Monday marked the start of week two for session 3. The first week finished up nicely. Friday afternoon we held a talent show. For those who did not see it, it was a great show. The kids were eager to participate and show off some of their talents, regardless of whether they had something polished, or really memorized. This is a safe environment where the children can be silly and have fun with art and unconditionally volunteer to participate in a talent show. The families who did come to see it enjoyed it immensely, with smiles and proud expressions on their faces as they watched their children and all the kids perform various acts. Many of the kids in the talent show chose to play instruments and sing. Afterwards, there was a nice meet and greet as everyone got to socialize and enjoy some food and drink. This talent show was the first time we’ve allowed the parents to come and watch too, instead of just for the campers. 

Today the kids were very energetic and ready to get back to camp. It was a beautiful day today, which helped to inspire the kids and allowed them release some of their energy outside. It was mostly the same work and schedule as always in the morning. In the afternoon, things got a bit more creative, as the kids started to tire out. They played games, worked on what they needed to in order to get ready for the shows on Thursday and Friday. 

The kids, always happy and smiling as they learn new skills in their classrooms. Even when they are simply walking in their lines from room to room, the children are always talking, saying hi to people passing by, chatting amongst themselves- they’re always cheerful and upbeat. It’s also a pleasure to see them in their respective classrooms and see how they light up and delve into their imaginations when working on a project. 

On Friday, July 25th

Multi-Arts theater performances by children!
Place: Wildwood Elementary School (71 Strong St, Amherst MA)
2:30 PM.
Free of charge

Ghosts, pirates and computers! Oh Snap!
This play is an adventurous tale about clumsy pirates who lose their hostages/soon-to-be accomplices in what would be, and ends up in, the finding of a cursed treasure. But, the island has a secret that illustrates the dangers of desire and satisfaction. Part comedy, part social commentary on today’s society, this play is a must-see! Written by Alejandra Rojas at age 14.

The Museum of Multi-Arts: The Great Heist is about a mad scientist who attempts to rob a museum… differently than anyone else ever has! As the scientist’s unique attempt at robbing the museum, she makes the statues and paintings come ALIVE, so they can literally walk out of the museum. With a full cast of silly characters, all based off of multi-arts camp teachers (and their dogs), this show is a blast with great slapstick comedy and many jokes. Written by Multi-Arts alum and theater teacher, Xinef D’Agnos.

Admission to both shows is FREE for everyone. For more information about the shows or Multi-Arts, please contact Catalina Arrubla at [email protected] or at (413) 584-7951. 

 A lot of work was accomplished, everybody had a great time- it was another fantastic day here at Multi-Arts!

Like always, there were numerous activities going on throughout the entire day. The children keep to a busy schedule, rotating from one classroom to the next. Each day, transitioning from theater, to art, to dance, to music and so on is a way for children to get a taste of what each art form is like. To be exposed to all of the art forms is incredibly enriching and even more so when the children are able to express themselves whole-heartedly in the arts and do so in a bias-free, judgment-free environment. 

Back to today- another thing that stands out about today is how quickly things are moving! It’s amazing how fast the children are learning new skills and picking up on new things in preparation for next week’s shows. Part of this is the wonderful enthusiasm, cooperation and positive spirit the students bring to the classroom. They are genuinely thrilled to be doing what they’re doing and thus a lot is getting done.

To highlight a few areas that kids are learning- the younger kids in music have been singing songs and learning ones such as “head, shoulders, knees and toes” and discovering harmonies. Other groups got to demonstrate their own musical talents on the piano, as well as doing some improvising. 

In fashion and arts and crafts, clothes and various crafts were starting to take shape nicely. The children are working towards creating and styling their own looks for the fashion show next week. Other kids have been so compelled to begin designing items for the dog fashion show that will take place at the Multi-Arts celebration festival on July 24th. The children are really enjoying this part and especially for some, learning how to sew and make clothes from fabric is a new and exciting skill. Same goes for music.

In the other classes, the kids continued to work on what they’ve been working on- reading through the plays, experimenting with new artwork, rehearsing dance routines, etc…

At one point during the day, one of the teachers asked a group of students, “did you have fun today?”, to which they yelled back, “Yeah!”. A win for Multi-Arts! It was a great day for everyone.  

The first day of session III went well today! It was a very smooth transition for all the children. They all jumped right into their groups, ready to begin the day’s activities. In theater, art, music and dance, the children were introduced to the songs and plays and things they will work on for the final showcase. Everyone got right to work. Upon learning about what the kids will be working on, they were getting excited about the prospect and for what’s in store. 

As the children were doing their various activities, they were already laughing, telling stories, making friends- it seems like they’ve already been at camp for days! Everyone is friendly and inviting with one another, happy, and talkative. Everyone is content and intrigued to start their art and dance and everything. The expression on the kids’ faces as they were watching the flamenco demonstration was great- they were captivated by it. In one group in art class, once the children saw what they would be making, they were so excited to get to try it, saying “I’m gonna make a…!” and so on. All the kids were chiming in about their ideas. 

