Tiny Conductor

I adore this video! This would be a wonderful Arts Integration exercise with many different age groups - all they need is a prop baton and a small box to stand on. I can imagine a group of kids doing this along with a conductor (for a smaller section of music). What a great way to learn about rhythm, movement, and emotion in music (as well as exposure to classical music)  Questions about how the music made them feel sitting and listening in comparison to standing and "conducting" could also be great!

Anyways, It was to great not to share - the pure laughter and enjoyment at the end made my day!

Review of Online Arts Integration Conference

Review of online Arts Integration Conference!

On July 29th a number of the AIM teaching artists got together to view an arts integration  Conference. This, I feel was a great way to get our creative juices flowing and observe how many different artists integrated their disciplines into the classroom.

I found the dance/movement integration to be particularly compelling, as they were not only utilizing dance, but also simple character creation in order for the students to become, for example, the cycles of rain fall.  This got me thinking about how important it is to consider your art in it's simplest forms, and how uncomplicated exercises can have the ability to solidify important educational concepts.

By this I mean that there is no great character analysis, no need to understand or explain elements of theater to have kids participate in an exercise in which they become the H2O in all of it's different forms and perform a dance/performance that, I know in my own childhood, would have made the process much more memorable than reading it in a book

I look forward to viewing more of the sessions. I think they will also serve as inspiration along this journey, when, as it inevitably happens, there are creative frustrations and detours.

Week #1 Aug 18th 2015

On Tuesday, August 18th I met with the Third Grade Team at Oaklawn Elementary!

                    

Lisa Jasper Mayer

Cindy Paulson

Elizabeth Schuster

 We had a great time and got a lot of work accomplished. They really wanted to focus in on History this first semester, which was exciting for me, (and allayed some of my nervousness about this first go-around) as history has been my focus in my work at the Minnesota Historical Society (duh) as well as at the Wilson Place Mansion here in Menomonie.

When we originally met during our three day academy, there were many ideas that were thrown around.  I am glad that my team, like me, although excited about the breadth of ideas, were intent on focusing down to core ideas and really getting specific as to what we were looking to do, and how theater/theatrical techniques could best supplement and compliment their goals.

We narrowed down our 'Big Idea':

Character, Empathy, Identity

We also broke down how our first semester would look.
1. Theater games for the first week or so, introducing the idea of creating a character. Really acting 101. I am excited to get the kids thinking about how they already do this in their day-to-day lives, and also to challenge them to think critically about how they use their powers of observation daily without even thinking about it. (games: power point with pop culture references to "guess the emotion" "Round Robin" character creation, The Mirror Game)

2. We then discussed doing a "History Rock Star" exercise. This is a way for the students to think about character and observation as a way to get to know people/music/style/etc. from the past.  We will pick decades, and have the students research a song/band and lip sync as a group performance for each other. I am thinking 40's or 50's through the 90's. (Age and Lyric appropriateness will be vetted beforehand!). This exercise will be a good next step towards our next project. (And SUPER FUN!!)

Punk Rock!!

Classic Rock!

80's Hair Bands!!

3. After Halloween, when the students begin there American History lessons, we will then begin work on our "Living Timeline" where the students will pick, era by era, a work of art, photo or event that they feel is important to that era,  re-create it (a'la Tableau) and then bring it to life with a short scene.

What are they thinking?? We'll find out!

This is the plan thus far, as well as my working with the students during their read to self time in small groups(we are still discussing what this will look like)

We will see how this changes and morphs - as we know it will- as we move along.

I am just so excited to work with and learn from these wonderful educators!!! As well as to be inspired by the students!!

Addendum: This is a video I just saw from U. W Madison, About students working with Mindfulness, and I loved it. I certainly hope to incorporate some of this into our daily classroom routine!

One Memorable Day

As I contemplated what to call this blog - a record of my experiences as a teaching artist with Arts Integration Menomonie (A.I.M) - I remembered a passage I read the night before we began our kick-off 3 day A.I.M Academy.

"That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day."

Charles Dickens 

Great Expectations

I love that line. As an artist and an aesthete the beauty of seeing a journey as a chain, whether it be iron or gold, thorns or flowers, was compelling.

Preparing for a journey to begin the next day, I could't help but wonder about the chain we would be forging, artists and educators together, as well as how the very next day would be "the formation of the first link on one memorable day."

We have, of course, Great Expectations: visions and dreams of how we will integrate the arts into the very core of our community - our schools.

My expectations are many: excitement, frustration, hard work, laughter, collaboration and learning.

Link by link we shall see how it grows.

An Aside: The actress in me also just loves this story - I hope someday to wander my house like this... you know... for drama...