgow, participation has grown from 160 students to more than 300 across six concert ensembles and a jazz band.
Sharrock was named Outstanding Secondary School Teacher at the 2025 FCPS Honors celebration after being nominated by a student’s parent, who described him as his students’ “number one cheerleader.”
His ensembles regularly earn superior ratings at district assessments, while numerous students are selected for the All-District Band each year. In 2024, the Glasgow Middle School Wind Ensemble became the first Title I school in FCPS history to present a featured concert at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference.
Colleagues also praised Sharrock as a leader and mentor. Glasgow Principal Lisa Barrow cited his dedication, commitment to excellence and accomplishments in music education when supporting him for FCPS Teacher of the Year.
Handel Meets Soccer in the Music Classroom
At Chesterbrook Elementary School, music teacher Brandon Morris is using an unexpected connection between classical music and soccer to engage students.
Morris, a finalist for Outstanding Elementary School New Teacher, introduces students to Georg Frideric Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,” written for a royal coronation in 1727, and its link to a well-known UEFA Champions League anthem.
Students then use GarageBand, keyboards, drums and voiceovers to reinterpret the composition. The project combines musical history with hands-on production skills while exploring how music can create a shared emotional experience at events ranging from coronations to soccer championships.
Four FCPS Teachers Win Wolf Trap Grants
Four FCPS educators are among 13 public middle and high school teachers receiving grants from the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. The annual program supports innovative music, dance and theater projects in public schools across Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Sharrock received funding for “Resonancias Culturales: A Commissioned Work by Jorge Vargas.” Glasgow Middle School will commission Texas-based composer Jorge Vargas to write an original band composition for its June concert.
Vargas, a Mexican American composer, will work directly with students as they learn the piece and will conduct its world premiere. The project is intended to develop students’ technical and expressive abilities while expanding their experience with contemporary music and the demands of debuting a new work.
Rocky Run Middle School teacher Meghan Pafumi received a grant for “Middle School and Macbeth: Appearance vs. Reality.” Teaching artists from Precipice Theater Team will help students create an ensemble theater piece inspired by Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”
The production will examine ambition, power, morality and the divide between appearance and reality. It will premiere on the same evening as a one-act staging of “Macbeth,” with audience activities during intermission designed to encourage artistic discussion and reflection.
At Westfield High School, Christine Maxted’s Youth and Senior Collaborative Storytelling Project will unite students and older community members to create an original theater work based on participants’ lives and experiences.
Teaching artists will guide interviews, workshops and rehearsals as the two generations build the performance together. A documentary is planned to chronicle the project from its first interviews through the conversations following the performance.
Christopher Rushing of C.G. Woodson High School received support for “Finding Nemo Musical: Protecting Nemo’s World.” Teaching artists from Signature Theatre and Imagination Stage will assist theater students in adapting the story to address environmental threats to oceans and aquatic ecosystems.
The production will use puppets and scenery made from found, recycled and donated materials. Workshops and performances at local elementary schools and Frost Middle School will also encourage younger students to participate in theater and the performing arts.
Grant recipients and their students will be invited to a celebration at Wolf Trap featuring teaching-artist workshops, peer presentations, venue tours and a program exploring careers in the arts. Participating high school students will also be eligible to perform at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Monday, April 20.