Creative Connections

Wednesday, June 8th: Celebrating the Arts

2011-07-21T17:28:00.001-04:00

We're taking a step back in time. Flash back to Wednesday, June 8th, 6:00pm at Creative Arts for our end-of-the-year bash.

Elena Raucci putting the final touches on our performance space.

First, allow me to explain the event. We throw a celebratory party to end the 'school' year of art, music and theatre programming. Our amazing volunteers transform Pilgrim Hall into a whimsical performance and art exhibit space, and the Board brings dinner for attendees to enjoy. The event is for anyone and everyone and, most importantly, FREE!

Dinner...thank you Board Members!

The evening begins with a light supper. Attendees mingle, much and muse over the art show, which highlights our visual arts faculty and select work by art students. I included a few selections from the show. We had over 25 works on exhibit!

Portrait of Jennifer Hart by Dennis Hart (Visual Art Faculty)

Painting 102 student


Untitled, by Nedret Andre (Summer Visual Art Faculty)

Clay projects by the Clay Mania! EMARC program

Many diners and patrons of the Arts!

After dinner, attendees gathered for a beautiful concert by music faculty and advanced students, punctuated by scholarship awards and improv by our Traveling Theatre class!

A small 'snap-shot' of the audience

This evening was an important event for two reasons: 1. to celebrate everyone's hard work and 2. we formally announced our capital campaign to purchase a building of our own. To kick off the concert, former Director and co-founder of Creative Arts, Judy O'Hare, presented a check for $1,000 to make the campaign 'official.' Thank you, Judy!

Judy O'Hare presenting her check to current Executive Director, Jennifer Hart

The ladies from Traveling Theatre kept the audience laughing with improv games and sketches.

Musical performances and awards followed. Two music and one theatre merit scholarships are given each year. To apply for the Renzel Rongone Memorial scholarship, theatre students write an essay and submit it to Theare Director, Angela Merrill.

Anabele Moda was this year's Theatre Scholarship winner. She read her essay "Why Theatre is Important".

The James O'Hare Memorial scholarship is given to an exceptional student studying a string instrument. String students are nominated by their teachers. The Mildred D. Hersh Memorial scholarship is given to an exceptional piano student, also nominated by teachers. Nominated students for both scholarships demonstrate technical achievements, perform and practice regularly, love music, and have a fantastic attitude.

Judy O'Hare presenting Tim Sanford with the scholarship award.

Tim Sanford and his Violin Instructor, Jenna Potts, perform Sonatina in G Major for Two Violins by J. F. Mazas

This year, Tim Sanford won the O'Hare Memorial scholarship and Paul Maschhoff won the Mildred D. Hersh Memorial piano scholarship. Congratulations! Both performed after winning.


Piano Instructor Roald Wilson presented the Mildred D. Hersh Memorial scholarship to his student, Paul Maschhoff.

Paul performs the technical piece, Prelude #1 by George Gershwin

The Board of Trustees also gives awards to exceptional community supporter, faculty, staff or volunteers. This year's Creative Choice award went to volunteer and staunch Creative Arts advocate, Susan Roberts! Susan volunteers in our office at least 2 days per week, provides support for our theatre vacation programs, and created our current registration database. Her son, Max, also takes violin lessons from Jenna Potts and theatre programs with Angela Merrill.

Jennifer Hart and Susan Roberts sharing a moment

Deborah Gilburg received the Founder's Award for her help in strategic planning, promoting Creative Arts, and creating the foundation for our capital campaign. Thank you, Deb!

Deb Gilburg and Jennifer Hart embrace while Boar President, Virginia Wadland, looks on

The Creative Arts Ensemble also performed! Music teachers Laura Burgess, Sheryl LaFayette, Elena Raucci and Karl Orvik decided to start an ensemble and are available for weddings, concerts, parties or other performance opportunities.


The Creative Arts Trio (comprised of music teachers Elena Raucci, Laura Burgess and Sheryl LaFayette)

Lailoo Perriello, violin student of Jenna Potts, performs Country Dance by C. M. von Weber

Julia Parker performs Fantasie, Andantino mvmt by G Faure

Thomas Winsor, piano student of Roald Wilson, perform Prelude in C# Minor by S. Rachmaninoff

Alexander Witham, vocal student of Brian Ocock, sings The Vagabond by R. V. Williams

We ended the evening with great music and dessert!


The cake was hand-made and decorated!

We had many more fantastic performers! If you attended, you were treated to a very special evening. If you missed us...there's always next year! Thank you to our sponsors: Nelson & Rita Burbank, The Raucci Family and Longwood Place! Most Importantly, thank you to our volunteers for all your hard work in decorating, making food, setting up and cleaning up; we couldn't have done it without you!

Performing at Lynnfield Public Library

2011-07-18T17:39:00.000-04:00

Performers watching "backstage," waiting for their cue.

Our Traveling Theatre Troupe had their last performance at Lynnfield Public Library in the children's section. It was a great location to perform Nursery Crimes: Four and Twenty! In true Traveling Theatre form, students played different characters from their first two performances. Playing different characters challenges our students, keeps them on their toes, and teaches them (using classical acting methods) how to understand, develop and become different characters.

Parents and other audience members watching the skit

As an aside: While our Troupe waited to perform, cast members had a great time looking for and reading children's books. The variety of books were almost too much of a distraction for our actors, however; what a great distraction! It was comforting to know books still captivate young readers!

Our Goldilocks waits for her cue

The performance space was intimate, which seemed to throw-off our actors. As the skit progressed, they became more comfortable, and the audience was able to understand and hear all actors. This again demonstrates that acting is not just repeating lines. Our actors have to bring energy, stamina, confidence, originality, imagination and dynamic creativity to each performance. It's not easy!

As with all Creative Arts theatre productions, the cast kept the audience in stitches, especially Goldilocks, who committed crimes to change the plot line because she was sick of eating porridge. Bravo!

Bravo to the cast of Traveling Theatre! Bravo to their parents for driving them to performances! Bravo to instructor Angela Merrill for mentoring our young actors!

Playing with Shadows and Light

2011-07-01T16:36:00.002-04:00

We welcomed the beginning of summer and school vacation with a series of sculpture art workshops. Over the course of one week, students explored and created several sculpture types: kinetic, recycled art, organic forms and shadows and light.

This is an example of a kinetic sculpture harnessing the power of wind by artist David Riemer.

During the kinetic workshop, student created sculptures that MOVE using balance, wind and gravity, while learning about different artists that make kinetic sculpture.

Dolphin by Evelyn Howell

Penguin and 'Rubber' Duckie by Tim Sanford

In "Animal Homage" students used clay, plaster and rigid wrap (the same material used to make casts for broken bones) to mold, shape and sculpt different animals. Using watercolor paints and photographs for inspiration, they painted habitats for their animals (real or imaginary)...paying careful attention to food selection and biodiversity.

Sea shore by Tim Sanford

forest habitat...notice the relief animal addition

The Friday sculpture class played with light and shadow by creating sculptures that, when illuminated, cast unique patterns.

In the light: simple car construction...

in silhouette...

Students accomplished another fantastic reflection project...which I will share on another blog post. For now, have a great holiday weekend...and hopefully our students will look at sculpture differently; taking time to notice shape, form, pattern, texture, function, symmetry/asymmetry, and balance.

Drawing the Human Form

2011-06-28T10:17:00.000-04:00

Did you know Creative Arts holds monthly figure drawing workshops? The workshops are monitored by resident artist Dennis Hart who provides critique, instruction and advice as he takes the class through a series of timed poses. A nude model, traditional for figure work, moves through timed poses to keep the class sketching!

The above drawing is from a 10 minute pose. 10 minutes is considered a long pose, giving the artist enough time to add details, fix proportion and begin shading.

Figure classes generally begin with a series of 15-30 second gesture poses. Short poses are akin to stretching before an intense workout and are used to warm up the mind and synch visual observations with physical translation. Gesture sketching also loosens drawing muscles in the hands, arms and back, allowing for free, open sketching movement.

Gesture is a type of fast sketching to capture, in rudimentary form, the 'essence' or idea of a subject...usually a moving subject. Sketching is free-form, flowing and active, with intense focus on the model and minimal glances at the paper. It's not uncommon for artists to break a sweat!

This video is a good example of the free-form movement of gesture sketching to capture the 'essence' of a subject.

As pose time increases (usually 1-10min), gesture is still used to capture basic pose shape. The remaining time is used to add detail.

Usually, a teaching artist proctors the class by monitoring pose time and offering critique or helpful hints. It's helpful for the artist to receive feedback and gain outside perspective. Figure workshops or classes are generally 2.5 to 4 hours and incorporate at least one 20-60 minute pose.

This example is from a 10 minute pose.

You do not need to be an artist to experience figure drawing or explore gesture sketching! Many outdoor enthusiasts, naturalist and scientists used gesture sketching (especially in the field) to record observations.

Example of a naturalist sketchbook.

Creative Arts will continue to hold monthly figure drawing workshops, and invites you to attend! To find out more about the program, please call the office at 781-942-9600!

Crime Noir, Advanced Acting Class Style

2011-06-23T10:16:00.000-04:00

Our Advanced Acting (or Act III) students wrote and performed an interactive "whodunit" murder mystery play, Would You like a Side of Murder with That?, where the audience must solve the case!

Directed by Angela Merrill (Theatre Director and class instructor) and written by the cast: Jason Glen, Leah Lattanzi, Jenny List, Caitlin Mahoney, Hayley McCormack and Kevin Short, Scene I opens with Jessica Monroe, played by Caitlin Mahoney, at the park waiting for her ex-boyfriend and friend, Eric Cline (played by Kevin Short).

After a cheerful reunion, Jessica confesses to Eric that she is in a relationship with a married man. Eric is outraged and disappointed in Jessica, mostly because he still has feelings for her.

Eric makes a scene, drawing the attention of park visitors and storms off-stage, leaving Jessica to rethink her role in her current relationship before returning to work.

Later that afternoon, Jessica is visited by her boyfriend, veteran of the Afghanistan conflict and married man, Michael (played by Jason Glen). She decides to end the relationship, which, naturally, angers Michael.

