Arts-X-press is a summer arts immersion program for 7th and 8th grade students created by the Pacific Symphony in celebration of Cole Carsan St.Clair. 150 students are nominated by teachers throughout Orange County to come together for 5 days of creative exploration each summer. The program has two goals: 1) To expose students to all 5 performing and visual arts; and 2) To foster respect for and interest in each student’s individuality, talents, interests, and background.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

AXP Week 3: Day 1

Hi there!

I'm Maggie, the coordinator for week 3, and I'm going to be filling you all in on how our VERY FIRST DAY went!

We started off the day with icebreakers led by our fabulous counselors, where the campers got to meet each other and start making new friends!

Games led into lunch time (shout out to Vanguard for the good food), which quickly passed and turned into our arts workshops!

The campers were divided into different arts workshops: vocal, instrumental, dance, theater, and visual arts. There, they spent about two hours learning things about their designated arts.

After arts workshops, they quickly transitioned into their Creative Expression groups, led by three amazing CE teachers. In these groups, the campers explored themselves through various activities (such as writing, introspective reflection, and so much more!) and were almost shocked when the hour was up.

Finally, the most exciting part of the day was here: our very first excursion! We watched the Pacific Symphony perform a variety of pieces at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, and the finale was none other than Beethoven's famous Ninth Symphony. But before we even got to see the concert, the campers were in for more than a few surprises.

The first one? A backstage tour! The campers had the opportunity to learn about how a show works--lighting, setup, and so much more! If that weren't enough, we also had super special visitor: Carl St. Clair himself!



How amazing is that?! Carl gave an incredibly inspiring speech, as well as explaining the history behind some of the pieces that the symphony performed for us today. (As a special treat, he even mentioned his close friendship with famous composer John Williams!) 

After a quick boxed dinner that consisted of sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookie, and LOTS of water, it was finally time for the performance. 


Once we finally got back to the dorms after an incredibly long day, the campers were eager to take their three-minute showers (okay, maybe not that eager) and head to sleep. 

That's all the updates we have for you today, but be sure that tomorrow is going to be another long and exciting day! 

Yours Truly, 
Maggie :) 


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