Artists engage in projects that emphasize the creative process through opportunities designed to expand their creative lens through collaboration, community engagement, and multiple performance and presentation avenues. These courses are open to students from all primes. Enrollment and eligibility requirements vary among project offerings.
Projects are designed to encourage students from all prime arts areas to collaborate.
20 CLASS SESSIONS / 40 HOURS + FINAL PRESENTATION
EACH PROJECT WILL BE PART OF ONE DAY OF THE FESTIVAL
By opting in to a face-to-face project, you are committing to the full trimester (Monday and Wednesday classes), the final presentation (at the Fall Festival, an evening event), and any additional rehearsals required to prepare the presentation (tech or dress rehearsals that may be scheduled outside of the regular Monday/Wednesday classes, that you will be informed about in advance). As a collaborator, it is imperative that you see the project through from beginning to end, therefore, only at the conclusion of the project are hours awarded. If you do not complete the project, you do not earn the hours.
If you are registered for GCC during the Fall Trimester, you are not eligible to opt in to projects at this time. It is strongly recommended that students complete GCC prior to opting in to any projects.
Mentor: Lynn Schwartz
Contact: lschwartz@aacps.orgMondays & Wednesdays at Studio 39
All primes welcome and encouraged.
All creative artists need to present a strong sense of place. It gives the reader, audience, and listener a context – a backdrop for the story to unfold. Often this place, rising out of the depths of our imagination, transports us to wondrous and distant lands. Think Hogwarts, Emerald City, Avatar’s Pandora, The Great Gatsby’s East and West Egg, or even, SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom. In this project, we’ll create worlds (real and magical, past and present) and then act as explorer, guide, and interpreter so that others can share the adventure. You might choose to create actual maps of the place you have built, or you might offer an insightful glimpse of a place and its inhabitants through a variety of writing formats, music composition, song lyrics, dance, or film. These literal and metaphorical maps, both on and off the page, will be about the journey, obstacles along the way, and what we will find, learn, and reveal once we reach our destination. Your individual and collaborative work will culminate in an ensemble performance – a multi-media collage where your world is introduced to ours.
Mentor: Selin Balci
Contact: sbalci@aacps.orgMondays & Wednesdays at Annapolis High School & Virtual Lab
Application Required. Photography experience strongly recommended. Space limited.
Overview of film processing, darkroom printmaking and proper camera use as a means for shooting and creating artistic, thought-provoking photographic images. Students will learn basic composition techniques, proper camera use (lens focal length, shutter speed, and aperture manipulation), film processing, and darkroom print processing. The emphasis is primarily technical, although aesthetics, composition, and contemporary issues in photography will be covered through class critiques and discussions. Through this course, students will be able to have a strong grasp on traditional film photography and will build a Black & White gallery showcase.
Due to the size of the darkroom, students will be in a Monday or Wednesday co-hort for face-to-face instruction, and will participate on the other day asynchronously.
To apply for this class, click here: https://forms.gle/DDCSVJqyaoEXLe7j6
NOTE: There will be another offering of this project in both the winter and spring trimesters.
Mentor: Barbara Bustard
Contact: bbustard@aacps.orgMondays & Wednesdays at Studio 39
All primes welcome.
This project will be a collaborative ceramic mosaic, created on a backing to be installed at a later date.
Students will discuss and decide collectively on the theme of the mosaic mural, make a full size color image of the mural, create the ceramic tiles, transfer the image, glaze and fire the tiles and lastly assemble, grout and seal the mosaic.
Mentor: Corey Jennings
Contact: cdjennings@aacps.orgMondays & Wednesdays at Studio 39
Priority to Film & New Media, Dance and Theater primes.
Students will work collaboratively to create a "movement video" allowing for collaboration between students in photography and video production tracks and students focused on dance and theatre tracks. Students will work collaboratively on the piece, working together through each step of brainstorming, scripting, capture, and editing. Working together the students will build language of other disciplines and learn how to have a collaborative decision making process. The final piece will include both the finished video as well as documentation of scripting, brainstorming, and written explanations for major decisions including color, audio, and length.
