How did the music programs at Westlawn skyrocket over the past 18 months?

Music at Westlawn sure sounds different these days! In Fall 2023, Westlawn welcomed two new music teachers: Mrs. Kristal Cutler from Kansas and Mrs. Becky Layton from Florida. Both teachers had extensive backgrounds as musicians and music educators, and we were excited to see how their new perspectives and fresh ideas would reinvigorate music at Westlawn. Mrs. Cutler, a pianist, had extensive background in musical theater throughout the K-12 pipeline in addition to her elementary music teaching, and also comes to us as a well-regarded high school band and orchestra director. Mrs. Layton, a percussionist, had significant experience teaching at schools with incredibly diverse populations and leadership teams who held high expectations that all families would be able to see themselves represented in school productions.

Mrs. Cutler and Mrs. Layton quickly got to work collaborating on a vision for music education at Westlawn: one that elevated singing as a pathway to joy, that honored the cultures and traditions of all families, and that provided students with numerous opportunities to access music outside of the classroom setting, preferably on a pathway leading to increased engagement with music and music-adjacent opportunities as they transition to education beyond Westlawn.

The results have been nothing short of extraordinary! In Spring 2024 Mrs. Cutler and Mrs. Layton directed and produced Westlawn’s first student musical, Kid Flix. Over 100 Westlawn students in grades 4-6 participated in the performance. Students not only sang in the chorus, but also incorporated dance moves and costume changes. Some students earned speaking roles as performers in the spoken word pieces of the musical that moved the story along, and others chose to memorize multiple pieces of music on various percussion instruments to accompany the singing. The musical was a huge hit, and sparked a wave of even greater enthusiasm for Mrs. Cutler’s and Mrs. Layton’s vision.

Fast forward to our 2024-2025 school year. Efforts to grow the size of the music programs paid off, with more students than ever before in band, strings, chorus, and instrumental ensemble. It became obvious that Westlawn would need to move away from its traditional winter concert trio of band, strings, and chorus in order to embark on a new adventure, and A Night of Music was born! This year’s chorus and instrumental ensemble concert featured music from popular movies and a sneak peek at the upcoming Spring 2025 musical. A beautiful and reflective sing-along featuring guest artists, the Virginia Bronze Handbell Ensemble, Ms. Barry on flute solo, and Mr. Cutler on bass guitar was the featured finale and enjoyed by all! A Night to Remember was a smashing success, lauded by families, students and staff. We are thrilled that a beautiful new tradition has begun and look forward to flying the A Night to Remember banner over fall chorus and instrumental ensemble concerts for years to come!

As if that wasn’t enough, Mrs. Cutler and Mrs. Layton were invited to take the show on the road! They selected a subset of singers and musicians and took them on a field trip to perform at Gatehouse, one of the FCPS central office buildings. There they did the concert in the Gatehouse cafeteria twice for an audience composed of central office staff that included Westlawn’s former TSSpec, Dr. Michalowicz,  FCPS Chief of Schools, Dr. Ponce, and FCPS Superintendent, Dr. Reid!  Performing students had a magical time, not only meeting the Superintendent, but also enjoying the snack table that the organizers had set up just for them. They even had pizza for lunch when they were finished with their performances and the big fluffy snowflakes that fell that day added the cherry on top of a magical day! 

Thank you to Mrs. Cutler, Mrs. Layton, Mr. Cutler, and first grade teacher Ms. Barry (who has played the flute in Europe!) for helping our Westlawn Soaring Eagles reach for the stars this fall! We can’t wait to see what you’ve got cooking for us this spring with the Instrumental Ensemble and Chorus concert on April 9 featuring PIRATES, the Musical! ARGGGHHH!!!

Check out the in-school performance on November 21!

Our album features some photos taken at both the school and Gatehouse performances!