Later that evening, on her way home from work, Jessica is confronted by Michael's wife, Elaine, played by Leah Lattanzi. Elaine knows about her husband's affair and threatens Jessica to stay away from her family and husband. Jessica then encounters Veronica Dickenson, played by Haley McCormack, a private eye she hired to track Michael and figure out more about his wife and family. Jessica desperately wants to know if Michael has any intentions of leaving his family. Veronica tells her Michael is obviously lying about leaving his family and that the outrageous stories about his wife are untrue.

Alone in her apartment and shaken from the confrontation with Elaine, Jessica settles in for the night. The lights dim and we hear a door creak open, a blood curdling scream, and a thud. When the lights come up, we see Jessica on the floor, dead, and Eric hovering over her with a knife in his hands. He calls 911, screams and runs off-stage.

The audience is left to wonder...did Eric murder Jessica or was is someone else? Certainly the main characters in Jessica's life all have motives! Eric, Michael, Elaine and Veronica are arrested and charged with the murder of Jessica Monroe.
Act II opens with the murder trial of Jessica Monroe, presided by the Honorable Judge, played by Angela Merrill. The Judge cross examines each defendant about their actions on the night of Jessica's death. Each character reflects on their actions.

The audience learns each character ended up at Jessica's apartment that night, but claimed her door was unlocked, and that they each discovered her body! Though each character stumbled upon Jessica's body, only Eric cared enough to call 911.

Presumably, we realize none of the characters murdered Jessica. So, who did it? As the defendants reflect, they all remember the presence of one particular person...the court stenographer, Chell Michelle (played by Kelly DiCicco)!

She was at the park, the restaurant, and even lived in Jessica's apartment building!

Chell breaks down and confesses. She had a rough day, entered what she thought was her apartment (but made a mistake...it was Jessica's). Jessica startled her and, thinking Jessica was a burglar and acting in self defense, killed Jessica! But was she? Chell, overcome with emotion, runs off-stage. We later discover a bracelet Jessica was wearing went missing, and that a serial killer is on the loose...a serial killer that takes bracelets for a trophy...the same bracelet that Chell was wearing! Hmmm....

On a critical note, I was extremely impressed the cast, ages 12-18, wrote this play. This was a complex plot line with twists and many main characters to juggle. The character reflection monologues during the trial were pre-recorded, skillfully written and delivered. The cast also wound in comic relief to lighten the dark overtones of the script. For example, Elaine Davis (wife of Michael) had a penchant for hoarding, which was expertly and quirkily acted by Leah. Each character was well-acted and quite believable. Bravo to the cast for their hard work! It really was a delight to watch!

Reading Friends and Famly Day

2011-06-19T22:59:00.000-04:00

We were at Reading Friends and Family Day! Did you visit our booth?

Virginia Wadland, our Board President, Jennifer Hart, our Executive Director, and Victoria Smith, our Education Coordinator, met with curious families and chatted with familiar faces about up-coming events and programming.

We also provided a Creation Station for those feeling particularly creative! Kids (or anyone) could decorate envelopes (then make cards at home) to give to their favorite person.

Materials to transform blank envelopes into something special.

Such focus!

Finished product!

After the event, we sojourned to unveil OUR PERMANENT, FUTURE HOME! We intend to purchase and renovate the building (currently the Christian Science Church) on the corner of Sanborn and Lowell Streets. That's right! We're starting a capital campaign! If you would like to know more about our future center for the arts, give us a call: 781.942.9600!

It's Recital Time!

2011-06-17T23:41:00.000-04:00

Every May and June our music program launches into studio recital mode. Every music instructor culminates the music year with a studio recital...to end on a high note (pardon the pun, I couldn't help myself).

Recitals are formal, where pieces must be polished and well-practiced. Students typically perform more advanced pieces than in Student Performance Nights.

Some instructors combine their studios, which is a wonderful treat for the audience, as they are exposed to different musical talents and repertoire.

Here, Joshua, percussion student of Joshua Jade, performs his duet.

All students perform when it's recital time, even adult students! Plus, watching and hearing advanced students perform motivates and inspires others.

Nate Shaffer, piano student of Roald Wilson, performs Clair de lune by Claude Debussy.

Andrea Vacon performs

Paul, vocal student of Brian Ocock, performs

Alexander Witham, vocal student of Brian Ocock
This is only a taste of our music faculty and their performing students. Recitals are always free and open to the public, and provide a great introduction to music and instruments!

Nursery Crimes: Four & Twenty

2011-05-24T22:00:00.000-04:00

The Creative Arts Traveling Theatre Troupe, taught by Theatre Director Angela Merrill, is a group of young actors that take their 'act' on the road. The troupe learns basic improv skills and a short skit, where each actor becomes a new character each time it's rehearsed or performed. This pushes our young actors to understand the importance of character development.

The Troupe in action! Monday, May 23, the Troupe performs their skit, Nursery Crimes: Four and Twenty, to an audience of curious kids and adults.

Nursery Crimes: Four and Twenty follows Jack Horner (famous for sitting in a corner with a pie), a rookie in the CTU, Counter Troll Unit, on the case of a missing troll. Missing trolls are a big deal in Nursery Land! The CTU uncovers a mysterious note, which puts Jack on the trail of Goldilocks and the Piper Brothers. With a little help from Wee Willie (Bill) Winkie, a private detective, the two must race against a 24-hour deadline to find the troll.

Jack Horner on the case!

The Piper brothers: Simon and Peter

They caught the perpetrator! To find out...attend the performance at Lynnfield Public Library on June 20th!

After the performance, our young actors read nursery rhymes to the audience!

Traveling Theatre meets on Saturdays and is comprised of beginning through advanced actors between the ages of 8 and 18. Thank you to parents and students for making this performance happen!

The Dancing Flute: A free music concert for all ages at Reading Public Library

2011-04-23T18:10:00.001-04:00

We have a wealth of excellent faculty artists that teach art, music and theatre to those willing and open to take classes or lessons, and we LOVE to share! Thanks to a grant from The Harpley Foundation and a donation from the Helen Nigro Foundation, we are able to share our excellence in music education and performance with you!

To kick off our concert series, which are all free and open to the public, our flute instructor, Judy Braude, prepared a fantastic program of George Frederick Handel's flute sonatas! Concert-goers also learned several popular dances during Handel's time: the Minuet, Bourree and Gavottee.

Concerts are tailored for all ages, as music (classical in this case) is appreciated by both active and passive listeners. Judy opened the concert with Handel's Sonata in E minor (Grave, Allegro, Adagio, Allegro).

Two children passively listening

Sonata literally means "a piece of music that is played" as opposed to a piece that is sung. Sonatas during the Baroque era are defined as "a major composition for a solo instrument as accompanied by a keyboard instrument." Handel composed during the Baroque era 1600-1750 (or, what we now classify as the Baroque era), which had a huge effect on culture. During this era furniture, music, artwork, fashion, writing and architecture were all characterized by the Baroque style: anything that is ornate, lavish, highly textured, intense, irregular and strange (as compared to Medieval & Renaissance style).

Here's an example of a flute sonata in E minor composed by Handel (we think) in the Baroque style

Judy plays the Baroque flute accompanied by Debbie Emery

Under Baroque influences, composers experimented with counterpoint (two or more melodic lines played simultaneously), decorated melodies, basso continuo (played by one or more bass instrument accompanied by a keyboard instrument), and demonstrated emotions - a novel invention for music.

Judy performing Sonata in G Major

George Frederick Handel's music embodies and defines the Baroque style. He was famous, world-famous - a classical rock star - as famous (maybe more-so) as The Beatles. Everything he composed was a hit and made money, lots and lots of money. People loved listening and dancing to his music. So, many composers disguised their pieces as written by Handel. That's right! What does this mean? We don't know how many pieces Handel actually composed - including the ones performed at the concert!

Debbie Emery accompanying Judy as she plays "Handel's" Sonata in F Major

After listening and dancing, attendees had a chance to play and hold the flute and piccolo (a very small flute).

Close-up of a piccolo. The Music Place in North Reading loaned both instruments for the concert's Instrument Encounter. I wish I had photos of kids and adults trying to play the flute! It's not easy, but several kids succeeded!

Special thanks to Children's librarian Corinne Fisher for helping promote and organize the concert (and providing a book display about music), The Reading Public Library, performers Judy Braude & Debbie Emery, The Music Place and The Helen Nigro Foundation for making this concert possible!

Candyland

2011-04-11T12:42:00.001-04:00

Over February Vacation, our students worked together on the play, Candyland. Written and directed by Angela Merrill, our Theatre Director, Candyland follows the adventure of five kids after they are sucked into the game, Candyland.
To view the animated slide show of the production, click PLAY!

Imaginative Acting: A Program for Future Playwrites!

2011-03-31T22:38:00.002-04:00

Imaginative Acting class takes theatre to a new level. Students learn acting principles along with creative writing skills! Our theatre classes, workshops and camps always hold final productions however; this production was special as the students were primary playwrites! Instructor Angela Merrill guided the class through the elements of creative writing and acting basics. After reading and studying many examples, the class created a clever and witty play in three Acts, Holiday High. In Holiday High, Santa Claus is kidnapped, leaving two hopeful kids and Sherlock Holmes to solve the caper using clues found in his forgotten high school year book (Holiday High).

Imaginative Acting class reveals their play, Holiday High.

Act I opens with three elves preparing for Christmas. They finish decorating and loading Santa's sleigh when they hear Santa is missing!

Mrs Claus calls investigates the disappearance!

But first, news breaks and two kids find out Santa is missing and decide to help.

So they call Sherlock Holmes to help solve the mystery!

The trio roots through old magazines, news clippings and an old Holiday High year book looking for clues. They discover Santa attended Holiday high and had many jealous frenimies.

So they meet with several characters...

And they discovered Cupid did it (as let slip by the Leprechaun)

The most interesting part of the program was taking kids from different backgrounds, ages, abilities, acting and writing experiences and focusing them to work together on a complex project. The result was fantastic, and the credit goes to Angela Merrill and the cast of Imaginative Acting!

Part 2 of Our Open House: The Musical Perform-a-thon

2011-02-06T15:09:00.000-05:00

The Perform-a-thon is an annual marathon concert event which raises funds for the music program. The Perform-a-thon consists of six 45min concerts packed with eager music and theatre students. It takes a lot of planning, support and coordination to run the day but, in the end, it's a fantastic and thoroughly rewarding experience to hear, see and feel the support our community instills in us all.

