Fine Art Activities

DoDDS-Europe offers students a variety of state level activities and academic competitions. These activities are designed to enhance and extend classroom instruction and provide students with the opportunity to apply their academic skills in reality-based situations. The following activities are currently being sponsored by DoDDS-Europe:

Creative Connections
Oberwesel, Germany | November 15-20, 2009 Creative Connections, a six-day Visual and Performing Arts symposium for talented high school students, will be held November 15-20, 2009 at the Jugendgästehaus Oberwesel/Rhein. Instructors include experienced DoDDS teachers and contracted art specialists. This year's classes include dance, drama, show choir, strings, "garage band," video production, sculpture, oil pastels, drawing, mixed-media and digital imaging techniques. The week of intensive instruction challenges students to explore new creative avenues and refine their skills to the highest levels. As one instructor described it, "Creative Connections is a whole semester of Fine Arts packed into one week." The activity culminates with an exhibition of artwork followed by stage performances on Thursday evening beginning at 5:00 p.m. Student registration fee: € 200.
Jazz Seminar
Kaiserslautern, Germany | January 10-16, 2010 | Grades 9-12 This big band swing style seminar incorporates 28 student instrumentalists and 6-8 vocal soloists who focus on the study of jazz. Under the direction of major jazz musicians/educators, students have the opportunity to listen, read, perform, and improvise jazz music. Audition material is sent to high schools in September. Students apply through their local high school by submitting a recorded audition for adjudication in early November. Jazz Seminar concludes with presenting a series of jazz concerts for the local community and schools. Host School 2010 is Kaiserslautern High School. Seminar: January 10-16. Student registration: € 275 for lodging and meals.
Showcase Anthology Production
Production Week: March 8-12, 2010 SHOWCASE is an anthology of K-12 student art and literature featuring approximately 750 selections for publication from the over 3,000 submissions reviewed each year. The submission process begins with classroom teachers sending exemplary art and literature to their school selection committees for review, with selected works going forward to district panels composed of teachers, students, and parents. Works selected at the district levels are then delivered to the Area publication team for final consideration as the anthology is created. Twenty-five teachers are selected from applications to serve on the publication team. The book is created using the latest digital photography and desktop publishing techniques. Teachers are trained and design each page according to the publisher's specifications. The resulting digital file draft is printed professionally and distributed to schools. A copy is presented to each published author and artist.
Honors Music Festival
Oberwesel/Wiesbaden | March 28-April 2, 2010 | Grades 9-12 The Honors Music Festival offers 60 student instrumentalists and 80 vocalists the opportunity to studyand perform a variety of band and choral literature under the batons of two of America's finest conductors. After a period of intensive rehearsals with the guest conductors, the students present an evening concert with a combined band and choral finale. Preparation takes place at Oberwesel, Germany, and the concert is performed at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, a major European concert hall. Students apply through their local high school by submitting a recorded audition. Adjudication will be January 28, 2010, while the event is March 28-April 2. Student registration fee: € 200.00 for lodging and meals.