Your College Application Super Power for Artists (and everyone else)

Mo Hyman Getting Into College, How To, Parent/Educator, Performing Arts, Student Resources, Tips, Visual Arts

The college application process can be challenging, but not if you know what your super power is and how to use it. So you know how X-Man Scott Summers — or Cyclops — has these really powerful laser eyes that he can’t control until he puts on those glasses that kind of look like the ones Geordi La Forge from …

5 Things to Never Say to Your Bandmates: Tips for Playing in a Band

Ben Muller Career Advice, Getting Started, Getting Started, Music, Performing Arts, Tips

Being in a band can be tough. Learning how to work well with your bandmates is essential. Getting better as a group, from recording to playing live to writing songs, takes patience and time. After playing in a regularly gig-ing band for three years, my bandmates and I learned how to work together effectively, and naturally, we learned some things …

The CSSSA College Connection Visits Bennington College

Brennan Dignan Music, Performing Arts, Sponsors, Student Resources

Meet Isabel, CSSSA 2012 Los Angeles native Isabel Wing attended the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) music program in 2012. If you asked her in high school if she would end up in rural Vermont for college she would have said it wasn’t even on her radar.  Isabel came to CSSSA when she ran across an advertisement for the …

5 Surprising Facts About Voice Over Acting

Marshall Ayers Acting, Career Advice, Getting Started, Getting Started, Performing Arts, Tips

Breaking into voice over acting can be tough. Benita Scheckel shares a few surprising tips for working in this competitive field. 1. Less is more. The days of an actor being coveted for his or her ability to perform 20-30 wacky voices, in Looney Toons fashion, are mostly gone. Animation and commercial copy writers, more often than not, are asking …

3 Ways To Know What College Admissions Are (Really) Trying to Tell You

Brennan Dignan Performing Arts, Student Resources, Visual Arts

College Admissions for Performing and Visual Arts Students by the CSSSA Foundation Bridge to College Program. Imagine you are at the beach and start to wade out into the ocean. You get about waist deep and notice a huge wave coming toward you. What do you do? You take a deep breath and dive into the wave. Well, that is …

Top 5 Tips for Portfolio Reviews

Rebecca Tuynman Drawing, Student Resources, Visual Arts

If you’re a student thinking about applying to art school, it’s that time of year: portfolio reviews. Whether you are going to a college fair or having an admissions appointment at a school, you will need to bring a portfolio of artwork to show to the admissions representative. As Education Manager at Ryman Arts I’ve overseen ten years of college fairs, …

CSSSA People – Pablo Lopez

Heidi Kershaw Acting, College, Conservatory, High School, Performing Arts, Performing Arts, Playwriting, Sponsors, Summer Program

“Being an artist is such a lucky thing to be.” Meet Pablo! Pablo Lopez attended the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Theater program in 2012. As a high school student, he didn’t know what to expect from the experience, but he was open to whatever was going to happen that summer. He admits, “Little did I know …

Career Pathways in Arts And Technology With Eddie Lee

Marshall Ayers 3D (Gaming & Printing), Career Advice, Get a Life in the Arts, High School, Internships, Sponsors, Student Resources, Visual Arts

You like music. You like art. You like tech. How can you learn what a career pathway in the arts and technology is really like while you are still in high school? Take a play from Eddie Lee. Eddie was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He has a deep passion for real-time graphics technology and a fascination in …

4 Things to Know About Marketing Your Band

Marshall Ayers Beyond, Branding, Getting Started, Getting Started, Music, music management, Performing Arts, Practical Advice, Tips

The New Rockwells share four things they have learned about effectively marketing your band. This article is being published in partnership with Soundfly in celebration of #BetterBand week! Friends from college, musicians, composers and now out in the world making their way, with their indie-rock band The New Rockwells, Ben Muller and Marty Boyle got together and drilled down their …