me arts ed

Hallelujah Chorus!!!!!!!!!!!

I received an email yesterday from my recently retired amazing teacher sister in law. The subject line read: Video – Flash Mob crowd sings Hallelujah Chorus – A Must Watch Video – National Cultural Trends. I thought, hmmmmmmm… wonder what this is about?! I love the Hallelujah chorus and was a bit nervous it was going to be something that makes a mess of the beautiful piece. I have fond memories of singing in the chorus with arts educator Mr. Benjamin Censullo during my four years in high school. In fact, I can close my eyes and be right back there on my high school auditorium stage with Mr. Censullo leading us in the Hallelujah chorus.

When I opened the email and put my headset on so as not to disturb my colleagues in the other cubicles at the Department, I was pleasantly surprised and wanted to pop up out of my seat and join in! I think you might agree with me that watching it is a GREAT way to start off the holiday. If I were teaching I would definitely share it with my students. And, if you are anything like me about this piece, get the tissues before hitting the play button.

I don’t especially care for shopping at the mall and certainly don’t enjoy all the crowds of people shopping at this time of year. However, if I could be at the mall when this happened I would be soooooooooooo excited I couldn’t contain myself. If you’d prefer not waiting for the video to load you can click here. It loads very quickly compared to the link below (on my computer anyway).

Once Upon A Mattress

Art teacher, Charlie Johnson emailed me to tell that he enjoyed reading the piece Kim Murphy wrote for the program of Camden Hills Regional High School “Once Upon A Mattress” performance. He also informed me that Mount Desert Island High School students performed the same musical this fall and how the interests of over 50 students involved came together.

Thank you Charlie for your short description:

“The fall musical at Mount Desert Island High School was a beautiful thing to behold, but the real beauty for arts education was the collaboration and hard work that went on behind the scenes. The music students who comprise the pit orchestra, the dance students who choreograph and share their abilities with others, the visual arts students who design, construct and paint the sets and of course the theater students who learn their lines and love to play before a live audience all work together. The fall musicals that take place around the state are a true collaboration of all the arts disciplines and of arts eduction at its best.”

Teachers’ Views on Technology in the Classroom

The New York Times asked teachers to submit videos showing how they use technology in their classrooms and of course, have posted some of the videos which you can view by clicking here. You can read the related article which is available at the page with the videos. I suggest you watch the video with art teacher Audrey Miller from Oceanside High School in New York.

Student artists honored at the Blaine House

Article in Village Soup about the art exhibit being held in Augusta. Students were honored recently at the Blaine House.  Please click here for the article that was published on November 22nd.

"Under the Sea"

T-Mobile Welcome Back

Below is another one of those awesome on the spot type of performance. Thanks to Carol Trimble for sharing this one with me so I could share it with you. It certainly is a lifting experience and timely with what has been in the news recently about flying. These passengers were arriving at Heathrow Airport and were in for a surprise. They were greeted by a host of British a cappella talent, including ‘The Swingle Singers’, ‘The Boxettes’, ‘The Vocal Orchestra’ and ‘The Magnets’. No instruments were used here. I think it would be so much fun to be welcomed this way… Enjoy!

Stopped in to see Camden-Rockport Middle School students recording CD

While I was in Camden last Saturday I stopped by the Strom Auditorium while the middle school students were recording a holiday CD. I know many of you record CD’s with your students but middle school music educator Allysa Anderson who teaches chorus and general music added a twist to this learning opportunity.

Before Saturday Allysa’s 185 chorus students got a glimpse of the world of musicians and recording professionals. Students were exposed to music technology, production, and sound engineering. The purpose was to educate and inspire students so they can consider a career in the music industry. Along with learning about the “behind the scenes” aspects of making music they also had their voices professionally recorded for the CD.

The project is funded by Youth Arts which supports a variety of arts based projects in grades K-12 in Camden-Rockport. This project started in September when students visited the Main Street Music Studios in Bangor. There they saw all aspects of the business and had the chance to create sample recordings. They visited with experts in string and brass instruments and learned about their jobs and how they got where they are today.

Last Saturday the 6th, 7th and 8th grade chorus made their final recordings at the Strom. The Bangor studio will mix and master the collection and duplicate the CDs for the sale but the students will assemble the final product. Sales of the CD will benefit the chorus department at the Camden-Rockport Middle School. If you are interested in purchasing the $10 CDs please contact Elena Hamilton at 236-0396.

This is a first for Allysa and from what I could see and hear it was a SUCCESS….                CONGRATULATIONS Allysa!

Traditions

I love the traditions on Thanksgiving! My family is waking from their Thanksgiving naps after a feast. It must be time for pie! I had to quick take this photo of it before my older son cuts into it while my younger son makes the whipped cream. Thank goodness we went for an early morning walk in the cold so we could eat a lot of delicious turkey and all the fixings! We’re counting our blessings today that we have food on the table and wood stacked in the garage for the winter. By the sounds of tomorrow’s weather forecast, stacking the wood yesterday wasn’t a day to soon!

I hope you had a lovely day wherever you spent the holiday!

North Haven Arts & Enrichment and North Haven Community School

One of the 2010 Imagination Intensive Community sites is North Haven Community. I was thrilled to hear from music teacher Courtney Naliboff about their fall presentation of Alice in Wonderland. Thank you to Courtney for providing the information for this blog post.

This fall, North Haven Arts & Enrichment and North Haven Community School presented Alice in Wonderland!  Adapted from the Florida Freibus and Eva La Gallienne script, this production featured live music by eighth grader Megan Goodell, performed by an orchestra of middle and high school students and community members, many of whom also acted in the play.  The scenery, masks and puppets were designed and constructed by local artist David Wilson, using newspaper and foamcore as the primary materials.  The goal was to use common objects to create a feeling of impermanence in the dreamworld of the show.  Kat Manock Alexander designed and constructed the costumes, building from a theme of black and white and expanding into rich color for Alice and her sister.  Flying objects in and out of scenes, as well as Louis Carrier’s high-contrast light design contributed to the surreality of the production.  All the performances were well attended, and the community response was terrific!

Gobble, gobble, gobble

As I plan my Thanksgiving meal I am grateful for so much! Most importantly knowing that my family will be together on Thursday! I am thankful to live in Maine where I saw four deer during the past week, tonight a set of twins on the way home on this rainy, damp evening. I sense that the weather is changing and that there could be snow in the next week. I am looking forward to my world being white, it puts a smile on my face and I am grateful. I am grateful for friends who share holiday wishes and open their hearts to the goodness in the world.

I am grateful for the work arts educators do for Maine students, each and every day. We know that the music and art rooms, the dance studios and the stages are where many students come alive and reach their fullest potential. Thank you for the incredible offerings that each of you bring to students.

As I thought about a Thanksgiving wish for each of you I found this poem written by Melody Beattie…

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance,
chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home,
a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Three turkeys gobbling

ARTICLES

Schools Integrate Dance Into Core Academics written by Erik W. Robelen, published online November 16, 2010.

Finding the ‘Courage to Teach’ written by Kenneth J. Bernstein, published online in Teacher Magazine, November 17, 2010.

BLOGS

Starting Artists, a highly creative blog. Their motto is “Get inspired. Get creative. Get to work!”

Artsblog

YouTube- You Need to be an Arts Advocate

Taken from the Student Advocates for the Arts webpage.