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Greetings From the FAC
The ATA is calling for sessions for the 2021 Teachers' Conventions. With the move to digital conventions, presenters from various regions across the province are able to present at multiple conventions.
Do you have a session you've presented at your own convention in previous years? Consider applying to a different region. Sessions are being set for 30-45 minutes, so if you've never presented, it's a great time to try it out! Sessions can be live or pre-recorded and the ATA PD team is willing to help you get set up. If you're interested in presenting, please contact: Stacy Kelba faccdance@gmail.com for more information.
Lastly, these have been tough times for all trying to put together live programming and then adapting to digital environments. We hope to see you at our free Ivan Coyote event this weekend. Also, check Chrysothemis, a live streamed performance being offered by Uof A. (see below)
Sincerely,
Your Fine Arts Council
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Our free event is filling up fast!!!
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Tips from your subject area representatives
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Musical Notes
What a year so far! As I was thinking about what I wanted to share with you, I had the opportunity to participate in the American Orff Schulwerk Association Symposium. One of the keynote speakers was Scott Edgar who has done significant work with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in the music room (and has a book "Music Education and Social Emotional Learning"). As part of his session, he stressed that during this time of COVID it is even more important that we consider the emotional health of our students (and ourselves!). In particular, I was drawn to a suggestion of his on the use of emojis. Our students and likely many of us as well lack the emotion vocabulary and yet we are able to express ourselves well through the use of emojis. Edgar suggested that bringing in a sheet with a variety of emojis would be a way to have students express how they feel about music they hear or participate in. As he was talking about this, I was also thinking about how this could potentially bridge language and ability barriers. Imagine what kinds of conversations could happen once students have identified which emojis they connected the music with - engaging with listening examples on a music deeper level?! This could extend into small group discussions and even comparing and contrasting different pieces of music. As I was envisioning what this would look like, I even thought that students could then create sounds and movements to represent the various emojis! I highly recommend taking a look at Edgar's book for many more suggestions for addressing emotional health in the music room.
Winter Celebrations
While I know that we cannot hold concerts in the ways that we are used to, I continue to be amazed by the resiliency of the music community. Hearing about virtual concerts, talent shows and musical showcases - our students are so blessed to have such dedicated teachers! If you are looking for ideas of what to do this winter, feel free to reach out and I can connect you with other teachers who have found ways to make these events happen.
Wishing YOU all the best!
Your Art Rep.
Kim Friesen Wiens
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Dramatic Notes
Our theme of the month is Site Specific Performance.
There has been a lot of documentation and commentary on virtual performance and I wanted to share some thoughts on how we might access real spaces other than our classrooms to crate performances, not just limited to this time of Covid, but also afterwards. Site Specific Performance (SSP) is loosely defined as performative events in landscapes, disused spaces urban landscapes – pretty much ANYWHERE other than our theatre spaces. What is great about SSP’s is that audiences become particularly aware of their own presence in new space. Also, Space, as an essential element of drama, can become a great catalyst for student experimentation.
Recently I participated in practical theatre making program which challenged participant groups to address different sections of the same play text. The whole play was shown in an episodic sequence with 5 different casts in 5 spaces. Not a new idea, SSPs were probably initiated in the Avant Garde 1920’s and continue to be a great way to engage audience in two ways. What imprint might the space make on the work that students create in terms of mood, blocking entrances/exits and so on. Secondly, how might new work de derived from a response to the spaces themselves. What cultural memory exists specifically associated with the site.
Here are some accessible examples including the Miami Design District and the Prague Quadrennial. We may be couped up for now but just think of the amazing possibilities you will have in your school spaces and local areas for performances in response to, and shaped by, special spaces. A teacher might also use simple projections to imply specific spaces and respond to those. Pixabay is an excellent source for landscape images. UNSPLASH.COM
Please contact me if you would like to bounce some ideas around!!!
Your Drama Rep,
Glenn
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Artful Notes
Greetings everyone,
With parents and the general public not permitted inside school buildings this year, we are in a position where school-based art shows and exhibitions are difficult or impossible to organize. This got me thinking about site-specific art and how to bring our students’ work outdoors. When I think of site-specific art, I am reminded of the work of Andy Goldsworthy, Banksy, and murals on large buildings downtown. At the school level, I think of traffic-calming art installations located in many of our neighbourhoods, as well as fence weaving and wood installations surrounding some schools. How can we, as art educators, take our students’ work out of school display cases? How can we share the art our students have created with the community during a time when we must stay physically distant? How can we bring the joy of art to those who may be housebound? How can our students’ work be safely engaged with by the community?
This past spring, when the pandemic was in its early stages, I remember the feeling of community togetherness I felt when I was walking my dog at the park and found small painted river stones with inspirational messages left to be discovered under trees and bushes, next to lamp posts and signs. The messages ranged from “be kind” and “wear a mask” to “take care of each other” and “we are all in this together”. Words surrounded by rainbows of pure visual joy. Of course, there were many chalk images drawn on neighbourhood driveways, sidewalks, and garage doors, reminding us that we are here, we are human, and we care about each other.
