Our annual Fine Arts College Information Night is coming up on October 10th, 2016, 7-9 pm at Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City. If you are a student or parent wondering what the future may look like pursuing the arts (music, theater, dance, visual art), please join us for an evening of information and panel discussions.
hocofaac
College Information Night is Here!
Make sure to join us tonight at our annual Fine Arts College Information Night. Registration begins at 6:30 pm at Howard High School in Ellicott City, followed by a short plenary session at 7:00 pm before breaking out into panel discussions for music, theatre, visual art, and dance. At 8:30 pm, there will be an additional session open for financial aid and scholarship information. Our event is growing still, and we would love for you to experience everything College Night has to offer.
Fine Arts College Information Night Is Here!
FAAC Update
A new school year has begun, and the FAAC is excited to continue our work with the Howard County Public School System.
State of the Arts in Howard County Schools
We had our first meeting of the 2011-2012 school year on September 19, 2011. After a brief welcome by FAAC co-chair George Wilson, current and new members of the council introduced themselves and their ties to the arts and the Howard County Public School System. HCPSS Fine Arts Coordinator Mark Coates presented a State of the Arts. Highlights from his presentation include:
- Art labs: programs to assist students in digital media
- Music Technology labs: MIDI set-ups with keyboards and computers, Sibelius notation software, Smart Music student assistance software, Garage Band
- All lab spaces to be created or retro-fitted by Summer 2012
- All high school auditoriums are now centralized in the office of the HCPSS Fine Arts Coordinator
- Inspections of all high school theaters were performed and funding has been secured to standardize light and sounds systems across all high school theaters
- 2011-2012 marks the fortieth year of the Columbia Mall Art Show for HCPSS students
College Information Night
Janis McNutt introduced College Information Night, and Stephanie Gurwitz-Zurier provided a brief description and sought volunteers to help moderate panel sessions and other required tasks. More information will be provided in a later post.
High School Communication Liaisons
It was suggested by a council member that we establish communications liaisons with each school to provide more focused communication with school administrators and teachers. FAAC would create a newsletter type of communiqué to distribute to the schools and school board members.
Board of Education
Brian Meshkin, HCPSS parent and a member of the Howard County Board of Education, attended our meeting to familiarize himself with the county arts administrators and hear the concerns of all council members. Mr. Meshkin is quite interested in keeping arts involved with all school in Howard County and taking our schools in a direction that would enhance STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to become STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). He sought our ideas and suggestions for improving arts education in HCPSS schools and innovating the teaching of common core subjects to enhance students’ interest in school and improve their test scores. A council member provided feedback on enhanced arts integration, in particular, at Thunder Hill Elementary and its dramatic effect on their test scores.
Parks and Recreation
Holly, a representative from Howard County Parks and Recreation, was in attendance and seeking a partnership with a HCPSS school to provide an after-school program involving the arts. Her department would be providing the funding for this program.
Openings Within the Committee
Positions for a secretary and website administrator were open and volunteers sought. Katey Pearson, parent and violist, volunteered for the secretary position, and Donna Wiles-Noyes, parent and clarinetist, volunteered for the website administrator position. The FAAC co-chairs and members thank these women for their commitment to our council.
Next FAAC Meeting
The next meeting of the FAAC will be in November. Details will be updated as they are received.
Howard County Arts Council’s 2011 Arts Scholarship
Need money for college? Apply for the Howard County Arts Council’s 2011 Arts Scholarship.
The Council will award a minimum of $10,000 in scholarship funds to students entering college in the 2011-2012 academic year. Scholarships must be used for enrollment in an accredited college program for a degree in the arts. Applicants must be a legal resident of Howard County. Applications must be postmarked or hand-delivered by Monday, December 13, 2010.
Download the application form here.
The Glee Effect
It appears to be a national trend forming in high school arts programs. It is all because of the Fox TV show “Glee”. Across the nation, more and more students are succumbing to the “Glee Effect” and there seems to be an uptick in enrollment in school choirs and theatre programs. Here is a sampling of articles that were in the press recently. The first article quotes a Marriotts Ridge Student in the first paragraph.
