THE DEPARTMENTS
The Summer Arts Conservatory utilizes a rotational class schedule very similar to the daily schedule utilized at LACHSA! In the mornings, all campers attend five classes from each of the departments listed below. In the afternoons, students settle into their chosen department for three afternoon intensives. This structure gives young artists room to try something new, explore different disciplines, and dedicate meaningful time to the art form they love!
CINEMATIC ARTS
In Cinematic Arts, an idea can become a commercial, a music video, or a short film. Young filmmakers experience that process firsthand as they learn how writing, directing, cinematography, sound, and editing work together to tell a story. Much of the work is collaborative, with students creating original projects together from concept through final edit!
MORNING CLASS
- for all students!
AFTERNOON INTENSIVES
- for Cinematic Arts students only
STORYTELLING Every film begins with an idea, and this class explores how that idea develops into a story for the screen. Students work with screenwriting, scripts, storyboards, shot framing, and visual composition while creating original ideas of their own. They begin to see how choices made during the planning process eventually translate to what an audience sees on screen.
COMMERCIAL During the first week, students take an original commercial from concept to completion. They develop and storyboard an idea, plan the shoot, capture their footage, and work toward a final edit. The process introduces both the creative and technical decisions involved in a production, as well as the collaboration required to bring it together.
MUSIC VIDEO Using a song as their starting point, students develop a concept for an original music video. Working together, they decide what they want the video to communicate and move through the process of planning, filming, and editing. The project encourages them to think about the relationship between music, imagery, and storytelling.
SHORT FILM For their final project, students bring together the filmmaking skills they have been developing throughout the session. Small teams plan, write, shoot, and edit an original short film, taking the project through each stage of production. It is an opportunity to put their new skills into practice while creating a finished piece together.
DANCE
Technique is only one part of becoming a dancer. At the Summer Arts Conservatory, dance students work on strength, coordination, musicality, and movement while experiencing several different styles! Along the way, they have space to express themselves, take on new challenges, and enjoy dancing alongside other young artists!
MORNING CLASS
- for all students!
AFTERNOON INTENSIVES
- for Dance students only
BIOMECHANICS Before focusing on a particular style of dance, students spend time understanding the instrument they are working with: their own bodies. Movement exercises develop coordination, spatial awareness, strength, and control while introducing students to healthy ways of approaching movement. These fundamentals create a foundation they can carry into other forms of dance.
BALLET Classical ballet introduces students to its technique, terminology, and approach to movement. Classes focus on coordination, flexibility, control, and musicality while building a strong technical foundation. Students also explore the artistry and expression that are an important part of ballet training.
JAZZ Jazz brings together technique, choreography, rhythm, and performance. In this course, they develop their skills while also learning about the history and cultural context of the form. As they become more comfortable with the movement, they are encouraged to bring their own energy and personality to their dancing.
CONTEMPORARY Contemporary allows dancers to explore movement in new ways. Through technique, choreography, and experimentation with space and design, students consider how movement can communicate an idea, emotion, or point of view. The class balances technical development with room for individual expression.
MUSIC VOCAL
Learning to use your own voice is different from learning how to use it in agroup, and students have the opportunity to do both. Music Vocal combines singing, musicianship, and performance while introducing students to different musical styles. The goal is not for every voice to sound the same, but for each student to become more comfortable and confident using their own!
MORNING CLASS
- for all students!
AFTERNOON INTENSIVES
- for Music Vocal students only
INTRO TO SINGING For some students, this may be their first experience with vocal training. For others, it is an opportunity to strengthen skills they already have. Through breath support, pitch, tone, and resonance, students learn healthy approaches to vocal production while singing both independently and as part of a group.
CLASSICAL Working with classical repertoire introduces students to choral singing and the experience of creating a unified sound as an ensemble. They practice listening, blending, harmony, tonality, and other elements of musicianship as they learn to work together vocally. The class also gives students experience with a musical style they may not have encountered before.
MUSIC THEORY Understanding how music is written gives students another way to understand what they sing and perform. This class introduces staff notation, rhythm, time signatures, key signatures, chords, intervals, scales, and the circle of fifths. Students build a foundation in the concepts and vocabulary musicians use to read and discuss music.
JAZZ In Jazz, students experience gospel, blues, improvisation, and other traditions that approach vocal performance differently from their classical work. They sing as an ensemble while also having opportunities for individual and solo work. The class encourages students to listen, respond, and become more comfortable making musical choices of their own.
THEATRE
Theatre asks students to imagine, listen, react, collaborate, and sometimes try something that feels completely new. From the spontaneity of improv to scene work, stage combat, and audition technique, students experience different sides of acting. Each class gives them another opportunity to make creative choices, work with other actors, and trust their instincts!
MORNING CLASS
- for all students!
AFTERNOON INTENSIVES
- for Theatre students only
IMPROV Without a script, actors have to listen closely and respond to what is happening in the moment. Games and exercises encourage students to make choices, build on the ideas of the people around them, and become more comfortable thinking on their feet. The work is playful, but it also develops imagination, collaboration, and trust.
SCENE STUDY In Scene Study, the focus shifts to the text and the relationships within it. Students look closely at character, circumstances, objectives, and script analysis before putting those discoveries into practice with a scene partner. They explore how vocal and physical choices can change the way a character and a scene come to life.
STAGE COMBAT Creating a convincing stage fight requires control, communication, and trust between performers. Students learn how actors safely create the illusion of combat through proper distance, targeting, technique, and responsible partner work. The emphasis remains on telling the story of the fight while keeping everyone involved safe.
AUDITION Auditioning requires a different set of skills than rehearsing and performing a role. Students work with monologues, cold reading, résumé preparation, and other parts of the audition process while gaining experience in what an audition room may ask of them. The goal is to make the process more familiar and give students practical tools they can use in future auditions.
VISUAL ARTS
Visual Arts gives students the chance to explore how an idea develops through different materials and techniques. Drawing, painting, art history, and mixed media each offer a different way to experiment, strengthen foundational skills, and make creative choices. As they work, students begin developing an artistic point of view that feels like their own!
MORNING CLASS
- for all students!
AFTERNOON INTENSIVES
- for Visual Arts students only
DRAWING In this course, we explore line, shape, value, contrast, composition, space, pattern, and rhythm as the building blocks of drawing. Exercises help strengthen these fundamentals while giving young artists opportunities to make choices about their own work. As their skills develop, they can become more intentional about how they want an image to look and feel.
PAINTING & ART THEORY Students learn painting techniques while also looking at the artists, movements, and ideas that have shaped visual art over time. They work with color, composition, tools, and different approaches to applying paint, then connect what they are learning to a broader artistic context. It’s a combination of making art and understanding the ideas and traditions behind it.
ANATOMY DRAWING Drawing the human figure requires learning to see structure, proportion, and detail in a completely different way. Students study the skeletal and muscular systems, body proportions, facial structure, and the individual forms of the head, hands, feet, and torso. Through detailed observation and drawing exercises, they develop a stronger understanding of how the human body is constructed and how to represent it accurately on the page.
MIXED MEDIA Mixed Media encourages students to work across materials rather than staying within a single medium. They experiment with layers, paint, color, blending techniques, and different materials to create original pieces. The process leaves room for unexpected combinations, experimentation, and discovering approaches they may want to continue exploring.