Program Description

Spoleto Study Abroad

Summer Arts and Humanities Program
Spoleto, Italy


		Program Description Program Overview Visit Web Site Get Free Info See Photos

For More Information, Contact
Nancy Langston, Marketing Director, Program Manager
Spoleto Study Abroad
P.O. Box 13389
Charleston, South Carolina 29422-3389
843-822-1248
http://www.spoletostudyabroad.com
E-mail: spoleto@mindspring.com

Type of Program: Visual arts, photography, creative writing, vocal music, and dance programs
Participants: Coeducational, ages 15–19
Enrollment: 40 per session
Program Dates: Summer Sessions I & II: for program dates and information, http://www.spoletostudyabroad.com
Heads of Program: Jill and Lorenzo Muti, Co-Directors

Location

The Spoletino Valley in central Italy is an ideal setting for students interested in an in-depth exploration of the visual and historical heritage of Italy. Cities like Assisi, Siena, Arezzo, or Orvieto, all filled with incredible artistic treasures, are easily reached by car or by train, and major centers like Rome or Florence are less than 2 hours away. This region is emblematic of central Italy, both historically and artistically.

Background and Philosophy

The mission of the Spoleto Study Abroad Summer Session 2009 for Students is to provide a collaborative community of artists and scholars gathered to explore deeply the rich cultural heritage of central Italy while fostering individual artistic, intellectual, and personal growth.
This program takes place in Spoleto, in the Spoletino Valley, one of the most beautiful areas of central Italy. It offers students, ages 15–19, who are interested in visual arts, photography, creative writing, vocal music, and dance a challenging and innovative experience. Students are immersed in this diverse vibrant culture and surrounded by talented and motivated peers and faculty members.
Spoleto Study Abroad is an international program cosponsored by a consortium of selective independent schools. Spoleto Study Abroad is celebrating its twelfth year of cultivating the arts and humanities for students from around the world.

Program Offerings

Visual Arts Students explore the philosophical, intellectual, and technical aspects of art through art history, studio classes, and hands-on field trips. Courses include instruction and practice in drawing, painting, and two-dimensional design. The theoretical aspects of the course are then illustrated with visits to, and explorations of, works of art found throughout the town and the region. Students are encouraged to take risks, to experiment with new media, and to incorporate new subject matter in order to develop a stronger portfolio. Final projects are exhibited in an art show.
Photography Students study a selection of historical and contemporary photographers while developing a personal style of their own. The course focuses on a variety of photographic techniques, such as portraiture, landscape, night photography, documentary photography, and hand-coloring Polaroid dye transfers. Final projects are exhibited in an art show.
Vocal Music Emphasizing artistic and technical growth, students are immersed in a wealth of vocal musical offerings. Throughout the course of study, students are exposed to the history and influence of Italian opera from its inception through four centuries of transformations to the present day. Students receive both private and group instruction with leading singers in the field, exploring a gamut of musical compositions from the early baroque to the contemporary. This course takes into consideration the developmental level of individual singers. With this in mind, prior to the start of the session, students are encouraged to bring or request music that would be of particular interest to them. Several concerts are performed throughout the session, giving the students the opportunity to perform their work.
Creative Writing Through an intensive curriculum, students develop writing skills while learning more advanced techniques of language and expression. Students participate in selected exercises designed to strengthen specific elements of writing. Journaling, a cornerstone of the course, serves as a foundation for an exploration of poetry, prose, prose-poems, and lyrics.
Dance This course is designed to further develop technique as well as the essentials of choreography in jazz, ballet, and modern dance. Emphasizing form in dance, the students enhance their ability to create movements that are both communicative and meaningful. Dancers may choreograph their own dance or collaborate with the other dancers on an original project. Students have the opportunity to present their work in a performance.

Enrollment

Students must have finished the ninth grade and demonstrate marked proficiency in their area of interest, either through an audition process or through submission of a portfolio. There is no language requirement. Students should visit http://www.spoletostudyabroad.com for application and guidelines.

Daily Schedule

Classes are scheduled four days a week and follow a typical Italian pace of life.

8:00
9:00
1:15
3:00–5:00
5:00
8:00

Breakfast
Classes
Lunch
Free time/organized activities
Studio workshops and rehearsals
Dinner

Extra Opportunities and Activities

Throughout the session, the faculty team plans interdisciplinary units of study that are enriched by twice-a-week excursions to such cultural centers as Florence, Siena, Assisi, Urbino, and other medieval hill towns throughout Umbria and Tuscany.
Recreational activities are planned throughout the session. The city also offers facilities for swimming, soccer, weight training, basketball, and tennis.

Facilities

Classes take place in beautiful buildings throughout the historic medieval section of town with abundant, luminous spaces for art, voice, and dance classes. Students live together European collegial–style at the Convento di Sant’Angelo, a gorgeous fifteenth-century convent in the medieval section of Spoleto. The convent has been beautifully renovated, combining the traditions of the past with all of the modern conveniences of today. It has a spacious courtyard and colorful gardens and is only a short walk to the school and the restaurant where the students have their meals.
Italy is known for its cuisine, and the province of Umbria lives up to even the highest of expectations. Breakfast is served each day in the courtyard of the Convento; lunch and dinner are provided by a family-run restaurant in town, with menus highlighting the local Umbrian cuisine.

Staff

Faculty members at Spoleto Study Abroad are distinguished artists and educators from colleges, universities, and secondary schools from the United States and Italy. They are chosen for their extensive knowledge and enthusiasm, their dynamic teaching methods, and their ability to work closely with students.

Medical Care

Spoleto Study Abroad is affiliated with a medical staff that is available to see students who require care. Students needing emergency attention are taken to the closest hospital.

Costs

The comprehensive fee for Spoleto Study Abroad is $5950 per session. This fee includes tuition, all meals, lodging, books, materials, entrance fees for group activities, and all field-trip-related transportation in Italy. Expenses not included are round-trip airfare to Rome, passport fees, travel insurance, and such personal expenses as laundry, snacks, telephone calls, and spending money. Fees are set based on the exchange rate on September 20 of each year. Spoleto Study Abroad reserves the right to make equitable tuition adjustments if the exchange rate varies significantly by June 1 preceding the summer sessions.

Transportation

Specific flights are announced at the time of acceptance into the program. Staff members meet all participants to escort them to Rome on the same international flight. Students are met at Fiumicino Airport in Rome by Spoleto Study Abroad staff members. At the end of the program, students are chaperoned back to the program’s gateway city.

Application Timetable

Inquiries about the program are welcome anytime. Applications can also be downloaded from the Web site at http://www.spoletostudyabroad.com. Applications are due on February 15, 2009. Spoleto Study Abroad accepts late applications as long as space remains available.