Alex Zhang, violin student of Jenna Potts, is accompanied by Brent Erstad

Our music and theatre students work very hard to prepare for performances! Music students practice, practice, practice, practice and practice. In lessons, they play their piece for their teacher, make adjustments, and practice concert run-throughs.

Annabelle, piano student of Brent Erstad, perform "When the Saints Go Marching In" together

Similarly, theatre students rehearse, rehearse, rehearse and rehearse with their Instructors/Directors before performances, making changes along the way.

Theatre students, Kevin and Caitlin, perform a scene from Romeo and Juliet.

Leah and Jason, theatre students of Angela Merrill, perform a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream

Faculty will often perform, too.

Here, Theatre faculty perform an improv game, The Alphabet, where they tell a story using the letters of the alphabet.

Roald Wilson, flute student of Judy Braude, performs Sakura

Students are also invited to perform on multiple instruments.

Melissa, piano student of Roald Wilson, performs on flute and piano!

Some students perform for the first time:

Nadia, vocal student of Andrea Loretz-Frey

Kelly, vocal student of Andrea Loretz-Frey and theatre student of Angela Merrill, performs Soon It's Gonna Rain from The Fantastics.

Ava, music student of Natacha Rist, though shy at first, performs for the first time!

The long day ends with music and laughter! We'll leave you with one last clip of Alex, violin student of Jenna Potts, performing Brahm's Waltz.

Exploring the Arts At the Open House!

2011-01-31T22:51:00.001-05:00

Creative Arts held a Winter Open House on Saturday, January 29th from 11am to 2pm. The Open House, a free event and perfect for all ages, offered an opportunity to explore the arts with different activity stations.

One of the activities offered was the instrument petting zoo! Music teachers like Roald Wilson (pictured here) helped curious participants explore different musical instruments. Roald teaches traditional piano, hammer dulcimer and kalimba. His passions include collecting (and sharing) unique musical instruments.

Jenna Potts, pictured here helping a visitor with a guitar, teaches Suzuki & Traditional violin. In addition to teaching at Creative Arts on Mondays and Wednesdays, Jenna is also working on a Masters Degree in Violin Performance at Longy School of Music.

Mark Dante Troiano currently teaches contemporary guitar and voice in addition to writing and performing original compositions. Mark also helped curious music lovers play the guitar during the petting zoo.

Participants at the instrument petting zoo experiencing the piano.

Earlier, Brent Erstad, Traditional Piano Instructor, helped students investigate the piano. Brent teaches on Wednesdays and, on the weekends, is the Music Director, Choir Master and organist at Trinity Church in Newport, RI.

Suzuki & Traditional Flute Instructor Judy Braude performs a selection of repertoire before dashing to a concert in Worcester! Judy teaches on Thursdays and also performs locally with the Reading Civic Concert Band.

The Art Department created different stations to inspire visitor's creativity! Here, Lesley King, demonstrates throwing clay on the pottery wheel to a curious student. Lesley teaches adult pottery classes including hand building and wheel throwing!

Wheel throwing is definitely messy, but also very fun! Lesley is currently in the middle of a 6 week pottery class for adults. Spring semester begins in March and the pottery class will also be offered!

The Open House also featured a theatre workshop for children ages 4-6. Children learned about Pantomime, the art of acting without talking! Student teacher, Alexander Witham as part of his Internship in theatre education, created and taught the free workshop. Here's a picture of Alexander at Halloween dressed as a Wizzard (of sorts).

More to come...Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Open House...the Musical Perform-a-thon!

Supporting the Arts One Sip at a Time

2011-01-26T21:21:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Jan 22nd The Wine Shop of Reading and The Chocolate Truffle sponsored an evening of tastings to support Creative Arts!

Along with delicious chocolate samples and fine wine pairings, the event also featured craft beer and savory cheese tasting!

Here, volunteer Amanda Foulds samples craft wheat beer.

Nate Shaffer, piano student of Roald Wilson, provides excellent wine tasting music.

The Wine Shop cheese selections and one of the featured paintings by Visual Arts Instructor, Dennis Hart

Over 75 guests enjoyed the evening's palate palatable pairings and music.

Enjoying the wine selections.

The chocolate samples: specialty dark, milk chocolates, peanut butter cups, Himalayan Sea Salt, blueberry and cookies and cream. They didn't last long!

Yum! Specialty dark and milk chocolate samples.

Volunteers Amanda Foulds and Laurie T. Simpson enjoyed the evening.

Creative Arts Board Co-President Virginia Wadland (L) and friends supported the arts and enjoyed the evening's entertainment.

Example of wine selections

As the end drew near and guests slowly departed, Nate closed with a Beatles tribute.

Thank you to all who attended, and thank you to wine, cheese, beer and chocolate vendors!

Together, we raised $800 for Creative Arts!

Final Class Performance: Act I for Beginning Actors

2011-01-20T20:23:00.002-05:00

Act I celebrated their final class by performing their play, Sleeping Beauty.

Our young actors learned stage presence, becoming different characters, pantomime and analyzing a script.

The performance was fantastic! It was a little nerve wracking for some of the actors - as this was their first stage experience - but the show must go on!

Sometimes, the most difficult thing for young actors to understand is vocal projection, especially in front of an audience!

Another hurdle is learning to say lines using emotions of the character. These are difficult concepts for any actor to master. But, you have to begin somewhere!

In Act I, students learn to express themselves through games and other exercises. Stage acting is taught and explored with a short theatrical performance.

12 novice ladies enrolled in Act I and, under the supervision and encouragement of instructor Adam Schuler, blossomed into inspiring actors ready to learn more!

Here, one of the fairies catches Maleficent after the Prince awakes Sleeping Beauty and the kingdom.

King and Queen once again on their throne!

Great performance! Thank you ladies!

The Cast of Sleeping Beauty with Instructor Adam Schuler

Festival of Trees Madness!

2011-01-17T19:41:00.000-05:00

The Festival or Trees is an annual town fundraiser to support the Reading School Technology Fund. Businesses, families, organizations and schools donate and decorate trees for raffling. Visitors purchase raffle tickets and place them under trees they wish to win.

Creative Arts donated a tree, Creative Cravings, and decorated it with gift certificates, t-shirts and hilarious ginger-bread artists, musicians and actors.

Creative Cravings tree

School groups also provided entertainment during the two-day event, including Creative Arts!

Jenna Pott's studio (and Suzuki Violin Group) performed a series of Suzuki and holiday selections.

Yes, our violin group has adults! You are never too old to learn music!

We also provided holiday face painting. Music student Taylor and her good friend helped!

Waiting patiently for a Christmas Tree!

Taylor and her mom with matching snowflakes

Close up of our tree ornaments

And a parting video from our string group.

Thank you to volunteers for decorating our tree, face painting and performing!

Giving Back: Helping Local Businesses During Shop the Block

2011-01-08T23:12:00.000-05:00

Shop the Block is a 4-day event started by independent businesses in down town Reading, MA to encourage residence to shop locally for the holidays. The kick-off night, always a Thursday, is celebrated with special promotions, music, costumed carolers and retail open houses.

David, viola student of Karl Orvik, and his mom, Elena, perform Christmas Tunes at The Hitching Post

Creative Arts contributes to the evening with music. Our music students roam from shop to shop performing classical selections or favorite holiday tunes to delight shoppers.

Julia Parker, flute student of Judy Braude, performs at Simms Jewelers

Students also gain the experience of another performance opportunity, and many practice sight reading...another valuable skill.

Lailoo Perriello, violin student of Jenna Potts, plays holiday selections at Encore Consignment

Plus, students learn to adapt and improvise at each performance location.

Savannah Simpson, piano student of Tatyana Foaksman, performs classical repertoire at The Chocolate Truffle

Store performances are not formal, quiet concerts. Music students must focus on their playing and adapt to ambient music, shoppers and merchants talking and laughing.

Taylor Aspeslagh, piano student of Roald Wilson and vocal student of Andre Loretz-Frey, plays at Everything But The Dog

And, public performance opportunities allow us to give back to our community!

Amy Imrich performs a selection of fiddle tunes to get people in the mood to shop!

Thank you to performers and hosting stores: The Hitching Post, The Chocolate Truffle, Encore Consignment, Everything But the Dog, The Wine Shop of Reading, The Hot Spot, Olde Reading Butcher Shop and Simms Jewelers.

At the Reading Tree Lighting Festival

2010-11-30T23:22:00.000-05:00

Our music students performed at Grumpy Doyle's pub and Reading Cooperative Bank as part of Reading's Tree Lighting Ceremony festivities! Our mission was to entertain folks!

Tim Sanford, student of Jenna Potts, performed classical violin pieces at Grumpy Doyle's. I think, for the majority of attendees, it was the first time they heard a solo student violin performance.

Amy Imrich performed fantastic fiddle pieces throughout the afternoon. That's a lot of fiddlin'!

At Reading Cooperative Bank, our piano students performed for families waiting in line to see Santa.

Lily Johnson performs a selection of pieces including an original composition. She takes piano lessons with Roald Wilson.

We also offered face painting...thanks to a generous donation by Artists & Craftsmen Supply (Saugus).

Taylor, also a piano and vocal student, carefully paints a Santa hat on a very patient boy.

He's concentrating hard on staying still!

Ta-da! Santa hat!

And Christmas trees...

Getting a pair of candy canes. For the record, the brushes kinda tickle and he was trying hard not to move!

We all had a great time! Thanks to our performing students, their families and our wonderful volunteers.

You made this a wonderful experience!

November 5 Student Performance Night

2010-11-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

We hold monthly concert opportunities for students, enrolled in music and theatre, to experience and practice performing in front of an audience. Performing builds confidence but it requires doing it often, which is why we hold many performance opportunities throughout the year.
I included excerpts from our Nov 5th Student Performance Night.

Paul Maschhoff, student of Roald Wilson, performs Prelude in G Minor by Frederick Chopin

Lailoo Perriello and her violin instructor, Jenna Potts, perform Concertante in G by C. Danela

Annabelle Rie, student of Brent Erstad, performs Ode to Joy by L.V. Beethoven

Lauren and her mom, students of Brent Erstad, perform a lovely duet, the Polovtsian Dance.

Our adult students perform, too.

Here, Jeff Struble, student of Roald Wilson, plays Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans

Anson Huang, student of Roald Wilson, performs Peppermint Patty

Adrian Lin, Suzuki violin student of Jenna Potts, performs for the third time!

To end the evening instructors Brent Erstad and Jenna Potts performed a gorgeous Mozart violin and piano pieces, which was followed by a delicious post-concert reception. Thank you to performers, families and faculty for a wonderful evening!

Creative Arts at the Reading Recreation Halloween Parade

2010-10-24T18:58:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, October 24 Reading Recreation held their annual Halloween Parade at Coolidge Middle School and invited Creative Arts to participate. Our available theatre students dressed in costume, led the Halloween Parade, and provided theatrical entertainment.


Wizard (Alexander Witham), Minnie Mouse (Kelly DiCicco), Susa List (Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas) and Jennie List (Lady Gaga) led the parade of Reading families

Entertainment by a juggling-acrobatic-magician-clown-guy

Then, our theatre students and Director, Angela Merrill, wrote a script, Mad Libs style, using the audience's help.

After completing the script, brave volunteers jumped up on stage and acted out the story with the help of our theatre students.

The Halloween Parade is the first of many new partnerships with Reading Recreation! Soon to follow are January & February workshops and February Vacation Theatre Workshop, Candyland!

A New Way to Explore Old Concepts: The Mathmatickle

2010-10-10T20:17:00.001-04:00

I love this activity for teaching math! The Mathmatickle (Math-MA-tickle) uses multiple intelligences to teach language arts and math. A mathmatickle, or equational poetry, is a collection of statements or words combining a mathematical operation in a poetic manner.

For instance: (subject + materials + medium) x (creativity + imagination) = visual arts

Georgia O'Keefe "Red Poppy"

Mathmatickles are a great way for students to understand mathematical concepts while practicing language arts...or is it the other way around? Very interdisciplinary - I love it! Author Betsy Franco wrote a great children's book with many mathmatickles: check it out at your local library.

If your child or student has trouble with either these two subjects, try a Mathmatickle!

Scenes from the Community Arts Festival

2010-10-03T23:52:00.001-04:00

The Cultural Connection and Creative Arts held the first Community Arts Festival on Oct 2nd to unite Reading's cultural and artistic organizations.

The event was open to the public. Activities included demonstrations, music instrument petting zoo, performances, activities and information booths.

Percussion instructor, Joshua Jade, mans the instrument petting zoo. Here, he encourages his daughter to explore a violin.

While public numbers were low (despite a ton of advertising), participating arts organizations had a blast networking!

We had wonderful music and theatrical performances!

Family trio from Reading Civic Concert Band

Student from Alpha Omega on the acoustic guitar. He was great!

Guitar & vocal instructor, Mark D. Troiano, provided music for those milling in the info booth hall.

Fiddle instructor, Esther Friedman, fiddled away on the main stage!

Quannapowitt Players performance: Velma and company performer All That Jazz

Billy Flynn: All I Care About is Love!

And let's not forget about the art show:

And this is just a selection. Great show...thanks to Creative Arts instructors, students and volunteers. Many thanks to our performers, sponsors and booth contributors!

Be A Part of the Arts!

2010-10-03T22:44:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed reading this article about the Arts as an important component of human psychology or, more importantly, the fundamental - almost basal - need to CREATE and imagine.

Think about it.

We require our creative thinking abilities everyday...in school...getting dressed...planning the week...making breakfast/lunch/dinner...at work...playing video games....We are creative everyday.

Like the article enumerates, during tough times, we crave self expression and entertainment.

We listen to music to free ourselves, to relax, to workout, to focus. We doodle - even if it's the 3D cube. We write, we journal, take pictures and play Scrabble and Chess. We like putting complementary colors and patterns together, well, almost. A specific memory comes to mind of my first self-dressing experience at age 3 (think stripes, polka-dots and a pink tutu).

Though artists and teachers of the Arts may not save the world (as this article indicates), they can save us by encouraging self expression and channeling our emotions, which can be quite healing. In the end, everyone needs a creative outlet.

Our Very Own Mural!

2010-09-14T01:40:00.001-04:00

James T. Lynch Contracting and the Town of Reading asked us to paint a mural at the annual Street Fair!

The mural features, per request of the Economic Development Committee, prominent or historic buildings in Reading. For now, people will have to guess the buildings as, due to the strict sign laws, the clearly artistic mural cannot have words, less it be considered a sign. So, though the educational component is lost, people can, at least, admire our community's favorite haunts.

The mural was created by Dennis Hart, professional artist and visual arts instructor at Creative Arts.

We invited children to paint the mural at the Street Fair!

See if you can recognize the featured buildings!

We were surprised that so many children engaged in and enjoyed painting the mural! We still have detail and a little clean up painting to finish...but here's the end product:

The two panels will hang on Woburn Street (near Venetian Moon) until James T. Lynch Contractors finishes construction of their proposed office building.

Many thanks to James T. Lynch Contractors of N. Reading for making this possible! Thank you Economic Development Committee for helping us navigate the difficult sign laws and supporting us at the Street Fair! Thank you for supporting the Arts!

Don't Forget....

2010-08-29T22:39:00.000-04:00

Can you believe school begins this week? My, how time flies!
This year will bring exciting new changes to Creative Arts and our programming.
New partnerships include EMARC, Burbank YMCA and Reading Recreation
New programming: Homeschool art program, playwriting class for children, pottery for Seniors, music programs for pre-schoolers and much, much more!
New events: Community Arts Festival & Holiday Concert
New instructors: Karl Orvik: Violin & Viola Instructor & Adam Schuler, Theatre Instructor

Stay tuned to see what's new!

In the meantime, don't forget these important dates:

Our music semester begins September 7th!

Art and theatre programs begin Oct 4th!

Check out our new event: the Community Art Festival on Saturday, October 2 from 11am to 3pm.

The Community Arts Festival, organized by Creative Arts, celebrates Reading's cultural and arts community groups with performances, activities, art shows and information booths. Cool, huh?!

Looking forward to another year at Creative Arts!

Scenes from the Summer Musical, Annie

2010-08-23T22:08:00.000-04:00

I purposely crashed the dress rehearsal for our summer theatre camp's production of Annie. The cast performed well and, as in all dress rehearsals, fixed issues for the following big performances. I came away with many fantastic photos of our young actors at work.

As in all of our theatre productions, the cast was involved in every step of the production. Students helped make sets, costumes, props and programs for the full-length production - IN TWO WEEKS. I say this all the time; teamwork gets the job done. Everyone works hard but, more importantly, everyone has a lot of fun!

There's an ice cream social, pizza on performance days and a great cast party with Chinese food at the end; not to mention the hilarity of lunch hours!

So...On with the show! Here's a compilation slide show of the dress rehearsal!
Click on the link to see the show: http://animoto.com/play/6Oi0Yiac19UdKEmttG6ddQ

Masters & Mediums

2010-08-14T02:53:00.000-04:00

In the art camp, Masters & Mediums, students used works of several artistic masters for inspiration. They learned about each artist and analyzed their work to create unique projects.

In one project, students explored figurative art studies by Henri Matisse.

They looked at color, form, shape, function, composition, movement and balance to create figure sculptures of their own.

Notice the sculptures capture movement and incorporate vivid primary colors and lyrical human forms found in Matisse's work.

On to the next project!
Instructor, Nedret Andre, talked about portrait drawing, specifically the Mona Lisa. This was a favorite amongst the class as three students had the opportunity to view the actual Mona Lisa in the Louvre over vacation.

Students learned about light source, shading, chiaroscuro, facial proportions and how to incorporate unique character traits.

I think their portraits turned out wonderfully! I highlighted a few that (I felt) are exceptional.

Again, another great week! Students really pushed themselves and , in doing so, created fantastic artwork. Bravo!

Learning & Doing Art with the Mini Masters

2010-08-07T12:31:00.002-04:00

Our summer Mini Masters programs cultivate and direct children's natural curiosity and imagination. Mini Masters programs are for children ages 3-6.

Projects are largely hands-on because young children create best when building, shaping, molding, cutting, scraping and pasting. They are sensory motivated and need to experience each project using all 5 senses.

In People, Places and Things students learn about their world through art. Here, students use paiper mache to create sculptures using a favorite animal or person for inspiration.

Then, they explored faces by drawing each other using different mediums of their choice.

And then made self portrait paper collages.

In another project, students read books about transportation. They learned about cars, planes, trains and bicycles; how they move and how they are driven. Then, students created roads with a city backdrop (because that's what it looks like when they drive with their families around town).

Students learned about landscapes by drawing their houses....

So much of art is derived from one person's interaction and perception of the world. It's no different for young children.

Satiating Creativity Cravings

2010-08-03T22:20:00.000-04:00

Sharing more photos from our summer art program!

Students in Art Discoveries worked with different materials to make 2D and 3D projects. Here, students looked at Picasso's 3D cubist collage study of guitars.

Then, using a violin for inspiration, students created their own 3D instrument collages.

Still under construction...immersed in the creative process.

Close up of violin "strings." (Our violin, cello and viola players are probably chuckling because the wires that vibrate and produce sound are called strings. We literally used strings for the sound producing wires in the violin collage project).

Behold a wall of finished violin collages and the real thing!

And They Act, Sing and Dance, too!

2010-07-24T22:18:00.001-04:00

Last week I shared pictures from our acting workshops - a new summer program feature. The workshops provide an 'acting' introduction to our summer theatre camps. In one week 25+ students work together to perform full-length dramatic or musical productions.

We keep numbers pretty low so each student gets a speaking/singing role and a specific task during production.

Our camps promote team work, responsibility and self accountability (okay, and a lot of fun, too!). Every child has a job, from character role to strike duties. Team work gets the job done!

You won't find fancy costumes or sets at Creative Arts. That's not our style. We feel it's more important for kids to experience the entire production by making props, sets and costumes. When the show ends, kids are extremely proud of what they accomplished, and parents enjoy the life lessons we teach!

