Hand Games with Leland -1 When it comes to teaching children, the arts is a good way to help children want

to interact more with the subject being covered in the class. You must engage the student and make what you are teaching fun and/or interesting for them. One way to engage them would be to imply a hand game while telling a story or by playing counting games with blocks or sticks. Adding rhythm to a story will grab the childs attention and help them to maybe understand the story better. For instance, putting a story as simple as Mary Had a Little Lamb to a certain rhythmic pattern and changing up the story a bit will make children laugh and also enjoy what they are listening to. In this class, Leland Clarke taught much about how to interact the children into all activities involving their education. He told the class to close our eyes and listen to the pattern he was creating with his hans slapping against his knees. After he was finished many tried to attempt to re-create what they had heard, which made this activity fun. Many had foaled attempts but few could do what he tried to teach, but after a little practice everyone was able to do the task. He later had us sit in a circle and taught us a game that involved sticks and blocks, which could in-turn be used as a team building exercise in which students have to pass the sticks/blocks to the person next to them in a certain time. Music and Community with Marianne Adams In many communities the arts are being stripped from school systems, which are removing the creativity needed for children to develop into well-rounded adults. Music, as one form, can teach children skills for life but also information and facts that may be needed for class. For instance, the Schoolhouse Rock movies are targeted to teach children about different aspects of the school curriculum such as Science, Mathematics, and History. Music programs are not only fun for teachers, but also make their jobs easier because the children are more inclined to take part in the lessons. In the students minds they think they are having fun, but in reality they are teaching tools that will last longer in a childs memory. Arts are a window to show children information but they are also a mirror, in which children see themselves accomplishing something. The class viewed the movie, Rhythm of Learning, which focused on the Boston Music Education Collaborative and its advocacy for music in the schools. They help rebuild choral and instrumental programs all

over the city so that children can have a creative output in schools. One program this organization established is the Godparent program, where one symphony member will work with students throughout their time in elementary school. In the classroom, teachers begin to integrate their regular lessons and relying on the music teachers in their school to help. In one school, a teacher did a unit on the life of the butterfly and its stages of growth throughout its life. Many items were used to help the children remember certain parts such as percussion instruments and songs about the different stages. The message throughout the movie was that the children do not only learn factual information from these music infused lessons, but also life lessons that will last for a long time. Handbells with Leland Clarke-2 Music is a piece of art that can motivate just about anyone. Playing Mozart on a womans pregnant belly is supposed to help with the pregnancy and teach help the child development early on. In the elementary school ages, children are beginning to develop their learning skills and music teachers can help that effort. Choosing the music or activity a teacher may use in the classroom is the hard decision. A teacher will need to find a common denominator between all of the students, something they can all do. For example, small hand bells are a good musical device to use. Every student is different in their strengths and weaknesses, so one must be ready to not single anyone out. Each child will have a different note with their specific bell and the teacher will point at the child when their note must be rung, along with the music. Children will be focused on hitting their note at the right time allowing them to learn focus and it will also help them learn hand-eye coordination. Leland Clarke, came back for a second visit to our class and this time taught us how to use hand bells. Leland was focusing on how to teach the children the correct way with something that could potentially be a hard subject matter for a certain age. By using humor, the teacher is allowed to keep the focus of the children but also instilling some fun into class. Leland told the class that the teacher must be patient with music and hand bells because not every student can learn at the same level. The music must be taken slowly because reading music does not happen at the blink of an eye, it takes a lot of time and practice to learn how to do. When a child looks at a sheet of music for the first time, all they may see a bunch of lines with circles

