The students that volunteer their time and knowledge on Reach a Student are eligible to receive community service hours. We are looking to expand our roster of academic and athletic mentors, interviewers, and video editors to help inspire and answer school-related questions. Join Us!
What Is Reach a Student?
Reach a Student is a website established to give students direct communication access to student mentors in various grade levels. Students will be able to reach out to other students and ask any questions they have regarding student and campus life. The site will also stream videos of students sharing their experiences at Windermere Prep as well as activities around campus. Find Out More
Ever wondered how you can get involved with Windermere Prep's wonderful fine arts programs and all it has to offer, without needing any musical talents or abilities? Trust me, I know what it's like to have no artistic, musical, or athletic talent and be lost on what I could possibly do after my school days to boost my resumé and gain valuable experience.
That's when I looked towards Windermere Prep's Cypress Center, the new and beautiful building in the center of our campus, dedicated solely to the fine and performing arts. This is where you go to watch our high quality performances and take fine art classes, but it is also so much more than that. This is where I met wonderful people, gained trust from my superiors, learned incredible skills and knowledge, and most importantly, had some of the best memories of my Freshman year.
I chose to work in the costumes' department for our 2019 school-wide performance of "The Little Mermaid" and the 2020 high school performance for "Alice in Wonderland," as well as our elementary school production of "Once Upon a Mattress." More specifically, I was the assistant to the costume director during the months of rehearsals and preparations, and during the actual shows I was in charge of all things regarding costuming and helping out at the dressing rooms and keeping children supervised and ready while they were backstage. In total, I logged 140 hours towards my community service credit by helping out in these productions, and it was worth every minute. You don't have to work only with costumes, of course, you can help out in props, sets, lighting, sound, or you can be a Cypress Center Ambassador.
Although these can sometimes be too much of a commitment for some, there are so many small things you could do to help out with and support the fine arts at our school! For example, before every production there are always sets and props that need to be made and painted, and you are always welcome to volunteer for these designated "set building" days and get community service hours for painting while having fun with friends and meeting new people. Another way to support the Cypress Center and all its performers is to come and watch the various concerts and plays we have throughout the year, which are all of exceptional quality and talent, and will definitely be worth your time.
The takeaway is that if you are looking for an after-school commitment or just for a way to collect your required community service hours, reach out to a superior at the Cypress Center in charge of your area of interest and request to speak with them, and I am sure they will accommodate you with what works best for you. I formed great friendships and trust with all the casts, directors, and fellow helpers, and I couldn't be more grateful for it all. I welcome all to experience the incredible fun that is being behind-the-scenes, it is truly magical.
Windermere Prep offers a wide variety
of choices in their Fine Arts department - you can focus on traditional art,
dance, drama, or band and orchestra music. I know that sounds daunting,
especially if you're first entering high school. It can be hard to choose,
especially if you think that you're not particularly good at any of these. But
I'm here to tell you that innate talent should not guide you in your decisions,
at least in the art program.
High school is the time when people
really start to learn more about themselves. They learn what they want, what
they're good at, and how to become more independent. They also learn to
challenge themselves, and to try and learn new things that they've never done
before.
Many of the students you see that blow
you away with their sheer talent in art? It didn't come to them just like that.
They dedicated time to practice and work on their skills because they genuinely
wanted to learn. That's why the teachers are there: to help you learn and
practice. They don't look at a student and think, "oh, they're good at dancing,
I'm only taking them in my class." They look at a student and consider their
potential.
There's no real way I can help you
choose what you want to do in the Fine Arts program; that's all up to you.
Think about what you want. Consider these questions:
Do you want to try something different and new?
Do you have a passion for something in the arts department? Do you want to stick with it
Do you want to challenge yourself?
Answering these questions will make it
easier to make the decision, and hopefully it will leave you satisfied with
whatever choice you make.
With the new addition of the Cypress Center and the brand new
theatre, there has been a lot of speculation of the theatre programs, including
the addition of IB theatre - what does this all mean? I am able to participate
in most theatre functions and have a large understanding of how the performing
arts programs run daily, as well as all the opportunities available for
students.
Thespians
It's called "Thespians" for short, however it is the International
Thespian Society. This is a club that revolves around theatre in general, as
well as going to theatre competitions. Students practice scenes, monologues,
songs, and technical events like costume design and playwriting, and
participate in a festival for a few days in our district whilst being judged,
and if they get a high enough score, can take a trip to the Florida state
festival and take workshops and classes from the very best as well as
performing. However, thespians has multiple other events for those who do not
get into districts- this includes Improv. Night, The Haunted House, Shakespeare
Night, and many new events such as Miscast and W factor (in which boys perform
female numbers and vise versa), and school events like the homecoming parade.
