Performing Arts


 

Jazz Ensemble • Fall & Spring

Students involved in this ensemble will work to improve their ensemble playing as well as their individual musicianship. This group will work on a variety of music including standards, blues, funk as well as contemporary and original compositions. On and off campus performances will be included. 

Prerequisite: Some musical experience encouraged

 

Darrow Music Collective • Fall & Spring

This course is designed for students seeking an advanced study of music. Students will participate in rehearsals and performances while learning about many of the aspects involved in the studio and the stage - live performance, recording, artist/venue relations, and more. Overall, this will be an immersive experience in what it means to be a working professional musician. Participation in on and off-campus concerts, recording sessions, and events is required.

Prerequisite: By audition or approval from Performing Arts Department Chair

 

Music Fundamentals • Fall

Music Fundamentals offers students the opportunity to gain a practical understanding of how music works while applying their learning to create music. Basic music theory will be introduced in order to learn music notation along with composing and analyzing simple melodies and harmonies. Listening exercises and ear training will be an integral part of the course as our reception and perception of music is essential to having a fulfilling musical life. Throughout Music Fundamentals, students will use what they have learned to be able to play instruments, compose, arrange, and enjoy music!


 

Music Production II • Spring

Students will utilize state-of-the-art technology to create, compose, remix, and record music. Students will use their skills from Music Production I to increase their understanding of programs including ProTools, Logic, and more.

Prerequisites: Students will need to have taken Music Production, or an equivalent,  in order to take this next level course.

 

Performing Arts Management and Community Engagement • Year

This course provides an overview of arts management and offers students the chance to be ambassadors for all of the performing arts outreach and engagement opportunities at Darrow. Topics include arts leadership and management philosophy, organizational structure, financial management, strategic planning and programming, marketing and public relations, fundraising and development (including sponsorship and grants). Special attention is given to the application of management principles and skills in the performing arts. Students will learn skills related to being artist liaisons while hosting guest artists and facilitators, learn professional tools and language for reaching out to arts organizations and professionals, and be given the opportunity to connect with an organization in the Berkshire and Albany/Troy communities with the goal of developing a mini internship in the second semester. Students will also learn how to build and run our D-PAC social media presence that documents our work. Areas of interest examples: documentary filmmaking, technical theater, production management, arts outreach, and community event planning.

*This course has adapted curriculum from Purchase College, and Management and the Arts by William J Brynes courses.

Prerequisites: At least one semester of a Performing Arts Department Elective

 

Writing & Literature IV: Playwriting • Fall

Students will receive a strong foundation in the playwriting craft, theatrical tools, play and scene structures, textual analysis, and constructive peer feedback models.To that end, this course includes prompts and free writes; scene writing and monologue writing; reading aloud and performance; collaborative group writing and devising; reading and analyzing plays; class discussions; peer feedback; ensemble-building; and personal aesthetic explorations. Students will choose to focus on their favorite piece to flush our full 10 minute play “staged reading” presentation style for their final exam. Students may also submit their plays for consideration to be in Darrow on the Fringe in the winter.

*This course is cross-listed with Performing Arts. Students will need to choose which department to receive credit in.

Open to all seniors and to juniors with permission of the Department Chair

 

Writing & Literature IV: Storytelling: the Art & Craft • Spring

This course is an interdisciplinary synthesis of English and the Performing Arts Department. It incorporates essential elements of writing, reading, and speaking stories. The core of the course is in the interaction between the art and craft of storytelling. In this exciting creative process text is viewed from different angles in a way that goes beyond what is characteristic of either literary or theater studies as single disciplines. The course as a whole examines literary and dramatic texts and seeks to develop intellect, imagination and creativity. It encourages intercultural awareness through a study of texts from more than one culture. Students will gain understanding and practice in public speaking while adapting curriculum developed for building the skills in writing and performing our own life story moments. We will work to develop our storytelling life lens which provides the opportunity to engage with moments, even the most benign, and view them as access points to connect with others.

*This course is cross-listed with English. Students will need to choose which department to receive credit in.

Open to all seniors and to juniors with permission of the Department Chair.

 


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