Monday, October 7, 2013
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!
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I am all for supporting local artists!!! Stories like this make me so proud of our Northern small town folk. And inspired to encourage more young people to embrace what moves them and express themselves. I find that youth have to suppress their true emotions to avoid ridicule and avoid rejection. As teachers the need for local role models to help support and inspire the dreams of up and coming artists is great. And anything to help support a local artist, helps to bring a pride for where you live and come from. Very cool story!
ReplyDeleteWise words that occured to me as I read your post: 1. Be proud of where you are from, and 2. If someone else can do it, you can, too! Yesterday I overheard someone say that it gets more redneck the further north you get from Vancouver. I wanted to stop and challenge that opinion or at least find out just what they meant by "redneck" but I resisted the urge. The important thing about this post is that kids will hear those things said about where they live and you are helping to give them a more positive picture. They need to - and have a right to - be proud of who they are and where they come from, even if they don't choose to stay there all their lives. By the way, my friend who is a sociologist writes about how teachers in small towns "sort" kids into "staying" or "going" - the idea being that the only worthwhile life is if you get out of there! You have presented an alternative that I think is healthier.
ReplyDeleteand hey...beautiful song to sing at a wedding! Thanks so much.
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