Inviting Los Angeles-Area Youth (Rising Grades 6th-12th) to Experience:
Midsummer Arts and Sciences at Qualia:
A Workshop for Dreamers and Creators
Qualia: The School for Deeper Learning, a middle and high school dedicated to deep intellectual pursuit, out-of-the-box thinking, philosophical inquiry, and passionate engagement, continues its successful Summer Arts Program in 2023, adding robust and unique STEM classes along with a diverse selection of performing, visual, and literary arts workshops. This July and August, we invite local youth to find and embrace their identities as scientific and artistic trailblazers!
All sessions meet in person, on campus.
The cost for each 2-week course is $750 per student
Session 1: July 17 - July 28
Morning Session (9AM to 12PM)
Introduction to Music Theory
Instructor: JC Wright
Why does music sound good? What is the difference between harmony and dissonance? How can one use mathematics to aid the music writing process? In this class we begin to tackle these questions by studying the answers historically given by classical and jazz music theorists. We will consider the “rules” of chord structure, key centers, and arranging before learning how to break those rules in service of more experimental music.
Week 1: Fundamentals of Rhythm, Harmony, and Sheet Music Reading
Week 2: Contemporary Music Theories and Music Analysis
An Introduction to Physics: For Dogs!
Instructor: Brian Clark
For many people, physics can be a difficult topic with which to engage. By using dogs as examples for simple physics mechanics, this course aims to keep students enticed with the topics and give them the opportunity to learn physics in a fun, non-stressful environment. Dogs, being such lively and fun creatures, provide a lot of examples for kinematics and Newton’s Laws in which students can solve for velocities/speeds, accelerations, trajectories, force, friction, etc. using algebra and trigonometry. This is a great course for a student who enjoys math and/or wants to expand their skills in mathematical comprehension.
Acting: The Power of Play 1 –Character-Building, Script Analysis, and Scene Study in Modern & Contemporary texts
Instructor: Anne Butler-Swiech
What makes a performance joyful and moving for actors and audiences alike? Over the course of this individually-tailored summer acting workshop, passionate theatrical novices and seasoned young performers alike will generate and experience their own answers to this question. Renowned acting teacher Sanford Meisner described effective acting as “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Through vocal and physical work, comedic and dramatic improvisation, character and text work, and participation in a culminating scene study project, students will develop a personal actor’s “toolkit” that will enable them to perform modern and contemporary texts in a truthful, playful, focused, and passionate manner.
Session 1 Afternoon Session (1PM to 4PM)
Introduction to Musicianship, Performance, and Recording
Instructor: JC Wright
This class is designed to improve the musicianship of beginner and intermediate instrumentalists. Students can expect to learn the fundamentals of listening, reading, performing, and recording music. Band members will collaborate on designing a setlist, and the class will culminate with a live performance and/or the release of a short recorded album.
Week 1: Introduction to Ear Training, Music Appreciation, Sheet Music Reading, and the Fundamentals of Rhythm and Harmony
Week 2: Introduction to Songwriting, Improvisation, Recording, and Performance Rehearsal
The Mind Blowing World of Quantum Mechanics
Instructor: Robert Johnson
You may have heard that the quantum world is weird beyond belief, but did you know that Quantum Mechanics is also hands-down the most successful theory in all of scientific
history? Quantum Mechanics is actually a better descriptor of reality than Newton’s physics! Turns out, reality is far more mysterious than even Einstein could accept. So what is this theory that speaks to the very heart of matter and energy itself? And why does it have a bone to pick with gravity? Multiple realities, time travel and faster than light interactions…Get ready to challenge everything you think you know about your world.
Session 2: July 31 - August 11
Morning Session (9AM to 12PM)
Storytelling Through Role-Playing Games
Instructor: JC Wright
What is the structure of a story? What is the structure of a game? How can we use games to tell stories? In this class we will play, study, and design tabletop roleplaying games (like Dungeons & Dragons) to build characters and tell captivating stories. We will focus our study on indie role playing games and games that replicate popular movies, tv shows, novels, and other forms of narrative entertainment. By the end of the class, students will design their own tabletop game that captures the essence of a fandom or narrative they are passionate about.
