After the printing press, radio was the next great revelation of communication. One of radio’s best uses was sharing stories, presented by actors and talented producers of sound and editing.In this class we will occasionally read a source text before class, and in class we will create art while we listen to a performance from the golden age of radio. Written/and or digital copies of each story will be provided to the students to read before each class.
Category Archives: Arts
Old Time Radio (Dan Gillmore)
Twilight Zone (Dan Gillmore)
We will watch a selection of episodes from the classic anthology series from 1959 and beyond, followed by a conversation about the themes and deeper meanings behind each episode. The show often features stories that fall into genre categories such as sci-fi, western, and horror.
Play Production (Maggie)
Are you interested in putting on a play this fall? Sign up and we’ll plan a production based on who’s interested. To be performed on stage this year.
BeatCraft (Brandon Bermudez)
This class is focused on learning and applying music theory ideas, including reading and writing, analysis, and production. Students in this class will get a better understanding of how harmony, rhythm, and melody work together to create songs. This term’s iteration of this class will have a heavier focus on rhythm. Open to all grades. Computer and headphones required. Some homework will be required.
Third Unnamed Band (Brandon Bermudez)
This was a request from Ollie to start a new, beginner-friendly performance band. If you’ve spoken with Ollie about this project, please sign up!
Basaso (Brandon Bermudez)
Intermediate performance band.
If you’re not currently in this band and are interested in joining, please talk to Brandon before signing up.
Casual Ghost Party (Brandon Bermudez)
Advanced performance band.
Closed band.
Yearbook (final drafting!) (Sieglinde)
The yearbook theme this year is Y2K y’all!
If you’ve been on the Yearbook Team these past two terms, welcome back! If you’re interested in joining, it’s not too late, but please talk with Sieglinde before signing up. We seek motivated students who want to spend time on Canva working on layout, photos, content, etc, and continue to pull it all together into a book that can last your lifetime.
Songwriting! (McKenzie Burkard)
Whether you’re completely new to songwriting or it’s been your passion for years (or if you’re anywhere in between), this class is for you! We’ll explore reasons for songwriting, approaches/styles, key terms, techniques, and have plenty of opportunities to write + share! This will be a great opportunity to build a songwriting community and connect through music and collaboration. As someone who started songwriting in middle school, I have used this practice throughout my life and I’m passionate about the reflective, creative, and fun nature of crafting songs. I’m excited to pass on some of my own approaches and learn with and from you all about other ways of lyric creation! In this class, understanding that there is no one way to learn or teach songwriting, we’ll all work to find our songwriting fit – discovering our writing motivations and interests along the way
About the instructor: I've been an administrative intern at PSCS since the start of Winter Term this school year! I'm an English major (Education minor) in my third year at UW and songwriting is a huge passion of mine :)
BME- The Black Music Experience MS/HS (TSam)
“Describing the African-American influence on American music in all of its glory and variety is an intimidating—if not impossible—task. African American influences are so fundamental to American music that there would be no American music without them. People of African descent were among the earliest non-indigenous settlers of what would become the United States, and the rich African musical heritage that they carried with them was part of the foundation of a new American musical culture that mixed African traditions with those of Europe and the Americas. Their work songs, dance tunes, and religious music—and the syncopated, swung, remixed, rocked, and rapped music of their descendants—would become the lingua franca of American music, eventually influencing Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. The music of African Americans is one of the most poetic and inescapable examples of the importance of the African American experience to the cultural heritage of all Americans, regardless of race or origin.” – Steven Lewis (Music historian)
In this class, we will be exploring the black experience through the lens of music. We will spend time in more popular genres, but also take time to explore lesser-known styles including the blues, jazz, gospel, and African and Caribbean music genres.
Requirements & Materials- Students will need to have their own headphones, a Spotify account, and the ability to download and listen to music files.
The New Sound of PSCS (Aaliyah)
new band alert !!
if you know you know if you don’t you don’t this is the newest original band at pscs
punk pop/grunge/indie/rnb/pop band or whatever we decide to make it. name tbd<3
invite only (sorry my loves)
Sculpting to the Bone (Scobie)
This sculpture class, part of Scobie’s “Art School” curriculum, will change your brain’s ability to see and understand what you see, whether you want to be an artist or not. You’ll use clay to make a real sculpture* of a real thing, in this case a Pleistocene Bison’s leg bone. You’ll do some drawings to study the bone, and then begin adding clay to an armature to make a scaled copy of this complex, organic form.
Each day of class, two days per week, will be a quiet, coached studio session of focused work on your sculpture, requiring standing and walking and drawing and measuring and observing.
You’ll finish the class with a new ability to see and understand all the shapes around you.
*(Note: These sculptures will be photographed at the end of the class, then recycled; they are learning tools, not something to keep.)
Watercolor Write and Send (MS/HS) (elizabeth ortega)
In this class we will either and/or watercolor and write postcards and cards to loved ones through the magical world of the post service, snail mail as they say.
You will bring your art supplies, watercolor, materials, and collect postcards and cards, or make them yourself and practice sending pieces of love in the mail.
We will slow down, listen to music and enjoy the company of writing, creating, stamping and sending. I can’t wait!
Cinema – HS (year long) (TSam)
Note: This class is open to high school students only.
The film industry has been a constant element that was created to express the ideas of others. Through film, we can see deep ideas from people whose expressions can capture moments from the past looking into the future. While it’s hard to see every film that has ever been made, we can center ourselves around so many elements of several movies and experience a connection that surpasses both time and space. In the class, we will participate in watching films from a large number of different styles and use those moments to expand our knowledge of these amazing selections of work. There will be in-class discussions along with essay writing (group project) to help us convey our thoughts and stretch our thinking.
Mature Themes: Words and images can be inappropriate for some students.
Podcast/AV (TSam)
Podcasting has now become one of the coolest ways to acquire information in the present, digital age. While traveling, exercising, or relaxing; your average person is usually tuned into their favorite show. Recently, the popularity of podcasts took to new heights with the deep interest in shows like True Crime, and other mystery-based, story-led programs. Whether you’re into listening to podcasts or always wanted to create your own, this is the class for you.
Also, this class will double as a space for our new starting Audio/Visual Club! The purpose of this club is to help create a new culture around filming our school events while keeping our audio (and other video effects) in great working order. This club will be a starting point for a permanent need in our community. We will learn/enhance our skills in camera work, audio sourcing, mixing, and making sure lighting and other visual needs are being met on a high level.
Shop Life (Scobie)
If you like making things, fixing things, and being competent with tools, you should always take as much Shop Life as you can possibly get your hands on! Here’s what we’ll be doing:
- Learning about tools and the skills to use them effectively and safely.
- Working on improving, organizing, stocking, and cleaning our ever-developing shop.
- Contributing to the school and our larger community with fixes, furniture, and projects.
- Completing projects that result in gifts you can give to yourself or others.
EMC – Electronic Music Collective (DJ Edition) l (TSam)
Djing has become one of the most skillful musical forms of expression over the last 50 years. Through its early days in New York, MCs and DJs have been able to successfully keep so much music alive, while constantly evolving to make space for other styles and genres to emerge. In today’s current era, making music has become more accessible due to the use of laptops, iPads, and even cell phones. The only question that remains is what can a person do versus what has not been done yet.
In this class, I show you the basics of how to effectively mix songs and create new ones. There will be moments of exploration and collaboration. Also, expect to learn various techniques, sampling, sound engineering, song curation, music history, and uncommon genre exploration.
Required materials: You need to have a computer that can run specific music software (TBD) and be able to successfully download music files (repeatedly) from the internet. Also, you must have your own headphones.