on them. A teacher must be able to clearly explain how to read it and with time the child will come to understand how to read music, being able to complete the task of ringing the bells. Music Selections with Classmates Prior to this class, all the students were told to make selections of music that we thought described ourselves or our favorite song. When we arrived at class, Marianne placed a large piece of white paper onto each table with coloring implements so that we could doodle or color while we listened. Each student stood in front of the class when it was their turn and they would describe what the music meant to them. As each new song played I began to feel different things or slipped into a different mood, with that my drawings changed. Personally, I chose the song Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked because it holds a special meaning to me. It has a message that I live by: defy the odds, do the unthinkable, and be yourself. Allowing students to bring their own pieces of music together into one class collaboration, may open their eyes and help them discover new possibilities. Music Therapy with Gretta Bro-3 In life, many people have faced tremendous hardships that ma have caused them physical or mental disabilities. Thought there are many ways to help these unfortunate people heal, music can soothe the soul and help them find their inner peace. Music is sometimes said to come from within the body of a person and therefore can be put back into the body, to heal what has been taken. Sound Healing is a form of music therapy that uses the vibration and rhythm of the music to move energy to heal the illness. Many societies from the ancient world like the Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese people would use this sort of healing in their medical practices. This form of therapy has been passed down from generation to generation and can lift a persons emotions to help them with sickness. During this class, Greta Bro taught the class on how she uses music to help the terminally ill feel better or to lift their emotions. She talked about a persons shakra, which are the 7 different wheels of light in a persons body, and how people used music to manipulate these in a person. One instrument Greta used during class was a singing bowl, a large glass bowl which when a wooden instrument is rubbed around the rim makes a loud, low ringing noise. The sound that this

instrument makes, can be felt throughout the body and gravitates toward the parts that need healing. This type of music can be used in a classroom, when teaching the children a unit on medical illness. They can learn that there are not only types of medical operations that can heal someone, but also others like music. Photography with Jean Howard When studying photography, you are not only studying the act of taking photos but also the other types. One type would be creating photograms, a picture that uses objects placed over a paper to create a photo. These pieces of art can be very simple but also very complex, intricate, or difficult to understand because they may not be what the seem. Man Ray was the creator of photograms, he created works of art known as Rayograms. These were the first photograms created so they were very primitive depicting the simple outlines of the items in his photo. As time went on, people began to realize that different materials gave the pictures different textures and began to create very skilled pictures with simple materials. When Jean came to visit, the class was split into two separate groups which did two opposite activities that involved photography. The first group worked with Jean creating their very own photograms using items they may have brought from their homes or the items that were supplied. One picture used a silly band, some leaves, and a graded wrap to create a sort of underwater scene within the piece. As this group worked, the other group looked at professional photographs from different artist. While looking at the photos the students chose one to look at more in depth, trying to get at the real meaning of the piece. Students answered questions like: What is the feeling you get in the piece?, did the photographer use a certain technique make something the focus of the piece?, and how does this piece effect your personal being? Paste Paper with Marianne Adams In this class, students were allowed to create their own pieces of art called paste paper. On each table was set buckets full of a paste made of a mixture of rice flour and water, that would be used as the paint. Also on the table were implements like brushes, lego blocks, metal rings, and combs to use to create texture in the painting. The paste was mixed with different colors of acrylic paint so that the students could create different settings if they wished or just abstract

looking paintings. Before being able to put the paste on the paper, the students first had to complete wet a piece of paper which made it easy for the paste to stick to the paper. This activities could be used in a classroom because not only is it a fun activity that children would overly enjoy, but also can teach the children how to use regular house hold items in creative ways. It helps develop a creative output in the classroom and establishes some imagination in the children's minds. Art for Children with Marianne Adams When children are growing and developing, they are in need of a creative output in their daily lives. Today generally, if a school needs to make budget cuts the art programs are the first to be cut and if so regular teachers must also be able to teach the basic steps in art. Children need to know the different types of art, what a primary color is, and how mixing these colors can create new and exciting colors. Art is not only a creative output for children but also stimulates selfexpression, fine motor skills, observation, and reflection. By creating art, children can process and reflect on the world they live in easier. It also gives children an easier way to convey their work or feelings to others. Along with art therapy, children are allowed to let their feelings out and/or tell a story that they may be afraid to speak of. During this class, Marianne taught the students on how to use art with children. She told the class of how children can use art in many ways, not only to create something artistic. An easy way to incorporate art into a classroom would be using historical heroes, holidays, or beliefs as the overall theme for a day. In this class, students created a story map after hearing a Vietnamese folk tale about monsoons. The children do not only have to create an actual map but can make it look like a comic strip or a collage of different scenes. Not only does it let the children be creative but implies that they remember what happened in the story and also how to work within a team. The class also worked on a project that told of a New Year tradition, talking about genies that live in tress in Vietnam. By using calligraphy ink, a small straw, tissue paper, and glue, the class was able to create their own trees. This is another way a historical story can be taught in with a creative side to it. Environmental Art with Marianne Adams In our world today, many people compromise the beauty that