The awesome thing about the art class and any of the other classes of this program is the freedom of expression and interpretation in the kids’ work. For example, in the art demo today, the kids would first draw feet, and then a head above it. But in between, was room for whatever they wanted to make up and put. This is so cool that with helpful guidance, kids can create whatever they want and what pleases them. This is so true of other aspects of the arts: theater, dance and music.

So all in all, it was a successful first day, as everyone is eager to get started collaborating and making art!

The final day of Workshop II was a success! The program finished with a bang! First of all, many thanks to the parents, guardians, families and supporters of all those who took part in the camp and performed today. Everyone did a fantastic job! Today was the last day to show what everyone had been working on for the past two weeks. The children were all so excited for today! And seeing the family member’s excitement and expressions as they arrived and got to see their children and grandchildren and so on perform onstage- they were so proud and so happy. Getting to see the reactions is priceless. This is what makes the Multi-Arts program so wonderful.  Having kids be so into what they do here and loving every minute of it- having fun, learning, creating, getting to know other kids, and being able to show that- is such an amazing feeling and rewarding for those who get to watch them grow in this short time and help them develop their creativity and interest in the arts. It has been such a blast this whole session, for everyone!

So, a last thank you to those reading this! And maybe hopefully some of you can return in the next years, or at least continue the artistic pursuits in the future!

And for those coming right back, can’t wait to see you next session!  

              The show today and everything was so successful and definitely a lot of fun to do and watch! The play performances Friday should be a blast to watch as well, so come back and enjoy the final show of Workshop II! Can’t believe it’s almost over! 

                  All day, everyone was busy preparing for the dance, fashion and music shows today and putting the finishing touches on last minute details. While everyone was getting ready, Room 1 was quickly being transformed into both a stage and a fashion runway- including lights for the catwalk.

                  There was a packed house for the first entertainment of the afternoon- Group 1’s musical performance of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. All the kids had smiles on their faces and seemed excited to have an audience to perform to. The children smiled, laughed and waved out to family members and friends. The audience was very much enjoying the show, as they too had smiles on their faces watching their children. After group 1 finished, they bowed and walked off with their little outfits on.

                  Up next was group 2, singing Happy by Pharrell Williams. The audience was happy (excuse the pun) themselves, as they watched the performance. The kids were in the groove, dancing and moving about with their choreography mastered. They did a great job and everybody loved it!

                  After group 2 was group 3’s rendition of Roar by Katy Perry, a capella style. For those who didn’t previously hear it, their performance was just as good, if not, better than before! They had lots of energy and the audience quite liked it.

                  Next up was the dancing portion of the show. Group 2 got things rolling with their mime and funk dance routines. This was so great and a joy to watch! The miming the children did was very creative and hilarious- from the silly scenarios like performing the daily morning routine, to dealing with frogs. The kids were laughing and smiling throughout their routine- clearly having fun. Group 1’s mime show was just as fun and the kids had smiles on their faces the entire time.

                  Then the dancing turned to Flamenco style and both groups 1 and group 2 gave great performances of their flamenco dance they learned. In group 3, they paired up and danced like that. The music was great and the audience enjoyed getting to see the flamenco dances.

                  Then it was time for intermission, which was very nice- as there was food and drinks, artwork on display, as well as items for the auction. After the intermission, the audience members came back to a changed room! The room had been reorganized to resemble a fashion runway, aligned with special colored lights. It looked like a professional catwalk. The audience eagerly awaited the models to come out and reveal their fashions they’d been working on. Once the music started playing, the first model walked out. As they walked out in front of the audience, which was positioned in an L formation, the audience clapped and when the models hit front and center, they gave a little spin or whatever move they wanted. The kids were sporting their very own designed sandals and clothes. It was great. After the last model walked out, everyone came back out and finished up with a bit of dancing. And then the show was over!

                 

Creativity, laughter and enjoyment were flowing from the classrooms yet again today as the children continued to learn aspects of the arts. Everyone is gearing up for the plays. They continued rehearsing today.
 In art, they are making props and other artwork to be used for their characters in the play. In fashion and costume design, they are designing their own costumes. As well as making cute sandals out of colored duck tape.

In other areas, the kids really liked working with all sorts of glow in the dark objects and building their own city and seeing how it looked in the blacklight.

In the writing and storytelling portions, the kids helped out more with the story of Brin Bixby.

In dance, some kids got to learn and make up their own dance moves to a song from the movie Hercules.

In total, the kids are continuing to work on their projects they’ve started and in the meantime are letting their creative juices flow- making art, writing stories, drawing, coloring, acting and of course, playing outside. It was another great day!