Acting requires confidence. We feel creating actors means building a child's self confidence. That's why each student has other responsibilities in addition to character roles. Plus it's more fun, too! It is a challenge, yes, but we feel they can handle it - and they always do!

Art & Theatre Workshop Week

2010-07-21T23:45:00.002-04:00

Scenes (get it?) from our workshop week.

In Acting Through Games students practiced acting skills by playing games!
What skills are learned and practiced by playing games? Plenty!
Pantomime, teamwork, vocalization, eye contact, improvising, imagination, creativity...oh, the list goes on and on or until you lose interest and move on to viewing pictures.
Why deliver these great skills using games? Games are fun! It's okay to laugh when something is silly and to learn through play. After all, fun is contagious!

Every time I checked in with the class and instructors, everyone was smiling, laughing and learning. I had to capture it on film! For the most part, this was challenging because kids - especially theatre kids - love to ham-it-up when a camera is present...but I caught some candid shots!

After each game, everyone would gather 'round and discuss what happened!

Great group of kids = great, fun week!

Sizzling Summer Solace!

2010-07-21T23:24:00.001-04:00

Creative Arts has run summer programs since the mid-1980's. Each summer is different with constant changes in programs, teachers and students. For instance, this summer we added art and theatre workshops (so students can mix-and-match) and a chamber music program in addition to our usual camps and music lessons. It's good to change, to mix things up and try new stuff! From workshop enrollment, it seems our families like change, too!

The next series of posts will feature photos from our summer programs!

This photo montage depicts one project from the sculpture workshops. Students painted landscapes then folded their paintings to create diorama backgrounds. They sculpted characters from plasticine (the same clay used in stop-motion animation) relating to their background and placed them in the foreground.

Dioramas are fantastic learning tools! Students must create a 3D subject, think about environment, develop a back story (after all, they are capturing a moment in time), paint a backdrop from researching different habitats all while keeping perspective in mind. Ahhhh, learning cleverly disguised as fun!

Our First Community Art Exhibit

2010-07-17T12:28:00.001-04:00

Summer Intern, Amelia, organized and mounted an art exhibit at Reading House of Pizza. The exhibit, Destination: Moving Forward, features artwork by visual arts faculty at Creative Arts.

Nedret Andre, Kirsten Brown, Dennis Hart, Catherine Johnson and Visual Arts Director, Jamie McDonough, all contributed work.

A small last-minute reception, for family and friends, kicked off the exhibit opening. Reading House of Pizza provided delicious pizza, calzones and salads for guests.

Creative Arts high school theatre intern, Alexander, (after devouring a slice of pizza) also attended!

Hats off to Amelia for her fantastic hard work! Destinations ends Aug 16. Another exhibit featuring work by Creative Arts summer students and EMARC adult art programs begins at the end of August. Stay tuned!
Many thanks to Reading House of Pizza for working with Amelia and Creative Arts to provide an exhibit space for community artists.

To view the exhibit visit Reading House of Pizza (next to Dandelions) at 1321 Main Street Reading, MA.

2010-06-27T00:38:00.002-04:00

No doubt our faculty and staff have a great time teaching at Creative Arts. It's easy to assume we promote our programs to survive as a business, provide after school care or just another thing to do; that anyone or any business can do what we do.

But, we do what we do to improve quality of life, plainly stated. It's easy to forget about this as our lives and schedules grow increasingly more complex.

The truth is, learning and doing the Arts does matter. It helps merge logic with creativity, which aids in creative problem solving - a quality required in today's workplace.

That's why a group of 13ish parents started Creative Arts 32 years ago with intent of creating an organization offering training in the Arts to establish opportunities for the community to become creative thinkers.

Visual arts is more than painting a picture, music is more than playing a song, and theatre is more than reciting lines from a script. Whether we realize it or not, the Arts plays a much bigger role in our lives and society. I present a thought-provoking video broadcast on PBS in Oregon: http://www.opb.org/teachingcreativity/.

Reading shares a proud history as an athletic town which, by the way, is important to teach and support, too. But we cannot ignore the impact of creativity in our daily lives. As the Arts slowly disappear from our schools and thoughts...what will happen to the future of creative thinking?

Why We Do What We Do

2010-06-22T18:31:00.002-04:00

Thought I would share what we do at Creative Arts with a fun slide show. Burlington Recreation group has worked with Theatre Director Angela Merrill for a couple years now. Composed of disabled adults, the group receives theatre training to help with verbal recall, memorization, physical endurance, emotional intelligence, team work, speech therapy, socialization, responsibility and self confidence.

This year, the group wanted to perform a musical. The group auditioned for roles, built sets and made props and costumes. They did a wonderful job!
This is what I help organize and promote. We play a much greater role in increasing quality of life for all our students, including those of special needs.

Click on the link below to view the animated slide show:
Burlington Recreation's Musical

Reading Red Hat Ladies

2010-06-06T14:02:00.000-04:00

Did I ever mention we perform a lot at Creative Arts?

A few music students and our Traveling Theatre Troupe put on a little show for the Reading Red Hat Ladies. Find information about the Red Hat Society by clicking here.

String students performed a selection of pieces from beginner, American fiddle tunes to classical.

The audience looks on...

Traveling Theatre performed "The Gingerbread Girl."

Thank you to Reading's Red Hat Ladies for this opportunity and to performers and families!

Everyone had a wonderful time!

Act II Final Performance

2010-05-29T16:09:00.003-04:00

Our Act II class is for the intermediate actor. The focus of this class is understanding characterization and furthering stage presence. For their final production, Act II put on a comedic play about nutty news casters and reporters. Breaking news followed several fairy tales.

A young boy accidentally kissed Sleeping Beauty, rousing her from eternal sleep. However; she was waiting for Prince Charming, not a young boy. Imagine her shock! Our reporter covers the news and tries to interview the very, very sleepy princess.

Most morning news shows incorporate a short cooking demonstration. At this "news station," the cooking host interviews the three little pigs about their truffle sauce infusion.

Next up, Sports! One of our news hosts, drowning in her own vanity, tries to interview the Little Mermaid about her guppy synchronized swimming team.

Did you know Rumpelstiltskin became a champion weight lifter after spinning all that straw into gold? Talk about upper body strength! He shares his story.

These four ladies put on a great show!

Classics for Kids Final Performance

2010-05-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

In our theatre classes, students learn acting while working on a short play. This semester, students in Classics for Kids performed The Poky Little Puppy.

Students in character and costume. They're ready!

Four puppies!

Our poky puppy.

The End! Great job students!

Traveling Theatre Troupe Performance

2010-05-23T12:16:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, May 12 our Traveling Theatre Troupe of young actors performed The Gingerbread Girl at Reading Public Library.

The Gingerbread Girl is an amusing tale combining the stories of Frankenstein and the Gingerbread Man. Basically, a mad scientist baker uses radioactive gumdrops as buttons on his gingerbread girl cookie.

The radioactive gumdrops awake the cookie!

A hungry wolf, suffering from indigestion after previously eating the gingerbread MAN, finds the young gingerbread girl in the forest.

Will he eat our gingerbread girl?

You'll have to watch to find out!

After the performance, our troupe read books, pulled by the Children's Librarian, to young audience members.

Families checked out books and explored the library after our performance!

Wine, Cheese & Chocolate - What a Lovely Combination!

2010-05-16T00:13:00.004-04:00

On Wed, May 12 from 6-8pm, The Wine Shop of Reading and The Chocolate Truffle joined forces to hold a delectable wine, cheese and chocolate tasting to support Creative Arts.

Ticket sales for the event and 15% of wine, cheese and chocolate sales purchased supported Creative Arts!

It was a success! The Wine Shop provided unique and interesting wines to sample plus great information on the wine-making process.

Erin, owner and chocolatier of The Chocolate Truffle, paired artisan chocolate with the featured wines. Everyone's favorite was dark chocolate with sea salt. Haven't tried it? YOU SHOULD!

The cheese counter at The Wine Shop paired savory favorites to match the wine tasting collection.

Chocolate and cheese pair well with wine because they cut the taste of tannin (a dry, bitter, chalky taste) while enhancing certain flavors found in each tasty substance. Just LOOK at that selection!

Since the event was successful, we will definitely run this again! For those in attendance, thank you for supporting the Arts!

Meet Our Volunteers!

2010-05-15T22:04:00.001-04:00

We love volunteers! Their hard work really greases the wheels by accomplishing detailed tasks Jennifer and I can't get to. From filing registrations, answering phones and organizing to lending a helping hand in the classrooms, our volunteers do it all!

So...let's meet them!

Susan Roberts

Susan volunteers Mondays and Wednesdays in the office providing administrative support. She also created our *NEW* registration database (yay!). Plus, she serves as editor for our printed material. In the past, Susan also taught and organized a free music education program called "Family Music Fun Night." With an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Plymouth State University and Masters in Theatre Management from Emerson, Susan is a dynamic presence at Creative Arts!

Issac

Issac volunteers on Thursday mornings. Though looking for a full time job in accounting, Issac generously donates his time by organizing and processing registration data. Since Susan is busy creating the *NEW* database and we are re-accumulating data, he helps organize our art room.

Kim Vetter

Kim is our friendly drop-in volunteer! She found us at the Reading Cares Volunteer Fair. Also looking for a full time administrative position, Kim practices her organizational skills by filing registrations, making deposits and organizing our office and art room. Thank you, Kim!

Chris

About half way through our spring semester, EMARC Recreation staff approached us with a fantastic volunteer/mentorship opportunity! Chris wanted to work with kids in an artistic learning environment but needed more experience. To learn job skills, Chris volunteered as a Teaching Assistant in Kirsten Brown's Drawing 102 class. He helped with project and class set & clean up, interacted with students, and also created projects of his own!

Many students, staff, families and faculty volunteer their time to help achieve our shared mission. They volunteer at and help plan events, distribute fliers, help in the office, clean and donate services...the list goes on and on. Thank you, volunteers, without you we are certainly toast!

The Perks of Renting Space from an Old Church

2010-05-07T23:46:00.002-04:00

Creative Arts rents space from the First Congregational Church in Reading. The Town of Reading and its religious congregations are long established (mid 1600's) and this particular church is no exception. The current building (collegiate style architecture) was rebuilt in 1910 after an electrical fire, in 1909, destroyed the previous church (for more info, click here). Perhaps the fire must have inspired the use of stone masonry!

