We are continuing our summer weekly programming with a variety of camps including a weekly themed acting camp, string instrument academy, film and video workshops, and art and animation camps. Students experienced a fun and interactive curriculum and made their final presentations to their families and friends. Here is an overview of the week from June 13-28

 

Weekly Acting Camp Session 1

The weekly Acting Camp opens its first session with a theme of “The Enchanted Tales.” Students, divided by age groups, developed a series of plays from some of our all-time favorite fairytales, and our theater staff worked with our students on their movement, voice, acting, and theater techniques, such as tableau, voice projection, and performance etiquette. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

Ovations Summer Strings Academy

We welcomed more than 60 strings players for a week of intensive training for chamber music and orchestral performances. Students worked in small groups with an average of 3-5 people for a chamber music experience facilitated by notable regional or international music educators and musicians. The Ovations Summer Strings Academy had a compact schedule including more than five hours of hands-on practice each day; additionally, students participated in workshops daily for in-depth knowledge about their string instruments, playing techniques, and instrument repair. Guest artist Bridging the Gap, a string duo group featuring Violinist Peter Wilson and Double Bassist Aaron Clayx, provided an hour of fun performances and broke the silence with laughs and cheers. The week concluded with two concerts, which included a chamber music concert on Thursday and an orchestral concert on Friday, at the Harris Theatre. Guest conductors Mr. J.D. Anderson and Mr. Glenn Quader, led the Friday’s concert and presented a few classical strings orchestral pieces such as “North Star to Freedom” by Soon Hee Newbold, “Brandenburg Concerto No.5, I. Allegro moderato” by J. S. Bach, “Palladio” by Karl Jenkins, “St. Paul Suite, I. Jig,” by Gustav Holst, and “Hungarian Dance No. 5” by Johannes Brahms. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

Summer Piano Adventures

Eight children between ages 6-9 joined us for a week of learning to play the piano. Ms. Michelle Richardson, piano teaching artist, introduced our students to the world of music and taught the class a new component each day such as the keys, notes, posture, and rhythm. At the end of the week, student performed 2-3 piano songs respectively to their families. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

Creative Discoveries Art Camp

We had a wonderful week exploring different art mediums with the Creative Art Discoveries students from water color to acrylic paint and food color, and the students made fun pieces of artwork throughout the week such as kites, tie-dye shirts, and paper sculptures. In the classroom, the students also learned some art principles from balance, emphasis, movement through various art mediums. Students also watched some animation films while they enjoyed their lunches. The camp concluded with an exhibit that showcased the artworks students made during the week. Families attended their final presentations to hear the students explaining their creative process and the meanings behind their art. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

The Art of Filmscoring

The film scoring summer program students had a full week learning about the history of film scoring and creating their own piece of scores. Mr. Vincent Oppido, Mason School of Music alumnus and Hollywood film and TV composer, led the program and introduced some famous film composers and their outstanding music to our students. After having some basic knowledge of film scoring, students were assigned to recreate a 3-5 minute score for a film clip from “Mission Impossible,” “Toy Story,” or “Frankenstein,” and students also had the opportunity to share their work with the class and receive feedback before their final showcase on Friday. At the end of the program, parents and guests complimented students on their creative work, and Mr. Oppido shared the current trends and how to build a career in the film score industry with the families. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

Anime Art and Technology Camp

The new summer program—The Anime Art and Technology Camp—had a successful week of studying and making animation with our anime fans. The inaugural class learned the process of making an animation clip from creating the storyline to drafting the scenes. Students used cutting-edge software to create characters, construct animation, and voice over. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

Screenwriting Workshop

Students at the Screenwriting Workshop summer program developed some creative film scripts over the week with Mason Professor Amanda Kraus, who created an interactive and autonomous class setting for participants to write their scripts while having fun and making friends. Throughout the week, students worked on developing plots and characters and critiqued others’ work to prepare for their final stage reading. All scripts will be sent to the filmmaking camp for middle and high schools, and four plays will be chosen to develop into films. Students, whose script are selected in the filmmaking camps, will have the opportunities to get involved in the production process. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS

We kicked off the 2019 Summer Arts at Mason with a successful week of programs from June 17-21. The Academy welcomed about 200 students to George Mason University Fairfax Campus to attend acting, music, or photography summer programs. Here is an overview of the week:

 

Summer Musical Showcase

Acting for Young People students in Ages 7-18 rehearsed and performed a full-length musical “Halloween High” with Mr. Ahmad Maaty and Ms. Hayley Dandreaux in just one week. Our theater artists and staff worked with students, who were divided by age groups, from learning the script to practicing their dance moves before their final performances on Saturday, June 22. Written, directed, and choreographed by Mr. Ahmad Maaty and musical directed by Ms. Hayley Dandreaux, “Halloween High” sets a story in a high school for monsters, where monsters unveil, embrace, and celebrate their identities and learn to respect one another for who they are. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

Summer Music Intensive Week

The Summer Music Intensive Week welcomed aspiring young musicians who play flute, clarinet, trumpet, and percussion and students who are interested in music composition or recording for a week of challenging and rewarding programming. Students rehearsed their pieces with esteemed artists, listened to faculty and guest artists recitals, and attended masterclasses with prestigious musicians, who share about their experiences and career journey. This year, we are honored to have distinguished U.S. composers Dr. Frank Ticheli and Professor Mark Camphouse join us for a guest lecture and share their advice with our aspiring musicians. Each academy also invited numbers of accomplished musicians for guest lectures in their private sessions. Students presented their final concert at Center for the Arts Concert Hall on Friday, June 21. College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis greeted our guests with a warm-welcoming remark, and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets opened the concert with an astonishing performance. To see more photos, visit HERE.

 

Digital Photography Studio

In this section, students learned about the in-depth and creative process of digital photography and photo editing and manipulations. In the first part of the week, students learned about photo compositions and camera settings and went on field trips for practice shots around the campus. Ms. Samantha F. and Mr. Arthur Reinaltt led the class step by step to edit their photos in Adobe Photoshop. In the end of the program, students showcased their artwork to families and guests and shared their ideas and meanings behind the photos. To see more photos visit HERE.

 

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS