Arts for all during UCLA summer sessions
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Ever wanted to learn interpretive dance? How about how to write a song? Or, step into the spotlight on a theater stage?
Students from UCLA and across the city–as well as lifelong learners from the community–can enjoy access to a top-tier arts education by way of summer sessions. Summer courses in the arts are as rigorous and rewarding as classes during the traditional school year for arts majors, taught in the same studio spaces by the same instructors.
The School of the Arts and Architecture has nearly two dozen offerings ranging from martial arts, ceramics making, ballet and improvisational dance, tactical workshops on JavaScript and CSS, to an eclectic course about storytelling in our culture titled “Aliens, Psychics and Ghosts” all of which are open to all UCLA students, students from other universities and anyone with an interest in the arts and architecture.
The Herb Alpert School of Music is offering 27 courses open to university and high school students as well as musicians and scholars at any skill level. Beginner courses in keyboards, guitar, songwriting and music production are part of a catalog that also includes courses that teach music listening, train people how to write about music, even delve into the history of one of the most influential groups of all time with “Reel Beatles,” a class that harnesses visual media to encapsulate 80 years of the stories about the supergroup and the enormous impact the performers had on the world.
At the School of Theater, Film and Television, students of all stripes get a chance to stretch many creative muscles from taking a hand at acting, directing and set designing for theater stages, or learning about the history of American musicals or the rich traditions of Chicano theater. Film and Television courses offer opportunities to learn how to write for the screen, edit films, create stop-motion animation, learn about producing and marketing films, study the impact of horror films and other genres.
Many of the courses are taught by alumni professionals who are finding success in the industry. Read more about them on the school’s Facebook page.
All three arts professional schools at UCLA also open the doors to young learners who might hope to soon call the campus home, with summer intensives for high schoolers.
High school musicians can participate in three summer options at the Herb Alpert School of Music, the Global Jazz Intensive, the only one of its kind in the U.S., which brings together performers from around the globe. The Summer Songwriting Intensive will give students real skills in their personal writing practice, as well as collaboration and navigating the music industry. A Summer Voice Intensive offers a chance for singers to strengthen and stretch their vocal ability.
Among the courses at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television is an exciting professional development certificate program titled “UCLA Emerging Filmmakers: TV Writing Track,” which is designed to give pre-college students an opportunity to work with entertainment industry professions, develop a portfolio and gain hands on experience in TV writing.
School of the Arts and Architectureprograms for high-schoolers include hip-hop street dance program, a teen architecture studio intensive, a chance to work in the Sci-Art Lab and with renowned Design Media Arts faculty. The Art Department summer institute includes various specializations to choose from and is structured around a combination of daily, focused studio work, artist lectures, group critiques, and one-on-one meetings with faculty.