4 2 10 artists in training (social studies)

Artists

in Training

by Deborah Akers

H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN


Artists

in Training

by Deborah Akers

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ISBN-10: 0-547-02323-5
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Table of Contents
A Family of Artists

3

A Day at an Arts School

5

Getting Fired Up

6

Showtime!

8

Dancing the World

10

Painting as a Team

13

Artists at Work

14


A Family of Artists
In many ways, an arts high school is like
other schools. There are classes in math,
English, and science. Many students want to
go to an arts high school. However, only those
who show skill and commitment are given
permission to be part of the school’s family
of artists.

An arts school might look like any other school on
the outside.

3


At an arts school, each student has a chance
to explore many art forms. There are classes in
painting, drawing, and pottery. Many students
also take part in the music or theater programs.
After they have toured the variety of programs,
most students choose one area of study. The
school trains its students to become working
artists.
Some students study unique dances that
come from beyond the United States border.

The school teaches cultural dances such as
flamenco, a Spanish dance, and the can-can,
a type of dance that started in France.

4


A Day at an Arts School
A day at an arts school starts like most other
high schools. Students arrive in buses or by car
and rush to class when they hear the bell.
When you peek inside the classrooms, you
never know what you will see. You might see
dancers leaping, artists hauling easels around,
or students spinning pottery wheels.

Arts students are always involved in projects.

5


Getting Fired Up
Some classes meet in studios where students
work on special projects. The students in
pottery class make clay pots using a pottery
wheel. Then they bake the pots in a kiln.
The kiln is a special kind of oven that gets
very hot and hardens the pots. This process is
called firing. The kids have to wear gloves and
facemasks when

working with a
kiln. It is hot work.

Using a pottery
wheel takes a
lot of practice
and skill.

6


Students must wear gloves and a helmet when welding.

In another class, students make metal
sculptures. They use welding torches to make
the metal softer. Then they can shape the metal
the way they want.
Some students enjoy making small art
pieces. Others build huge sculptures that tower
up to the ceiling! Luckily, the classroom is built
with high ceilings and lots of space so that each
student has room to create.
7


Showtime!
A theater can be an exciting classroom as
well. Students in this class dream of their big
debut as an actor someday. They work hard to
learn and memorize their lines from the script.

This requires lots of practice.
The teacher’s job is to help each actor build
his or her skills. Teachers often work with
students who get discouraged. “An actor has to
be stubborn,” says one teacher. “You must never
give up.”

Actors must
practice and
practice.

8


Students get a chance to record their music.

Several classrooms have been turned into
recording studios where student musicians and
singers record their performances. Then they
can listen to them over and over again. This
helps them improve.
Students also learn to work the recording
equipment. Learning all of these skills will help
them get jobs in the music business.
9


Dancing the World
In the dance studio, you may see two
students dance the flamenco. Flamenco

students sweep onto the stage wearing colorful
skirts and high dance shoes. Flamenco music is
sad and mournful.
The dancers clap their hands and stomp
their feet. They twirl with their arms up high.
The music gets louder, and the dancers dance
harder.
People began to dance the flamenco in
southern Spain hundreds of years ago. It is one
of the most exciting dances in the world.

Flamenco dancers
show great emotion.

10


11


Flamenco is not the only dance taught in a
dance class. Many schools have a large ballet
program. In dance studios, you can also see
students practicing the can-can, the tango,
salsa, and even Irish step-dancing. Students at
an arts high school
get the chance to
learn and share
the dances of the
world.

Many dances are
taught at an arts
high school.

12


Students work
together to plan
a mural.

Painting as a Team
You may see students mixing big cans of
paint in painting class. They are getting ready
to paint a mural together. They study many
famous artists. The group begins by first
sketching out a plan for a large scene. But where
is the canvas? There is no canvas. These artists
are painting the mural on the outside wall of
the school.
13


Artists at Work
Students at an arts high school learn that
art is about more than the triumph of creating a
beautiful painting or sculpture or dance. They
must also know how to support themselves.
Many students get jobs as graphic artists

and designers. Theater arts students get jobs
helping to make plays or movies.
At an arts
school, young artists
learn the skills they
need to share their
art with the world.

Some dance students
become teachers.

14


Responding
Word Builder In the
word hauling, -ing is added to the end. Think
of some other words that end with -ing. Copy
and complete the word web below.
TARGET VOCABULARY

carrying

walking
Words that
end in -ing

?

?

Write About It
Text to Self Write a paragraph describing your
experience learning a new art form. Describe
the type of art form and where you learned it.
Use a word from the Word Builder.

15


TARGET VOCABULARY

border
debut
discouraged
hauling
mournful

permission
stubborn
toured
towered
triumph

Analyze/Evaluate Think carefully about the text and form an opinion about it.
TARGET STRATEGY

Known for their bravery, lions are almost
never described as
.

16


Level: P
DRA: 38
Social Studies
Strategy:
Analyze/Evaluate
Word Count: 813

4.2.10 Build Vocabulary

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ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02323-6
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