Download Las Lomas High School Performing Arts Foundation

Las Lomas Performing Arts Foundation
1460 S. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Dear Las Lomas Incoming Students and Parents,
Las Lomas High School offers many exciting options to its incoming students. As you
plan your next academic year, I hope your will strongly consider the outstanding music
and theater arts opportunities available to you. Our music performance groups have
been featured at Disneyland, CMEA festivals, Jazz Festivals, and some students have
even distinguished themselves at the county and state levels. Our theater arts program
offers students the ability to produce, direct, and act in multiple stage productions,
including musicals, to great reviews. The stagecraft program teaches the intricacies of
set building, technical theatre design, costuming, and stage make-up.
A comprehensive list of 2016-2017 performing arts courses follows below, for
instrumental music, chorale music and theater arts. The respective teachers welcome
any specific additional questions you may have, so please don’t hesitate to contact them
directly.
I also encourage new parents to become involved with the Las Lomas Performing Arts
Foundation. Board members meet on a monthly basis and assist the music and drama
directors in many supporting roles, such as publicizing concerts and plays, greeting and
hosting at various performances, coordinating trips and fundraising. All funds raised are
funneled to monetary needs identified by our teaching staff on an annual basis, such as
instrument repair, festival fees, the hiring of professional coaches and clinicians, student
recognition, theatrical improvements and more. The new theater sound and light
technology was installed last year through funding by the PAF. Learn more by visiting
our webpage at www.laslomasptsa.com. Parents, please consider joining us for our
annual Fundraising event “Casino Royale” on March 11th!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, and welcome to Las Lomas!
Sincerely,
Stacey Hinton
President, Las Lomas Performing Arts Foundation
[email protected]
--------------------------- 2016-17 Visual and Performing Arts Faculty -------------------------INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
CHORALE MUSIC
THEATRE ARTS
Kara Ravina, Director
[email protected]
Olga Corcoran, Director
[email protected]
Taron Hensley, Director
[email protected]
------------------------- 2016-17 Visual and Performing Arts Courses --------------------------Concert Band (Grade 9) This is the entry level band for all freshmen. Concert Band
focuses on increasing the musical skills necessary for advanced performance levels in
the instrumental program. Concert Band performs at school concerts, the CMEA Band
Festival, and provides several opportunities for participation in Solo/Ensemble festivals
and honor bands. Grading is based on concert attendance, participation, and effort. Pre-
requisites: Prior experience on a woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument (preferably
2-3 years minimum).
Symphonic Band (Grades 10-12) This band performs at school concerts, music
festivals, school and community events. Symphonic Band continues the focus on
increasing advanced musical skills while playing a wide variety of music from different
periods and in different styles. Pre-requisites: Prior experience on a woodwind, brass, or
percussion instrument and consent of the instructor.
Wind Ensemble (Grades 10-12): Also called Symphonic Band 2, this class is an
advanced performance group. This class concentrates on musical development and
development of leadership skills. Students perform as individuals, as members of small
ensembles, and as members of the large ensemble. The Wind Ensemble performs at
music festivals, school and community events. Pre-requisites: Recommendation of
teacher and audition.
Jazz Ensemble (Grades 9-12) Limited to 21 students, this course offers qualified
instrumentalists the opportunity to study and perform a variety of jazz styles. This award
winning ensemble performs at a variety of school and community events and festivals.
This is an audition-only group, and auditions take place the spring prior to the next
school year. Pre-requisites: Prior experience on saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano,
bass, or drums, private audition, and consent of the instructor. Concurrent enrollment in
Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra, or Mixed Chorus is
mandatory.
String Orchestra (Grades 9-12) Offers string instrumentalists (violin, viola, cello, bass)
an opportunity to be in a performance ensemble. This ensemble performs at the same
concerts and festivals as the bands and will be included in travel opportunities with the
Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. Pre-requisites: Prior experience on a string
instrument or consent of instructor.
AP Music Theory (Grades 10-12) Teaches the fundamentals of music theory including
notation, beginning harmony, chord structure, ear training, sight singing, and
orchestration. Pre-requisites: Recommendation of teacher.
Outside Ensembles [not a course] Within our performing groups, we also offer
opportunities in Pep Band, the spring musical Pit Orchestra, Full Orchestra, Chamber
Ensembles, honor groups, and our Band and Orchestra Council.
Chorale (Grades 9-12) Focuses on ensemble singing, reading music, sight-singing, and
performing music of all styles. Performs at concerts and festivals throughout the year.
Drama I - Beginning Drama I is devoted to developing a firm foundation in basic
techniques. Students develop sensory awareness skills, improvisation skills through
theater games, and learn rehearsal and memorization techniques, pantomime,
movement, diction and vocal projection, and character building for performing
monologues and scene work.
Drama II - Intermediate Continuing students further develop their Theater toolbox by
studying advanced movement and vocal techniques, accent coaching, stage combat,
theatre history, and monologue and scene work, among other training.
Advanced Drama Advanced Drama is a production class in which students are a
repertory company that writes, directs performs and stages multiple public performances
each year. Highlights such as the District wide 8-Minute Shakespeare Festival, and the
annual student-directed One Act Festival are hallmarks of this course.
Stagecraft/Technical Theatre Working in crews, students research, design and
create all technical aspects for the LL Theatre Arts productions. Stagecraft
students must pass an OSHA safety test and are trained to use shop tools, which
they utilize in helping construct the set for the fall and spring productions. Scenic
design and construction, sound, lighting and projection design, props, publicity,
hair and makeup design, and costume design and construction and, finally, set
dressing, are part of Stagecraft. Class labs and research assignments vary,
depending on the productions selected each year. For example, Ms. Tate’s
stagecraft class completed an Old Age Makeup lab in preparation for the
production of Arsenic and Old Lace.