Here are a few other ideas:
- “Porchraits”: taking portraits of people on their porches is another way we can stay connected to the community while still remaining physically distant.
- Yarn Bombing: covering public surfaces with knitted pieces, usually to bring awareness to an issue or simply to make a once drab area more colourful and joyful.
- Ice sculptures
- Window Exhibitions: hanging art facing outward towards the street for passers-by to enjoy.
Your Art Rep,
Samia Drisdelle
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Dance Notes
Our senior high classes wrapped up the 1st Quarter in the new quartermester system. Knowing that I had to plan a 3 hour senior high dance block was definitely daunting. It was a transition, and reflecting back on the quarter, there are some things open for improvement but many things were successful. Obviously, in these times, we are unable to hold live performances so it's taken creativity to imagine what our culminating performance would look like. We decided to create a dance, which we filmed, and then shared the final result electronically. While choreographing with the end in mind, I realized that I didn’t have to be limited to the studio or stage space. This opened up the dance to many more possibilities.
I pushed myself to think outside the box and created choreography based on site specific areas around the school. The dancers performed in the hallways, in the theatre seats, the entrance foyer, outside in front of the school, in the fields and on the basketball courts. My choreography had to be modified to fit these new performance spaces and the dancers had to change the way they move to fit that different space. Our present situation has forced us to change how we approach a lot of things. We can use this as an opportunity to challenge our students to redefine what a traditional performance space is and to be creative in those spaces.
What you are doing in your dance classes and how are you challenging your students in our new normal?
As the new dance rep, I would love to hear from you! Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or to introduce yourself and share your dance ideas and news. You can email me at dancerepfac@gmail.com.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Your Dance Rep,
Yvette Timtim-Ramirez
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Lianne Jones celebrates Jessica McBride from the CBE:
Jessica created a compilation video of students based on the song "Memories" by Maroon 5, for our Remembrance Day assembly. It took hours of compiling the videos the students' recorded from FlipGrid and was very, very well done. It brought tears to the eyes of many and was a heart-felt tribute. It brought together hub-learning students and in-class learners from two K-4 schools.
Jessica is currently teaching half-time at two elementary schools and also created a travelling cart to visit each classroom. Jessica provides a wide variety of excellent music instruction. Jessica is an exemplary music teacher and deserves recognition for both her talent and her hard work.
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A Fine FACTA
Journal of the Fine Arts Council
The Alberta Teachers Association
Call for Papers
Theme: Fresh Beginnings
Due Date: January 31, 2021 (non-peer-reviewed)
About A Fine FACTA:
A Fine FACTA is published for the Fine Arts Council by The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) to help the council achieve its objective of improved education in and through the fine arts. Articles of general interest or on theoretical, experimental or methodological topics are invited. A combination of peer-reviewed (research-based) and non-peer-reviewed (practice-based such as lesson plans, book reviews, etc.) articles can be included in each journal. For journal information, including submission requests, please contact the journal Editor, Kim FriesenWiens.
Submission Information:
A Fine FACTA welcomes authors to submit manuscripts for consideration in our Spring 2021 publication. Both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed articles will be considered. To be considered for peer-review, please indicate as such in email.
Submissions must include the following:
- Be written in a clear and concise style, avoiding technical jargon as possible.
- Lesson plans, book/conference reviews and brief columns will be considered (approx. 1000 words)
- Submissions are not to exceed 4000 words, although exceptions may be granted.
- Photos and pictures are welcome, but must be submitted in high quality format. If the photos/pictures are not accompanying an article, a brief description of the photo/picture is required (50-150 words)
- Submissions must be submitted via email and in MS Word using APA (7th edition) format.
- Submissions may be edited.
- All submissions must be accompanied by a brief (50 word) author biography.
- Authors wishing to have their manuscripts peer-reviewed must indicate that in the email sent to the editor and must be received by November 30, 2020. Manuscripts will be reviewed by a panel of recognized leaders in the fine arts.
- All submissions must be sent via email to the editor, Kim Friesen Wiens at friesenwiens@gmail.com for consideration in the Spring 2021 publication. All submissions will receive an email confirming that the submission has been received. If you do not receive an email receipt after 1 week, please follow up with the editor.
DUE DATE
January 31, 2021 (Non-peer-reviewed)
Addition Formatting Information for Submissions:
- Use single space for the body of the paper (do not double space).
- Use single space after each sentence.
- Use APA format throughout text and in the reference list.
- Use NO running heads. Use endnotes as opposed to footnotes.
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By Meg Braem
December 5, 2020 U of A Faculty of Arts
Live stream performance starts at 7:30 p.m. MST
Digital on demand performance will be viewable from December 12, 2020 - January 1, 2021
Chrysothemis, the lost daughter of the House of Atreus, is starving for love, affection and peace. She seeks nourishment for her damaged and divided family through cooking - but will the very essence of healing through food be enough to transform and nurture the most dysfunctional family in history?
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