Last month, the New School of Performing Arts put on its premier performance at the Massapequa Library. Following a series of free tri
al lessons, New School’s director and owner gave a demonstration of what the school’s students were learning. The groups ranged from pre-school/kindergarten age through eighth grade. There were musical ensembles playing pieces specifically arranged for xylophones and other percussion instruments, and a series of monologues inspired by Mo Willems’ Pigeon books that fourth and fifth grade theater students wrote and performed.
The school hopes to offer its students an opportunity to develop their imagination and creativity. 
I believe that imagination is one of the greatest mental faculties that we possess. The ability to see, feel, and sense something that no one else can is innate in all of us—it is creation, and we, at our core, are all creators. Those who nurture and develop this skill move our society forward. New School of Performing Arts offers theater and musical theater, but also some very unique music classes that are not found in other after school programs.
The Performing Arts require the performer to discover the intention of a work and transmit that to an audience. In order to do this in a convincing way, he or she must embody that feeling or message physically and mentally. He or she must imagine and re-create the work in such a way that they audience is drawn in and is living and feeling along with the performer. There is a magic in this connection as performer and audience unite. What the New School of Performing Arts is hoping to do is give as many students as possible the chance to become active in developing their awareness of works of art and how they pertain to their lives.
At New School of Performing Arts we believe that in our modern society, we spend so much time in front of screens that we miss many of the opportun
ities to directly connect to ourselves and to others. Nowadays much of our entertainment is passive, and through performance, we not only entertain ourselves and others, we create and connect; we grow and develop. The New School of Performing Arts intends to have regular performances that highlight the students’ work as well as many family oriented events such as family karaoke, talent shows and dances where families can have fun and connect with each other and the Massapequa community.
