Post by Fuyu on Mar 22, 2021 23:10:27 GMT -5
A Brief History
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The site where the academy is located was originally zoned for apartments as part of the the post-WWII rebuilding plans. However, various desputes over logistics and other politics resulted in the project being abandoned, with only one building partially finished, which would eventually become the dormitory building.
Among the political and governmental reforms instituted by the American occupation was the dismantling of the state-imposed media censorship. This lead to a private effort to establish an educational center for the arts in the city. It is believed that a mix of old noble families and businessmen who ran much of the pre-war manufacturing were the ones pressuring the prefectural government, who eventually repurposed the abandoned construction site in Asuwa.
When the Academy first opened its doors in the 1950s, its primary programs were in acting, traditional painting, musical composition, and musical performance. Many graduates would take part in the post-war blossoming of the arts, resulting in increased investments into the school and a broader spectrum of arts taught, adding in culinary, literary, and textile arts to the departments. International students were accepted starting in the 70s, bringing in an even wider selection of talent and cultures, westernizing the school to a degree.
Over the years, the Academy has been quick to adopt new technologies, embrace emerging genres and media, and incorporate digital means of production. As a result, the academy stands both as a vanguard in modern art education as well as a bastion for the preservation of traditional arts.
Among the political and governmental reforms instituted by the American occupation was the dismantling of the state-imposed media censorship. This lead to a private effort to establish an educational center for the arts in the city. It is believed that a mix of old noble families and businessmen who ran much of the pre-war manufacturing were the ones pressuring the prefectural government, who eventually repurposed the abandoned construction site in Asuwa.
When the Academy first opened its doors in the 1950s, its primary programs were in acting, traditional painting, musical composition, and musical performance. Many graduates would take part in the post-war blossoming of the arts, resulting in increased investments into the school and a broader spectrum of arts taught, adding in culinary, literary, and textile arts to the departments. International students were accepted starting in the 70s, bringing in an even wider selection of talent and cultures, westernizing the school to a degree.
Over the years, the Academy has been quick to adopt new technologies, embrace emerging genres and media, and incorporate digital means of production. As a result, the academy stands both as a vanguard in modern art education as well as a bastion for the preservation of traditional arts.
Admissions
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In addition to an academic examination, students have to submit a sample of their work or perform in an audition hosted by the school. Most students tend to submit portfolios of their work, which have included recorded audio, video, transcripts, manuscripts, and even fully-completed works. Students who are accepted by portfolio alone tend to be ones who have a large amount of talent
Auditions are held in autumn for students applying for programs in performance arts. The audition consists of both a impromptu performance dictated by the evaluating panel as well as a performance prepared beforehand by the applicant. It is also rather common, especially for performance art students, to submit both a portfolio as well as perform in an audition to maximize their chances of acceptance, though many students have been accepted who only did one or the other.
The purpose of the auditions is not only to find talented students, but to recognize students who have the potential skills as well. Students who may not have performed well in the prepared portion of the auditions but fared well in the impromptu portion often do still get accepted.
Auditions are held in autumn for students applying for programs in performance arts. The audition consists of both a impromptu performance dictated by the evaluating panel as well as a performance prepared beforehand by the applicant. It is also rather common, especially for performance art students, to submit both a portfolio as well as perform in an audition to maximize their chances of acceptance, though many students have been accepted who only did one or the other.
The purpose of the auditions is not only to find talented students, but to recognize students who have the potential skills as well. Students who may not have performed well in the prepared portion of the auditions but fared well in the impromptu portion often do still get accepted.
The Four-Year Program
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Fukui Academy is unusual in that their programs are four years instead of three. First years are the equivalent to third-year junior high school and second years equivalent to first-year high school students. While some students have found their talents early, most tend to complete their junior high first before attending Fukui - the result is that incoming students tend to be a 50/50 split between first- and second-year students.
Classes
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Due to the wildly varying curriculum between programs, classes are run akin to a collegiate-style system. Certain subjects are studio-style courses (such as dance practices, writing workshops, painting, life drawing, etc.) meet weekly and last several hours per sessions. Other classes, especially the general education classes and some of the art theory classes meet every other day for an hour and fifty minutes. The number of classes a student takes in a given year will vary by their program, but will generally be between six and eight classes.
Each program has its own track of courses for students to complete, though students in their first year and sometimes second year can still switch tracks. All tracks share a 'common' curriculum of mathematics, science, Japanese, English, History, and Physical Education.
Classes run between the hours of 8 AM and 4PM on weekdays, and from 8 AM to 12PM on Saturdays, though Saturdays are often 'open workshop' days, where students are free to make use of school facilities to complete their projects. Students are not necessarily in classes all the time, and certain departments may have facilities open outside of Saturday as well.
Japanese is the official language of the school, with all administrative work and instruction being done in Japanese. However, much of the signage is multilingual, including English, French, and Korean translations. It is not uncommon to walk down one of the hallways or peek into a classroom and hear multiple languages being spoken by both students and staff.
Each program has its own track of courses for students to complete, though students in their first year and sometimes second year can still switch tracks. All tracks share a 'common' curriculum of mathematics, science, Japanese, English, History, and Physical Education.
Classes run between the hours of 8 AM and 4PM on weekdays, and from 8 AM to 12PM on Saturdays, though Saturdays are often 'open workshop' days, where students are free to make use of school facilities to complete their projects. Students are not necessarily in classes all the time, and certain departments may have facilities open outside of Saturday as well.
Japanese is the official language of the school, with all administrative work and instruction being done in Japanese. However, much of the signage is multilingual, including English, French, and Korean translations. It is not uncommon to walk down one of the hallways or peek into a classroom and hear multiple languages being spoken by both students and staff.
Uniform and Attire
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The student's school uniform is a traditional sailor uniform featuring a midnight tone of purple-grey details and a white main top with an even brighter white tie. The skirt is the same tone of purple-grey as on the shirt and is pleated all around. The stripes on the detailing are also white. Summer and Winter uniforms ;differ by length and coverage, though there are no mandates on when to wear which uniform. Due to the various environments students may be in to practice their art, there is no specified uniform footwear, but all footwear must still be closed-toed. Students are not required to wear their uniform outside school hours even if they are on-campus due to the potential safety hazards during workshop hours. Rules regarding alterations to the uniform are fairly lax, with the main stipulation being that the result must still be neat and orderly.
Below is a reference image:
Below is a reference image:
Departments and Major Programs
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- Theatre Arts Department
- Acting - Includes both stage acting and movie acting
- Dance and Choreography
- Theatre and Cinema Production
[li]Musical Arts Department
- Instrumental Performance
- Vocal Performance
- Composition, Songwriting, and Music Theory
[li]Literary Arts Department[/li]
- Creative Writing
- Journalism
- Non-Fiction Writing
- Screenwriting
- Library Science
[li]Visual Arts Department[/li]
- Illustration and Graphics Design
- Painting
- Sculpture and Ceramics
- Photography and Cinematography
- Fashion Design
[li]Culinary Arts Department[/li]
- Culinary Arts