However, this club forms a community and even if you do not participate on
stage or backstage but enjoy the art form, then it is to learn about and
celebrate everything theatre has to offer.
WHAT THESPIANS REQUIRE
Meetings every Friday
Energy whenever we meet or participate!
Watch or participate in other theatrical events/shows
Go to districts and if possible state
Spread the word of theatre around WPS!
OFFICER LIFE
The Officers are very involved in running thespians - our sponsor
helps us, however organization of events is all us. We make plans for all the
meetings, send emails, and decide what to do throughout the year. We have to be
leaders of the troupe and help critique district pieces, have separate
meetings, go to club events, find ways to raise money, etc. It is very busy,
almost like a job as well have to do something everyday, but very rewarding.
School Shows
With the opening of the cypress center came a plethora of new
school shows for students to participate in - both offstage and onstage. These
include the current "Peter Pan" All School, the high school play "Steel
Magnolias", the HS/MS musical of "Addams Family", as well as the Lower Schoolers
"Cinderella" and the MS Broadway review. There will also be a summer camp show
of "Les Miserables" in which anyone in the community can participate in. This
means that it is a fulfilling year for both technical and theatrical students,
but it is also a lot of work.
The Students must research the show and prepare songs and sides before auditions
Auditions and callbacks last approximately a week, with students getting tried for multiple rows and learning new material throughout the week until the roles are chosen
Once roles are given out, students must learn their lines as quickly as possible - once the scene has been blocked it should be memorized and not revisited until cleaning.
Depending on the role, students must be present for long hours after school and for multiple days in the week. For example in peter pan, I have rehearsal 4-5 days a week until 6pm. If not in a scene, students would be memorizing lines or doing homework.
Many techies have to shadow performers and come to rehearsals in order to see how the show runs and to practice moving sets/lightning/finding props
There will be weekend rehearsals for both set building and for full runs of the show, which can be long and detailed and tiring.
Tech week is the busiest time for a production- students spend long amounts of time in the theatre working the show, usually until 7-9 at night. Juggling this and school work as well as other extracurricular activities can be very difficult, and the rehearsals take a lot of time and effort in order to make sure as the pieces of the puzzle (the set, music, blocking, and other technical effects) fit together.
Show week is the time in which the months of preparation are worth it- students work hard in order to show everyone what they had been working on. It is tiring, but rewarding to see the positive comments and to have an audience. There is usually more time to do other work as well.
After the final show, students are rewarded with an after party in which they get to relax and celebrate their work. It can be quite sad to close a show because of all the effort put into it and the memories made, but soon students get excited for the next and will take what they have learnt from the past show with them.
Classes
The performance sets are very difficult to maintain, therefore
many students take classes in and outside of school in order to keep and
improve their skills. A lot of theatre students take dance classes in order to
keep with the demand of movement in shows, as well as musical theatre which can
contain high intensity dancing in multiple styles. They also take choir or
chorus, to learn the proper technique of singing, the different variations, and
how to be united in a group. Both of these classes also give the benefit of
making the student a triple threat, something desired in the community because
of the versatility of the student that allows them to perform roles with
multiple requirements (for example a character that can sing opera, or Tap
dances). Some students even take music classes to learn or understand musical
instruments and how to read music- there are many shows that now require actors
to play instruments and the business is very competitive. These music students
also have an opportunity to play in the orchestra of a show.
However, the most important part is acting or theatrical classes.
It is the backbone of musical theatre - performance is about expressing
yourself, which is what this class does. There is so much variation in acting
and an actor can always improve in each style and in each style and needs
constant direction in order to be as close to perfect as possible. This helps
abstract theatre, speech, script work, directing and critiquing others, and
being able to learn about techniques.
Technical theatre is also expanding at our school, through the use
of the art classes. WPS is beginning to make its own sets, and creative minds
are needed for this. Students that take art classes are creative, problem
solvers, able to view the full picture and see what compliments, and bring new
ideas to the table.
It is important to take these fine and performing art classes
because it keeps the students in a creative mindset, allows them to expand and
grow, and can bring it to their multiple projects.
Volunteering
Many students find their volunteer hours through the performing
arts. Many of the lower school and middle school shows invite HS and MS
students to tech backstage or stage manager, as well as help the children, and
the high school shows have a tech team that consists of high school students-
for example, many high school students are "fly crew" in Peter Pan, which is a
very big job. Not only does it create leadership and organizational skills, but
it gives students many CAS and volunteer hours. Thespians tech at both W factor
and Mr. Windermere Prep, and students usually help the performing arts teachers
in tasks.
