Artists in Residency
The 2011-2012 Artist in Residency Program has lined up some amazing artists, spanning a wide array of genres, all designed to provide a creative and enriching experience for our children and a meaningful exposure to the arts.
Many thanks to everyone who made contributions to the PTA, which helps fund the Arts Integration program to make these residencies possible. We could not do this without your support.
We are also grateful for Joan Christie’s efforts in founding the artist-in-residency program and overseeing its expansion in recent years so that EVERY grade at Westbrook may now participate. Joan also helped write various grants to secure additional funding for this program (the PTA budget does not fully cover the cost) and she helped research and secure the artists for this year's residencies.
2nd Grade kicked things off in October with a Puppetry residency. Puppeteer and storyteller, Carolyn Koerber worked with 2nd grade students to create their own puppets using simple materials found at home. The students then created an original story, modeled on folktales, and brought it to life with their handmade puppet and props. The residency emphasized skills such as collaboration, problem-solving and story sequencing, among others.
4th Grade hosted Slam Poet Gayle Danley for the second year in a row. Ms. Danley kicked off the residency with a slam poetry performance for students and teachers, and then students worked with Danley to write and perform their own slam poetry. The slam poetry writing process both introduced new writing elements and tied into the 4th grade writing curriculum.
Subsequent residencies this year include:
5th Grade- January 2012 – Sue Trainor/Performing songwriter
1st Grade- March 2012 – Synthetic Theater
3rd Grade- April 2012 - Alden Phelps/Songwriter/musician
Kindergarten – May 2012- Mark Jaster/Mime
For more information about the artists, check out these links to organizations that we work with to source the artists:
Young Audiences of Maryland
Class Acts Arts
The PTA’s current budget of $2,000 for cultural arts supports dramatic and colorful assemblies each year. Assemblies for K-2 and 3-5 graders are often done separately. Recent assemblies have included: Brazilian storyteller and mime, Antonio Rocha; Fabulous Chinese Acrobats; and the Kirov Academy of Ballet.
Antonio Rocha
Antonio Rocha, a celebrated mime who studied with Marcel Marceau, came to Westbrook on October 26, 2010. Folktales from Brazil and Africa came to life as Rocha morphed into a bird, a lion, and a snake, entertaining audiences with dramatic and funny stories. Rocha enthusiastically introduced students to the history and art of mime.
Fabulous Chinese Acrobats
Amazing acrobats came to Westbrook on January 31, 2011 and performed for grades 3-5. Jaws of students and teachers were dropping as acrobats performed stunts of balance and skill that were truly logic defying. The program also incorporated elements of Chinese culture;students were taught Chinese words and phrases and educated about daily Chinese life and customs. Because >
Kirov Academy of Ballet
A troop of seven students from the Kirov Ballet wowed Westbrook audiences on November 18, 2011 in two back-to-back assemblies that exhibited the amazing flexibility and athleticism of ballet while also teaching students about the history of ballet. Students come from all over the world to live and study at the Kirov Academy as they pursue their goals of becoming professional ballet dancers. The Kirov students not only performed amazing dances, but they also showed Westbrook students the warm up and stretching exercises that prepare them to dance the way they do.
Each residency has 1-2 parent lead coordinators for that grade. Depending on the type of residency, additional parent volunteers are often needed. If you are interested in getting involved with the artist in residency program for your child’s grade, please contact: Karen Baratz