Urban Gateways Artists Wired

(maia) starting from scratch

Here's what I'm thinking about: Starting from Scratch. 

I have been teaching for some time now, and I have some lessons up my sleeve that I know usually work. A couple of them are based around fairy tales.  I taught a two day workshop this month at Gregory, where I'll be starting an eight week after school program next month, and I decided to work with one of these fairy tale lessons.  Together the students and I list all the fairy tales we can think of.  Sometimes it's rough going.  We get a few Disney movies down and then they're stuck.   

That is how it went with this particular group of students and I began thinking, we really need to start from scratch.  If I truly want to work from a text, we all need to immerse ourselves in it together; short cuts are okay, but the experience won't be as rich or as lasting as it could be.  I can't make assumptions about what material students have read and digested.  This is challenging because it means more reading and more discussing up front which can be less appealing to students than jumping into zip zap zop.

So here on the brink of 2010 and the new schools and lesson planning it brings, I am percolating with how to plan activities that are hands-on and about the art of crafting original bits of writing and theater and at the same time utilize source material that I bring in for the class to experience together.

[Stephanie] "I miss Ms. Sanders."

I'm currently teaching a 2 day/week k-3rd grade hip hop class at Greeley School.  It's my first foray into UG's Community Schools programming and I love it.  In comparison to a shorter residency, it feel less rushed and I love the fact that I have the students for the whole year.  However, I know there are pros and cons to both a shorter residency and this longer community school experience.  Maybe I'll explore that topic for another post but first, I must jump into the main reason for THIS post. 

So, I actually took over this class for fellow UG artist, Vershawn Sanders.  Vershawn unfortunately had to leave because one of the teachers at her studio could no longer teach classes that conflicted with this gig, and as the owner, Vershawn had to step in & cover them. 

On Vershawn's last day (11/23) I shadowed her & then officially took over on Mon, 11/30.  Today (12/14) was my 5th class on my own and I've been feeling really good about things.  I've had their names memorized since day one and feel like my lesson plans have been fun yet educational.  To help ensure a smooth transition I have incorporated some of the games and activities Vershawn introduced to them (shadowing on 11/23 was so beneficial!). 

Fast track to the end of today's class.  I end every class with a "hands in... team on 3!"  The kids dig it & no matter how chaotic of a class we have, it always brings the group back together.  After we put our hands in/ I tell the kids it doesn't matter whose hand is on top,  we yell "team" at the top of our lungs & pump our hand football team style.  Then I hear a quiet voice say "I miss Ms. Sanders."  Ummmm what!?! 

[Kevin] Notation Frustration

"What are we gonna do for the holiday concert? Boom-Cha-BoomDahBoom-Cha??" asked one of my more eager students at Greeley's after school Percussion Club this past Monday. This was the first I had heard about any 'holiday concert' yet I had an immediate answer for him: probably! This bouncy little groove has been part of the class's repertoire since before I arrived. And it's the type of musical passage that every student, regardless of age or background, can perform with relative ease, as it is a basic derivative of every swung hip-hop beat played on the radio since these kids were born. It can be repeated ad nauseum as needed, split into multiple parts (a la drumset), and used as a base for a song structure that includes an intro, outro, and solo features in between. Why wouldn't we use it in the holiday concert?? The only thing that could complicate this otherwise likable and functional rhythm would be... putting it in writing and handing it out as sheet music!

Oh, dreaded musical notation. How you interfere with such harmless fun. How you make even the most natural grooves seem cumbersome. How you demand counts and sticking and rests to be considered in the middle of our jam! How are we supposed to kick a phat beat while staring at you at thinking about all this stuff?

Nine classes into my residency at Greeley, I am realizing that one of the biggest challenges facing my students--and, indeed, me as a teacher--is musical notation.

[John] The Next Big Challenge: Documentation

PART I DOCUMENTATION : The Next Big Challenge

Designing and delivering a solid 7-week residency is tough enough.  It has to maintain energy and excitement, be thought-provoking and challenging, and take students on a journey from start to finish. A good residency pushes young minds, and yet makes them ask for more.  It adds value to their lives, both educational and personal.

But the question we ask ourselves afterward is: did it add value to their lives?  Since it doesn't show up as a grade on a big test, how do we know it achieved what we thought?

So, here comes the next big challenge: Documentation.

Documenting the arts might seem absurd, like that scene in 'Dead Poet's Society' where the students try to graph a poem.

But it is more nuanced than that.  And it is important.  We need a way to tell the story to others and get feedback about what we're doing and how well we're doing it.

So, when Urban Gateways offered their support this year to help artists document our work, I knew I had to take a stab.  I have been an artist on the roster for six years and I hadn't really documented much of anything, other than take some videos of my shows.  It was time to try to get some reflection from my 'customers'.