This is just a sampling of the many classes, camps and workshops Tammy and Rebecca have taught over the years. All programs can be tailored to any size group, age range, and length of time. Please check out our Current Programs
My World Photography Course:
Exploring yourself and your surroundings through the peronal expression of the camera. Culminates with a beautiful photobook.
NEW YORK MOSAIC:
The history and culture of New York's people through stories, songs and dances.
This is an original production written by Rebecca Angel to celebrate the diversity and accomplishments of people who have called New York state their home.
Although the main focus at rehearsals will be spent on the production- singing, dancing and acting- each day will also include historical tie-ins and exploring the cultural heritage of the children involved in the show.
Anansi, The Firefly and The Tiger
A blend of Dance and Folklore with Social Studies: Students explore folktale from Nigeria through movement, research and poetry exercises, providing opportunities to discuss character education issues, develop understandings of the "moral" of folktales, and forms an excellent introduction to Nigeria, one of the nations of Africa.
Photography Fun
An informal, online, free, all ages class for anyone looking for an excuse to use their cameras. See class site:
sites.google.com/site/photographyfunclass
Gift Writing: Creating Texts to Celebrate Those You Love
From love poems to treasured memories participants will create gift books to give to family and friends. Pieces will be reviewed by their peers and in individual conferences with the instructor. A special focus will be given to polishing texts and expanding works to meet their intended purpose through the process of revision. Participants will create a finished book decorated and polished, individualized and filled with meaningful texts to share. Just in time for the holiday season.
Finding Your Voice: A Clear Path to Writing What You Mean
Using a variety of in-class readings and ideation and organizational techniques, participants will pursue the completion of 2 polished works of 2 different genres of their choice. Pieces will be reviewed by their peers and in individual conferences with the instructor. A special focus will be given to polishing texts and expanding works to meet their intended purpose through the process of revision. An anthology of the student works will be compiled at the end of class.
World Building
In a workshop setting, participants will create original fantasy stories with special attention to the development of well-developed characters, and a clear plot structure. Special attention and focus will be given to the world building necessary to create a fantasy world in literature through the exploration of fantasy literature, resource information and mythology. In addition to in class free writing and supportive discussion, students will explore different genres of poetry through exercises to create the folklore and mythology of their new fantasy world and its characters in addition to creating their original story.
Family Songwriting
This is for all ages. A workshop where families will share their history and traditions through songwriting together. No experience necessary! A recording of all songs is available after the program to take home. See the Times Union article on this workshop.
Modern Dance
This class is an introduction to modern technique and will include classical warm ups and exercises and an opportunity to learn and execute original movement combinations. Elements of shape, balance and natural kinetic energy will be explored.
Pirates!
Through the authentic sea shanties of pirates and sailors, learn about life at sea. In addition to singing great tunes of the ocean (and landlubbers too), learn how to speak like a pirate...arrrrrggh!
Storytelling: the Art of Story through Writing, Music, Art, Theater and Spoken word: How many different ways can you tell a story? Art? Music? Theater? Writing? How do stories change through retelling? What do stories have in common? Through playing improv storytelling games, interpreting existing stories, retelling tales in our own ways, and creating completely original works, we will explore the world of story. This has been taught in a one-day workshop, a series of workshops, and a semester-long class.
Joy of Music for Preschool
Through active singing, dancing and games, even the littlest will learn about the elements of music: rhythm, harmony and melody.
Creative Writing: Historical Fiction
Create your own original historical fiction story and share in the experience of a circle of fellow writers. Participants will explore a particular historical moment or time period i.e.: The Battle of Gettysburg, Ancient Greece, The Boston Tea Party or the Italian Renaissance or another chosen by the writer. Particular emphasis will be placed on the writer’s purpose for creating the story and the development of meaningful and captivating characters. In addition to writing exercises, homework will include research questions to expand their knowledge of the historical information relevant to their characters’ struggles which will be used to balance the accuracy of the history with the reality and flow of the story. Final stories will be included in a class anthology.
