CBA Expansions: The Performing Arts Program
With the creation of many new programs here at CBA for this school year, the Performing Arts have stood out significantly. In the past, there was a Jazz Ensemble and Pegasus Production Company. Over the past few years though, the Performing Arts have expanded in major ways. There are now many more new classes and programs starting this year, after the addition of the Rock Band two years ago. Some of the new classes are Music Technology, Classroom Piano, Modern Music Seminar for Freshmen, Basic Music Theory, Acting, and Public Speaking, and the expansion of pre-existing Performing Arts programming such as Rock Band and Modern Band (formally Jazz Combo) becoming classes taught during the school day.
These changes along with more to the Music Wing have given a greater amount of space to the ever-growing Music Department. “…we’ve expanded the music wing and have turned Alumni Hall into the new Music Room. In addition, the original music room has turned into a rehearsal room that houses a piano lab and digital recording set up,” said Visual & Performing Arts Department Chair Mr. Lopez.
One of the fastest growing parts of the Music Department, Rock Band, has transformed massively with its class and concert since the program took off just two years ago. This year it changed from being a period 0 extracurricular course to one that meets as often as any other class. This change has created many more opportunities for its members to be playing daily. All this practice will only help for the Rock Concert which will be held this February. “The craziest part is that every single year there are different people with differing interests & skill sets, so the music is going to be completely different every single year,” said Rock Director Mr. Auriemma.
“Having Rock metaphorically (& sonically) explode at CBA over the past two years has helped to create new opportunities within the group, such as the creation of House Band and our Big-Huge-Super-Gigantic-Ultra-Modern Rock Concert,” said Mr. Auriemma. “This means that every year, no matter what level a student starts at, they get to play a fully-produced show on an actual stage to a packed audience. Being a part of that experience and the work that goes into it (not to mention the amazing audience participation & reception) has brought the group together as its own CBA community, giving students a new place to learn & develop a sense of self among other Rock musicians like them.”
Another major part of the Performing Arts is Pegasus Production Company, CBA’s very own high school theater production company. This November they are putting on their edition of “Clue” as the fall drama for this school year.
“We started rehearsals for ‘Clue’ last week,” said Pegasus Production Company Director Mr. Orozco. “Our cast had a read-through and worked on character development. They are a very talented cast and the directorial staff is very excited to help them reach their full potential on such a difficult show … Our crew has already started construction, our art team is designing costumes and our tech team is planning out the various tech demands of the show.”
This show will be assisted by Henderson Theater’s brand-new sound system, which was added for this new school year. “With a state-of-the-art sound system, we will be able to better showcase our actors and instrumentalists during various productions and make sure that every student is heard at all times,” Mr Orozco exclaimed.
All these additions to the Performing Arts have created an opportunity for many students with musical interests to pursue them through new and continued classes and programs. Great things can be accomplished with this new expansion with Mr. Lopez stating, “Because of the changes in the schedule, more students can interact with the arts daily. Students who previously had no room in their schedules are now able and encouraged to take on new elective programming to explore all facets of their interests … I hope we can continue providing meaningful musical experiences for students from all different backgrounds and grade levels.” You can reach out to Mr. Lopez or Ms. Weingarten if you have any interest in the Performing Arts here at CBA.