At Windermere Prep, we're lucky to have such a
well-developing, ambitious, and growing Arts Program available to students of
all ages, no matter their level of skill. One of these many programs is the Dance
Program, taught by Gilliane Hadley and Alison Barron. Many students, new or
returning, may have questions or hesitations about the Dance Program at our
school, which is why I sat down with high school dance instructor, Ms. Hadley,
to provide some answers to any of your questions.
What do
you like the most about the dance program at Windermere Prep?
H: What I like most about the dance program is that
you get to dance everyday and I get to see you grow throughout the year. I've
had students since they were freshman and now they're about to graduate as
seniors. I also love that the fact that the dancers have different levels they
can dance in and then they have a choice to take IB Dance or stick with
elective dance or do both, which is amazing. I love that they get the
opportunity to perform and do activities with Juilliard.
How do you think dance counts as both a sport and
an art? Why are both elements important?
H: As an art, because it's a performing art, right?
As for being mixed with a sport and art, we're physical, we're always moving,
our heart rate is elevated, and we are our own athletes in our own way. Our
bodies need to be warm like an athlete and will wear down like an athlete. For
each genre of dance, there are certain skills and elements you need to know,
just like any sport.
How do you come up with our themes and visions for
our dance shows?
H: Sometimes it just happens, and sometimes I just
hear something in a song. Music inspires me a lot. If I hear something, I can
totally envision certain groups of kids dancing to it, which is how I figure
out what dances you're going to do. Regarding the themes of the shows, me and
Mrs. Barron really work together trying to figure that out because we have to
be able to pick something that not only you guys will be excited about, but
also what will inspire us to create those dances. We always like to challenge
you and ourselves. Sometimes we think, "Oh my gosh, what are we doing?" But we
are always thinking of you guys and what will keep you excited about dance and
challenge some classes technique wise.
What do you think the dance program at Windermere
Prep has to offer students and aspiring dancers?
H: So, for students who love to dance, it's a nice
break from sitting at a desk all day. It should be an escape from your busy
school schedule. Yes, I have high expectations for you, but if you love to
dance, those expectations should be second nature. I can only help you so much,
but if you try, those accomplishments are worth it in the end. Sometimes it's
hard, because our classes are so short in terms of regular dance classes.
Celeste, one of my aspiring dancers who graduated last year, found it hard to
go to auditions and face the dance world because she couldn't take away everything
that she should have. But we are not a studio, we are a school. It's not
about taking a technique class. There are things we have to dive into more such
as terminology, dance history, watching the works of other dancers and
choreographers and creating compositions. I try to base our classes off how
performing arts schools teach their dancers and try to shape versatile dancers.
I want students to be able to walk into an audition or a dance group in college
and be able to dance any genre or style, even if dancing professionally is not
their ultimate goal.
Why do you think students should take a dance class
next year, even if they've never danced before and what can they take away from
it?
H: They should not take a dance class if
they don't like to move or sweat. I think they should take a dance class
because it's good for your health and it builds your brain in a different way.
It's a release and it's enjoyable. It's interesting to see dancers in the first
month and see which dancers make it to the next semester and the changes in the
way they dance; it amazes me every time. They come in so enthusiastic and so
ready to be challenged more. The best reason to take dance is that you really
learn who you are and how much discipline you have and how much you really want
to grow as a person.
Besides Global Classroom,
there is also a program that might interest aspiring WPS musicians and it is
called Global Orchestra.This past March
musicians from all the Nord Anglia schools were invited to audition for the
opportunity to be selected to participate in the Global Orchestra summer school
in New York from June 24th to July 1st.This year 34 singers and 46 instrumentalists
were chosen from Nord Anglia schools around the world and spent their week attending
music workshops and participated in practice sessions conducted by music
experts.This is another wonderful
opportunity for Windermere Prep students because we are part of this large
family of schools.
The Juilliard School which
was founded in 1905, is a world leader in performing arts education and it is
not surprising that students at our school are really interested in finding out
more about the partnership between Nord Anglia Education and The Juilliard
School.
I think we will see
curriculum changes, which will begin with music but will extend into the other
performing art categories.WPS musicians
will soon be exposed to a "Juilliard-curated repertoire" of music that
represents different genres, styles and cultures.Nord Anglia students are to gain
understanding how music functions and how it fits into the human experience.
Windermere Prep teachers
and students will benefit from being connected to Juilliard's network of
teachers and performers.Also, Juilliard
teaching artists will be sharing their insight with the Nord Anglia teaching
community.The result of all this is so
that students at Nord Anglia schools receive the highest level of performance
art teaching available.
Performing arts is something
that is really important to students at our school and that is why the
partnership between Nord Anglia and The Juilliard School will be a huge benefit
for our school. Clearly, this will help
to enrich our performing arts curriculum as described above. Students will be able to connect with Julliard's
countless performers and teachers. I
think that this can only help inspire students to excel in this field.