Geeks, Music and Lyrics
It’s a song & lyrics writing workshop with a geeky, nerdy, dorky twist! Summon your inner mage, Hobbit, warlord, superhero, dungeon master, or whatever gets your geek on, and write some tunes! (May be combine with a concert of geeky music by Rebecca Angel)
Perfume Oils
Awaken your nose in this fun workshop! Learn about the history of perfumes while mixing your own unique blend using all natural essential oils. Name your new scented creation, decorate a tagcard, and take it home in a beautiful bottle.
Electronic Music: Through 'GarageBand' music editing software, students will learn how to make music through computers using keyboard typing (or keyboards if available), pre-recorded loops, vocal and sound recordings, and the art of editing. Alongside using software will be listening walks, active listening games, and exposure to odd and beautiful electronic musical pieces to stretch our ears and awaken the imagination to the world of electronic music.
The Complete History of Western Classical Music (Abridged) is a choir and music history course in one fun class. In addition to singing a medley that takes the listener through 500 years of beautiful music, the students will be writing their own historical lyrics to famous classical themes. For a look at a previous class: http://sites.google.com/site/classicalappreciationchoir
Wordance: Literary Movement
Explore movement and poetry and their interconnected beauty. How can our words connect to our bodies and come to life. Participants will imagine, move, dance, write, choreograph and create original works of art utilizing body and mind, music and dance, spoken and written word. Elements of creative writing from purpose for writing, ideation, drafting, rhythm and sound will be paired with basic dance composition concepts such as line, space, time, levels and quality of movement providing an energized and fun environment for expression. How can the movement fuel our creative minds and what do our imaginations do to our moving bodies?
Theater in a Day: This workshop will cover all aspects of putting on a play. With group and individual activities we will write an original script, create characters for every student, assemble props and costumes, rehearse, perform for parents and have a cast party at the end. No experience necessary, but a willingness to create and work with a group. This particular workshop can focus on one of three areas: Musical Theater (adding singing and dancing), Art in Theater (adding producion of scenery and costuming) and Dramatic Theater (more specific work on the writing and acting.)
Science Concepts
Group-based labs and games teach a variety of skills and ideas from the world of science to teach what all scientists need to know: the metric system, the scienctific method and experimentation, observation, classification, and sharing and critiquing ideas in a community.
Creative Movement for preschoolers
Children will explore space time and energy as they pair imaginative play and movement concepts and musicality to create original movement and express themselves. An alternative version of the class uses play and movement to explore concepts in language and creative literature.
Dragon Stories: Writing Fantasy
Dragons, fairies, elves, dwarves, wizards, adventure and magic. In this course participants will explore these creatures and their fantastical words as they create their own original fantasy stories. Aspects of character, setting, plot and resolution will be explored and discussed as applied to participant’s stories. We will each work on an original fantasy story to be shared with others in writers’ circle format.
Open Mic
All are welcome to share their music, dand spoken words in a fun and supportive environment.
Creative Story Play
This workshop is for anyone who enjoys making art, performing and sharing stories. Utilizing dramatic play and storytelling techniques students will create original characters, settings and intriguing situations, all pulled from their amazing imaginations! They will collaborate and share their unique artistic presentations of the students’ stories.
Radio Drama Class
During this program students will learn about radio drama and sound effects, write a short 3 -7 page radio script using proper radio script format, critiques each other's work using the "How to Critique Effectively" process, edit, direct their own play, be a voice actor in other's plays, create sound effects, and be part of the computer editing process. The finished radio plays will be broadcast continually on the Out of the Box Podcast at www.gcast.com/u/fw5blue/main.xml
See a previous class' website at sites.google.com/site/radioplaysclass/Home
Choreography
Dancers and non-dancers will explore the elements of movement space, time, energy and intent. Utilizing elements of dance and pedestrian movement participants will create original works for in class performance exploring ways to convey meaning using the body as a creative framework.
Movie Editing
Learn how to take raw footage and turn it into a real movie. Using imovie software on computers, students will learn about what editing is all about through different movie assignments. They choose camera angles, add subtitles, and have fun with sound, music, and special effects. Everyone takes home all the movies on a DVD at the end.