surrounds us everyday. They only see it as something we live on, but everything we see, feel, hear, taste, and smell can be a work of art. Andrew Goldsworthy is an environmental artist and creates his masterpieces entirely out of nature and what surrounds him. He feels that nature is one of the most beautiful parts of life and even though his art may be demolished after a while, it was still worth creating beauty. When teaching a course of nature and the change of the seasons, children may find it fundamental to take a trip to the outdoors and create their very own masterpiece. It can teach them how even though something may seem lie nothing, it can be turned into a work of art. In this class, Marianne talked of how art is all around even though it may not be seen right away. Art does not just mean using a camera, paint and paintbrushes, or clay; you can use things much simple and less expensive than any of that. Nature is one of the biggest resources that surrounds you in the world and can easily be used in an art project. The class took a trip across campus into the park and was told to make art out of what surrounded them. Many people picked leaves off trees, took acorns from the ground, and rocks from the dust to create their own masterpieces. Young students may need a break from always working in the classroom and taking them on a trip outside will give them that break. Being outside can keep a child interested in the topic and more focused on finishing their creation. Museum of Fine Arts Tour with Marjorie Hall When looking for an outside of school experience for children to learn in, a museum can be a very interesting place to choose. A museum can range in different aspects as science, art, history, and even entertainment. Here in Boston, we have our very own Museum of Fine Arts. At the museum there is a range of art work dating back to the 14th century and leading up until the present day. This museum focuses on a range of artist like Pablo Picasso and Rembrandt van Rijn. When visiting a museum, children can learn much about not only the time period when the artwork was created, but also about the artist themselves. Linking school activities to a visit to a museum is a great way to get children involved in their schoolwork. During this class, we took a trip to visit the Museum of Fine Arts and had a guided tour by Marjorie Hall. Marjorie is a professor of Humanities at Wheelock College and loves to study the art of

different time periods. As she guided the tour through the museum, the class viewed many different portraits/paintings that covered all different techniques. Some painters used oil bases, while others used egg tempera for their paint. As the tour continued the technicality of the art became more and more rigid with features of the focus and also some background imaging. An example piece of work would be Rembrandts Artist in his Studio. This painting depicts an artist in the background of his studio looking at the easel, which conquers the foreground. The artist used many different techniques to capture the viewers attention by bring a focal point to the back of the easel. When working with students, a teacher may have a questionnaire for them to fill out as they see the different pieces of art. This will then help students remember the pieces better and be able to relate them back to the classroom. Spatial Devices with Erica Licea-Kane When teaching children about art, they have to learn that not everything needs to look exactly right. Many artist nowadays like to paint, draw, and photograph pieces in abstract ways. Painters may begin to paint a portrait of a person and decided to rearrange their facial features or a photographer may take many photos and decide to splice them together. Children many times focus only on what is real and what looks like the world that surrounds them, so they may think an abstract piece of art is out of the ordinary or confusing. Teaching children to understand this type of art form, will also teach them to create their own different ways of creating a project. In this class, Erica asked each student to bring in a 5x8 black and white picture of a landscape. Using tracing paper, each student traced rough outlines of their pictures, so that they could cut them out. Using the paste paper that the each student created in a previous class with Marianne, they cut out different colors and shapes to create their own abstract landscape. By cutting out the right colors, the students created what looked like the original picture that they chose. Erica implemented the basic teaching skills of giving younger students a hands on activity that could be taught in a geography class, that mixes in art. Color/Painting with John Burkett During this class, John introduced the primary colors to the class: red, yellow, and blue. He then explained that when you mix colors,

you use the subtractive color theory which states the you subtract waves of light with the more colors that you add. The class then took four black white cards and painted three of them with each primary color. After painting these, John told the class to mix the three colors together so that they could create a neutral gray color which would then be used as a background for the other three colors. After pasting small cut outs of the primary colors to the gray background, John explained that each color has its own complementary color: redgreen, yellow-violet, and blue-orange. He then explained to the class how the eyes view colors through the rods and cones, which see light, dark, and detect the color. Children should learn about the primary colors because it is the basis of all visual arts and allows them to also learn about their body. Introduction to Theater with Marianne Adams Theater has been in throughout history for as long as human kind could talk. Starting out as story telling, the stories and folktales of the past were told from generation to generation. Theses stories would connect the human experience with the supernatural beliefs of different cultures. An important society that was a basis for popular theater today would be the Greeks. They would place their political views within the plays to relay messages to the citizens. Gods would come down from above the stage and teach the humans a message, but soon the gods were in the background and their interactions with the humans were in bad ways. After the fall of Rome, the church began to overrule the theater and taught religious views in the plays. Many different societies soon began to place theater into their culture like in Indonesia and Africa. Today, theater is used as a form of enjoyment for many people in American and throughout the world. It covers many topics including those of childrens stories like the Walt Disney movies. During this class, Marianne taught the students the background information on how theater came to be an art form in life. She discussed how theater began and how it developed over the years. The students also participated in three types of theater activities that involved thinking and moving around. The first exercise was passing a movement and sound around in a circle, the second exercise was creating a frozen scene describing a place as if you were in a post card, and the third exercise was when the group had to act out the place they were in. These exercises are fun to play with children

because it gets them thinking, but also allows them to move about the room. Using theses exercises in the classroom would be an easy task because the teacher may be able to incorporate a geography lesson, asking the kids to act out the area they are studying. Directing with Jane Staab Teaching this class was Jane Staab, who is one of the founders of the Wheelock Family Theater and also the director of many of the theaters shows. Jane began the class asking one simple question: what does a director do? She discussed how a direct will cast a show, how they create the settings and scenery, develop the concept for the show, and many more aspects. She also talked about how to effectively stage a show, so that it looks pleasing to the audience. The class discussed how the audience should always know where the focal point in a scene is and how that can be changed. Jane then had some students read a scene from Arthur Millers The Crucible and staged it so that the class could see how to accomplish this. Movement with Ilyse Robbins-Mohr In todays world, many children are not active enough in their lives. Technology has become a popular activity with people and sometimes consumes their lives. Children today are becoming increasingly obese and adults need to start thinking about what they are going to do to prevent that. A way for an arts teacher to help institute some exercise in their classes is by using dance and movement. Dancing can be easily implemented into a classroom because a teacher can use any type of music and make the movements fun. Children love to get up and move around especially when they have something to move to, which will not only get the students involved but interested in what they are doing. In this class, Ilyse talked of how dance has been in peoples cultures since the beginning of time. It was not always complex movements to music, but was once a form of story telling and a way to convey a message. The first exercise that the class did was spell their names by using dance. Ilyse told the class to make sure that the movements flowed to make it look unique and by changing positioning they could look complex. The second activity involved taking the children story Where The Wild Things Are, and creating an interpretive dance that covered the beginning of the story. Students took different roles as the main protagonist, vines, trees, water, and

even a boat. This technique could be used in the classroom to make reading a story more interesting for the students and it also gets them to actively learn. Drama for Children With Marianne Adams In any classroom, a teacher must be animated and must be interested in the topic that they are teaching. If children do not feel that their teacher knows what they are doing, they will not be invested in their studies. A perfect way to achieve this is implementing drama into the classroom. By letting the children act certain things out, they will be abel to process their feelings and think of ways to problem solve situations. Teachers can make these activities story-based or cooperative games, so that the children experience them on their feet. Allowing children to get up, move around, and actively participate gives them a reason to think about what they are doing and apply to their knowledge. In class, Marianne talked of how using drama in a classroom was a very fun experience for both the teacher and the students. Children need an outlet in school to have fun or else they will become bored and will have outburst. The class was able to experience what type of activities a teacher could use, like using people to make objects. Marianne split the class into a few groups of 5 people and gave them a card with an object on it. Each group was told to make that object using each person and the other members of the class had to guess what they were. Another activity was acting out a story, where the teacher reads a story adn the children must act out a certain part. For this Marianne read us The Rough-Faced Girl by Rafe Martin, which is a Indian folktale much like Cinderella. Two students were picked to be characters in the book and had to walk around while everyone shouted things at them. Being able to do this with little children allows them to feel what the characters feel and sets the what they read in their mind. Teachers are enabling children to learn about their readings in class better with this activity. Poem Reading with Marianne Adams When reading poems, some people do not fully understand the true meaning to them because they are not reading fully into the messages. During this class, the group did dramatic readings, a reading of a poem or story in a dramatic way usually in readers theater, of different poems. Marianne had the class read a poem

together entitled Sick by Shel Silverstein. Each classmate was told to read a different section of the poem, but some read certain lines together. Then the class was broken up into separate groups and given their own poems, where each had to create a dramatic reading to present to the group. Allowing children to take part in reading a story or poem as a groups makes the subject more interesting and fun for the class.