Warm up your singing pipes, learn your lines and grab your dance shoes!
Prince George鈥檚 Community College just launched its brand new Center for Performing Arts.
鈥淭he music department is so close-knit, like a family,鈥� music student Kassidy Smith said.
Music students can study music literature, jazz ensemble or concert choir.
鈥淭he majority of students are extremely gifted,鈥� music professor Dr. Angelina Shumway said. 鈥淭hey can play or sing by ear. I always tell them that鈥檚 a great gift to have, but just think about what you can do if you understand fully the music theory behind it and truly understand the fundamentals.鈥�
The music department distinguishes itself with its equipment.
鈥淲e are the first community college in Maryland 鈥� equipped with all Steinway pianos,鈥� Shumway said.
鈥淭he facility is amazing, the practice rooms are soundproof basically, and the education that you will get here will definitely transfer to a four-year university,鈥� Smith said.
If theater is more your passion, you鈥檒l have plenty of opportunities.
鈥淲e really have a range of students,鈥� theater professor Peggy Yates said. 鈥漌e see a lot of students that have worked in high school shows, community productions or church shows. [It ranges] from very little experience to those who have had substantial experience but maybe had a family and got away from it.鈥�
The new building boasts multiple performance spaces, from the black-box theater to the grand theater.
鈥淭he theaters are beautiful,鈥� theater student Maya Catoe said. 鈥淭o actually have the feel of being on a professional stage, whether doing monologues or scene work, is fun.鈥�
The spaces routinely welcome traveling theater companies, most recently 鈥淭he Color Purple.鈥�
鈥淭hat company [allowed] our students to see a dress rehearsal,鈥� Yates said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fabulous arrangement for touring companies coming through, but also for our students to engage with professionals.鈥�
The students also put on their own shows, including 鈥淏ounce: The Peter Rabbit Remix鈥� and 鈥淭he Wiz,鈥� featuring Helen Hayes Award winning musical director e鈥橫arcus Harper Short and director Eric Ruffin.
鈥淭his is such a rich theatrical community,鈥� Yates said. 鈥淥ur students are benefiting from that.鈥�
The new kid on the block is the dance department, which officially launches in January 2020.
鈥淲e have mixed levels,鈥� dance professor Kevin Veiga said. 鈥淲e have some very beginners, so students that have never had dance class. 鈥� Then we have students that have come from other studios.鈥�
Prince George’s Community College explores ballet, modern, jazz, African and musical theater, taught in two dance studios.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very, very beautiful,鈥� dance student Srekinah Brown said. 鈥淚t feels good to be an artist and just have a great amount of space to do what you do and just be able to free-flow.鈥�
In the end, it鈥檚 all about shaping the students as artistic individuals.
鈥淲e encourage personal growth, artistic growth and creative growth,鈥� Veiga said. 鈥淭he students will not only leave here as better technical dancers, they will also leave here as better individuals, better performers and have that creative energy to take it wherever they want to go.鈥�
