Conservatory Appreciation Week

At CSArts, every student is part of a conservatory—whether it reflects a personal passion, a dedicated hobby, or an area they are still exploring. April 21st-25th was Conservatory Appreciation Week, and although conservatory ended last week, the poster is still up in the cafeteria, so let’s show a little bit more love to our conservatories!

The conservatories are all split into different categories: School of Dance, School of Fine Media and Arts, School of Music, and School of Theater. The School of Dance consists of Commercial Dance and Ballet and Contemporary Dance. “They offer so many different styles of dance, so it’s very diverse and you can learn a lot there,” Freshman Makenna Bacerra, Commercial Dance said. “And the classrooms have such a free environment where you don’t really feel embarrassed to do anything because everyone’s just so supportive.”

The School of Fine Media and Arts includes Creative Writing, Integrated Arts, and Visual Arts. Creative Writing is led by Director Timothy Gomez and offers courses in mediums such as poetry, novel writing, screenwriting, and journalism. Led by Tiffany Ma, the Visual Arts conservatory offers classes that help students refine their skills in drawing, painting, sculpting, and other artistic disciplines.

Integrated Arts (I.A.) offers a diverse and interdisciplinary program that encompasses traditional, performing, and contemporary art forms. As one of the most popular conservatories at CSArts, it is expected to welcome even more students in the coming year. “I always let incoming new students know that they should really have an open mind and be willing to try all of the different courses that integrated arts offers,” Director of Integrated Arts Joey Ancona said. “Sometimes you will find new interests in places that you’ve never really experienced before.”

The School of Music encompasses Instrumental Music, Popular Music, and Vocal Arts. Instrumental Music additionally has programs for different instruments - guitar, piano, strings and orchestra, and wind and jazz studies. “I love how expressive and free you can be with your music,” Freshman Nicole Tateosian, Instrumental Music said. “Either if it’s through a solo piece, or chamber piece, you can be as creative as you want.”

Instrumental Music is led by Director Tyler McGeough, who co-leads Popular Music with Director Kirk Averitt. Director Averitt also leads Vocal Arts. “The advice I would give to students entering Vocal Arts or Popular Music as a singer is to make time each day to practice,” Director Averitt said. “You can listen to music, read about an artist, write about how you connect to a song, and of course there is practicing the act of singing.”

Lastly, the School of Theater includes Acting, Musical Theater, and Production and Design. “I like that you can network with working, established, professional actors,” Freshman Araceli Prasarttongosoth, Acting said. P&D is led by Director Adam Roy.

Take a moment to thank your conservatory teachers and directors for the hard work they’ve put into your classes! Congratulations on making it through so much of the school year. Just a few more weeks to go!