The Norwalk High School Art Department is asking the community to “Band Together” in support of a group of talented student artists who have designed and painted a record player for Crosley Radio’s Band Together contest. Public voting runs from November 3–7, and the NHS team needs community votes to advance to the finals. Supporters can vote once every 24 hours.
The contest, sponsored by Crosley Radio, challenges art students across the country to design a record player that reflects the theme Band Together. NHS art teachers Rachel Hipp and Sara Boyer guided students through the creative process as they collaborated to design and paint their entry.
Participating students include Alahna Garza, Amaya Tussel, Emma Stewart, Blake Willer, Gracie Kirk, Emma Patton, Jamie Dux, Marley Knox, and Natalie Morales.
Crosley provided each participating school with a blank white record player, along with design templates for seven surfaces. The project required at least three students to collaborate using any artistic medium. NHS students chose to work with acrylic paint, paint markers, and colored pencil, bringing their collective creativity and unique interpretations of the theme to life.
Mrs. Hipp first discovered the contest this summer through an Art Teachers’ Facebook group. “I thought it was something the kids would think was fun—vinyl is making a comeback, and I knew some of our students have record players,” she said. “It was a great opportunity to expose them to something from the past, challenge their creativity, and showcase the incredible talent we have in our department.”
After presenting the theme to their Advanced Drawing and Painting classes, Hipp and Boyer reviewed individual student designs and selected elements that worked well together. A smaller design team then collaborated to unify the color palette and overall composition, while other students contributed to painting and detail work. Some students even took the record player home overnight to meet the deadline.
To move out of the first round, Norwalk’s entry must receive the most votes in the region.
Voting is open November 3–7, and everyone can vote once every 24 hours.
1st place winners will receive Crosley record players for each participating student and $2,500 for the NHS Art Department.
2nd–5th place winners will each receive $500 for their departments.
The Norwalk Art Department invites the community to get involved and help these students shine.
Vote daily November 3–7 and help NHS “Band Together” for the win!