2013 Summer Arts Literacy: Bringing Drama to Early Start

 

Contact Robert Warren Telephone (860) 249-8674 Fax (860) 856-6600 Email info@hartfordperforms.org Website www.harfordperforms.org

Bringing drama to Early Start

Summer Arts Literacy, a performance based program, is in full swing at 18 Hartford Public Schools

 

Hartford, CT - July 31, 2013- Hartford Performs, following its successful 2012 Summer Arts Literacy Program, continues to bring drama and performance into Hartford’s Early Start classrooms. Early Start is a five-week Hartford Public Schools summer school program that can engage students in creative educational activities, to provide underperforming students with additional tools to succeed in literacy. During the five weeks of Summer Arts Literacy, middle school classes meet for 90-minute blocks with a certified literacy teacher and a Hartford Performs teaching artist. This year’s anchor text is Sophocles’ Antigone, featuring struggles of loyalty, sibling rivalry and power, themes that are familiar in the daily lives of these students. After five weeks of study, following a curriculum, modeled on the Brown University’s Performance Cycle, and through preparation, the students put on a public performance inspired by the classic text, written by the students.

Hartford Performs believes that the arts can play a vital role in learning, while enhancing student growth. This Summer Arts Literacy Program – the theater component in particular - provides open pathways for students with different learning styles to succeed. In 2012, 318 students participated and in 2013, that number has increased in a total of 18 schools and 21 classrooms. Through self-assessments, teamwork, and developing acting skills, Hartford’s students are able to build a strong sense of community, while demonstrating an understanding of a challenging text.

“I learned that if we work together and set our mind to anything, we can accomplish anything” –A 2012 Summer Arts Literacy Middle School participant reflecting on the program.

Through the partnership between teachers, as well as the generous grant awarded by the Travelers Foundation, the charitable arm of Travelers, the Summer Arts Literacy Program is able to intrigue and excite Hartford Public School students about reading.

Hartford Performs is a collaborative network of schools, arts providers, community organizations, funders and other supporters working together to ensure that all Hartford Public School students have access to quality arts education delivered through in-school teaching staff in partnership with the city’s vibrant arts community.

Meet Robert Warren, Hartford Performs' new Executive Director!

Inspire the “Arts Fire” within!

Thank you for taking a look at our website and at all of the exciting opportunities that Hartford Performs offers to the students, teachers and administrators of Hartford Public Schools.  Before beginning my journey as the first ever Executive Director for Hartford Performs I was asked by friends, family, and peers the following question: Do you honestly believe that Arts Education really can make a difference in a student’s life?

For me, the answer is an emphatic yes!  I am certain that Arts Education works because I would not be who I am or where I am today had it not been for an extremely dedicated group of educators who believed, as emphatically as I do now, that one of the best ways to reach students was to totally immerse the entire school with music, art, drama, and dance.  Every classroom was alive and every student was engaged and inspired!

After arriving in Hartford, I reflected back on how it was that I got here.  Much like the 1300 mile drive from Florida, that journey is too long to go into but, suffice it to say, I was truly fortunate in my childhood.  Fortunate to have a group of dedicated teachers and administrators that understood – despite the limitations of our community, and with very few financial resources – that their students could learn more and have a richer life by integrating art into the classrooms.

A spark was ignited in me and an unquenchable passion for the arts has led me to the bright lights of Broadway and onto a successful producing career, including eight years at The John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  Along the way I was constantly learning new things and made certain that I gave something back through teaching, mentoring, and a myriad of live performances.  I wanted to ignite that same spark in the next generation of arts enthusiasts and educators.

So now I invite you to join me on the next leg of my journey and feel the heat and excitement that I will bring to Hartford Performs.  I guarantee you will be glad that you did.

Robert Warren, Executive Director 

Robert Warren with Hartford Performs staff and interns

A Semester in Review

Happy 2013!  For those of you I have not yet met, I am Larisa and I began working with Hartford Performs as a graduate-level intern (or as Jackie and Jaclynn fondly call me, their "Professional in Residence") from UConn's MPA program in August just in time for the 3rd annual Professional Development conference - but more on that in a bit!  

