CE day 4

Day 4 of Gemma’s Creative Expression class!

Featuring the collaboration of Vivian, Matt, Leigh, Kelsey, Dustin, Annamaria, Lily, Dion, Shawna, Mikayla, Claire, Denise, Thao, Fiama, Evie, Noah and David

Each day we write in our creatively decorated journals about a DISCOVERY and a GOAL. 

Some DISCOVERIES we have made:

            I can write my name backwards.

Even if someone says something is real, to other people it is make-believe.

I love tacos.

If you believe in yourself, you can do anything.

Some GOALS we have set:

Make new friends.

Learn more about myself.

Take more risks.

Try my hardest in my Arts Workshop.

We express ourselves though our poetry.  At the parent presentation we will share with you our class ACROSTIC poem.  As for now, here are some “I AM…”  poems.

            I am an artist

            I wonder if I will make it big

            I hear the chattering audience waiting for the show

            I see the bright lights

            I want to sing and dance

            I am an artist.

                                    By Mikayla

           

            I am Kelsey Bray

            I wonder if I will ever make it to Broadway

            I hear Mikayla getting irritated that I’m in seventh grade and older than her

            I see a family around me and supporting me

            I want to have a great time and meet new friends

            I am Kelsey Bray.

           

            I understand the concept of math

I say I can do anything

I dream about anything

I try to be the best

I hope to go to Harvard

I am the best and the only Fiama Pschaidt

Yesterday we got the opportunity to work together at the Festival of the Arts, creating scratch art, Raku pots and printmaking.  Looking forward to sharing our artistic risk-taking with you!

And finally, we found last night’s Pageant of the Masters: breathtaking, alive, exotic, out-of-this-world, truly amazing, fascinating, emotional, entertaining, fantastic, kewl, inspiring.

See you very soon!!!

Day three = victory!!!

Hellooo from arts-x-press!!!
Wow what a day!  Today after a scrumididdlyumtious breakfast, the kids headed over to CE (creative expression) to write poems and reflect on yesterday's performance of the Wedding Singer.  In some classes, the campers even got to act out the parts of the show!  The kids were so excited about CE today, and they were talking about it all throughout the day.  Then, we all went over to workshops and worked on improv, self-portraits, and routines.  We sure are a talented bunch of kids!  For lunch today, we had chicken tacos, salads, self-made sandwiches, and OF COURSE our favorite ice cream cones!!  Mmm yummy.
Then... for the highlight of the day that everyone was looking forward to: Pageant of the Masters!!!! When we first got to Laguna, we went on a tour of the theater, and we checked out the sets, lighting, costumes, makeup, and wardrobe! It was such a unique experience! Then we decorated ceramic pots and worked on scratch art and printmaking. The kids and staff all get to keep their pieces of art! Later, we walked all around the art festival and looked at all of the pieces, and thought of questions that we would go ask the artists later in the evening when we got the chance. After about an hour, we left the Pageant area temporarily so we could go to Heisler Park. It was beautiful! We were at a big grassy area overlooking the ocean. It was so peaceful and relaxing! The kids prepped for the talent show in their groups and everyone is starting to get verrryyy excited. Some people are taking big risks and doing things for the show they never even knew they were capable of! Whoppee!! For dinner we had a delicious pizza party, thanks to Dominos! Then, before we knew it, the St. Clair family was there! Carl St. Clair came and did excercises with the kids, teaching everyone the difference between listening versus hearing, and looking versus seeing. It was perfect for preparing us for Pageant of the Masters! When we got back to the theater, we sat in our seats and the show began! The "Only Make Believe" theme of the show was so well presented! The section with the dragons seemed to be very popular with EVERYONE! 

Our Creative Expression Group has done some impressive and insightful work in the past few days.  They have journaled daily about Inspirations and Realizations that they have made during camp.  Many of them found their "Magic Moment" while attending the performance of The Wedding Singer at Musical Theatre West yesterday afternoon.  A few of them had never seen a musical before, and even the musical experts were impressed by the hilarity and the energy of the production.  Please enjoy our OWN version of The Wedding Singer, complete with some musical interludes that may remind you of a simpler time:  The Eighties!

Day Two! WooWoo!