Musical Performance
Rebecca Angel has performed in many settings both casual and educational for all ages. Performances for children include sing-a-longs, pirate songs, silly songs, etc. For other performances or to hear her original music please check out www.rebeccaangel.com
Poetry Circle Workshop
In this workshop, participants will create their own poems as we share and explore classic and favorite poets from Frost to Poe. Participants will share and discuss their poetry in a supportive setting. Particular attention will be paid to meaning and purpose for writing as a driving force for word choice and rhythmic composition. Each week, we will read and discuss a work of a published poet from a particular genre. Participants will share poems they have written of any genre at each meeting.
Dance for Actors
This class is includes elements of jazz, tap, and ballroom technique. An emphasis will be placed on performance elements of movement like stage presence, placement, movement with intent and body language as expression. No previous movement experience is required.
Songwriting for Everybody
Explore the different ways to approach this creative outlet. How can lyrics help bring music to a new place, enhance the emotions, or simply add texture? We'll write songs as a group and individually, learning how song structure works. No musical experience necessary besides the love of music and the written word.
Creative Writing for children 9-12
Student-writers will dive into the themes that move them and open up to new ideas, shaping and sharing stories throughout the week. With a variety of fun exercises we’ll explore characterization, setting, imagery, plot and more as we create one BIG story. This story will then be workshopped in peer groups, revised and edited. The week includes a book fair, time outdoors, and, at the end, a celebratory reading open to friends and family.
Creative Writing High school 13-17
High school students will be engaging in a week long five day workshop exploring the six traits of writing: ideas, organization, voice, sentence fluency, word choice and conventions as well as the additional trait of presentation. Elements of story, characterization, and the creation of visual images through language will be highlighted. These essential topics will be addressed organically through a variety of short in class writings and the completion of a longer work which will undergo revisions and multiple instructor and peer review sessions throughout the week.
During the initial ideation phase students will be encouraged to free their writing voice and explore through the world of words those themes, topics or genres that are most important to them. Utilizing meaningful themes and a personally motivating project are proven methods for both engaging young writers and creating meaningful and dynamic narratives. Students are invited to bring in writing projects they have been working on prior to the workshop as well.
History Through the Creative Arts Camps The days are filled with a variety of educational and fun activities, exploring a time period and location in history.
--- Joseph Haydn: His Music, His Life and His World: Exploring the 18th century world of Austria and England where Haydn lived and composed his beautiful, grand and groundbreaking music in the classical world. Brief lectures filled with music and art about Haydn's life and times, period food, authentic crafts, traditional circle dances, and old time children's games.
---Wild West: Music of the People and Cultures of 19th century Western United States: The west was not an empty prairie waiting to be filled, but with the railroads and Manifest Destiny, it soon became populated with a variety of cultures. Along with food (full cowboy breakfast, clothing, games and crafts from the time period, we will study the music of various Native American peoples, the dances of prairie homesteaders, heart-breaking songs of the Chinese railroad workers, cowboy tunes, and the modern musical romanticisation of the "wild west." -
--Music of Shakespeare: Exploring the musical world of the European Renaissance through song and dance in William Shakespeare's plays: Although nowadays Shakespeare's plays are produced without much song and dance, back in the Renaissance (late 16th century, early 17th) they were full blown musicals- sometimes without any relation to the play on stage! We will sing the songs (before the tonal system) and dance the dances audiences would have seen and participated in during that time period. Along with juggling, sewing jester hats, learning the best of Shakespear's insults, and eating authentic Renn food while learning about about Renaissance times in England.
---‘Pirates, Sailors and Buccaneers: Songs of Life at Sea’: where the life aboard ships during the Golden Age of Piracy (17th and 18th centuries) will
come alive through music, dancing, crafts, food, language and games. Brief lectures about the music and musicians of the time period will be taught alongside making sailor’s knots, scavenger hunts, speaking in nautical terms, making your own pirate flag and treasure map, singing sea chanteys and recorder tunes, eating hard tack and dancing the Sailor’s Hornpipe!