Mentor: Maggie Benshaw Heemstra
Contact: mbenshaw@aacps.orgMondays & Wednesdays at Studio 39
All primes welcome. Creative Writing primes recommended.
Study poetry that you would not have the opportunity to read or study in your academic high school English classes! Throughout this course, students will dive into a brief history of poetry. By reading and analyzing a wide range of poetry, students will recognize what makes a poem engaging and entertaining to the reader. By focusing on technique and style, students will uncover and connect with emotional truths that will inspire their own poetry. The process will involve analyzing your own writing style and perhaps implementing some of your favorite poet's style throughout your written work.
Mentors: Francesca Chilcote & Emily Karol
Contact: fchilcote@aacps.org , ekgerbasi@aacps.orgMondays & Wednesdays at Studio 39
All primes welcome. Performing primes (theater, music, dance) recommended.
All the world’s a stage, and life’s a Cabaret! While most commonly associated with “song and dance,” Cabaret is an open performance format that can feature any kind of art! In this performance project, each artist will have the opportunity to develop and hone a personal “act,” song, sketch, visual art exhibition, etc., while collaborating with others under a theme chosen by the group. This performance project is open to any prime.
Mentors: Johnny Weissgerber & Alexander Rothschild
Contact: jweissgerber@aacps.org , arothschild@aacps.orgMondays & Wednesdays at Studio 39
All primes welcome.
Collaborative storytelling is the name of the game in this project. Artists will begin with charrette design exercises to develop a story/world, will take it through script building/storyboarding and production design, and develop it into a lightly produced new work or installation piece. Artists will come up with plot, narrative arcs, presentation styles and design choices.
By auditioning for a special project, you are committing to all three trimesters (Wednesday classes), performances, and any additional rehearsals required to prepare performances (tech or dress rehearsals that may be scheduled outside of the regular Wednesday classes, that you will be informed about in advance). As a collaborator, it is imperative that you see the project through from beginning to end, therefore, only at the conclusion of the project are hours awarded. If you do not complete the project, you do not earn the hours.
Mentors: Jennifer Marie Rivera & Tobias Russell
Contact: jmrivera@aacps.org, tjrussell@aacps.orgWednesdays at Broadneck High School
Audition Required. Music Primes only. Students must be able to provide their own participation.
This band of PVA musicians selected by audition will use modern commercial music to strengthen individual technique and musicianship in a collaborative ensemble. The Modern Commercial Band will be coached by a team of professional commercial musicians who will bring real world musical experience to the ensemble. The goal of the project is preparing for traditional live performances.
The band will include drums, bass, keys, guitar, brass/woodwinds, and vocalists. Musicians will play music from the last several decades including but not limited to rock, blues, funk, pop, soul, ska, and punk. This ensemble provides both applied and collaborative experiences designed to cultivate the skills, motivation, and personal responsibility needed to succeed in a modern band.
Modern Commercial Band is open to students in grades 10, 11 and 12 across all PVA music concentrations and will be a three trimester commitment for those who have been selected for the ensemble. Modern Commercial Band will represent the PVA Magnet and AACPS throughout our community over the course of the year.
Auditions will be held during the first week of school, September 8-10. No transportation is provided on these dates.
For auditions: Bring 1 song of your choice that shows off your ability. Genres include but are not limited to: rock, pop, ska, soul, funk, R&B, Motown. We also encourage artists to prepare the beginning of Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder, up to the 1:20 timestamp as one of 2 selections we will hear for your audition. Charts will be available upon request but we encourage musicians to learn and play the piece by ear. This is not required to audition, but is recommended. If you are unable to attempt a passage (edit) from this song, please select an alternative song in a contrasting style to your first selection. You will need 2 prepared pieces/excerpts for your audition.
Instrumentalists can play along with songs streamed from another device. Vocalists are asked to use a karaoke version in the original key. Both should be easy to find on YouTube. You are not required to play/sing with a backing track, but we think it’s a good idea.
Your audition will conclude with a brief interview.
If you are interested in auditioning, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/gNhNeuyfHy15F8Ct9
We will contact you regarding the scheduling of your audition.