From the Counselors:
Why Hello Hello,
Today at arts-x-press was quite enthrallingly magical! We started our day early with a wonderful wake-up call by our lovely counselors. After which we visited the artsmart where the children were able to purchase our wonderful arts-x-press merchandise. Then we headed over to the cafeteria to enjoy a wonderful breakfast, provided by Vanguard, of french toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, and of course some H-2-Oh-Yah!!!!! After feeding, the children went to their creative expression classes where they would a achieve what we at arts-x-press refer to as expressing ourselves creatively. There after the kiddies went to their arts workshops where they could come together to collaborate on their art and what art means to them. Following our arts workshop session everyone rejoined each other for a scrump-diddly-umptious lunch of a sub or hot dog with salad. Afterwards we went on our excursion. We saw The Wedding Singer at the Carpenter Center and the kids had a charming time. The kids had a wonderful time watching such a colorful show. We all returned to Vanguard in time for some nice din-din (dinner) of tacos!!!!!!! And finally we closed our day with a very heartfelt bonding session where the kids had the opportunity to openly appreciate two people. All in all it was a very busy and exciting day at arts-x-press!!!

Here are some photos from tonight's theater workshop. We created family portraits, but not of any ordinary family--it could be a family of animals, objects, or anything we could imagine. We tried to make it look like a real family, including at least one "black sheep." Can you guess what these families are? Can you spot the black sheep?

Collaborating with the Animals

Last night we were lucky to experience the lovely Pacific Symphony Orchestra along with the incredibly talented 5 Browns perform the Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens. Three of the Browns narrated and two performed along with the PSO.

So this morning, when trying to decide what to present on the blog, we decided to create our own Carnival of the Animals. We started out with some collaborative brainstorming to determine how we wanted the performance to look. Then we divided up the roles- five of us took on the role of the 5 talented pianists and the rest of us became animals. You can't, of course, play the role of aniamls without costumes so we got to work artistically. And now, with a few sheets of construction paper, some glue and glitter, a few sound glitches, snorts and giggles, a lot of collaboration and imagination and tons of charm, we present to you, the Carnival of Michal's CE Animal Class!

Update 9:54 p.m. -- sorry about the technical difficulties with viewing the video. You should be able to access it at this link. Let us know if the problems persist!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bti4zIPJ9U

ps- we just realized that it's sideway and can't change it! of well, it just adds to our heaping charm :)

Week 1, Day 1

 Everyone arrived on campus safely and we had a great time learning each others' names. Following a delicious lunch in the cafeteria, we got to find out which Arts Workshops everyone had been assigned to. We are really looking forward to tonight's excursion to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater to see the Pacific Symphony! We got to have lunch with Pacific Symphony cellist Ian McKinnell and are psyched to see him onstage tonight with the 5 Browns. Check out this article in today's L.A. Times about this amazing quintet!

Visual Art Workshop

Theater workshop

Creative Expression

Vocal music workshop

Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Getting ready!

We can't wait for Saturday!

In case you're missing your packing list or medicine labeling form, they can be downloaded here:
Packing List
Medicine Labeling Form
Then we'll see you on the bus! Bus schedule pdf

Bus A

Placentia-Yorba Linda

Education Services Center

4999 Casa Loma Avenue

Yorba Linda, CA 92886  

Student arrival time: 7:45 am

Bus Departs: 8:05 am

Garden Grove

Garden Grove Unified District Office

10331 Stanford Ave

Garden Grove, CA 92840

Student Arrival Time: 8:25 am

Bus Departs: 8:45 am

Santa Ana

Santa Ana Unified District Office

1601 E Chestnut Ave.           

Santa Ana, CA 92701

Student Arrival Time: 9:10am

Bus Departs: 9:30 am

Bus B

Saddleback Valley

Saddleback Valley Unified District Office

25631 Peter A Hartman Way

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Student Arrival Time: 7:50am

Bus Departs: 8:10am

Irvine

Irvine Unified District Office

5050 Barranca Parkway

Irvine, CA 92604

Student Arrival Time: 8:35 am

Bus Departs: 8:55 am

Newport-Mesa

California Elementary

3232 California Street
Costa Mesa, CA                                             

Student Arrival Time: 9:15 am                             

Bus Departs: 9:35 am 

Parents, check back here daily for updates. Then we look forward to seeing you at our Parent Presentation on Tuesday. It begins at 6:45 at Newport Mesa Church, 2599 Newport Blvd. on the Vanguard Campus.

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See you soon!

