More than 300 students are studying music, art and theater through the Massapequa School District’s Summer Fine Arts Camp, which is being run in partnership with Nassau BOCES.
The series of one- and two-week programs are held at Massapequa High School, and run through Aug. 5. Coordinator Jessica Wyman, a band teacher at McKenna Elementary School, said the program, open to students entering third through 10th grade, has its largest enrollment ever this year.
In instrumental music, jazz band, acoustical guitar and orchestra classes, students are learning to play a variety of instruments, with separate sessions for beginner and advanced student-musicians. A musical theater camp, under the direction of Berner music teachers Katie Tauches and Christina Guando, allows students to select Broadway songs to perform including solos, duets and ensemble musical numbers.
Visual arts classes include drawing and painting, jewelry making, sculpture, watercolor techniques and art history. In ceramics, with Berner art teacher Paul Leone, young artists practice various glazing techniques on vases, bowls and mugs. An iPad Claymation class gives students the chance to create their own movie scenes.
“I think that they learn so much more because it’s things that they don’t get to do during the school year,” said Wyman. “You start to see these kids blossom.”
Each class concludes with an informal performance or exhibit on the final day of the session, which families are invited to attend.