In 1957 the church built an expansion to create an education wing and small chapel. Our office, art and several teaching rooms are located in the expansion.

Needless to say, both buildings are pretty old. Despite leaky ceilings and windows, crumbling plaster and peeling paint, the years have left wonderful character! There are many pleasures working in a historic building:

The sound made from walking on old wood floors.

Beautiful, different woods used as functional pieces and ornamental structures.

Hand-crafted stained glass windows

The marriage of original structure with various additions.

Stained glass windows in strange places!

Discovering secret passages - you should find them!

Imagining those who walked the halls before us...and helped construct the building.

Finding quiet, serene beauty around each corner to calm us on hectic days.

It's a great place to work and, as you know, visit for classes and lessons. Next time you visit take a closer look at the building. Yes, it does need a face lift, but there is great beauty and life in character!

Dinner at the Dockside to Support Creative Arts

2010-04-28T23:58:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, April 28 from 6:00-8:00pm, Creative Arts held a delicious and fun fundraiser at the Dockside Restaurant in Wakefield, MA. The restaurant donated 20% of purchased meals to our humble community school for the arts. Our students also had an opportunity to perform.

We also held a couple raffles, too!

Raffle table

Filling out raffle tickets.

Families spending time together and enjoying dinner.

Great fun and yummy food!

Balloon animals (thanks to a roving magician)

Amy Imrich performing traditional fiddle music.

Choosing raffle winners (there were many)!

This one was for 3 gift certificates to Swiss Bakers in Reading.

Drawing for the Burbank Ice Area passes.

For the kids' basket.

Picking a winner of the organic Melaleuca cleaning basket.

Watching the drawing. Oooooo, the anticipation!

Then, a few stayed to help clean up. They were tipped!

Thanks, guys!

Special thanks to those that dined and enjoyed a night off from cooking and doing the dishes! Your delicious dining helped Creative Arts continue to offer fantastic training for all ages and abilities. Plus, it's an opportunity for our community to join together, chat, eat and have a great time. Many, many thanks!

Final Day of April Vacation Workshops!

2010-04-25T19:33:00.001-04:00

Friday Morning: Architectural Sculpture

Student learned about architecture, city and building planning, building in different environments and famous architects and their styles.

After a brainstorming session and looking at different buildings and cities, students received their assignment: build a future city using different materials.

Young architects (or future city planners?) constructing:

Behold, Cork City!

Friday Afternoon: Comic Illustration Studio

Students created different comic illustrations and learned about drawing faces.

Creating cartoon characters

Special thanks to our students and instructors for making this week very special and fun!

April Vacation Workshops: Celebrating Earth Day!

2010-04-25T17:42:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Earth Day with two workshops: Art in Nature and Sculpture.

Art in Nature serves as an introduction to Scientific Illustration and Nature Journaling. Both are important to any future scientist or outdoor enthusiast as they rely on careful observations and detailed record keeping (visual, in this case). Special thanks to the Museum of Science for lending and donating natural history collections for students to examine, study and draw.

Thursday Morning: Art in Nature

Students made nature sketch books. Stations were set up for students to draw and explore different natural specimens.

Drawing different plants.

Animal model station. Students have a chance to experiment composing photographs.

Investigating minerals and fossils. Students draw what they see and write descriptions.

Contour drawing of an aloe succulent.

Each station contained several hand magnifiers and lenses. This station contained sections of different wood and fungi species.

Thursday Afternoon: Sculpture

Students used recycled material to create relief box sculptures and robots. Many recyclables are donated from our families but the majority of quirky objects come from Extras for Creative Learning in Boston (check them out: www.exclrecycles.org).

Relief sculptures coming together.

Sculpture representing different coins.

Constructing robots

Another great day at Creaitve Arts!

April Vacation Workshops

2010-04-25T11:27:00.002-04:00

Continuing our showcase of April Vacation Art Workshops.

Wednesday Morning: Painting with the Masters

Students created paintings depicting a main subject, an animal, and it's ecosystem (foreground and background elements). These elements are used to tell a visual story.

Sketching before painting. Students also learned about color theory and had to mix their own colors from red, blue, yellow, white and black.

Look at that focus!

April Vacation Workshops

2010-04-24T16:00:00.000-04:00

This year we tried something new. Instead of holding a theatre production week over April vacation, we decided to offer a series of visual arts workshops to keep kids thinking creatively.
Tuesday Morning: Drawing From Scratch

Students practicing observational drawing and enjoying the beautiful day.

Students made a small sketch book and made several sketches of things on the ground, at eye level and overhead.

Working hard.

Describing observations to train the eyes and hone focus.

Sketching is essential for improving drawing skills. Like playing sports or a musical instrument, drawing requires practice. Your eyes, hands and brain need to be trained to observe, process and translate 3D images to 2D. Drawing is definitely a fantastic workout for your brain!

Gesture sketching of an object. Notice her pencil doesn't leave the paper and her eyes remain focused on the object.

Tuesday Afternoon: Enter the World of Sculpey

Learning to sculpt food from Sculpey clay.

Learning to use different tools for molding clay.

Sculpey pens

Sculpting a slice of cake!

Fun with Sculpey!

Coming up next: Wednesday workshops!

February Theatre Vacation Week!

2010-04-22T16:55:00.000-04:00

SOME PIG!

Greetings from this year's February Vacation Theatre Workshop!

This February, our students worked hard to produce E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. Theatre Directors, Angela Merrill and Kirsten Brown worked together to write the script, adapted from E.B. White's magnanimous tale about life, death and friendship.

Wilbur at the Country Fair Auction!

Our two narrators animatedly tied the different acts and scenes together.

Fern and her family eating breakfast and discussing the birth of runt, Wilbur.

Growing Wilbur and his new pen at Zuckerman's farm.

Farm animals meeting Wilbur. See Charlotte in the corner?

Zuckerman's Famous Pig!

A special 'Thank you' to cast and crew for acting in and producing this show! For those that are new to Creative Arts, students attending our vacation week theatre program act in, make costumes, props and sets for a full-length production - IN ONE WEEK! Students audition on the first day and are off-book (without a script) by the second day. By the end of the week, everyone has a great time and makes new friends.

Teacher Feature: Lee Hadden

2010-04-18T21:50:00.019-04:00

I think it's time to share the 'secret lives' of our faculty; that is, lives of our faculty outside teaching at Creative Arts!
Lee Hadden has taught at Creative Arts since 2002, a little over 8 years.
He teaches violin and viola (Suzuki and Traditional) on Wednesdays. When not at Creative Arts, Lee is extremely busy taking lessons, performing, observing other instructors, and teaching music at a variety of different schools including Hartt School of Music in CT and his home studio in Newton. Other than teaching, Lee loves woodworking and angling.
He sent me a few pictures of his favorite hobby to share with our community.

Lee fishes at Walden Pond every morning. This means waking up well before sunrise to get a few hours' worth of fishing in before tending to his busy work schedule.

Brown Trout caught at Walden Pond

Ask Lee about his annual fishing record. Last year he caught 159 trout, 92 Black Bass, 18 Silver Bass, 3 Walleye, 1 Striped bass and a few Perch!

This was taken on a fishing trip to the Great Lakes.

Check out the bait fish used to catch the large one!
Since Lee began keeping records, his best fishing season consisted of 282 trout, 21 Black Bass, 2 Silver Bass, 1 Fluke, 1 Steel Head salmon, a few dozen Perch and Silver Bass, and 8 Sheep Head!

Close up of teeth from a Parrot fish, which Lee caught on vacation in Mexico. Parrot fish primarily eat algae, an organism living symbiotically inside coral. Using its front teeth, Parrot fish scrape coral off reefs and extract algae by grinding up the coral in their throats. They pass the indigestible calcified coral 'skeleton,' which builds up on the sea floor resembling sand. Parrot fish also nip ears of divers when they get too close! Ouch!

Another curious fact about Lee: he practices violin and viola EVERY DAY. In fact, his record is 2,507 consecutive days of practice. That's 6 years and a little over 8 months of uninterrupted practice time. If you take music and wonder why you're not advancing...are you practicing every day? That's what it takes to improve and learn technique. Hard work does pay off!

Monsoons

2010-04-04T01:20:00.000-04:00

So, you might have noticed a little rain during March. The First Congregational Church and Creative Arts, along with some of our families, experienced leaks and flooding. Since I enjoy taking pictures, I decided to document one day of rain.

This was over my desk.

In the nursery.

Coming through the windows.

Poem by Reverend Lisa about the rain.

For those who experienced severe house flooding, please check with FEMA. You may be able to receive funds to repair water damage. For additional information call 1-800-621-FEMA.

New Addition to the Office Staff

2010-04-03T12:42:00.000-04:00

Creative Arts welcomes Sandy, a new office member. Sandy is a very friendly Pembroke Welsh Corgi and loving pet of Education & Outreach Coordinator, Victoria Smith. Sandy typically visits on Wednesdays to greet and play with students and faculty.
On your next Creative Arts visit, swing by the office and see if Sandy is "in."

Offline for a while but now we're back!

2010-04-03T10:51:00.000-04:00

I recently added a "Gadget" that seemed perfect for the blog. It was "Violin Player" where followers could play the violin by clicking on its strings. As it turned out, "Violin Player" contained malware which redirected viewers (all 2 of you) to a social networking site. It took some time to rid our blog of the malware but we did it, and we are now online and ready to keep posting!

Scenes from the Performathon

2010-01-18T12:27:00.000-05:00

At 12pm on Saturday, January 16, 2010 - after the Open House - Creative Arts hosted an afternoon of music and theatre performances. The event, called the Performathon, is a series of 45min performances given by our music and theatre students. Students pledge to perform in an effort to raise funds for the music school. Funds raised pay for instrument upkeep and music scholarships.

