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A Program that Makes a Real Impact

March 18, 2022 By Cindy Sherwood

A Churchland student named Legend gets fitted for a violin during his first lesson.

After two years of being shut down because of the pandemic, Strings Impact is up and running again in Portsmouth Public Schools!

We’re celebrating a successful kickoff of this long-running residency that introduces fourth, fifth, and sixth graders to playing the violin, with instruments provided by the schools.

The program is taking place after-school at Churchland, Lakeview, and Simonsdale Elementary Schools, with students taking one 90-minute lesson a week for twelve weeks. At the end of the residency, each set of students will show off what they’ve learned in a special concert for family and friends.

Tina Culver, a fulltime music teacher at Churchland Elementary School, is the A4L teaching artist for the Churchland Strings Impact residency. Although she didn’t grow up in Portsmouth, she says the opportunity to learn the violin changed the course of her life.

“I had such a wonderful experience from the moment I started playing the violin in the fifth grade—I just hit the ground running, and I was involved in all different kinds of music programs within my community, orchestras, went on to the governor’s school, then went on to college and eventually took that up as a major.

If there hadn’t had been programs like this available for me,  my childhood would have been so much different.”

That’s why Tina feels so strongly about programs like this that expose underserved students to quality arts education. “For Portsmouth, I feel it’s important to be a part of the program because a lot of those kids are not normally getting access to classical music or to string instruments,” she says. And by having her as a teacher, students “see someone who looks like themselves, someone who’s young, someone who’s positive and energetic, and someone who tries to make it fun and interesting.”

John Jenkins is the teaching artist for the Lakeview and Simonsdale Elementary residencies. He works as a band teacher at Manor High School in Portsmouth. Altogether, 52 students are participating in the three residencies, with a waiting list of 14 students at Churchland. The enthusiasm is high among all the students—one girl writes that she may want to be a professional violinist when she grows up!

Strings Impact began about 17 years ago after starting at Westhaven Elementary School in Portsmouth. It has rotated among different schools since then.

We want to thank the E.C. Wareheim Foundation and Portsmouth Public Schools for underwriting the Strings Impact program!

Simonsdale Elementary School principal Tammy King attends the first session of the residency.

Do you want to support arts education for students who may not otherwise experience it? You can make your tax-deductible gift by clicking here.

Filed Under: News, Program Spotlight Tagged With: arts education, music education, Portsmouth Public Schools, Strings Impact

Rhythm and Me: An Adaptive Dance Residency

December 19, 2021 By Cindy Sherwood

After twelve weeks filled with growth and exploration, students in a Rhythm and Me residency in Virginia Beach shared what they learned in a special performance for family and friends, choreographing the presentation by themselves. The adaptive dance program is a partnership between Arts for Learning and Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater (FACT). The residency was designed for students to join with their peers and learn new skills in a supportive environment.

https://arts4learningva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/FACT_CE_2.mp4

Starting in September, the students met twice a week with A4L teaching artist Angela Taylor, a certified yoga instructor. In each class, she led students in a particular dance style—ballet, hip hop, jazz, party dances and more—with each dance paired with discussion about a different life skill. The curriculum was specially formulated for middle and high school students with autism.

“We were looking at the social emotional aspects of learning, of togetherness, community, social justice, understanding each other, and being okay with who we are in our bodies,” Angela says. As the program progressed, she witnessed growth in students from week to week. One student, for example, had difficulty speaking and let her aide speak for her, but by week three, Angela saw that the girl had become confident enough to communicate by herself. “That was truly amazing to watch her grow.”

“Overall, I think that a lot of them came out of their shells and they’re just free with their dancing, free with their movements. Even some of the parents would say, ‘Oh, my child can’t do ballet.’ And I’ve always said that it’s not about the dancing. It’s about coming together and creating a community and enjoying life and having a great time. I don’t mind if the moves aren’t perfect because I’m not perfect. I just want everybody to have a good time and have a positive experience in the class, and I feel like we accomplished that.”

Parents provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about the residency. But Kara Rothman, mother to 13-year-old Jesse Elia, says she didn’t initially have high hopes for the program.

“We’ve signed up  and paid for so many things that I’ve had to drag him to, but he wants to go to [Rhythm and Me], which is the first time ever. For me, it was huge because I’ve taken him to so many different places where I have to preface who we are and his quirks, and [at Rhythm and Me] he’s allowed to be quirky. It’s okay. In other places he has to be quiet or follow directions—it’s very structured—and he was always getting kicked out of stuff. Nothing ever worked, ever. Every time I’m just so grateful that he wants to be there.”