Excursion Spotlight: NCI Discovery

Session 3 will be there for the birth of not one but FOUR new ballets created as part of the intensive 3-week process of the National Choreographers Initiative. Four noted choreographers and sixteen professional ballet dancers from ballet companies across the country participate in this southern California project with national influence. A dozen of the pieces begun here have gone on to be premiered or developed further and performed elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad. The project culminates in a public performance showcasing the excitement of new creation. It's also an opportunity to hear the choreographers talk about their concepts and ideas and for you to ask questions and participate in the discussion. It's a mind-expanding excursion into the world of dance.

Excursion Spotlight: Behind the scenes of The Wedding Singer

I love the ‘80s!  Sessions 1 and 2 will get taken back to 1985 by the Musical Theatre West production of the hit musical The Wedding Singer, based on the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore film!  A small town wedding singer gets jilted at his own wedding, then falls in love with someone else’s fiancée. Check out this behind the scenes video:

Excursion Spotlight: Pacific Symphony

arts-X-press students in all three weeks get a chance to have lunch with Pacific Symphony musicians so that they can learn more what the life of a professional musician is really like. So it's always exciting to see them onstage!

The 5 Browns

Week 1 will hear The 5 Browns at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. The 5 Browns — five siblings, five virtuosos — took the music world by storm in 2002, when People magazine called them "The Fab Five." How often do you get to hear FIVE PIANISTS all at once?

Week 3 will attend Symphony in the Cities in Irvine. This popular event attracts thousands of people each summer. Featuring high-quality family entertainment in the great outdoors, the Symphony is joined this year by the Southern California Childrens' Chorus.

Carl St.Clair

Both concerts will be conducted by Music Director Carl St.Clair. Carl has been an important part of arts-X-press since the very beginning, and continues to be an inspiration to students and alumni.

Don't worry, Week 2--you will also get a chance to see your musician friends in action. Many Pacific Symphony musicians also play in the orchestras for Pageant of the Masters and Mary Poppins.

Excursion Spotlight: Pageant of the Masters

Get ready to believe in the art of the impossible! All three sessions will be attending the 2011 Pageant of the Masters, Only Make Believe. In its uniquely theatrical celebration of "living pictures," it is a passport to explore worlds populated by ancient and modern superheroes and strange, mythical creatures. It will also showcase the creative expressions of artists who devoted themselves to conjuring everything from Victorian historical fantasies, illustrations for fairytales beginning "once upon a time," to futuristic visions of things to come, all in a breathtaking performance of "art that lives and breathes." arts-X-pressers will enjoy hands on activities with real artists at Festival of the Arts preceding the Pageant.

Packing Lists, Bus Schedules, and Medications

We are getting ready to go! In case you misplaced any of your forms that you received at the Summer Orientation, they are available for download here:
Packing List
Medicine Labeling Form
Bus Schedule
If you didn't turn in your bus stop preference at the orientation meetings, please e-mail or phone in your preferences as soon as possible.

Only 25 days until the start of session 1!

New Staff

Introducing some fabulous new staff and counselors!

Carrie Villanueva has been involved with AXP for years, and will be assisting with paperwork, parent phone calls and e-mails. Carrie also works on Pacific Symphony's Class Act program.

Garret at the 10-year reunion in 2010

Garret Wehrman is definitely not new. He was part of the very first class of arts-X-press in 2001, then spent several years as a counselor, and THEN was the Coordinator last summer. We are thrilled that Garret will be returning once again as the Coordinator for Week 3.

Gavin Kane will be joining us as a counselor for Week 2. Gavin is a student at OCHSA and was part of the AXP class of 2007.

Summer Orientation

Please plan to attend one of these meetings so you don’t miss out on important info on bus stops, excursions, and what to pack. Students are encouraged to attend this meeting as it is their first chance to meet some of their fabulous counselors! Please bring all forms and payments with you.

June 6, 7:00 pm, Building A, Board Room
June 11, 10:00 a.m., Building D, Rooms 1004-06

Both meetings are at the Orange County Dept. of Education, 200 Kalmus Dr., Costa Mesa. 

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AXP Events This Week

AXP Welcome Night
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Piano soloist Yuja Wang has been replaced due to illness. She is being replaced by Conrad Tao who is just 16 years old!

When:         Concert begins at 3 pm 

Where:       Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Orange County Performing Arts Center

Parking:     Parking is available in adjacent structures and at the Wyndham Hotel for $8-10.  OCPAC is also accessible by OCTA. 

