Another Post From Canada!

Hey, it's Katah again!
This time, I'm going to talk about extracurricular activities in Canada. We always have afterschool clubs, and teams meeting. The big thing at my school is music. When you're involved in music, it's like getting a get-out-of-jail-free card in Monopoly. Our choir has 75 people, and our orchestra has about 65 people in it. You can miss classes for rehearsal; you can walk around in the halls during the times of day where you can't walk in the halls, especially if you're carrying a music stand. Even if it's during the announcements or the national anthem. Music teachers will let you by into the halls when other students can't get in. You can miss full days of school for performances. It's a double-standard. Music is emphasized so much that we have a program called the Shazam or SHSM (Specialist High Skills Major). It means that we "major" in the arts in some way. Meaning you can take 2 musics, or combine drama (which is equally big), dance, or visual art in with it and get a special diploma when you graduate. We also offer a Shazam in business and accounting (which my twin sister is involved in). I am involved in the vocal music part. Our choir is one of the top choirs in Ontario, and ranks in the Nationals yearly. We are pretty good, if I do say so. We have 2 meetings a week, one after school and one during lunch. The rest of the time, we rehearse at home or in class, if we are enrolled in a vocal music class. The orchestra works the same way, except they have 3 rehearsals every week, 3 after school. The other half of my Shazam is dramatic arts. I just finished a class called Playwrighting. Because it's an arts course, it counts towards my credits for Shazam. In that we had to write scenes, skits, monologues, and our final assignment was a one act play that we had to present to our friends and family. It was a great experience. My drama class is unconventional to say the least. Our teacher is very vocal on the fact that if we are not going to pay attention, we are free to leave, and that "Life is not a dress rehearsal". I never have really got that. I think he means that we can't have do-overs, and that we need to be professional. Our class also has no desks or chairs. We sit on the floor. The floor is teired, sloping down to the stage. At the back of the class are all of the props and costumes, but as playwrights, we never use them. Most of my work was completely independent; I was free to leave and work on my assignment where I wished, which was what I did. I probably was there only half of the time, I got full attendance though. :-) To say the least, the program at my school is very unconvential, and is well, downright awesome. The one thing we have learned is that if we do not take our programs seriously, we are free to leave or get kicked out of the program altogether. Being in such an independent program is one of those things that requires hardwork, dedication, and responsibility.