Jesse calls the program “fun, interactive, and entertaining,” and says he especially likes being with other students on the spectrum. He also says he finds the yoga portion “calming,” and the program less stressful than others.

“If I say I don’t want to do something, it’s not like I have to do it,” he says. “But I usually like doing the stuff, and it’s fun.”

Angela says her approach as a teaching artist is to “honor each person for who they are and where they stand in this world. And I think so many people pressure children like, you have to do it, you have to do it. With Jesse, I always gave him the option. I would say, ‘Would you like to join in?’ And if he said no, we just kind of moved on because I think it’s so important to be honored by your choices.”

Jesse is an only child who is homeschooled. His mother says the socialization portion of Arts Adventures was “huge.” After his first time going to the program, Jesse told his mom he had “gone in expecting the worst, but I ended up getting the best.” As for Kara’s reaction when Jesse said that:

I cannot tell you what those simple words meant to me. Well, yes, I can. It meant the world!”

https://arts4learningva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/FACT-clapping-girl-hat-MP4.mp4

Another parent, Lori Beatty, says her 13-year-old daughter, Calli Laundre, always became excited when she heard she was going to dance class.

“When I pick her up, she’s full of energy. If we get there early, she grabs her mat and she’s just ready to go. I think the whole program is great. It’s been really good for her.”

Rhythm and Me class

The Rhythm and Me residency was the first year of a three-year Arts Adventures partnership between FACT and Arts for Learning, with funding provided by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.  The focus of the second year will be music and the third year will be visual art.

“We’re delighted to partner with FACT because the population they serve overlaps with a group of students that we prioritize reaching with our programming,” says Chris Everly, CEO of Arts for Learning. “We’re excited to be planning future collaborations.”

https://arts4learningva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/FACT-kids-hats-MP4.mp4

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, ArtsEd, ArtsED for Exceptional Students, Program Spotlight Tagged With: adaptive dance, Arts Adventure, Arts Ed, arts education, autism, ballet, residency, Rhythm and Me, teaching artist

Behind the Scenes of the A4L Cultural Enrichment Project

December 3, 2021 By Cindy Sherwood

Nathan Richardson as the real Frederick Douglass
Nathan Richardson portrays abolitionist Frederick Douglass in our Norfolk studio.
Sarah Osburn Brady and Sheila Arnold record their civil rights program.
Sarah Osburn Brady and Sheila Arnold record their civil rights program.

There’s been lots of activity in our Norfolk office lately—which doubles as a production studio—as artists record special programs for our new cultural enrichment project funded by a new SHARP grant.

It’s an exciting project for a couple of reasons—it will bring quality, humanities-based arts-in-education programming to disadvantaged students in Virginia at no cost to them or their schools. And the project will provide income to artists on our roster during a time when opportunities to practice their art forms remain limited.

Sarah Osburn Brady and Sheila Arnold record their program on civil rights.
Sarah Osburn Brady and Sheila Arnold record their program on civil rights.

Molly Stanley, A4L’s Learning and Community Engagement Manager, says the programs have significant educational value, with topics that include the civil rights movement, slavery, and the Holocaust.

“Students learn about these historical events through core classes such as social studies and language arts. Through the videos we’re producing, students can deepen their learning and make connections with these topics that are relevant to their lives.”

Participating schools can choose from these videotaped programs:

  • Frederick Douglass “On Slavery and Emancipation” by Nathan Richardson: A performance that brings the true tales of Frederick Douglass to life, from his time as a slave and his escape to freedom to his rise as a great writer, orator, and abolitionist.
  • Conscience, Stories, and Hope: Hans and Sophie Scholl’s White Rose by Sarah Osburn Brady: The story of German siblings who dared to become part of the World War II resistance, no matter what the consequences.
  • Coretta: A Legacy of Love by Valerie Davis: Hailed as the “First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement,” Coretta Scott King comes to life through music and stories revealing the triumphs and tribulations of an American legend.
  • Arabiqa by Karim Nagi: An exploration of Arab culture through language, folk music, dance, and costume that bridges the east-west cultural gap.
  • Civil Rights: Finding Your Voice by Sheila Arnold and Sarah Osburn Brady: An interactive exploration of voices from the Civil Rights movement whose lessons in speaking up show us the way to effect social change today.