Many businesses and families contributed, thus becoming Sponsors of the event. Creative Arts thanks the following sponsors for donating funds or goods to the program:

Director Sponsor

Dr. Mickey Kids, DMD

Patron Sponsor

Pediatric Dental Associates

VMW Designs

Friend Sponsorship

The Taylor Family

First Congregational Church of Reading

Donated Goods for Raffle:

Art & Music Store

Art Supply Wholesale

Broadway Across America

Carriage House Violins

David Reiner

Trader Joe's of Burlington

Performathon Planning Committee

We had a wonderful series of concerts by students and faculty:

Flute student of Judy Braude

Cello student of Shannon Snapp

Instructors Jenna Potts, Suzuki Violin & Veronica Dicker, Violin & Viola

Instructor Brent Erstad, Traditional Piano

Traveling Theatre presents The Gingerbread Girl

Suzuki Piano Instructor Christine Chan and her daughter perform

Thank you students, families, faculty and staff for hosting a wonderful Saturday of music, theatre, art and fun!

Visions from the Open House & Performathon

2010-01-16T22:30:00.001-05:00

Creative Arts held an open house to share a day of creativity on Saturday, January 16th, 2010.

Students, community members (new and familiar), faculty and staff spent the day learning, laughing and listening. Everyone who attended left with a smile!

At the Instrument Petting Zoo...

Creating in our Art Room:

Showing off a 3D sculpture

Faculty and Student Art Show

(click on pic for greater detail)

oil on metal sign, Dennis Hart

oil on canvass, Virginia Wadland (student)

watercolor on watercolor paper, Jamie McDonough

charcoal and eraser, Victoria Smith (student)

paper, pencil and ink on page of book, Kirsten Brown

Reconnecting & making new friendships

Aren't we all having fun?!

Once the Open House came to a close...it was time for the Perfomathon to begin....

Welcoming the New Year: Beginning our 32nd Year!

2010-01-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

Kicking off 2010 with our Open House and Performathon!
Date: Saturday, January 16th
Time: 10am-12pm Open House, 12pm to 6pm Performathon

Why host an Open House?

Provides free activities for all ages and abilities
Acts as a community gathering place - see old friends and meet new faces
Reintroduce Creative Arts to our surrounding communities

Activities for the Day

Meet Creative Arts Faculty
Touch & play different musical instruments
Add your creative touch to a community art project
Participate in art demonstrations
View faculty and student art work
Watch The Mysterious Copy Room, a play by Act 1 theatre students
Learn about Suzuki Talent Education
Listen to funky instruments collected by Roald Wilson
Learn about our programs!
Listen to fantastic music concerts performed by our music students & faculty!

See you there!

Exhibiting Our Student's Art Work

2009-12-24T15:17:00.022-05:00

First semester visual art classes finished last week. Har-rah!

Instructors, Jamie McDonough, Kirsten Brown, Lesley King and Dennis Hart had a great semester and hope their students did, too. Our instructors created challenging projects for students to learn artistic and design principles.

Instructors introduced basic art history concepts to teach art appreciation "how to look at art" along with informal critiques by students to talk about their work. The semester ended with an exhibition of select artwork, another important component of the art experience.

Whenever you look at artwork, first describe only what you see (colors, shapes, media used, what the subject is, etc.). Then analyze the artwork or notice relationships between things. Interpret what you think the artwork means and, finally, make a judgment about your relationship with the artwork. For example, How did the artist involve you? What changes would you make? Does the artwork communicate major ideas or feelings?

Have fun practicing viewing art with our student's work!

click on pictures for greater detail

From Clay Mania! Ages 4-7

From Drawing 101 Ages 4-6

Self portrait in progress from Painting 101 ages 7-9

Family Portrait

Action poses sculpted by students in Mixed-Bag Media Ages 10-13

From Manga: Art of Japanese Illustration Ages 8-11

Manga Illustration for Teens, Ages 12-18

Our adult classes also exhibit work!

Wheel Throwing Basics

Drawing & Painting Studio

Thank you for participating in our student art show!

Holiday Wishing Tree is here!

2009-12-14T17:07:00.007-05:00

Once again we put up a Wishing Tree in the Sanborn Street lobby. Inspired by Yoko Ono's 1996 'Wish Tree', this is a great way to encourage the Creative Arts community to work together on a project.

Students, faculty and staff share their wishes for the year for all to read. Some ask for presents and some ask for health & good cheer but all participate! We added our own wishes, too!

If you haven't attached your wish - I encourage you to participate!

We also received one very important wish this fall:

...two outdoor signs!

Performances, Performances, Performances!

2009-12-11T16:48:00.014-05:00

Wow. The first week of December was jam-packed with performance opportunities!

Thursday, Dec 3: Shop the Block

Our music students acted as roving street musicians performing in local stores participating in this year's Shop the Block. Proceeds from raffle prizes will be donated to Creative Arts! Thank you!

Friday, Dec 4: Student Performance Night & Art Show

We hold monthly performance opportunities for our music and theatre students. This year, the December performance night also served as an art show for students in visual art classes to display their hard work. Here are a few examples (to enlarge, click on the photos):

From Manga Illustration for Teens

Artwork from Drawing 101 (Ages 4-6) & Painting 101 (Ages 7-9)

Clay Mania (Ages 4-7)

Saturday, Dec 5: Festival of Trees

Our donated tree won "Most Unusual." We had a bright red tensile tree with art, music and theatre ornaments complete with gift bags and certificates.

Sunday, Dec 6: Parker Tavern Open House

A few music students, along with Reading's Girl Scout Troops, provided inspiring music for the day. The snow put all visitors in the mood for the holidays! For those that are not familiar with the Parker Tavern, it is Reading's oldest building circa mid 1600's. For more information, visit the Parker Tavern or contact the Reading Antiquarian Society, http://parkertavern.org/.

Thank you to everyone who performed and contributed to a fantastic week!

Creative Arts Faculty Performances

2009-11-11T13:42:00.002-05:00

I thought to share a few of our music faculty performing outside Creative Arts:

Joe Beninati, Traditional Piano Instructor also play accompaniment for the Reading Community Singers...see him at the piano?

Judy Braude, Traditional & Suzuki Flute Instructor

Todd Brunel, Traditional Clarinet and Saxophone Instructor

Mark Dante Troiano, Contemporary Guitar & Vocal Instructor

Brent Erstad, Traditional Piano Instructor (playing the harpsichord in the background)

Clay Time for adults, teen and kids!

2009-11-02T16:38:00.012-05:00

Clay is a wonderful medium! There is great pleasure in squashing, pounding, rolling, pinching, shaping and molding something - transforming a lump of clay into unique sculptures or functional pottery.
Whether learning to hand build or throwing on the wheel, working with clay is extremely relaxing for all ages.

Below is a sample of tiles created in our Clay Builders class for ages 7-12. Students hand-rolled and shaped the clay before imprinting with different textures and designs.This is a sample of our teen and adult pottery wheel throwing class.

Examples of work from the Clay Mania! class for ages 4-7. Students rolled out clay tiles, then imprinted designs using fresh, fallen fall leaves!

A view of the pottery area in our art room. Notice the wheel organization!

Our adult drawing and painting studio even uses student pottery creations in still life assignments!

These are merely samples of assignments used to teach students how to shape and mould a boring lump of clay into something unique and inspired.

For Your Information...

2009-10-30T15:22:00.016-04:00

We made a few changes...check them out the next time you find yourself roaming our hallways.

We re-organized the office...

...opening up our space......to better serve you...we added another room schedule board @ parking lot entrance...

...and continue to update the Sanborn Entrance bulletin board and room schedule.

The schedule boards provide a daily listing of classes, instructors and room assignments. Always check the schedule boards to find your lesson or class location! Sometimes we have to switch rooms - how else would you know where to go?!

New Additions to Creative Arts Faculty

2009-10-26T16:46:00.006-04:00

We are very excited and pleased to welcome new additions to our music and theatre faculty!

Danny Bolton, Theatre Instructor

Danny Bolton, veteran actor, playwright, director, and teacher will bring his enthusiastic, positive energy to inspire young playwrights and actors at Creative Arts. He comments, “I stress the dramatic process and lead my students to bring words from the page to the stage…incorporating an understanding of stagecraft, theatrical genre and style.” Not to mention he has directed over 30 plays and musicals and acted in many more. Danny is a wonderful addition to our theatre faculty!

Veronica Dicker, Traditional Violin and Viola Instructor
Check her out:
or cut and paste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRWTIe

Veronica will teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Jenna Potts, Suzuki Violin Instructor
Jenna will teach on Wednesdays.
Check her Out:
Or cut and paste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxlE86Esfzk

Welcome Aboard!

Student Performance Nights

2009-10-17T22:13:00.004-04:00

Once per month Creative Arts hosts a performance night where music and theatre students perform current pieces.
Part of our music and theatre education curriculum involves participation in regular performance opportunities. This gives students a goal to reach, encourages self-discipline, teaches 'performance ready' and concert etiquette. It also teaches students how to deal with nerves and to 'forge on' when mistakes are made. Plus, the post-concert receptions offer fantastic opportunities to meet our faculty, staff, other families and students...and eat something yummy, too!

Oct 16th was our first performance night. Please enjoy the following clip of a piano student performing!

Our Next Student Performance Night: Friday, November 6 @ 7pm.
See you there!
Performance nights are always free and open to the public!

The Art Advantage

2009-09-18T16:35:00.013-04:00

New physiological and behavioral research indicates exposure to and practice the the arts has significant, positive and long term effects on brain development and social literacy.

Training in visual arts, music and theatre not only improves higher cognitive functions but represents a different way of thinking and experiencing life.

It's fun. It's a source of curiosity, pleasure and admiration. It's pleasing to the senses where students, young and old, learn by touching, hearing and seeing.

Most importantly, cognitive improvements develop over time through consistent and prolonged practice in the arts.

Why does visual arts matter?

Why learn to draw, paint, sculpt or appreciate artwork?

As it turns out, practice in and exposure to visual arts not only stimulates different parts of the brain but also expands higher cognitive functions like

Processing mathematical spatial relationships (hello, geometry!)
Understanding abstract principles
hand-eye coordination
Dexterity and muscle development
Confidence
Self expression
Communication skills
Increased focus and attention
Problem solving and critical thinking skills

Many students find the process of creating art calming and relaxing.

Practice in visual arts uses higher-order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis and evaluation) using simple or complex symbols to communicate.