We at Hartford Performs have just finished up 2012 with a whirlwind of activities.  To keep everyone up-to-date, we are beginning 2013 with a recap of these past few months.  In this review we are excited to share details about our summer Arts Literacy program, our annual professional development conference, our third year of implementation for our Arts Integration program, and a sneak peek of what you can be looking forward to in the coming months!

Students rehearsing their own dramatic piece

This past summer Harford Performs took its own spin on Early Start Education. Our Arts Literacy Program took students from 17 different school sites on a journey, making literacy more hands-on and building a sense of community within the summer program. Using Sophocles’ Antigone, students explored key themes such as “loyalty and betrayal,” “sibling rivalry,” and “power and control.” It allowed students to culminate in a devised performance of their own work which was inspired by the play. With the guidance of a teaching artist and a literacy specialist, students built an ensemble, read the play, played drama games, wrote journal entries to connect the text, and then created and rehearsed their own piece to present to another school. They kept a journal throughout the 5 weeks to write down their thoughts and connections, they completed classwork that correlated with comprehension, and worked together to not only create a performance but to truly understand and connect to the text.

Here's what some students said about their experience with the Arts Literacy program:

"Can we have this during the school year?"

"Drama helps me understand by listening and participating"

"It was a great summer and I didn't want to go to summer school but now every time I wake up, I'm happy and it's fun.  I love the Antigone play!"



Wake up Your Kinesthetic Mind workshop


On August 22nd, Hartford Performs held its 3^rd annual Professional Development conference, this year at the Connecticut Convention Center.  What an amazing day!  The event reached 350 teachers and administrators from the 7 new schools that have aligned with our Arts Integration program this year.  The focus of the day was to introduce all teachers to Hartford Performs – our five guiding principles, our mission, and how our Arts Integration program will add value to and improve their schools. 



Christopher Eaves' keynote presentation



Teachers and administrators attended both morning and afternoon workshops to experience arts integration themselves.  We had musicians, dancers, visual artists and actors all present workshops that are similar to the ones we provide to students through our Arts Integration program.  In the morning, Christopher Eaves inspired us all with his keynote presentation “Multiple Intelligences – Multiple Solutions: Multiple Intelligences Theory and its relation to arts integration” where he encouraged teachers to explore effective teaching practices that celebrate their own teaching styles and engage students in higher order thinking.



In the middle of the day, teachers and administrators were able to meet our amazing arts providers to learn more about the programs available to their students this year.  Throughout the day we had musicians perform and the grand finale was a show-stopping theatre/dance mash-up student performance about domestic violence.  The students brought the audience to its feet and ended the conference on an incredibly high note.  

The response from conference attendees was overwhelmingly positive!

What attendees got from the conference:

"Inspiration to work on integrating the arts into my classroom"

"New interactions with peers - sharing our 'insecurities' together.  Techniques for livening literature"

What teachers valued about the conference:

"The way art can be used to aide in comprehension" 

"Everything!" 

For those schools who have been involved in Hartford Performs’ Arts Integration program for one or more years, we brought professional development right to their doorstep, holding 11 half-day sessions (one at each school) featuring both workshops and performances.



Teachers at McDonough Expeditionary Learning School, in the Carribean Island workshop



After a hugely successful professional development conference, we spent the early part of the semester visiting each of our 19 Arts Integration Program schools to get them signed up for programs this year.  We were excited to be able to include unified arts and physical education teachers in the program this year, in addition to the core curriculum teachers as we have done in the past.  This year we have an extraordinary 19 schools and 85 arts providers (with a total of 140 different program offerings) who have combined to provide the 540 selected Arts Integration programs to approximately 10,000 Hartford students!  We are thrilled to provide such a diverse array of programming that incorporate dance, music, theatre, and visual art to help teach concepts in math, English, social studies, and science.

