Notes from
INE AR TS A Quarterly Newsletter from the Fine Arts Department
It is an EXCITING TIME in the Fine Arts Department at Fort Worth Country Day! The chill of winter is in the air; however, our many programs in the fine arts are heating up for a full semester of events, including the Black & White Images exhibition; the continuation of our after-school programs, such as the Lower School Strings program; and, of course, the spring musical, Little Women.
Winter 2016
Fine Arts Tidbits
In each genre of the arts, whether it is our ballet, the many different veins of visual arts, theatre arts, music or journalism, every student has the opportunity to prepare for presentations, performances and competitions during second semester. These opportunities spark an energy, a creative direction toward a goal. Students have a chance to develop an active personal engagement with the physical and intellectual applications of creative work. The processes involved in achieving these goals foster student leadership, collaboration and creativity; offer a crucible for artistic growth and passion; and develop personal expression, courage and commitment. The fine arts at Fort Worth Country Day produce insightful, empathetic and innovative students equipped to accommodate change and make important contributions to their world. Through active, hands-on engagement with the fine arts, our students embrace the life skills and personal enrichment these programs provide. The comprehensive nature of our program allows students to curate their talents and provides multiple arenas into which they pour their interest, imagination and commitment. It is the department’s goal to enhance the fine art programs by continuing down this path, looking for ways to improve our offerings, allowing students to work toward the cutting edge of creativity within their presentations, performances and competitions. We cannot afford to let “status quo” dictate our students and their educational opportunities. The department embraces a continuing quest to gain knowledge through the fine art vein in order for students to be more equipped for the 21st-century. We hope you take part in our adventure and continue to support the fine arts as a community knowing that our students will benefit while at FWCD and when they enter into their world and the many challenges that lie ahead. We encourage you to attend as many of the fine art events this spring as possible. You will see EXCITEMENT in the students’ presentations and performances. Enjoy these fine art opportunities with our students.
ONWARD!
Robert Stovall Director of Fine Arts
LS Art: Second-Grade Community Heroes Second-graders worked hard on their Community Hero projects, an interdisciplinary project combining art and social studies. Students choose a member of the greater Fort Worth community to celebrate as a hero; they conduct an interview and take a photograph of their hero. In art, students paint a portrait of their hero, and in social studies they create a written work that accompanies the painting. The artwork and writing are on display in the Fischer Dining Pavilion through February 12.
The FWCD Musical: A Long Tradition on opening night. An example of the cast’s singular bond is spoken of in the following excerpt from one of those letters:
By Melodee Halbach This year’s musical, Little Women, follows part two of Louisa May Alcott’s novel about her three sisters, as well as all the people who touch their lives. The MTI website cites: “This timeless captivating story is brought to life in this glorious musical filled with personal discovery, heartache, hope, and everlasting love. The original production starred the unparalleled Sutton Foster, who received Tony, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk nominations for her performance.” Musicals at Country Day are a singular tradition. Beginning in 1970 with Bye Bye Birdie, directed by Bob Balch, the School has produced 45 different musicals, some of which were produced multiple years. Because it was the first musical produced at FWCD, Bye Bye Birdie was chosen to be FWCD’s 50th-anniversary production in celebration of that historic event. The FWCD musical is unique because it is the only performing arts event that combines three different departments:
Show Choir Competition At the end of February, FWCD’s Middle School Show Choir, CAST, will compete in the Lone Star Show Choir Invitational in Keller. Students have been working hard preparing their music and choreography. The set list is titled “Be Okay” and comprises three songs: Be Okay, Try/Pretty Hurts and Survive/I Will Survive. The Middle School Show Choir program is in its second year. It consists of both seventh- and eighth-grade students who enjoy learning a different aspect to singing by using music selections from movies, musicals and today’s culture with choreographed movement. The goal of this organization is to create ensemble characteristics in both song and dance that allow for creative presentations in performance and competitive settings.
“FWCD theatre has always had an undeniably magical ability to form a family in the midst of copious work … and it warms my heart to know that this legacy of positive expression still lives on … writing to you, I can still feel that same sense-memory rush that I felt whenever we passed the pulse right before curtain.” ~ Peter Bowden ’12
Theatre, Music and Dance. Although the performers and technicians represent less than a quarter of the Upper School population, the enthusiasm generated throughout the community surpasses that number. Another very unique aspect of the musical—and the fall play— is the family that is formed among the cast. One of the Theatre Department’s traditions involves the letters received from alumni
FWCD alumni who have pursued musical theatre as a career only number a handful; however, going through the process of producing a musical has created dedicated audiences among our graduates. Being a part of the audience creates and sustains a love of musical theatre and fosters support of live performance whether it be musical theatre, theatre, dance or music concerts. The FWCD community’s support of its annual musical sustains the magic that performance inspires in us all.