Therefore, exposure to and practice in creating art is developmentally important to children and adults by providing advantages in other subjects and life experiences.

Summer Theatre Camp Experience

2009-07-25T09:52:00.014-04:00

Summers at Creative Arts are very busy! We host a different art and theatre program every week to offer unique variety and opportunity for many students to participate.

To highlight our theatre programs....
In our full-day, week-long theatre camps, students learn play production by literally producing a play or musical every week. Students audition for a role, memorize lines and songs, make costumes, props, sets, and manage set changes for a play or musical. It's amazing to watch the final production knowing students put it together in 5 days.

Angela Merrill, our Theatre Director, acts as the production's director. She challenges each student to accomplish this large task by teaching responsibility and self-accountability.

During the week, students work on group collaboration and team work (taking direction, lead, learning to support and trust others ), memorization and recall skills, reading comprehension, creative problem solving and public speaking skills (vocalization, articulation, timing).

Our summer programs invite a wide age range to participate allowing students to work together in a diverse group. We invite every student willing to work hard and have fun to participate!

If you desire to boost your child's self confidence, group collaboration and communication skills, enroll them in an acting program at Creative Arts! They are guaranteed to have fun!

Changes at Creative Arts

2009-07-22T11:48:00.013-04:00

Hi All! Long time, no post - I know. Since my last post, Creative Arts experienced many changes.
Change can be difficult to accept - to let go of something familiar and constant. To me, change is a positive experience bringing new beginnings, opportunities and perspectives.

Creative Arts is experiencing many simultaneous changes:
Music instructors are moving on to graduate school, retirement, or family changes. While we will miss them, their departure gives way for new instructors with new teaching styles and musical interests.

Our art department head accepted another position at a summer camp in Lynn. This summer, our art camps are taught by different instructors giving our students opportunities to experience different mediums and perspectives in art.

We also added adult fine arts workshops in drawing, painting and clay.

In April, our Office Manager, Kathryn (see pic to the left), left Creative Arts for a wonderful opportunity at another company. She is doing well and thinks of us often. We miss her smiling face, bubbly personality and presence in the office. Kat moved mountains for Creative Arts and we owe her many, many thanks. She will pop in at different events throughout the year and intends to volunteer at our big fundraisers.
To help fill Kat's shoes, several parents volunteer in the office and process registrations, prepare summer camp information packets, answer phones, aid in computer database entry, marketing, etc. etc. Thank you volunteers!

In other news:

We hired a new traditional piano instructor, Brent Erstad, to keep up with demands for new music students and continue to offer instructor variety. Brent has taught lessons for over 8 years and loves classical music. His many talents also include playing the organ, which he continues to play at Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in Providence, RI. He is a wealth of knowledge and will teach a Music Appreciation/Music History class for adult this fall.
Brent also offered to perform a free, solo piano concert in the fall. Keep and eye out!

We are actively seeking traditional cello and Suzuki instructors for piano, violin and viola. We are in a second interview with a Suzuki violin/viola instructor and are interviewing a few cello teachers.

Word-of-mouth continues to be our number one generator for new families and members. While we are re-evaluating our marketing strategies, we appreciate your help in passing information about Creative Arts to family, friends, groups, neighborhood and schools.

There are many opportunities to grow as a person, as a family and as a community at Creative Arts. We invite you (as adults and children) to expand your horizons and meet others by taking classes and lessons, participate in concerts and performances, and attend our community events.

We look forward to seeing you all!

O, the places we perform...

2009-05-09T17:40:00.012-04:00

Performing is an essential part of our theatre and music education programs! Performing in front of an audience teaches students (young and old) preparation through practice, memorization skills, self confidence, self reliance and that the show must go on despite mistakes!

Creative Arts hosts monthly performance nights and is often asked to provide live entertainment at local events.
Recently, the Reading Chamber of Commerce asked us to perform at their annual Outstanding Citizen Award gala. During a very loud cocktail hour, the Traveling Theatre Troupe and several advanced music students performed.

Traveling Theatre Troupe performs The Nose (a scene from Roxanne) for attendees

Jenny List as The Nose

'Audience' to The Nose as he and his nemesis try to out-do each other by coming up with the most nose jokes - all to win a kiss from a lovely lady (wearing green above).

Ian Furst (student of Lee Hadden) performs

Nathan Furst (student of Lee Hadden) performing

Taylor Aspeslagh and Ryan Taylor added to the evening's music on keyboard (sorry no picture). The audio system was a bit of a bust but they were good sports and performed despite sub-optimal conditions. Thank you to parents and students for performing!

Upcoming performance opportunities:
June 9th: Spring Arts Night @ Stoneham Theater
June 20th: Reading Friends and Family Day

Trip to the Opera

2009-04-30T22:23:00.007-04:00

My favorite composer is undoubtedly Mozart. To me, his music and style portray a sly sense of humor and playfulness present even in the 'heavy' morality opera, Don Giovanni. So, what does this have to do with Creative Arts?
Please click (or cut-and-paste) the link below and watch this interpretation of aria Deh Vieni Alla Finestra (Come to the Window) performed by Simon Keenlyside with Opera Portugal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDPcab-gcYs

Okay! The aria lyrics are in Italian (a popular and traditional language for opera) so do not worry if you cannot understand them - that's not the point right now. This performance lacks set design reflecting the story line - another reason I chose this particular version.
We do not know what the performer is saying and the sets do not give us information about his location, who he is singing to, etc.

After listening to the aria, how does the singer give us clues about the song? I'll give you a clue; does he sing like he is angry, sad or happy? How do you think his voice would sound if he was angry? How does the music add to the feeling of his song?

For our theatre students: when you are a different character on stage, how do you change your voice to show different emotions? How do you change your facial expressions? In your opinion, what do you think he is singing about by listening to the sound of his voice? Is it something sad, happy, silly, sweet, scary?

Your Challenge:
For our music students:
In general, music is another way to tell a story. Listen to the performance again - only close your eyes this time! In your opinion, what story does the music tell? What emotions does the song portray? What story does your music tell?
Your Challenge: play your favorite piece as though you were the following emotions: happy, sad, silly, angry, scared How does the emotion change the sound of the music?

For our art students: How can we show emotion by using colors? Listen to the music again...only grab a pen or pencil + sheet of paper and draw along with the music. What did you draw? If you could choose a color to tell the story of the song, what color would the song be in your opinion? Just using colors, what color would you use to describe happy? What about scared, silly, sad, angry?
Your Challenge: draw or paint while listening to your favorite songs. How does the music influence what you draw and the colors you use?

It is important to incorporate emotion and feeling into everything you create! It helps build your emotional intelligence - how you see & understand your emotions and the emotions of others.
Next time you are in an art, theatre or music lesson, talk to your instructor about emotions.

What did you do over April Vacation?

2009-04-25T15:47:00.023-04:00

April vacation was pretty busy at Creative Arts!

Our theatre and art departments worked with enrolled students to produce a comedic play.

During the week-long workshop, students improved acting skills, learned about auditioning, memorized lines, made all props, sets and costumes.

Our Narrator, Megan Eagleston, changing the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff

The Three Billy goats Gruff meet one of the Three Little Pigs

The Narrator dines with Papa Bear, Nicholas McGovern, and Baby Bear, Ben Jones,
after telling Goldilocks her part was cut!

photo credit William Cairo

The confused stage hands trying to clear sets
after the Narrator mixed-up the three stories

The characters and stage hands come up with a plan to stop the Narrator!
photo credit William Cairo

Congratulations to cast and crew for their hard work!

Pick-chas

2009-04-19T19:13:00.020-04:00

Hello again and welcome to Creative Connections! I love taking pictures and wanted to share a select few from past events. Please enjoy these archived photos from November and December 2008. A great big thank you to those that participated!

Story Walk at the Tree Lighting Ceremony (November 2008)
We partnered with Walkable Reading and the Reading Public Library to share winter themed stories. Creative Arts created signs for story locations while our theater students 'theatrically' read them. It was a freezing cold day but we prevailed! Hot chocolate, provided by the Hot Spot, helped.
In this photo, Kirsten Brown and two theater students brave the deteriorating elements to read Rain Song, Snow Song in front of The Hot Spot.

Next up: Shop the Block (December 2008)
Our music students performed during the event and stores involved loved, loved, LOVED the variety of live music.
Here's Roald kicking off the evening by playing festive tunes on the accordion. Where's the polka bubbles a-la Lawrence Welk?

Playing inside The Hitching Post:

Natalie Vinciguerra (Lee Hadden) performs Christmas carols

Everything But the Dog:

Anna Sampson (Tatyana Foaksman) performs a Sonatina

Vitality Wellness Spa:

Christopher Bracken (Sheryl Lafayette) performs Christmas carols on the viola

Simms Jewelers:

Stephen West (Lee Hadden) performs Suzuki pieces

...and The Chocolate Truffle (sadly, no picture). Music students (adult, Amy Imrich, and kids) played a variety of music from Minuets and Sonatinas to Christmas carols and fiddle tunes!

AND...who can forget The Little Mermaid performance during February vacation?

The Little Mermaid, Nicole Joyal, makes a compromising deal with the Sea Witch, Maddy Feltus.

King Neptune, Paul Sanford, awaits the return of his daughter, the Little Mermaid

The mermaids and King Neptune confront the captured Sea Witch!

Cast and crew worked hard during the week and, based on the final performance, it showed!
For next week: Scenes from The Surprising Story of the Three Little Pigs.
Have a great April vacation!

Inaugural Creative Arts Blog

2009-04-10T00:28:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Creative Connections, a funky little site exploring the community at Creative Arts.
Creative Arts means a great deal to me (and I think to you, too) so I started this blog to share life at our unique organization from different perspectives; student, faculty, administration, Board of Directors, parents, artists, musicians and actors.
Weekly posts include:

"A day in the life of..." where faculty, staff and Board Members share a pictorial diary
Activities and projects to enhance musical, theatrical and artistic appreciation (I am an educator and cannot help myself)
Student of the Month feature
Pictures and videos of students performing and creating
"Quick Quips" from parents and students

Plus a heck of a lot more...log on to see!
Just make sure to HAVE FUN, laugh, maybe learn a little and always SHARE A LOT.

Here we go!