ACES Educational Center for the Arts
Encyclopedia
ACES Educational Center for the Arts, or ECA, is an American public arts magnet high school located at 55 Audubon Street in New Haven, Connecticut
, USA. The school is primarily located in the former Mishkan Israel synagogue with studio spaces across the street. The school has two theaters—the Arts Hall in the main building, and the Little Theatre at 1 Lincoln Street—and multiple gallery spaces throughout the main building.
The school is made of approximately 260 students and is divided into five distinct departments: Music, Dance, Theater, Creative Writing, and Visual Arts. Students take academic courses at their "sending schools" (public high schools) during the morning and attend classes within their departments during the afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00, Monday through Thursday.
Students may apply to up to three individual departments at a time and must prepare a portfolio, audition piece, or interview depending on the department to which they are applying. Accepted students may enroll at the beginning of any year of high school.
ECA is based on the idea of artists teaching artists, employing working artists to teach high school students their art form of choice.
Department is located on the first floor of the main building and often performs in the Arts Hall or the Little Theatre. The Music Department includes both instrumentalists and singers, and students are placed in large and small ensembles based on instrument and experience. Students learn various styles of music including classical
, jazz
, and world music
. They also take courses in music theory
and musicianship, and students who reach a sufficient proficiency in theory are allowed to take classes in jazz and classical composition. In 2007, the Music Department hosted its first ever New Music Festival, featuring works by student and guest composers.
Department is located on the second floor in the Arts Hall or across the street at the Danspace Studio. Dancers learn styles such as ballet
, tap dance
, and African dance
, yet the focus is on modern dance
. Students also attend choreography
courses and their work is featured in annual performances. Dancers end the year with senior pieces, a collection of dances choreographed by each member of the senior class. The Dance Department performs in the Arts Hall. It has been run for many years by Susan Matheke and her husband Willie Feuer, who in 2011 retired.
's Nine Questions to specialty classes such as Theater for Social Change
projects and Viewpoints. Experience in technical theatre is also required. The goal of the curriculum is to teach young actors that there is more to theater than just standing on the stage. Students take two theatre classes per quarter and one elective per semester. First semester, students have a main class two days per week (1:00 to 4:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays). The main class focuses on a particular element of theater such as Scene Study or Playwriting or a special topic in theater such as Feminist Theater. Occasionally, the first quarter course will be continued during the second quarter (ex. Scene Study into Classical Scene Study.) The second class is a technique class that meets from 1:00 to 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Placement in the techniques classes is based on a student's grade in high school and year at ECA. These classes include classes in Voice
and Speech
, Improvisation
, Theatre Movement
, and History of Theatre
. School-wide electives meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00. Classes are divided into one or two productions during the second semester. Students audition for roles within the two plays over the course of a week and are cast based on their auditions, class work, and previous experience. Not all students are cast in the productions. The students in the cast(s) use class time to rehearse while the other students take either a technical class for the production or another specialty class. Every three to four years, the theater department performs a department-wide mainstage performance in which every person participates. Whether acting in the play, making the costumes, working backstage, building the set
, or working in stage management
, everyone plays an important role in the production. Each quarter, the theatre department attends a play at a local theater, and students are required to write a graded theatre review
. In addition to class work and performances, the theater reviews are the basis of grading for the department. Students within the theater department often take private Saturday classes or attend a summer program run by the ECA staff as a supplement to their classwork. Graduating seniors receive a portfolio of all their work completed while attending ECA.
Department is the smallest department within the school. Classes meet from 1:00 - 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays and 1:00 - 4:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students take courses in Poetry
, Short Story
Writing, Personal Essays, Playwriting and Screenwriting
. Students' work is featured in readings located in the Arts Hall. Also in the department is an annual magazine where writers submit their work for approval, which is then published in a collaborative book put together by the department itself. The fourth floor is enabled with wireless internet for the purposes of wireless laptops assigned to students for the use of writing and then uploading to private sites such as Blackboard, where comments and critique may be given on a digital scope.
Throughout the year, the department goes on various trips to enhance their knowledge of their art. Biennially they visit the Dodge Poetry Festival in Stanhope, New Jersey to experience a multitude of readings in the beautiful Waterloo village. The department also attends performances at the Yale Repertory Theatre
, and the Long Wharf Theatre
.
