The days are busy and exciting for West Ferris Arts and Culture students of late. With the launch of the Specialist High Skills Major program this September, students have been enjoying a new level of learning that is highly experiential and just plain fun. Students began the year with a trip to the Royal Ontario Museum where they received individualized tours and seminars in areas of interest and attended a Rock Musical in the evening. Throughout the year, students have enjoyed seminars in such areas as “The concert band on balance” and “Blend within the Ensemble”, “Stage Combat” training and watercolour painting techniques to name a few.
Most recently, in April, students attended a day long conference at Nipissing University where they enjoyed learning special techniques in Music, Drama, Graphic Design, Radio and T.V. broadcasting, Abstract painting, and cultural drumming and dance.
Students have been actively engaged at every stage of their learning as well as in the planning of special events such as the annual Christmas Concert where the West Ferris, the North Bay 22 Wing, and the Silver Birches bands joined together to create a magnificent and impressive Ensemble band. This year the concert was preceded by the SHSM launch party for S.H.S.M. programs in Arts and Culture, Construction and Business. The launch party was attended by Mayor MacDonald and other local dignitaries. The students, who had been highly active in the planning of the event, were pleased with the turnout and West Ferris teachers and administrators were very proud of the effort made by all in the planning of a highly successful event.
Currently Music and Visual Arts students are busily preparing for the annual Spring Concert, and coffee house cheesecake events and Drama students are in rehearsal for The play “Rope Against the Sun”, which will be performed at the Capitol Centre June 8th, as well as the Musical “Charlie Brown”, which will be showcased in the West Ferris auditorium on June 17th.
The next event for Visual arts students has caused much excitement as students busy themselves in a flurry of preparation for their first annual gallery showing at the Kennedy Gallery on Main. Students are excited to be planning the arrangement of the show, as they learn gallery display techniques. Students have chosen some highly unusual pieces for display, the quality of which is remarkable.
When asked about the current event and the experiences enjoyed over the year in the S.H.S.M. program, Madison McGregor, pictured above left, who is currently doing her Co-op placement with the Kennedy gallery said,
“I’m so glad to be a part of the first Gallery showing. To actually have our pieces show in a gallery is very exciting. All of the students involved might be stressed because getting pieces completed in time is a hard task, but we all know that in the end, the show will be worth it. The SHSM Program has been a great experience. I don’t think I would have continued my arts education without all of the opportunities it has given me.”
The S.H.S.M. senior art show will take place at the Kennedy Gallery on Main Street on Thursday May 26th, from 6-9p.m. The admission is free and the show is open to everyone.
