Spring into the Arts

UPCOMING ARTS PROGRAMMING AT RAMAZ

FUGUE NIGHT: April 1st
Fugue Night is the culmination of a quarter-long project within the 11th grade Music Curriculum.  Students are asked to compose their own spoken or melodic fugues—a polyphonic composition first popularized in the Baroque era—choosing a text (or writing one of their own) and then creating the rhythmic patterns that portray its meaning or character. Students then perform their original works at Fugue Night.

24-HOUR MUSICAL: April 3rd - April 4th
For the second year in a row, we are looking forward to our seniors challenging themselves to cast, choreograph, and put together a musical in less than 24 hours. On the morning of April 3 they will find out what the musical is, and on the morning of April 4 they will perform for the rest of the student body and faculty. The entire grade is encouraged to participate. This is an opportunity for all students, even those who have never been in a musical or play before, to show off their creativity and talent. It will test their abilities to collaborate on a new project with their peers, which is a skill we hope they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. 

MOADON: May 1st
Moadon (aka Moadon Ha Atzmaut), an annual celebration of Israeli culture held at the Upper School during Yom Ha-Atzma'ut (Independence Day), is the climax of a special day of Israeli programming involving performances by US students to the entire student body. Students perform pieces by Israeli artists including songs, poetry, dance, and more. The auditorium is decorated in festive lighting, and the entire student body enjoys a warm, exuberant and inspired hour of Israeli arts and humanities—by students for students, all in Hebrew.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY CHOIR CONCERT: May 29th
This annual year-end concert features our US and Chamber choirs performing selections from the past year.  We honor graduating seniors and choir presidents, and focus on songs that feature them.  Held every year for the past 18 years, it draws students, parents, faculty and choir alumni celebrating the range of music our choirs learn each school year.

CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS: June 5th
This year’s Celebration of the Arts is scheduled for June 5. The ultimate venue for self-expression, Celebration of the Arts showcases the talents of many US students throughout visual, literary, and performing arts. Mentored by a team of faculty advisors and supported by a senior student committee, our talented students express themselves in a celebration of creativity and artistic achievement. The walls of the auditorium are lined with student paintings, drawings, and photographs that clearly illustrate that students have taken risks that led to self-discovery. From black-and-white self-portraits to colorful abstract paintings, students demonstrate the varied perspectives they bring to the world around them. Onstage, students perform original musical compositions, play instruments, read aloud original poems and short stories, and interpret dramatic monologues. Whether by rocking out to Queen with a full band or delivering a heart-wrenchingly vulnerable poem, our students showcase not only their artistic talents, but also their bravery as they use the safe environment of Ramaz to take personal and artistic risks. They are met with overwhelming support from their friends, teachers, and families in the audience, making sure the artists know how proud we are of their amazing work.

RAMAZ PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB
The Ramaz Photography Club has been an excellent avenue for students to build visual skills and confidence while finding new ways to document the world around them. Everyone is attracted to different elements of this beautiful life and so in the Celebration of the Arts exhibit, they are showing everything from A to Z (literally, Architecture to Zebras). Students in the club have a meeting every Wednesday where they either go out and photograph together in the neighborhood with their faculty advisor or create a still life set up to practice lighting and composition. This year, nine club members won 31 Scholastic Art Awards, including six Gold Keys, 12 Silver Keys and 13 Honorable Mentions!

15-MINUTE HAMLET
The “Shakespeare and Comedy” class is looking forward to its performance of the “15-Minute Hamlet” show! During homeroom, these bold students will gather in the sixth-floor lounge complete with costumes, props, sound effects, and a memorized script. They will perform Tom Stoppard’s hilarious Shakespeare mini-parody for anyone who wishes to stop by and watch. A fan-favorite every year, the hall is full of excited spectators cheering on their friends and laughing along with the lively show. It is an amazing way to get students excited about Shakespeare, help them connect to techniques of stage comedy, and make them even more comfortable with public speaking (and poking fun at themselves!).

GHETTO FILM SCHOOL PROGRAM
A senior elective course is offered in collaboration with Ghetto Film School, an award-winning nonprofit founded in 2000 to educate, develop and celebrate the next generation of great storytellers. During the spring semester, participating students are leading production on two original projects, a fiction film and a non-fiction film. Final films will be shared with the community. 

CULTURAL OUTINGS 
In recent weeks, new US librarian Dr. Daniel Stein Kokin has organized cultural outings to the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera (Puccini’s Tosca), and Brooklyn Academy of Music (Batsheva Dance Company) among other venues. Particularly popular was the Feb. 6 Broadway trip to see the hit musical The Great Gatsby. We lucked out and had our tickets bumped up–some students were seated in the third row! Not only was it exciting to see such an incredible production, but having recently read the eponymous—and now century-old—novel, juniors were especially excited to see how the story was adapted into stage musical form. While everyone enjoyed the show, they also engaged in lively discussion of its alternations of the original. It was a perfect way for students to apply their studies to a real-life cultural experience and a wonderful reminder of how truly lucky we are at Ramaz to have first-rate theater just a short ride away. Next up, thanks to a student request, is Verdi’s Aida on March 26. Additional spring trips will be announced in due course. 

You can always see more examples of our creative arts program in Zmail and on social media. We thank our amazing Creative Arts Team for coordinating all of these programs which allow our students’ creative selves to shine.

PAST EVENTS

THE MOTH: March 26th
The Moth is an oral storytelling project begun in 1997 in which storytellers craft a personal story on a chosen theme and share it with others. The stories are not memorized or read from a script, though the tellers know their tales well. Usually, the stories highlight some kind of internal shift—something learned, something lost, or something gained. In other words, there are stakes—some guidelines and some rules. For example, last year, the Senior Moth focused on the theme of Exits and Entrances—a fitting topic for students exiting high school and entering their college or gap-year experiences. The Moth highlights the power of storytelling and allows students to share personal stories with their peers, celebrating significant moments of their journeys and relishing in the joy of being together.

RAMAZ CHOIR TRIP: March 20th - March 23rd
This year, the Ramaz Upper School and Chamber Choirs travel up the 1-95 corridor with performances in Westchester, Stamford Ct., and Boston. They will perform for schools, synagogues, and senior centers, and participate in choral workshops at Brandeis and Harvard Universities. They will have a master class with Josh Jacobson, founder of Zamir Chorale Boston, and spend Shabbat in Newton, Mass., bringing music to their community.

UPPER SCHOOL SPRING PLAY: March 18th
For their spring play, Upper School performers are putting on Brighton Beach Memoirs, Neil Simon's coming-of-age story about a Jewish family in NYC during the 1930s. They will perform it for their peers on March 18 and 19 during the school day, and on March 18 at 7:00 PM for friends and family. It will take place at the Upper School with free admission. All are encouraged to attend!