In 3-D Art and Sculpture, students will be able to take their creative ideas off the page and into the third dimension! They will have the opportunity to experiment and create with a wide variety of materials and processes to create unique 3D works of art. Students will utilize clay, cardboard, recycled materials, paper maché, fabric and more in their creations while continuing to build on the foundational skills and knowledge in the Visual Arts.

We are very excited to be offering the Chinese Arts & Crafts CCA again this Semester here at Stamford American School. This was an extremely popular program in the 1st Semester, and we are aiming to make it an even more enjoyable and educational program for students this Semester. The Chinese Arts & Crafts CCA will offer students from Grade 2 – Grade 5 who are interested in working with colorful paper, thread, watercolors, and other art materials to create Chinese drama masks and other interesting Chinese Art. The language of the instruction will be Chinese. Come and join the creativity and fun!

The Chinese Speech and Drama Club is to nurture students’ interests in the learning of Chinese Language and further develop their Chinese Language ability through various activities and training that help to improve non-verbal expressions in preparation for performances and competitions. Activities include poetry recitation, cross-talks, story-telling, drama as well as giving public speeches.

This program is to help students who are interested in improving their public speaking skills while developing confidence and poise in front of an audience. In our CCA, we will emphasize the pronunciation of words, phrases, and sentences, analyze the appropriate pauses and stresses in an article, as well as share memorization and performing strategies.

Grades 6-9: Choir for grades 6-9 is open to all! This Choir requires no audition and students need no prior experience to join. We will work quickly and with focus. Students interested in singing great literature and working with others who enjoy doing the same are encouraged to participate. This is a wonderful opportunity to work in an ensemble and to gain valuable performance experience. The emphasis of this Choir is to perform, with increasing sophistication, quality pieces from a variety of time periods and cultures. Students will be expected to show progress in their pitch matching, rhythmic accuracy, vocal technique, independence in part-singing and ensemble attitude. Some pieces will require choreography and movement. This Choir will be featured in a performance this semester.

Grades 2-5: Choir is a wonderful way to expose young people to great music, ensemble etiquette, teamwork, and many cultures. This Choir requires no audition, and all are welcome! Students are given the opportunity to perform music from many cultures with enthusiasm and expression. Singing is anatural and enjoyable way to develop language skills and teamwork. We will rehearse and perform quality literature, emphasizing confidence-building and independence in part-singing. Enthusiasm, open-mindedness, and focus are most welcome! This Choir will be featured in a performance this semester.

Pre-Primary-Grade 1: Choir is a wonderful way to expose young people to great music, ensemble etiquette, teamwork, and many cultures. This Choir requires no audition, and all are welcome! Young children love to express themselves in all kinds of ways including through musical performance. Singing is a natural and enjoyable way to show your creativity and develop your talents. We will rehearse and perform quality literature with the emphasis on good technique, increased confidence, musical expression, and beginner part-singing. Enthusiasm, open-mindedness and focus are most welcome! This Choir will be featured in a performance this semester.

Students who join this CCA will create costumes for performers on stage adding an extra spark and charm to the show. They will follow a full creative process to design looks for different scenes. A brief research on the era and locations, and the study of the personality and mood of the characters will be carried out. Our students will develop their creative thinking for choosing fabrics and other materials and will discuss shapes and finishing touches to match the storylines. This class will be a fascinating trip from drafts and drawings to a real opening night. Come and learn how to design, cut and sew your own costume and help the actors in our production to shine even brighter.

This painting CCA is designed to give the students the opportunity to build upon drawing and painting skills and experience, and practice with the expressed goal of further developing creative invention, honing technical skills, and diverging into areas of experimentation with various materials. Join in the fun to hone your creativity and at the same time enjoy the afternoon with your friends while you produce great works of Art!

Students will be a part of the magic of the stage in this unique and exciting art class! They will imagine, design, build, and even utilize the props they create when they go to drama class. Everything from collaborating to make larger than life props to individual mask making will be covered. This is a great class for students who enjoy molding and sculpting to create three-dimensional artworks. Make one-of a-kind props from the imagination come to life and see them in action with this engaging Art co-curricular activity!

Faust provides fun and lively drama workshops for children looking to boost their confidence, creativity and performance skills! Younger year groups will use a range of popular storybooks as inspiration to help act in character and perform stories in front of an audience. Older year groups will develop more sophisticated drama skills such as physical theatre, improvisation, Shakespearean text and more. All groups will present what they have learned at the end-of-term Open Session for parents.

