Our related arts program is an additional program to regular classroom art and music.  Specialized aesthetic teachers who are accomplished artists from our community provide 45 minutes weekly of the following enhancements:  visual art, music and movement, vocal music, environmental studies and physical education.  The related arts program contributes to children's social and emotional development by encouraging self-expression and creativity.

Meet our Related Arts Staff

Carla Gilruth (a.k.a Mrs. G) - Visual Art

Ms. Gilruth received her B.A. in Psychology from Douglass College with a concentration in Early Childhood Development and Education.  She has worked as an instructor at the Yard School of Art at the Montclair Art Museum teaching mixed miedia classes for the 4's and 5's and the MAM Education Department working with students k-12.  She is currently also the co-owner of Terra Tea and Fair Trade Shop on Church Street.  She is invested in the idea that the arts should be integrated into daily classroom experiences.  She has taken part in study groups focusing on the arts in education, such as the international Reggio Emilia conference at Virginia Tech and recently graduated from the Project Zero Study Institute at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  She is currently continuing her graduate studies in the field of Art Therapy.

Dan Cohen (a.k.a Danna Banana) - Vocal Music

Dan's playful, tuneful 'music for kids that parents can stand' make kids sing along and parents hoot with laughter. A writer for Jojo's Circus on Disney and recently named Best Children's Entertainer in New York Magazine, Danna Banana's appeal ranges from toddlers to ten-year-olds (but he concentrates on the 3-8 set). Dan studied writing at NYU's Tisch School of Art before graduating from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a degree in vocal performance. He's a John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize winner and a member of the Children's Music Network and the Dramatist's Guild.

Maya Milenovic Workman  (a.k.a Miss Maya) - Music and Movement
Maya is an award winning choreographer, director, educator, filmmaker and dancer.  She received her B.A. in Liberal Arts from New School University in New York City and is a candidate for an M.A. in Media from the same university.  She studied modern dance with Merce Cunningham in New York and completed the London Contemporary Dance School with Distinction in Choreography. She has been involved with film and theater productions for over 30 years. Ms. Maya has been with the Pre-K as a part of our related arts team since we opened in 1998.  She currently works with Mr. Reggie (Reggie Workman) exploring music from around the world while enhancing the children's skills in movement and dance. She also is the Founding Director and Educator of the Montclair Academy of Dance, a not-for-profit program where she shares her love of theater, dance, drumming and movement with children from the ages of three to 15.

Reggie Workman (a.k.a. Mr Reggie) - Music

Internationally acclaimed bassist, composer, arranger, record and concert producer and educator, Reggie Workman, has contributed a wealth of material to the jazz community.  Reggie's best-known recordings include work done in collaboration with John Coltrane and in forming the ensemble Top Shelf followed by the extraordinary Reggie Workman Ensemble where he had the opportunity to perform, produce, compose and record his own comtemporary music.  Mr. Reggie is a legendary and world-renown teacher and performer.

James Goodger  (a.k.a. Mr. James) -  Physical Education

Mr. James has been working with children of all ages since the summer of 1993 when he landed in the US as an International Camp Counselor from the UK.  Having spent 6 years as a program director for Youth, Family and Summer Camp programs at the Montclair YMCA, he is now Branch Director at the Montclair YMCA Family Center.  James loves working with the children and staff at the Montclair Community Pre K.  With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Studies, Dramatic Arts and Film and a love of sports and recreation, 'Mr James' has created a Physical Education Curriculum at the Pre K that draws on all of his passions, and engages every student through the use of adventure and exploration in which the children become the Characters of his Stories.  James is currently working on his first publication that will highlight his teaching methods, classroom lesson plans and short stories.

Laura Marchese (a.k.a. Miss Laura)- Garden Study

Laura grew up gardening in Queens and Long Island, New York with her mother and grandmother. Laura started the Montclair Community Pre-K Garden Project in Spring of 2003 and it now includes a Butterfly Garden, Four Season Garden, Herb and Vegetable Gardens, and the Morning Glory Garden and the tipi. Most recently completed was the 'Winding Wall' at the front entrance to the school, where students have planted over 300 daffodil and tulip bulbs. More than 1,000 children and their family members will have put their hands in our school gardens. Laura is also a professional modern dancer and teaching artist, currently at Sharron Miller Academy, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center where she works on many different projects including teaching dance residencies in Newark Public Schools, conducting professional development workshops for NJ educators and, one of her favorites, being a dance judge for the Star Ledger Scholarship Award.