Earl of March is a Secondary School with over a thousand students. Given this number of unique individuals it’s only natural that they would have a number of interests, many of which branch into the arts. So how do these students practice and express their love and passion for art? Through classes, yes, but also through many different clubs and extracurriculars. If you are an Earl of March student interested in art, want ideas for clubs, or simply want to know more- keep reading!
In school, art is typically divided into one of four categories: visual, dramatic, dance, and music. But there are many, many subcategories within each of these that clubs are able to focus on. Let’s explore a few, shall we?
The Musical Theatre Club.
Typically, Earl runs a full length musical production once a year. Cast and crew put in hours of work to make a spectacular show that runs for five days. Of course, given the new Covid-19 guidelines this is not possible. The solution? A musical theatre club run by Maya Ho. So what is the musical theatre club exactly? Maya can give us a little insight, it’s “a collaborative place where people who love to sing, dance, act and write can come together virtually! Musical theatre is a type of theatrical performance that encompasses music, spoken dialect, drama, and dance to tell a story. We decided that as a club we would work to produce Earl of March’s first-ever original Jukebox musical written by our writing team!
A Jukebox musical uses existing songs that we fit into an original script, and learn dances to fit.” Maya loves the unique challenge creating a virtual production has provided, and is so proud of the work being created. “Not only are we trying to put together an hour-long musical online, but also it is an original production. It is really fun getting to work together, try something new, and challenge ourselves while still doing what we love.
Furthermore, it has been really rewarding getting to see all of the work that we have put in over the past couple of months come together into an actual musical.” The club has also been a great way to make friends and build community, theatre is often a hub for people to come together with like minded individuals and find life long friends. Although Maya doubts the club will run next year as she hopes the school will be able to put on an in person production, you can watch their original virtual production “Spacial Awareness”, dates are still undecided but more information will become available on the EoM Fine Arts website at: https://sites.google.com/ocdsb.ca/eomarts/drama/musical?authuser=0
The Improv Team.
Improv is a form of dramatic arts through which stories and scenes unfold with no preparation or script- even the actors on stage only find out what’s about to happen a few seconds before the audience. This club has been running for many years and is student lead, they meet once a week to build improvisation skills, bond, and practice events for the regional/national tournament which is run by CIG (Canadian Improv Games).
Next year the team will be led by Olivia Shine and Olivia Turner, who will both be in grade 12. Turner was kind enough to answer a few questions about her experience thus far and plans for next year. Turner said that she joined the team due to her love of dramatic arts and never looked back. She loves “how every scene we do is completely unique. Some suck and some are very good, but we are never in the same situation twice and there is no telling where a story can take us”. Because of the club’s nature everyone is friendly and open minded, leading to an excellent opportunity to build community and friends. She says “if you want to do something a bit out of your comfort zone, I think you should join. When I say that we are a judgement-free space, I mean it. The weirder the better haha. But seriously, we are such a family”. Improv is also a great way to build unique skill sets such as acting, quick thinking, and even overcoming stage fright through an inclusive environment… though she can’t promise that it will help you find a boyfriend or girlfriend (haha).
I will admit that I have a special place in my heart for improv as I have been the captain/coach of the team for the past two years. It’s given me a wonderful found family, some amazing friends, and opened the door to new opportunities. It has built me as a leader, public speaker, actor, friend, artist, and the beauty of it is that it is a learned skill. My first year of improv my nickname was “Scenery” because I didn’t say a single word in most of our scenes, but over the years I learned and I grew and now I’m comfortable performing improvised scenes in front of crowds of people. And I would say improv has been one of, if not THE highlight of my highschool career. Turner confessed to being both nervous and excited for running the team next year along with Olivia Shine, but that she is “prepared to take it on with an open mind and enthusiasm” so next year if you join improv you can look forward to a fantastic team dynamic with great leaders (trained by yours truly). I am so proud of Olivia(2) and know that the team will be in great hands next year, I can’t wait to see the new faces that join and watch how the team will continue to evolve and grow!
Band.
The music program at Earl is incredible, however, I have never partaken in it myself. But having listened to some of their performances I can assure you that they sound amazing. Since I know next to nothing about the program, I reached out to an Earl of March alumni to give me some insight into the world of music. He told me that band is “a place where a bunch of people who are passionate about music gather to be a part of something bigger than themselves. It’s a group of like minded, smart people that come together to make something beautiful.”
They practice twice a week (not including sectionals) and a typical band practice consists of setting up the room, and then receiving a new piece or practicing specific sections of pieces they already had. Band is an extra credit course that students can take part in for their full four years of highschool, meaning you can make great friends and build meaningful connections with others through time shared, mutual interests, and a love of music — plus, you can earn up to three extra credits by taking band.
Band can branch into other opportunities, such as performing in the pit band (the band that plays live music during Earl’s musical productions, truly unsung heroes of the performances) and jazz band. And we can’t talk about band without mentioning the band trips, “a good change from the normal” where you get to have fun with friends, go to music concerts, and even watch Broadway shows while exploring a new place.
News.
An often overlooked artistic medium is literary arts, writing is absolutely a creative endeavour that takes both an artistic mind and technical skill to succeed and it is not given nearly enough credit as an art… which is why it will be included in this here article.
Lion’s Roar News. You read that right, Earl of March has it’s very own online News Paper. Students write and release articles onto our website for the public to read. There are lots of different categories to choose from such as Arts, Wellness, Entertainment, and more! So if you enjoy writing, or want to keep up with local current events and the scoop at Earl make sure to check them out (well you already have if you’re reading this I suppose).
And it’s not just for writers! We have a fantastic team of web designers as well, so if you like design, this club can be for you too. The club is run by Adna Osman and Miranda Sun, two friends who began the endeavour of starting a club from the ground up last summer when Miranda noticed a lack of a creative media outlet at Earl. Adna jumped on the project with her right away saying she “thought it would be a great way to improve school experience”. Both Osman and Sun have found their leadership of the club to be incredibly rewarding, they have loved building new connections with Earl students who have a passion for writing, reading articles, and creating a platform where students can express their creativity. When asked why other students should join the club in the future they offered a plethora of excellent reasons, “People should join the club if they want their voices to be heard in the earl community. Whether you’re passionate about Arts, Fashion, or even have a couple of good movies to share, you have something to write about.” Beyond that they hope it allows members to deepen their writing skills, build time management, make friends, and gain experience in a high-functioning team environment. Think this club could be for you, keep your eyes and ears peeled to sign up next year for your voice to be heard through Lion’s Roar!
So, are you artistically inclined? Want to practice singing, quick thinking, music, or writing? Or maybe you’re interested in something else and want to start your own art club? Earl of March is a fantastic place to do so— filled with resources, supportive teachers, and enthusiastic students, your art and passion will flourish to new heights.
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