Program Courses
TAP II's Fall 2011 Curriculum
MVP (Music Video Production)
MVP is intended to use theatrical performances, set to music, to make a musical video. Students will work with different concepts of music videos. Story form videos which tells a story to music, in contrast to performance videos where a main artist performs a song. Students will take part in all perspectives of video making, using images and symbols to tell stories. Video exploration will consist of identifying main artist determining how background actors play a part in the videos, coming up with a concept for a story form video. Students will partake in directing movement of all playing in the video, set up (blocking), filming video, editing video, and completion of the product. Students will get a firsthand look at how important collaboration is in making a music video. This class is designed to celebrate the musical image. Our students will gain self esteem through using music as a way of inspiring imagery and sparking concepts for storytelling.
Paper Art
This class will work with different colors of papers and texture to create unique pieces of art that will be sold at TAP II events. Painting, tracing, cutting and tearing will be techniques used to create art work with different types of paper. Making paper gift bags, tags, wrappers, picture frames, scrapbooks, book markers, piñatas, , gift tags all purpose cards and props for TAP II games incoming sale events, TAP II shows and exhibits. Students will gain an understanding of which types of paper are best suited for particular art projects as well as gain a greater understanding of the important use of paper in the field of art.
Printmaking
Printmaking is a fine art class designed for students of all functioning levels. Prints are created by transferring ink onto paper with various materials such as foam, metal plates, wood and linoleum. The class will increase gross motor skills by using processes that rely on speed and simplicity. The purpose of this class is to introduce students to printmaking while creating art work for exhibitions. Students will begin printmaking concentrating on monoprints which are a one-of-a-kind prints made by hand painting onto material then transferring onto paper. During the semester students will learn other means of printmaking using foam and wood. Printmaking will welcome both abstract and figurative works. Students will increase their color identification as they demonstrate knowledge of primary and secondary colors.
ArtBeat Radio
This course is the first in a continuing project of Arts and Services for Disabled entitled ‘ArtBeat Radio;’ a project that is dedicated to exploring and seizing broadcasting opportunities for students of ASD. Over the course of the semester, students will learn the basics of Radio broadcasting, which will include ‘eight elements of radio.’ These elements include: people, places, and things of the radio station, guest selection, interviewing techniques, serving as radio hosts, music creation, poetry writing and reading, answering audience questions, and operating all of the associated radio equipment. Students will also learn a brief history of radio and listen to examples from modern and past radio shows to gain an understanding of different broadcasting styles and sensibilities. Students will put this knowledge to use as they work collaboratively on creating segments and shows that will be conceived to fit into the format of ArtBeat Radio.
Picture Story
Picture Story is intended to explore creative writing and ideas through the use of visual aids (pictures). Students will take an active role in selecting pictures from previous events or activities, and from these pictures, students will tell the story they see in the pictures or the story they want to see. Using target areas, we will explore different forms of creative writing. Students will then have an opportunity to create a book with these creative writings that will become a collection available for sale as a business element to the work. This class is designed to allow students to have freedom to tell and express their stories, while creating inspirational material for the community. Our students will gain self esteem by presenting the world as they see it through creative stories.
Painting
This class will focus on creating representational as well as abstract painting while learning the basics of art making. Students will learn about line, color, and brushstrokes. Students will be taught the three primary colors and how to mix them in order to create secondary colors. Students will be exposed to and practice creating simple shapes as well as the freedom of creating paintings through a more expressive approach in line making and brushstrokes. Paintings created in this class will be shown in exhibits at ASD galleries as well as submitted for community exhibitions.
Multicultural Art
The purpose of this class is to introduce students to the beauty of art from various cultures while creating artwork for upcoming exhibitions. Pieces based on art from around the world will be created such as Polynesian medicine sticks, Itajime decorative paper and Hawaiian gourd rattles. This class will work collaboratively and/or individually focusing on one multi- cultural piece at a time. Students will research and learn about their scheduled projects with photographs and examples presented by instructor. Different methods of art making will be used within each project i.e. drawing, sculpting or painting. Multicultural Art projects will be submitted for upcoming exhibitions at the George V. Deneff Gallery in Long Beach as well as other program events.
Drumming as Emotion
This course will focus on engaging the body and mind through musical stimulation, mostly percussive, that will be both active and passive. The class will explore the relationship between emotions and the physical body, utilizing music as the expressive agent. Integrated sensory stimulation will encourage students to participate and thrive within their abilities. Students will be encouraged to use their bodies to play instruments, move to the music, match rhythm, and participate in group play in an effort to express a given emotion or emotional state. These types of musical interactions will provide an opportunity for students to engage their bodies in a new form of self-expression while focusing on their motor and social skills. Students will take turns providing the ‘heartbeat’ rhythm, which is the rhythm around which a drumming experience is formed. In this way, students will participate in an environment that provides a safe, supportive, and interdisciplinary opportunity to explore feelings and emotions.
Boutique Class
The purpose of this class is to create decorative and functional artwork. Students will work independently and collaboratively in anticipation of upcoming events i.e. props for in house and community performances. Holidays will be explored through decorative art such as centerpieces for Thanksgiving and art cards for all occasions. Students will also be involved in community integration as they create boutique items for local care facilities and hospitals. All items created will also be available for purchase at ASD events.
Café Press
Café Press is a website based store front that is managed by students at TAP II. All of the merchandise is designed by students and features the artwork of ASD artists. Students work together to design merchandise and product descriptions that is appealing to online shoppers. While running their own microenterprise students are building on their vocational, communication, and social skills. The businessmen of Café Press speak at program shows and attend vendor fairs to market their merchandise. Items featured on Café Press include apparel for men women and children, pet items, and a variety of home and office items. The students and artists receive a commission from all products sold on Café Press. Café Press has been an exciting endeavor for the students of TAP II instilling a sense of self esteem and greater student ownership in program endeavors.
Soundscapes
TA soundscape is a recording, small film, or performance that creates the sensation of experiencing a particular acoustic environment and seeks to evoke a specific emotional or parasympathetic reaction such as relaxation. Acoustic environments can be definitive or figurative, and can range from places as realistic as the outdoors or the freeway to situations as abstract as an emotion or an imagined world. This class will explore the idea of pairing sound with imagery or spoken word to create a soundscape specified to a place, feeling, or idea. In this class, students will work collaboratively to create soundscapes to be used at program during times of relaxation and transition, including morning arrivals, class switching, and waiting for busses. These soundscapes will also be incorporated into the ArtBeat Radio program, under the title ‘ArtBeat Heartbeat.’ The class will create three soundscapes: one for relaxation, and two on topics or emotions of their choice. These soundscapes will be incorporated into the daily rhythm of TAP II, and will help create a communal environment of calm, direction, and purpose during transitional times.
Relaxation and Health
The focus of this class will be on maintaining a holistic wellness of mind, body, and spirit. Through activities such as dancing, meditating, relaxing, reminiscing, sensory activities and story telling, students will be given the opportunity to actively engage in the maintenance of wellness and gain an understanding of holistic self-care as it pertains to later life. Community Integration will be incorporated as students make outings to places such as the Library, The Community Garden, etc. to maintain an active lifestyle and engage with the greater senior community.
This class will involve sensory activities such as going to the garden, picking different herbs and using them in class for activities like making tea, massage and hand washing. Students will also involve themselves in class by participating in Storytelling activities, using drums and bells to help bring the story to life.