‘Glee’ puts high school choirs at center stage – Baltimore Sun
The ‘Glee’ effect: Singing is cool again
As one choral teacher gleefully puts it: Singing is cool again.
Glee: How “Glee” is changing high school choir
The “real Will Schuester” explains the way Fox’s hit show is pushing boundaries in a world known for jazz hands
High school choir programs growing fast and gleefully – Wire – Lifestyle – bellinghamherald.com
Gabriel Herrera has never had a Slushy thrown in his face.
Random Acts of Culture
Words can’t really describe what took place when the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s performed of Hallelujah in mob flash style.
To learn more about Random Acts of Culture, please visit: knightsart.org.
Next Meeting: November 8
Join us for our next Fine Arts Advisory Council meeting on Monday, November 8 at 7:00pm We meet at the Faulkner Ridge Center in Columbia (10598 Marble Faun Court • Columbia, MD 21044).
We’ll review our Fine Arts College night and decide where we’ll go from here. We’ll also discuss our new web site.
See you there!
Get the Latest from HCFAAC Using RSS
Wonder what those funny links to “RSS” are in our right-hand menu?
RSS is a great way to make sure you get all the latest news from this site. Rather than surfing over to our site, RSS will bring our information to you. Here’s how in three easy steps:
(1) Subscribe to a feed reader. (Here are some to choose from.)
(2) Return to hcfaac.org and click on the orange RSS button in our right-hand menu. (It will look like the picture in this post.)
(3) Choose your feed reader from the dropdown menu in the yellow box at the top of the page. Or copy and paste the url into your feed reader.
Now, whenever you log into your feed reader, you’ll see all the latest news from us!
Fine Arts College Night: Suggestions for Parents and Students Interested in Studying Performing & Visual Arts
FINE ARTS COLLEGE Information
Sponsored by the HCPSS Fine Arts Advisory Council
Suggestions for Parents and Students Interested in Studying Performing & Visual Arts
Performing and visual arts programs usually require more than the normal admissions application and essay. The programs often desire a demonstration of the student’s work which can require a great deal of preparation.
Most arts programs that are not conservatories (music, theater, dance, and visual arts) require a two-tier approach: the normal admissions process that all students follow plus a separate process which may include an additional application, fee, and essay as well as a CD, video, DVD, or portfolio combined with an audition, interview and/or special project. Each college has different criteria. It is important to check out the requirements of many different schools early since they vary greatly and often require extensive advance preparation. While conservatories usually have only one admissions process, it can also be multi-tiered and often much more demanding in terms of the artistic requirements. Many schools have 2 or 3 cuts they make throughout the admissions process.
Check out the admissions requirements of different types of schools even if you are not yet sure where you want to apply. It will give you an idea of what is required.
Ask many different people for advice. Use the numerous resources available. Often individuals, both teachers and parents, base their knowledge on their own personal experiences which can be very helpful but sometimes limiting, so it is best to get information from a variety of sources.
To get questions about this process answered, start with your student’s teachers, both school and private instructors have knowledge that can be helpful.
There are numerous blogs and online discussions that can be helpful. It is often hard to find college listings and rankings for the arts programs that are fully inclusive so do not rely on these too heavily. [For example – if looking for a Jazz Program but the school lists itself as Contemporary and Jazz it may not show on a general list.]
Attend the Performing and Visual Arts College Fair held in Washington every fall. There are hundreds of schools in attendance and it is a great place to pick up information.
Contact the admissions counselors at the schools you are considering. If you are seeking information about programs within larger universities do not rely only on the general admissions office, be sure to contact the admissions person in the particular department as well. Do not be afraid to share information about your student and what specifically you are seeking. They are usually very helpful.
Ask your teacher and parents in your high school boosters program for names of parents who have recently gone through the process. The information they share can be very useful.
For further information or questions feel free to contact Stephanie Gurwitz Zurier, Fine Arts College Night Coordinator sgurwitz1@verizon.net
Howard County Fine Arts Advisory Council 