Department is located on the fifth floor of the main building. The curriculum is divided into three media: two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and media. Two-dimensional courses include drawing
and painting
, while three-dimensional courses include a variety of sculpture
classes. Media includes photography
, animation
, and digital art
. The classes offered each quarter fluctuate due to the small, specialized staff. To evenly distribute students, each student is required to take one class in each medium each year. The fourth quarter class may be taken in any of the three media, and students may repeat a class within a medium. Classes meet daily from 1:00 to 4:00. Gallery openings of student work are held at the end of every quarter. Every spring Seniors organize their own, separate, show during New Haven's International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, USA. The school is primarily located in the former Mishkan Israel synagogue with studio spaces across the street. The school has two theaters—the Arts Hall in the main building, and the Little Theatre at 1 Lincoln Street—and multiple gallery spaces throughout the main building.
The school is made of approximately 260 students and is divided into five distinct departments: Music, Dance, Theater, Creative Writing, and Visual Arts. Students take academic courses at their "sending schools" (public high schools) during the morning and attend classes within their departments during the afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00, Monday through Thursday.
Students may apply to up to three individual departments at a time and must prepare a portfolio, audition piece, or interview depending on the department to which they are applying. Accepted students may enroll at the beginning of any year of high school.
ECA is based on the idea of artists teaching artists, employing working artists to teach high school students their art form of choice.
Music department
The MusicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
Department is located on the first floor of the main building and often performs in the Arts Hall or the Little Theatre. The Music Department includes both instrumentalists and singers, and students are placed in large and small ensembles based on instrument and experience. Students learn various styles of music including classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. They also take courses in music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
and musicianship, and students who reach a sufficient proficiency in theory are allowed to take classes in jazz and classical composition. In 2007, the Music Department hosted its first ever New Music Festival, featuring works by student and guest composers.
Dance department
The DanceDance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
Department is located on the second floor in the Arts Hall or across the street at the Danspace Studio. Dancers learn styles such as ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, tap dance
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
, and African dance
African dance
African dance refers mainly to the dance of Sub-Saharan Africa, and more appropriately African dances because of the many cultural differences in musical and movement styles...
, yet the focus is on modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
. Students also attend choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
courses and their work is featured in annual performances. Dancers end the year with senior pieces, a collection of dances choreographed by each member of the senior class. The Dance Department performs in the Arts Hall. It has been run for many years by Susan Matheke and her husband Willie Feuer, who in 2011 retired.
Theater department
The Theater Department is located on the third floor studio, in the Little Theatre, and in Studio 70. Run by five to six permanent faculty members and numerous guest artists, the curriculum stretches from basic acting techniques such as Uta HagenUta Hagen
Uta Thyra Hagen was a German-born American actress and drama teacher. She originated the role of Martha in the 1963 Broadway premiere of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee...
's Nine Questions to specialty classes such as Theater for Social Change
Social change
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...
projects and Viewpoints. Experience in technical theatre is also required. The goal of the curriculum is to teach young actors that there is more to theater than just standing on the stage. Students take two theatre classes per quarter and one elective per semester. First semester, students have a main class two days per week (1:00 to 4:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays). The main class focuses on a particular element of theater such as Scene Study or Playwriting or a special topic in theater such as Feminist Theater. Occasionally, the first quarter course will be continued during the second quarter (ex. Scene Study into Classical Scene Study.) The second class is a technique class that meets from 1:00 to 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Placement in the techniques classes is based on a student's grade in high school and year at ECA. These classes include classes in Voice
Voice
Voice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
and Speech
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
, Improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
, Theatre Movement
Art movement
An art movement is a tendency or style in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time, or, at least, with the heyday of the movement defined within a number of years...
, and History of Theatre
History of theatre
The history of theatre charts the development of theatre over the past 2,500 years. While performative elements are present in every society, it is customary to acknowledge a distinction between theatre as an art form and entertainment and theatrical or performative elements in other activities...