The programs are designed for either elementary or middle school students and include age-appropriate teacher guides for easy and effective classroom implementation. The videos are set to debut in February. Photography and editing is provided by Rob Holmes.

Photographer Rob Holmes videotapes Sarah Osburn Brady's program.
Photographer Rob Holmes shoots Sarah Osburn Brady’s program.

Thanks to our participating artists and to the funders of this grant–Virginia Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The funding is part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the NEH Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative.

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, Grants, Program Spotlight, Virtual Learning, Virtual programming Tagged With: American Rescue Plan, Arabiqa, Arts Ed, arts education, civil rights, Coretta Scott King, Frederick Douglass, grant, humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, SHARP grant, Virginia Humanities, virtual learning, virtual programming

Arts for Learning Shares Stories of the African American Heritage Trail

November 24, 2021 By Cindy Sherwood

Screenshot from African American Heritage Trail video

Laced with compelling stories of the real-life triumphs and struggles of African-Americans, a new video produced by Arts for Learning (A4L) is set to debut in Norfolk Public Schools. The African American Heritage Trail highlights times of historical interest in the Lower Norfolk area, now part of modern-day Chesapeake, from the 1500s through the early 1900s.

Master storyteller Sheila Arnold, a longtime member of the Arts for Learning roster of professional artists, developed the program by researching the history of the area, writing the script, and working with an A4L production team to record the video. The project was underwritten by Bank of America.

Why did some African Americans fight for the British in the Revolutionary War? Why did slaves flee to the Great Dismal Swamp? And how did a unique ship design—and stripping down to her underwear—help one unforgettable slave escape to freedom? The answers are fascinating and can be found by watching the video, which includes stories related to the American Revolution, Underground Railroad, Civil War, and Reconstruction. The culturally responsive content is aligned with Virginia Standards of Learning for grade five.

Arnold, who goes by “Ms. Sheila” as a storyteller, believes the program is important even beyond telling stories of the African Americans who helped shape the history of the Tidewater area.

Bigger than that, it looks at a continuum, which is often not looked at in history, looking at what happens in a particular place over time.”

“Kids really don’t get a continuum, and that’s why they get confused and ask if Harriet Tubman knows Martin Luther King,” Arnold says. “I hope it will lead to teachers and students wanting to know what happened over time in their own areas and with other ethnic groups as well.”

For the 2021-2022 school year, NPS fifth grade teachers have exclusive access to the video, which is divided into five segments for easy classroom implementation. Teacher guides to facilitate discussion are included for each segment. A4L is providing the video at no charge to the thirty-one NPS elementary or combined elementary/middle schools, which have more than 2,100 fifth graders enrolled.

Arnold and the A4L staff designed the program in collaboration with Norfolk Public Schools’ history/social studies specialist Christopher Mathews, a former teacher of the year at Bay View Elementary School who is also on the A4L artist roster. The African American Heritage Trail features curricular connections to American history, character education, language arts, and reading.

Arts for Learning’s CEO, Christine Everly, calls Arnold’s program one of the best that the organization has ever offered. “We’re thrilled to offer stories few have ever heard before about the important contributions of African Americans with ties to our area. And we’re very grateful to our sponsor, Bank of America, for providing us the financial support to develop this important project.”

The Chesapeake Convention and Visitor’s Center has developed a driving tour and podcast along the African American Heritage Trail, as well as a brochure that describes the points of interest along the route. The Center is providing free brochures to all NPS students who view the video in their classes.

Watch the trailer of the video here:

https://arts4learningva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Sheila-Arnold-The-African-American-Heritage-Trail-Trailer-3.mp4

 

 

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, ArtsEd, Press Releases, Program Spotlight Tagged With: African American Heritage Trail, African American history, Black history, Civil War, history, Norfolk Public Schools, Revolutionary War, slavery, storyteller, storytelling, teachering artist, Virginia history

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Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive, Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502
Phone: 757-466-7555
Fax: 757-455-9859

Our Stories

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A Program that Makes a Real Impact

After two years of being shut down because of the pandemic, Strings Impact is up and running again in Portsmouth Public Schools! We’re celebrating a successful kickoff of this long-running residency that introduces fourth, fifth, and sixth graders to playing the violin, with instruments provided by the schools. The program is taking place after-school at […]

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