MONTGOMERY Ringing out the school year, sounds of an Alice Cooper orchestration will soon fill the air in Montgomery Center for the Arts on Montgomery Road.
On June 16, NJ Performing Arts Youth will present a musical festival in celebration of the end of the school year.
The key feature of the event will be a performance of an orchestration of the rock classic by Alice Cooper entitled "Schools Out!," as performed by the Schools Out Ensemble.
About 20 local young musicians have been practicing, some since February, from an arrangement of the "Schools Out" song by Performing Arts Youth co-founder Robert Colby-Witanek. They have dubbed their musical entourage The Schools Out Ensemble. They have extended the song with solos and some new lyrics which provide the group’s commentary on their local school district’s plan to charge fees for activities. The arrangement can be heard at http://NJPerformingArtsYouth.org .
The event will also feature performances by other local bands including the metal bands, Doorway to Norway and Demonica, the punk/alternative band Arma, a group called RAW Machine playing Black Sabbath’s "War Pigs," a soloist performing Beatles and John Lennon songs, pianists, vocalists and other local youth talent.
There are still some performance slots available. Interested performers should contact Performing Arts Youth through the Web site or by calling (908) 881-5275 .
The June 16 event is sponsored by NJ Performing Arts Youth and hosted by the Roberts family will start around 1 p.m. and continue to 5 p.m. A rain date is scheduled for June 17. The event is open to the public.