. School-wide electives meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00. Classes are divided into one or two productions during the second semester. Students audition for roles within the two plays over the course of a week and are cast based on their auditions, class work, and previous experience. Not all students are cast in the productions. The students in the cast(s) use class time to rehearse while the other students take either a technical class for the production or another specialty class. Every three to four years, the theater department performs a department-wide mainstage performance in which every person participates. Whether acting in the play, making the costumes, working backstage, building the set
Set construction
Set construction is the process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of a production to create the set for a theatrical, film or television production...
, or working in stage management
Stage management
Stage management is the practice of organizing and coordinating a theatrical production. It encompasses a variety of activities, including organizing the production and coordinating communications between various personnel...
, everyone plays an important role in the production. Each quarter, the theatre department attends a play at a local theater, and students are required to write a graded theatre review
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
. In addition to class work and performances, the theater reviews are the basis of grading for the department. Students within the theater department often take private Saturday classes or attend a summer program run by the ECA staff as a supplement to their classwork. Graduating seniors receive a portfolio of all their work completed while attending ECA.
Creative writing department
Located on the fourth floor of the main building, the Creative WritingCreative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
Department is the smallest department within the school. Classes meet from 1:00 - 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays and 1:00 - 4:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students take courses in Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, Short Story
Short Story
Short Story is a piece for violin and piano composed by George Gershwin in 1927.Gershwin composed the duet from two other short works that premiered at the same time as his Three Preludes. He combined a section of the "Novelette in Fourths" and another slower work to create this piece....
Writing, Personal Essays, Playwriting and Screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
. Students' work is featured in readings located in the Arts Hall. Also in the department is an annual magazine where writers submit their work for approval, which is then published in a collaborative book put together by the department itself. The fourth floor is enabled with wireless internet for the purposes of wireless laptops assigned to students for the use of writing and then uploading to private sites such as Blackboard, where comments and critique may be given on a digital scope.
Throughout the year, the department goes on various trips to enhance their knowledge of their art. Biennially they visit the Dodge Poetry Festival in Stanhope, New Jersey to experience a multitude of readings in the beautiful Waterloo village. The department also attends performances at the Yale Repertory Theatre
Yale Repertory Theatre
The Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. In the process it has become one of the...
, and the Long Wharf Theatre
Long Wharf Theatre
Long Wharf Theatre is a nonprofit institution in New Haven, Connecticut, a pioneer in the not-for-profit regional theatre movement, the originator of several prominent plays, and a venue where many internationally known actors have appeared....
.
Visual arts department
The Visual ArtsVisual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
Department is located on the fifth floor of the main building. The curriculum is divided into three media: two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and media. Two-dimensional courses include drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
and painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, while three-dimensional courses include a variety of sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
classes. Media includes photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, and digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
. The classes offered each quarter fluctuate due to the small, specialized staff. To evenly distribute students, each student is required to take one class in each medium each year. The fourth quarter class may be taken in any of the three media, and students may repeat a class within a medium. Classes meet daily from 1:00 to 4:00. Gallery openings of student work are held at the end of every quarter. Every spring Seniors organize their own, separate, show during New Haven's International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
Electives
Electives are semester classes, offered to all students in all departments. Classes meet from 3:00 to 4:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Electives give students the chance to mingle with the other departments, as well as receive some instruction in an area outside of their chosen department. Students are frequently excluded from electives that fall within their normal range of study (ex. Dancers may not take Hip Hop).Notable alumni
- Lauren Ambrose
- Noah BaermanNoah BaermanNoah Baerman is jazz pianist who began studying piano at age eight. He studied at the ACES Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven and Jackie McLean’s Artists Collective, Inc. in Hartford. He earned his bachelor's and Master's degrees in jazz studies from the Mason Gross School of the Arts...
- Wayne EscofferyWayne EscofferyWayne Escoffery is a jazz saxophonist based in New York City.-Performing history:Since 2000 he has been working in New York City with Carl Allen, Eric Reed, and the Charles Mingus Big Band. Other musicians performed with include Ralph Peterson, Ben Riley, Ron Carter, Rufus Reid, Bill Charlap,...
- Heidi Alice VoightHeidi Alice VoightHeidi Alice Voight is a former pageant titleholder from Milford, Connecticut who held the Miss Connecticut title and competed in the Miss America pageant.-Personal life:...