Session 2 Day 3

Today was another amazing day at arts-X-press! Of course the first thing we did this morning was to stop by the artsMart and say hello to Darci, Shannon and Carrie. In fact, some of our suites decided to x-press our "good mornings" to the staff in different laguages, through songs, and other fun ways. It's good to get those creative juices flowing first thing in the morning!

After our morning meeting we headed off to our Creative Expression classes to continue our daily reflections on what we've been doing here. Creative Expression has really been a wonderful way for us to collect our thoughts in the morning and prepare for the advenutes that await us later in the day.

After Creative Expressions we all met for our transition to our Arts Workshops. Did you know that our theme this week is transition? We have spent everyday incorporating this theme into all of our classes and workshops. Having a theme gives us unique perspective in our study of the arts.

Since our Parent Presentation is tomorrow, we spent a lot of time in our Arts Workshops today planning what we will present. We are so excited to get to collaborate with each other in creating a special presentation that represents how we have spent our time together. We can't wait to see all of our family and friends tomorrow.

We had several of the Pacific Symphony musicians join us again today at lunch. It is so great to be able ask them questions and get to know what life as a professional musician is like.

As soon as lunch was over we headed straight to the bus and headed over to the Festival of Arts. The first thing we did was get a VIP backstage tour of the Pageant of the Masters. We learned a little history about the Pageant, looked at the amazing sets up close, and were able to gain a better understanding of what goes into planning such an ellaborate production. Not only was the tour exciting but it really opened our eyes to just how many different opportunities are available in the arts both on-stage and behind the scenes. There are the set designers, actors, musicians, production staff, lighting & sounds techs, musicians, narrators, administrators...it goes on and on! There really is something for everyone.

After our tour was over we had the unique opportunity to create our own art at various stations in the Festival of Arts. We got to do our own printmaking and mixed media projects, and then got to create our own Raku pots. We can't wait to show them to you, they are awesome!

Then it was off to the beach! We walked into Laguna Beach and set-up camp at a park near the ocean. We had a great time playing games and relaxing for a while. The counselor gave us another update on our clean room contest - looks like a lot of us haven't quite caught on to what it mean to have a clean room. But that's ok, we still have a couple more days to redeem ourselves and win! We also had some time to prepare for our talent show. We are really looking forward to that.

Carl St.Clair and his family stopped by to see us again. It is so inspiring to hear Carl tell stories about how he became a conductor and how he always followed his gut instincts to lead him through life. Carl and his family stayed and joined us for our Pizza dinner - yum! Who could ask for more...friends, food, and fun!

After dinner we walked back to the Festival of Arts. We had time to tour all of the artwork that was displayed by local artists. Each arists is so unique...there were all sorts of paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry. Many of the artists were there to talk about there art and answer our questions.

Finally it was time for the Pageant of the Masters to begin! This year's theme was "Young at Heart." There were so many amazing works of art represented. It's still so hard to believe that those are real people standing on stage in those paintings. How do they stand so still for so long? We even recognized some of the Pacific Symphony musicians playing in the Pageant orchestra.

After the Pageant was over we headed back to campus. We have to get our rest tonight. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow!