School Christmas Concerts

Explained in my previous post, I loooove the Christmas Holidays. One very important part of that are the Christmas concerts that the schools put on for friends and families. Sadly today, because of teacher strikes, etc. the concerts are not what they used to be in many schools. When I was in elementary school however, my favourite part of the year was when the whole school would be preparing for the concert. It took over 1 month of planning, all the classes had their own song and dance routine, each class had specific roles for either decorating, setting up, etc. There were try-outs for different roles. This is what I loved the most, that these Christmas Concerts were not just concerts, but performances. There was a script, a story line, costumes, characters, and more.
The picture you see above was the story of the Christmas concert in my 6th grade of elementary school. I was awarded the role of Mrs. Claus, who when Santa goes on vacation in December, must help save Christmas. This was a moment in my childhood I will always remember. As a child I was not very "artsy". I played the trumpet (much to my parents dismay), but my sister was the one who inherited the artistic genes in the family. So when I got the opportunity to share some of my artistic side with others, I was so excited!
That is what I love about Christmas Concerts, they provide the opportunity for so many students the ability to express themselves in ways they normally would never have the chance to do. I hope that at the school I work later on in my career, to help bring back some of the Holiday magic and excitement into the Christmas Concerts. These concerts provide artistic expression in music, dance, visual arts, and drama. All are combined together into one fantastic night when we can celebrate our students and children's achievements together.

Deck the Halls!......with student art

I love the holidays!! They are so much fun to teach and to celebrate with family, friends, students and our schools. One thing that is important to keep in mind is to be respectful of all the students today who do not celebrate Christmas, but other holidays as well. Many families celebrate other occasions over the month of December, or may not celebrate anything at all. Even if all the students in your class do celebrate Christmas, it is important to have them be aware of other traditions around the world. One thing I enjoyed doing with my own class in elementary school was to learn about the different ways Christmas is celebrated around the world, as well as other holidays. 

One thing that inspired me seeing this project was to have students, or a class in the school, all create Christmas trees inspired by a different place in the world and how they celebrate Christmas, or different December holidays. These could be displayed around the halls in the school to decorate the school in the Holiday Spirit!!

source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/176414510376771432/

Class Inquiry Project - We've all got the Beiber Fever!!!

For our last class assignment, we got into groups to complete an inquiry project on the Canadian artist of our choice. Our group took a different route in terms of this project, choosing a young Canadian artist that has become famous throughout the world, the one and only Justin Bieber. Now many people roll their eyes when they hear that name, and so you may question the choice to do an academic university assignment on this artist. But when I picture the students we will be teaching, and from past experiences in the classroom, so many of our students are enthralled by Justin Bieber. So why wouldn't we want to use their interest to teach valuable lessons?
Today it can be very difficult to keep our students engaged. So much of the material that is required to teach to our students comes across very dry and boring for students. It is our job to put this material into a fun and engaging way so our students pay attention and will help them learn the material more easily (hopefully any ways!).
So it may seem humorous to do an artistic presentation about Justin Bieber, but there are so many positive things we can teach our students about him. Although he may not be the greatest role model now, you can discuss what things may or may not make him the greatest role model for students. You can also discuss the fact that Bieber was a regular boy who was discovered on YouTube and became famous in a whirlwind and now travels the world. And of course you are still incorporating Canadian content as well.
No matter what we do, we are going to be hearing about these artists, from Justin Bieber to One Direction, Lady Gaga, and more that our students are fans of. So if we can take advantage of their interest in these artists and turn it into a teachable moment, we will become much more effective teachers. And as a bonus, very popular with the students for talking about the 'cool' artists in school. 

Math + Fine Arts = FUN

For many students and teachers alike, the subject of Math proves to be difficult and frustrating. Well, I am here to say that sometimes, incorporating the fine arts into Math (especially in primary) can make it more fun and simpler to understand for students and teachers alike. I enjoy mathematics (I'm a little strange, everyone knows it haha), however when it came to teaching Math to the younger students, I struggled in explaining what to me appears to be such simple concepts. You all know the feeling of teaching what appears to be a simple concept, and the students look at you like you are speaking a foreign language, and you just want to yell "How can you not get this! It's so simple!" OK perhaps not yell, but you get the point. So I pondered of strategies I could use to make a concept more basic, more fun, and much more active. So why not incorporate fine arts? We always discuss how fine arts can be used to discuss important topics and used cross-curricularly, so why not in Math? Specifically for me, I chose to use a song to teach students the concept of taking away one. I found a fantastic version of '5 little monkeys jumping on the bed' and the students loved it. We all danced to the song, used an activity where they got to act out the monkeys falling off the bed (drama incorporated!) all while learning the concept of taking away 1! I enjoyed myself, and so did the kids, so lesson in my mind successful. 

P.S. Sadly I could not attach my song I used (alternate version of monkeys) because I got it off of itunes, but you can still use any version of the song. 

image source: www.youtube.com

UNBC ART SHOW!!

The UNBC 2013 Student Art Show was a great success. I was surprised by how many of my own students were able to make it up to the university, which was fantastic to see. It is so important for students to have their work recognized and appreciated. This is huge for students self esteem, not only in terms of the Arts, but all areas of their school. It was wonderful to see the families of the students so proud, taking pictures and telling them how wonderful their art was.
Next year some improvements for the art show could perhaps be to have a little art station/activity center for the students to create more art pieces they could make with their families/siblings/etc.
Good job everybody in the EY 2012 Cohort!

Some of our classmates students' work:

Will Gill: Bloodredlife

This week our class went to the Two Rivers Art Gallery downtown. I enjoy visits to the art gallery, there is always new interesting things to see and experience. It is important to have art incorporated into your life to provide you with new experiences and alternative points of view. 
The current exhibition at the gallery was titled 'Bloodredlife' by Will Gill, a Canadian artist from Newfoundland. When you see the art at a glance, it looks quite cheery, with bright colours and exciting brush strokes. Once you spend time with each of the pieces however, they are very dark. The artist wanted to express art of death, or near death experiences. I love artwork that illustrates a darker perspective and tells a story. Scenic artwork, although beautiful, does not invoke the same thoughts and inspiration from my imagination as more abstract and storytelling pieces. I loved the dark aspect to the artwork because, as the art gallery tour guide also stated, our world is exposed to so much violence through video games, movies, news, books, comics, etc. Illustrating it through art allows students to question the other violence they see in other areas of their life, and allows them to interpret the amount of violence they see or don't see. It is so important to teach students today the ability to question their world around them, to critically think of why things are they way they are, and if they should be that way, or even stay that way. Students with this ability I believe will become more successful in their lives by not accepting things in their life as easily, and recognizing the changes they can make in their lives. 

     "Just because something is, doesn't mean it should be" 

Paper Bag Monsters

Something I have struggled with in this program is the feeling that we, as young newly educated teachers, are the expectations for us to do something fun, new, innovative and exciting in all aspects of our teaching. I have spent hours trying to find exciting new things to teach my students, or exciting new ways to teach the subject they are currently learning. During this practicum I was trying to find something fun for the students to make during Art class that was Halloween themed. I did not want it to be super messy and a big clean up (just picture 24 grade 1's with paint.......). I am not a huge fan of puppets, but the students were soooo excited about them, and to create their own with artistic freedom made them even happier. I did give them criteria for the assignment: they needed 5 colours, eyes (1-10), a mouth around the flap of the bag, and to use both crayons and glue on construction paper. I did not capture any of the students creations because I allowed the students to take them home that day. 
I was given the rest of the afternoon and the students were able to share their monsters in the circle at the carpet with the class and state 2 things about their monsters. Their monsters ranged from a cat, spiderman, zombie vampire, and I believe one was a monster ballerina (it had a tutu and a tail.....). Was awesome to see the students artistic freedom at work!

Here was my inspiration: (from pinterest of course haha)

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/159385274281953401/

Simon Sees in Fort St. James!!

Time for some more local promotion!
My hometown is not always so great when you compare it to other cities, however when I look back on my childhood, and when I am away for long periods I realize there are a lot of special things about this small community that I miss in larger cities. One example is the outdoor activity of dog-sledding. I have volunteered for over 13 years with the Caledonia Dog Mushers Association, and this allowed me to assist a camera crew show called "Simon Sees" based out of Vancouver this past winter (Feb 2013). The crew came up during our annual qualifying race (a 3 day mush race and sprint races) for the Yukon Quest (Canadian version of the Iditarod - longest dog sled race in the world). The crew created a short video to help promote my community.  I learned so much being able to see what goes on behind the scenes during these types of shows, how these cameras work, the trial and error process. Television and film making, which is definitely part of the art spectrum but is often left out, is so important for students to understand and respect. If you are doing drama with students, try not to overlook the film and television part of it, which is often what many students will find more relatable as well.

Here is the resulting video:

Simon Sees Fort St. James in Winter!

p.s. I am the one in on the blue Polaris with the white helmet :)

T-Shirt Book Art

I am constantly using Pinterest to find new and exciting ways to teach lessons, different activities, etc. that I can use in upcoming practicums and in my own classroom. I have found with older students, it is much more difficult to have these students become excited to read. And how does this link to an art blog you may be wondering? Well, here is the idea I found.......

This teacher had students select their own books to do a project on. They did a presentation to the class, sharing their books with the class without giving away the ending. Instead of writing a report on the book, which has become so standard, and sadly boring, for students, this is a unique way to link it to both art PLO's, and let the kids have some fun. The students were able to present their project by wearing them! Students were all given a t-shirt, and created a summarizing image on the front, and on the back of the t-shirt was information about the book. Such a unique and fun way to have students share and do a book report, and a fantastic way to incorporate Art. Art in the upper grades can become pigeon-holed, and not utilized as cross-curricularly as it should. This is a fantastic idea to have students to do some interesting Art with Language Arts.
For more information, see:
                                                            Blog Site

Students As Photographers

I recently read an article about how Photographers today are dying out, and that we should inform the younger generation that if they want to become professional photographers, that they will need another job, and will be unable to make a career out of it. This is probably true today, however I do not think that destroying a child's hopes and dreams early on can do nothing but harm to a student. Children should know the realities at a later age, but should that mean we do not allow them to follow their dreams, especially if that is photography? 

Photography is a very important piece to the Art world, it can be just as expressive as an artists painting. Photography allows people to see into real situations and places around the world, and to share that moment with the artist. 

While indulging in my obsession with Pinterest, I stumbled upon a Scavenger Hunt you could do with your students. Almost all students today have phones with cameras, and having them do this scavenger hunt allows them to finally use their phones for school. Students can then share their images with the class afterwards, showing the differences of how each student chose to approach the assignment. You can see into the lives of the students, what perspective they took, what images they chose to capture, etc. 

Street Spirits!!!

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to go to a workshop about Street Spirits. Street Spirits is a youth driven social action theatre company. They go across North America (primarily in Alberta and BC) performing audience interactive performances that raise awareness about issues in our society, and through interaction with the audience generate solutions. Their shows discuss a variety of topics including alcohol use, family violence, racism, sexual assault, poverty, peer pressure, homophobia, and more. 

This theatre company would be fantastic to bring into your school for a class presentation, school wide assembly or small groups to deal with issues that are arising within your school. It is a great way to provide students with a safe outlet to discuss and deal with serious issues and demonstrates how the arts can be used to help deal with issues that arise in students home lives and at school. 

At a recent visit to the Two Rivers Art Gallery here in Prince George, I was introduced to the artwork of Maureen Faulkner. The exhibit on display was titled "Cake: A Travelers Journey". When you first looked at the images, they did not do much to inspire me. Of course they were very skilled paintings, but I thought 'Well, its just cake. Now all I want it some cake". However once reading the excerpt beside each of her pieces, you realize how much of her life story and the pain she has experienced in her life resides within those images, images of Cake. 

www.princegeorgecitizen.com

Her images of cake describes her struggles with weight throughout her life, and how the cakes she paints all have a piece missing, representing a friend that has passed away. A series that was also in the exhibit was titled 'Rehab Cake Series 7: A week with friends'. The series chronicles her experiences with 7 different friends going through serious health crises. 
This exhibit opened my eyes to how we can not always see what the artist is trying to portray through their artwork. We often have to look beyond into the fine print. 
I enjoyed this exhibit because it depicted how someone dealt with serious situations in their life through a very unique artistic way. 

Promoting Local Artists

I think it is important in the arts to provide as much of a local link as possible. This allows your students to make more of a personal connection to the artwork, as well as to allow those students who have artistic aspirations to realize that if someone from their hometown can do it, they can as well. Often when people incorporate local artists, it is artists who have wrote literature or created physical artwork, but less common are the local musical artists that we can present to our students. As we are lucky enough to teach the 'Beiber Fever' generation, it is important when talking about local artists, or any art in any form, to try to sometimes have younger artists with whom the students can make a connection. 

Cody Karey grew up in Fort St. James (my hometown), and is a terrific example to use with your students. He is a young artist that students can relate to, and sings a cross of pop and classical music (described as the next Josh Groban) that many students in your classroom may enjoy. Here is his new single!

The Political Dr. Seuss!

It seemed fitting considering my title of this blog, to have my first post on Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss has become widely known through his unique poems and stories that have captured the hearts and captivated the minds of children and adults everywhere. Although what endears Dr. Seuss to me is not only his creative poetry, but the politics and messages that lie within his writings. I think it is important to make students critical thinkers, especially within the arts. When students read a piece of literature, see a play, listen to music, view a piece of art, it is important that they not only appreciate the work, but be critical of the work and see the meanings and the history that lie within the piece. Many of Dr. Seuss' works "advocate social change, teaching generations of children not only how to be better readers, but better people as well" (Independent Lens, Dr. Seuss).

Something not known to many people, is that the popular story 'Yertle the Turtle' is modeled after Hitler. Dr. Seuss began his career political cartooning during WWII that "denounced racism, isolationism and other issues", and this political cartooning aspect linked into his children's literature.This particular story has created some debates within the education community as to whether it is too political to expose children to. Below is a link to a Globe and Mail article outlining an example. This is one thing I have struggled with, that when stories have political messaging, how far is to far?

Globe and Mail:

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/dr-seusss-yertle-the-turtle-deemed-too-political-for-bc-classroom/article4102658/

Sources: Independent Lens (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/politicaldrseuss/)