People Rarely Succeed Unless They Are Having Fun Doing It school program, and her husband, Jesus Castro-Balbi, assisting in this worthwhile endeavor. With their combined enthusiasm and Gloria’s insight into scheduling the lessons and obtaining the high-quality teachers, FWCD students are learning to play violin, cello and harp at an early age. Above all, they are “having fun doing it!” This program is in its infancy. However, it has the promise of growing into a program filled with children grades K-4 learning to succeed, learning to play an instrument well and having fun with their instructor. By Robert Stovall Have you ever had the opportunity to take on a new challenge or project and not know what the outcome could be? Of course! We all have these experiences. Some challenges may be work-oriented, classoriented or, perhaps, a personal challenge in which you work toward something that will forever affect your life. In any of these scenarios, one should try his/her best to approach the challenge with a fullness of excitement and optimism. A sense of “play” should assist in this approach. Having an attitude of “It’s fun doing it” should dominate as you travel through your challenge or project. Southwest Airlines is one of today’s most successful carriers, while many of its competitors wobble on the edge of insolvency. The company’s mission statement offers clues to its stellar performance: “People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.” Here at Fort Worth Country Day, we began a Lower School Strings Program this year. To the amazement observed by those involved, our students have shown huge potential in the after-school program. Why? Because our private teachers bring enjoyment and fun to the lessons, as well as a steady balance of discipline and incredible consistency. We are happy to have Gloria Lin, coordinator for the after-
Learning to play an instrument at a young age assists in the development of a creative mind and may intensify the ability to analyze details and synthesize the big picture as children grow in their educational journey. Students’ chances of success increase tremendously in that they are experiencing an activity that requires the use of both hemispheres of the brain and, as previously mentioned, they are having fun doing it. A fine example of success was staged recently when the Lower School strings students performed in the Winter Strings Concert with Middle and Upper School strings. To see how far they have come in such a short time was impressive. We look forward to seeing their continued progress. We owe all of our private lesson strings teachers; Gloria Lin; Jesus Castro-Balbi; and Rex Bozarth, Middle School strings teacher, a great deal of thanks for having the vision, seeing the potential and offering their talents to those who choose to learn. I encourage you to observe these students in their element. Their parents play a vital role in that one parent must attend the lesson in order to understand what is happening and what must continue at home during practice. Therefore, it’s a family commitment and, of course, it’s a road to success while having fun doing it!
Ballet Frontier of Texas Fort Worth Country Day was once again invited to perform in Ballet Frontier of Texas, The Youth Dance Festival. The Youth Dance Festival offers performers from the greater North Texas community the chance to showcase a variety of pieces, including classical ballet, as well as contemporary and modern repertoires. The Upper School dancers presented First Blush, choreographed by Er Dong Hu, and The Moment I Said It, choreographed by FWCD’s ballet faculty member Natalie Bracken ’05.
On Pointe A few sixth-graders received their first pair of pointe shoes over the winter break. Dancing on pointe is an advanced stage of ballet that requires unique skills. The challenge is to place almost all of your weight on the extreme tips of your toes, yet appear as light as a feather. Pictured are Sydney Cyprian, Mary Elizabeth Mitchell and Michelle Pham.
Black & White Images Photography Competition and Exhibition By Kendall Davis This year marked the 28th year for the Black & White Images Photography Competition and Exhibition. While 13 FWCD photography students were in the show, their work was reflective of the entire department. We have an internal competition within the Photography Department first to see which photos will represent the School and be sent to the juror. Each school is allowed 60 photos maximum. The juror then selects what actually goes into the exhibition. Eight local private and public schools participated in the show, which ran in January. The exhibition is now available online at fwcd.org. Brian Florentin, professor of photography at The University of Texas at Arlington and
chair of the South-Central Region Society of Photographic Education, was the juror. “Selecting just over 100 images was a challenge, given that the majority of the work submitted was very high in quality, Florentin said. “In fact, a number of the students are already producing collegelevel work. The photographs submitted for this exhibition, whether or not they were selected, often reflect technical skills that range from very good to excellent, even exceptional.” What I like best about hosting the competition is that my students get to see all the entries. We spend class time looking at what all the other students have submitted. Technical questions come up, as well as other novel approaches the students can learn from. In addition, my students hang and label the show, which gives
them an idea of the involvement it takes to put on a show, from the matting to the framing. See the show online at fwcd.org. Congratulations to the FWCD students featured in the show: Mary Catherine Bishop ’16, Brenden McCormack ’18, Natalie Clifton ’16, Delaney Fleming ’16, Alexis Onuscheck ’18, Margot Berry ’16, Meredith Berry ’17, Margaret Lattimore ’18, Nina Cloven ’16, Mia Pulido ’17, Sarah Sawyer ’17, Whitney Bruhl ’18 and Colbi Jordan ’18.
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