---American Original: How early twentieth century American music burst into the scene and influenced the world of music forever. Charles Ives, Duke Ellington, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and other composers took influences from all the various cultures that took root in America’s soil and grew into the musical artforms that still are heard in modern music everywhere. In this Creative History Camp, we will focus on music, but also explore the time period from the turn of the century up to 1929 through food, clothing, science, technology, games, dance, film and art. We’ll sew clothes from the roaring 20s, eat food from the industrial revolution (?!), learn how radio works, sing songs from Tin Pan Alley, dance to early jazz, make a silent film and more- all while learning the political and social changes during an amazing period of American History. Class website:sites.google.com/site/2009americanoriginal/
----From Chopin to Steampunk: The music and culture of Victorian England and how it still influences our world today. Intense, story-driven music of Romantic Era composers can still be heard in the music of today. Modern horror writers owe their allegiance to Shelley and Poe. The fashion of Victorian times can be seen beyond sub-cultures of Goth and Steampunk. Take a train ride through the 19th century where we will have high and low-tea, create period clothing, learn to waltz, read poetry, examine beautiful music, learn etiquette, and follow the arts in America and Europe to learn about the dichotomy between the Industrial Revolution and Romantics, the brain vs. the heart, that is still being performed in modern culture. sites.google.com/site/chopintosteampunk
----Greek Week: Exploring the foundation of Western Arts and Thought with Ancient Greece. The Greek Empire is called the Cornerstone of Western Civilization, and for good reason. Our modern political systems, science, math, medicine, theater, art and philosophy (to name a few) have strong roots in the creative minds of the ancient Greek people. Their story is not utopian fantasy however. Our week will be filled with music, words, art, dancing, food and crafts that explore this amazing culture that can still be seen in our modern American life. sites.google.com/site/greekweekcamp2011/
Role Playing Games and Group Storytelling: This can be part of an Intensive Writing or History course. Imagine being the main character of a book or movie, going through amazing adventures and being both in control of your actions, but unable to know what will happen next. In table-top role-playing games, you're not just living vicariously through the book or movie character, you are that character. Basic math, logic and problem solving skills, both individual and working in a group, are used. Unlike computer based role-playing games, this is a chance to hang out with people, laugh and talk "in character" and have a lot of fun.
To see an ongoing group's journals: sites.google.com/site/warblingswallowadventure
Inspiration to Production Theater: What does it take to go from an idea of a play to the final curtain call? In this class we will first explore how to get inspiration and be creative, write original plays, critique each other effectively, be cast as actors and stage hands in other people's plays, direct our own plays, and put on a wonderfully original production. This workshop requires a full semester.
Choir: Since 2003, Rebecca has directed a children's choir in the Capital Region. Spring, Peace, The Beatles, Broadway, Fundiculous, Historic '09, New York Mosiac, Many Lands, Songs my Parents Loved, and more themes have been sung by children of all ages. With games to teach cooperation, in addition to learning musical skills, each class is fun, educational and provides students with an achievable goal of making beautiful music.
This choir has been a part of HENAA: Home Education Network of the Albany Area. For more information see the group's site: groups.yahoo.com/group/HENAA
Anansi's Fishing Expedition: An Arts in Education Residency blending Dance and Folklore with Social Studies: Students explore folktale from Ghana through movement and poetry exercises, providing opportunities to discuss character education issues, develop understandings of the "moral" of folktales, and forms an excellent introduction to Ghana, one of the nations of Africa. A culminating "performance" for parents or fellow students can be coordinated if desired. Residencies of 3 - 7 dfays can be scheduled for full (up to 5 classes) or half (up to 3 classes) days.
Classical Music History Appreciation: Travel through Western Classical music starting from the Gregorian chants of the Middle Ages to the strange and ground-breaking work of 20th century composers. With games, books, writing, art, and of course lots of beautiful music we'll discover the beauty and lasting importance of this art form.
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