What to wear: These are afternoon casual concerts, so wear what makes you comfortable.

***Be sure to stop by the Welcome Table in the lobby to get a special treat!***

Tickets are available for purchase until 4 pm on June 3.
1.     Call the Pacific Symphony Box Office at (714) 755-5799.
2.     Mention you are from arts-X-press to receive the special discount price (Students: $10, Adults: $20)3.     Pick your tickets up at the Will Call window.

For maps, information on restaurants, and lots more info, click on “Enhance Your Experience” at www.pacificsymphony.org
We do not recommend this concert for children under the age of 8.
This is an optional event, but we hope to see you there!

Summer Orientations
Please plan to attend one of these meetings so you don’t miss out on important info on bus stops, excursions, and what to pack. Students are encouraged to attend this meeting as it is their first chance to meet some of their fabulous counselors! Please bring all forms and payments with you.

June 6, 7:00 pm, Building A, Board Room
June 11, 10:00 a.m., Building D, Rooms 1004-06

Both meetings are at the Orange County Dept. of Education, 200 Kalmus St., Costa Mesa. 

View Larger Map 

See you soon!

Forms due Friday!

Don't forget that this Friday, May 20, is the deadline for forms and payments (unless you are on a payment plan.)  Please make sure your forms are postmarked by Friday--no need to drive them down to the office.

If your pink form will be late because of your doctor's schedule, send the rest of your forms by May 20. Then call or e-mail to let us know when to expect the pink form.

If you need copies of any of the forms, they are available for download:
2011 Preparation Checklist (blue)
Camper Health History (green)
Licensed Medical Provider (pink)
Waiver of Liability (gray)
Release for Administration of Medicine (purple)
Search, Photo, Media Release (orange)
Application for Financial Aid (salmon)

2011 Counselors

We are so pleased and proud to introduce our 2011 Counselors! These 24 AXP alumni made it through a highly competitive selection process and will join us for summer fun. A whopping 14 of the smiling faces you see below are returning veteran counselors. Be sure to attend the summer orientations on June 6 or June 11 to meet them!

Forms, forms, forms!

Don't forget that all your forms and payments are due on May 20.  If you are missing any of your forms, they are available for download:

2011 Preparation Checklist
Camper Health History
Licensed Medical Provider
Waiver of Liability
Release for Administration of Medicine
Search, Photo, Media Release
Application for Financial Aid

We look forward to seeing you at the June orientation meetings!

Meet the Staff

Stephanie and Yolanda at the 10-year reunion in 2010

Introducing Lead Coordinator Yolanda Galvez! Yolanda will only be new to you if you are brand new to AXP. You may have met her when she was a student in 2002, Session 3 or you may have been in her group when she was a counselor in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010. As you will imagine, we liked her so much we had to give her a job.

Mo with Carl St.Clair at Heisler Park on Pageant Day, 2010

Yolanda grew up in Santa Ana, graduating from St. Margaret's. Her favorite art form is vocal music, followed closely by theater, visual art, instrumental music and dance--she is a true AXP risk-taker! After attending arts-X-press as an almost-7th grader, she found a new love for theater and took her very first audition soon after.

Yolanda has had many magic moments, but her favorite one is of a student who, on the very first day, told her "I know now why you guys do this." We are so glad that we have been able to keep Yolanda for another year. She will be joined by her fellow alumni Coordinators Stephanie Garcia and Mo Jaffrey on campus this summer.

2010, Session 3 students may remember Yolanda's best friend, Eeyore

Only 3 Registration Meetings Left!

It was great to meet so many of you last week in Irvine, Lake Forest, and Newport-Mesa.  Don't forget that all incoming arts-X-pressers need to have at least one parent or guardian attend one of the remaining registration meetings to get their paperwork and information  fees and financial aid. Students are encouraged to attend with their parents.  Please attend the meeting that is most convenient for you.  No RSVP is necessary!

Monday, April 4, 7:00-8:30 pm
Garden Grove Unified School District Office, Annex Conference Room
10331 Stanford Avenue
Garden Grove, CA 92840
Spanish and Vietnamese translators available

Tuesday, April 5, 7:00-8:30 pm
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Office, Board Room
1301 Orangethorpe Avenue
Placentia, CA 92870

Wednesday, April 13, 7:00-8:30 pm
Santa Ana Unified School District Office, Training Room
1601 E. Chestnut Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Spanish translator available

View AXP orientations on a map