Students will participate in fun and interesting art lessons as well as activities centered around various forms of art. Through the use of different art materials, students will develop their technical skills, take creative risks, solve problems, express themselves, and explore their creativity. They will have the opportunity to respond to their peers’ artwork, other artist’s works, as well as their own, and make connections to inform their thinking and find inspiration. Students will be encouraged to use their imagination and be inquirers in this expressive and engaging after school art class!

Hand crafts can be lots of fun and making something that you or someone else can wear is even more exciting! The Jewelry Making CCA is new this year and aims to help students make incredible jewelery that they can wear themselves or give to their parents, teachers, or friends. This amazing CCA will help students learn to craft with their hands and practice instruction-based skills.

This new CCA offering will combine calligraphy with the Chinese Martial art of Ba Duan Jin. Students will have the opportunity to learn both of these traditional Chinese crafts in a fun environment. Calligraphy is an essential component of Chinese Art which allows a more symbolic presentation of the Chinese characters. Students will learn the basic set of rules including dot, horizontal stroke, falling stroke, vertical stroke, and hook. Students learn the rules of the combination of Chinese characters and ways to vary the combinations to create beautiful art while also allowing themselves to express themselves. Ba Duan Jin (also known as "The Eight-Sectioned Exercise" or "The Eight Pieces of Brocade" is the most popular Chinese Qi Gong form. It is a traditional way of exercising to improve health that has more than 1000 years of history.

The musical production will be an auditioned musical play for students in grades 4-9. Information, including audition expectations and materials, the rehearsal schedule and cast expectations, will be shared in January. Students will have the opportunity to audition for a production that they will perform in June. Students will be encouraged to increase their risk-taking, confidence and collaboration skills. They will perform in front of an audience, developing a character and projecting their voices, using their body language and improving their singing skills. By taking part in rehearsals, students will demonstrate their commitment and creativity by working together to produce a show. We hope to see many of our students joining this exciting opportunity.

In our puppet building workshop, our grades 2 and 3 students will become puppet makers and puppeteers. They will create puppets and put them into performance in our classroom and later at home. Puppets are a potent vehicle for arts education, meeting design and technology outcomes. Our students will be creating their own puppet characters using a range of materials. This experience will encourage children to explore how everyday materials like paper or spare fabric, junk materials, etc. can be transformed into a living, breathing puppets. Manipulation and storytelling form a greater component of this activity encouraging literacy and critical and creative thinking.

Let’s share your music and make new friends in the String Ensemble! This string ensemble provides an introductory ensemble experience for developing string players. It offers instruction on ensemble playing of violin, viola, cello, and string bass instruments, with a focus on the skills necessary for long-term success. Fundamental skills include proper posture and playing position, development of characteristic tone quality and training in music literacy.

This experience is ideal for students who have limited previous participation in instrumental ensembles. It may also be suitable for those already with experience but who may need a review and reinforcement of music reading, playing fundamentals and technique that are vital for lasting musical development. Students in grade 1-9 are welcome. Students must provide their instruments and should be studying with a private teacher. This ensemble will be featured at a school concert. Auditions are required for placement in this ensemble.

The String Orchestra offers a unique platform to encourage young and new musicians to hone their musicianship and improve their playing techniques! This intermediate string orchestra is for students who already have an understanding of essential music reading, instrument assembly and maintenance, correct playing position and sound tone production. Instruction offers a continued focus on the refinement of tone quality, technique, aural skills, and music literacy. Students will provide their instruments and should be studying with a private teacher. This orchestra will be featured in the school concerts. Placement is by audition including the following requirements:

• Two or more years of experience (or discretion of the director)
• Able to play C, G, D major scales
• Ability to judge basic intonation
• Understanding time and key signatures
• Basic sight-reading

Wind Ensemble will give our students who play a wind instrument an opportunity to work together, playing independently, in multiple parts. Students who are currently studying or who have recently studied Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, and Trumpet are welcome to join. An appropriate level of proficiency is required to participate in this program. Students must provide their own instruments and should be studying with a private teacher. Students will audition on their instrument before the CCA’s begin. The Wind Ensemble will be featured in a performance this semester.

World Music Percussion Ensemble will introduce the students to rhythms, instruments and songs from around the globe. We will focus on African drums, including djembes and tubanos, xylophones and bass bars and a variety of percussion instruments. Students will play in multiple parts and will have the opportunity to improvise and possibly even accompany one of our Choir pieces in the ensemble concert! We will focus on playing style, increasing proper technique and building performer confidence. This group will be featured in a performance this semester.