Students creating their own scientific journals with the Lutz Children's Museum

While the Arts Integration program will continue throughout the spring semester, many schools have already scheduled and participated in some of their 2012-2013 programs.  So far, things are off to a great start!  We will soon be submitting a brand new RFQ for arts providers so that we can continue to grow our database of Arts Integration programs.  We hope to have an added new batch of amazing programs available for the 2013-2014 year!

A Sneak Peek…

This spring we have a number of exciting events and opportunities that we want everyone to know about. 

• Hartford Performs is now officially a legal entity and is in the process of becoming a standalone 501(c)(3) nonprofit! 

• We are also opening our new office space in room 126 of McDonough Expeditionary Learning School (MELS) at 111 Hillside Ave.  Jaclynn and I will be stationed there full-time while Jackie remains in the Office of Academics in the Hartford Public School’s Central Office at 960 Main Street. 

• We are excited to support Hartford Public Schools and the Wadsworth Atheneum this May for the 40^th annual Hartford Youth Art Renaissance (HYAR).  To celebrate 40 years, we invite everyone to attend an event on Saturday, May 4^th from 2:30pm-4:30pm at the Wadsworth where this year’s student artists will be recognized, as well as the amazing history of HYAR.

• Arts providers should stay tuned as the new Arts Integration RFQ will be available soon and we look forward to new programming submissions for the 2013-2014 academic year.

We hope that everyone had a happy and safe holiday season and that you will be a part of the many exciting opportunities that 2013 has in store for Hartford Performs!

Hello Hartford!

Welcome to the brand new Hartford Performs blog! Today is the second day of summer, and boy, it sure is a scorcher here in Hartford, CT. But, while the school year may be over, it doesn't mean your brain should fry! Now that summer's here, there are even more opportunities for you and your family to learn new things. That's what we're here for!

I’m Christina, a summer intern here at Hartford Performs, and I will be frequently updating this blog to tell you all about what we’re doing this summer, and what you can do to bring the arts into your family’s life. That’s right, just because it’s summer it doesn’t mean the fun is ending!

Here are some updates about what Hartford Performs is working on right now: 

We are in the process of creating and updating our new website, http://www.hartfordperforms.org so please bear with us while changes are still being made. Once the website is up and running, make sure you explore it. There will be countless valuable resources for teachers, parents, and students alike. So, keep checking back because there are some pretty excellent things in store!

To add to the excitement, Hartford Performs will finally be getting our own office. Stay tuned for more information to find out where we will be situated!

As the regular school year winds down to a close, the Hartford Performs staff is diligently working to coordinate programs for children in summer school to make sure they are getting the arts education they need. We are also organizing more Professional Development days for teachers so they can learn how to efficiently integrate arts into their classes during the upcoming school year.

However, summer’s arrival means that there are also plenty of fun things for families to do outside of school!

On the second Saturday of each month, the Wadsworth Atheneum holds FREE events for families. On July 14th from 10am to 1pm, there will be a Lightscapes exhibit, where children get the opportunity to play with lights and make their own pastel lightscapes. There will also be tours held throughout the morning. Make sure to stop by to see (and make!) some truly dazzling art.

Want to go back in time? Visit the Connecticut Science Museum to see the brand new Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit! The moment you step in the room you and your family will feel like they've entered Jurassic Park as you're surrounded by scientifically accurate representations of dinosaurs from every era. The exhibit is interactive too--you can even dig for fossils!

If your kids loved the performances they saw in school this year, consider signing them up for the Hartford Children's Theater Summer Youth Theatre.Your child will be able to advance their performance skills by being cast in a summer production. Plus, they get to enjoy weekly field trips to further the fun. There is still space in the Youth & Teen Company (Ages 9+), so sign up ASAP!

Remember to keep checking this blog for excellent ideas for how you and your family can be educated through art! Happy summer!

 

RUUUN...to the nearest museum!