Week 1: Survey of role playing games with an emphasis on character creation methods.
Week 2: Introduction to game theory, theories of narrative structure, game design, and playtesting sessions.
Electronic Music Composition
Instructor: Robert Johnson
Did you know there is a whole band and an orchestra inside your laptop? You just have to know how to program in a Digital Audio Workstation. In this class, we will learn not just how to program music on the computer, but also how to utilize basic compositional elements like chord progressions and arranging. Whether your aim is to create video game music, a pop hit, or a classical symphony, you can unlock the power to do so — and you don’t have to know how to play any instruments! Everyone will compose a small portfolio of songs. Through these songs, students will have a record of how they created their music for future reference — and maybe the next hit on Spotify!
Each student will need to supply the following: A laptop computer and either Garageband (free) or Ableton Live 11 (with a trial)
Session 2 Afternoon Session (1PM to 4PM)
Introduction to Musicianship, Performance, and Recording
Instructor: JC Wright
This class is designed to improve the musicianship of beginner and intermediate instrumentalists. Students can expect to learn the fundamentals of listening, reading, performing, and recording music. Band members will collaborate on designing a setlist, and the class will culminate with a live performance and/or the release of a short recorded album.
Week 1: Introduction to Ear Training, Music Appreciation, Sheet Music Reading, and the Fundamentals of Rhythm and Harmony
Week 2: Introduction to Songwriting, Improvisation, Recording, and Performance Rehearsal
Ceramics: Hand Building
Instructor: Ethan Dunleavy
Ceramics hand building will be an exploration of structural stability, clay consistency, and sculptural techniques through project based learning. Students will choose from a list of hand building projects (or propose their own ideas!) and will be guided through the process, learning and improving on concepts that can be applied to any future ceramics creation they may set their minds to.
REGISTER NOW!
Please fill out the information below and we will be in touch with enrollment forms and/or more information.
Instructor Biographies
Anne Butler-Swiech (Acting, Theater Performance, Poetry)
A passionate educator, performer, and poet, Anne Butler-Swiech (MFA, Acting- UCLA, BA, Theater- Duke) is a longtime member of the Qualia faculty and currently serves as Director of Grades 6-12 as well as Midsummer Arts and Sciences program coordinator. Her regional theater credits span the classical, contemporary, musical, and children’s theater genres, and she has previously taught acting at UCLA and AMDA, as well as coordinated arts education programs for L.A. theater companies. Her poetry has been published by journals such as Spillway Magazine, WomenArts Quarterly, Illuminations, and 491 Magazine. Anne is thrilled to help teens acquire the dramatic and poetic tools they need to communicate their individuality, and our shared humanity, in a transformative way!
Robert Johnson (Quantum Mechanics, Graphic Novel Writing, Electronic Music Composition)
Embracing the values of connection, creativity and curiosity, Robert is a veteran educator with decades of tutoring and teaching experience spanning subjects as diverse as chemistry, music theory and English composition. Robert has also authored educational materials, designed curricula used by LAUSD and trained dozens of teachers. A lifelong active learner, Robert is also a painter, a professionally trained sushi chef, one half of a musical duo and the co-author of an upcoming graphic novel.
JC Wright (Music Theory, Musicianship, Storytelling through Role Playing Games)
JC is a multi-instrumentalist improviser and music theorist with experience playing in jazz bands, pit orchestras, marching band, ukulele orchestras, and improvisational bands for dancers and silent film festivals. He has played with a variety of artists including Christina Perri and Jason Mraz in front of audiences as large as 20,000 people. JC’s music combines jazz harmony with the rhythmic groove of funk music taking inspiration from James Brown, Pink Floyd, Vulfpeck, and Lawrence among many others. JC believes that music is meant to be shared with the broader community, and strives to bring music education to curious students of all ages.
