Reflection & Anticipation

Remarks for the Arts Education Honor Societies Induction Ceremony at Northwood High School, December 7, 2009…

I’m very excited to be here tonight to celebrate your achievements as well as the establishment of honor societies at Northwood for all four of our arts disciplines!  That makes this is something of a commencement for you and Northwood as well

So, whether it’s the season of the year or the nature of the event, I thought I’d to spend a few minutes focusing on

Reflection & Anticipation:
Not a Lesson from 3 Spirits, but 3 Lessons from 1 Spirit

About 10 years ago, I read an article about a friend of mine. His life had taken a circuitous route to his present position as a pediatric anesthesiologist. The article included an 1843 quote from the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard that has turned out to be signifcant for me and I think can be for you as well.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

Keeping that in mind, I have 3 quick recommendations for you.

1) Get the best book I’ve read all year—The Element by Sir Ken Robinson. Robinson received his PhD from the University of London, led the Arts in Schools Project to improve teaching of the arts, chaired the National Advisory Committee on Creative & Cultural Education, and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2003. He has served as an advisor to groups as diverse as the Royal Shakespeare Company, IBM, The Girl Scouts of America and the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation.  You can download his book at iTunes or at Audible.com. [I recommend the audiobook, because he's a great storyteller and very funny.]  Or go listen to his presentation at TED  [www.ted.com] called Do Schools Kill Creativity?

The subtitle of The Element is How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. For Robinson, “the Element” is finding the place where the things you are good at intersect with the things you love to do. We are here tonight celebrating achievements and aptitudes you have already displayed.  But only you know if music or dance or visual arts or theatre are things for which you have a passion. Robinson’s book recounts stories of lots of very successful people—artists, authors, economists, musicians—some of whom were great students. Others spent years recovering from their academic experience before finding success. They reflect on those moments of epiphany when they discovered the intersection of their aptitude and their passion.

2) Identify, Create & Participate in Significant Traditions

Traditions—personal, family, religious, social, academic, & professional surround us.

We are here in the midst of an environment full of traditions—the academic calendar, football weekends [i.e., marching band season], holiday concerts, exams. I’ve spent more than 30 years on campus and the traditions are one of the reasons why.  Tonight we start a new one here. And you’ll always be a part of this very first year when Northwood began Honor Societies in all the arts disciplines.

Traditions are made for reflection and anticipation. They are benchmarks. Traditions make you a time traveler—connecting with people and events long past and to those yet to come.  Traditions provide an invitation and a medium to interact and to bond with another essential—community.

3) Recognize the Value of Community

When you are “in your element,” you will find opportunities to make connections with people who share your passions and talents. Traditions offer a mechanism to make these new connections and to share ideas and events of significance.  Community can provide validation that you are on the right path, a sounding board for ideas, a helping hand for initiatives, support with problems, and opportunities for service and achievement that single individuals can never realize alone.

Each year, this first weekend of December is a kind culmination of all these things in my life. I am celebrating 26 years as a member of the Duke Chapel Choir and 78 performances of Messiah with 100 closest friends. Connections with new world-class performers. Music and art and performing—the beginning of the holiday season. Grand traditions and silly personal ones. During Messiah week I travel to Duke for rehearsals on Monday and Wednesday. And then back for performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I’m quite fond of Dickens’ Christmas Carol in its many  incarnations. I listen to two particular ones on my trips to Duke this time of year. I practice my diction with Patrick Stewart’s exquisit rendition from his one-man Broadway production. And I warm up with Paul Williams’ music from Muppet Christmas Carol--a tradition i began when my kids were small [or at least that's the excuse I use].

It turns out Dickens published Christmas Carol in 1843. So the same year Kierkegard was in Denmark talking about living life forwards and making sense of it by looking backwards, Ebenezer Scrooge was in England being visited by 3 ghosts. And vicariouly through him, even today, we all have the opportunity to reflect and anticipate the possibilities ahead.

Congratulations, happy holidays, and thank you for letting me be part of your community.

“A Dream is a Wish …”

Today, Northwood High School, a part of the Chatham County, NC School System, dedicated a $4.5 million renovation/expansion. The year-long project includes new classrooms for Theatre Arts, Instrumental Music, Choral Music, Dance, Visual Arts, Wrestling, and Exceptional Children. Also included are a new lobby for the gym and an extensive upgrade to both the house and the stage of the Benjamin J. Lee Auditorium. The ceremony included Superintendent Robert Logan, Chair of the School Board Kathie Russell, Chair of the County Commissioners George Lucier, Architect Grimsley Hobbs, Principal Chris Blice, and representatives of the NHS Student Body. Attending were  commissioners, school board members, representatives from Resolute Construction, CCS administration, city government, law enforcement, ChathamArts, faculty, students and community members.

To the Chatham County Commissioners, School Board, and Administration | On the Occasion of the Northwood High School Arts Wing Dedication | The 16th of October, 2009:

I am a strong proponent of a concept called Schools as Centers of Community. Across the country, school systems have begun to maximize the use of school campuses for myriad educational, recreational, and entertainment activities. These may  include child care, elder care, clinics, libraries, night school, conference/professional development facilities and YMCA operations.

There are two really great reasons why this makes sense. First, for many communities like ours, school facilities are their biggest investment and one of their greatest potential resources. So utilizing these physical plants for more than 35 hours a week provides a greater return on the investment.

And secondly, we know that one of the most effective ways to improve schools is to increase family and community involvement. Eric Booth, a member of the faculty at the  Juilliard School and nationally recognized consultant for the arts, calls the arts a “catalyst for engagement.” No other activity is as effective for bringing families and community into a school as the arts.

So today I am thrilled because of course, we must provide the very best facilities we can for the important work of students and educators. But I am equally excited because your efforts and dedication and vision offer an amazing opportunity for our entire community, now and in a future we have yet to see—but can dream and hope and work for.

I salute you all!

Bravo!

In the Neighborhood

This week’s ArtsBlog from Americans for the Arts is focusing on Arts Education with more than 25 arts ed experts from across the country making contributions. There are some fascinating posts with provocative ideas.  Today, Andrea Temkin’s post, What is Arts Learning Anyway? began with some information about the Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership where she works.

She says it includes the a county arts commission, school districts, community arts organizations, higher ed, teaching artists, teachers, administrators, parents and youth.

If we could create such an alliance in Chatham County, what would that look like? Can you envision an opportunity to work together, collaborate on long-range plans, pool resources, create and support innovative programs with input from a wide variety of talented community members to improve arts education opportunities for our students?

I encourage you to read the ArtsBlog posts, join the conversations, and imagine the possibilities here in Chatham.

Chatham Conversations

Even before I heard Barbara Shepherd of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education speak last March at North Carolina’s  NC: The State of the Arts Conference, I’ve been eager for our community to undertake their Community Audit for Arts Education. [I know, you've heard me saying this for two years!] It’s a great assessment tool to examine strengths and needs. Most importantly, it incorporates information not only from a school system, but from all those that have a stake in, or provide, arts education activities—arts organizations, community arts leaders, local artists, families, afterschool programs, summer camps, child care providers, recreation departments, civic and business community members, etc. One of the comments Ms. Shepherd made in Raleigh was that, even in bad economic climates, it can be possible for people to come together for discussions. Civic and business members may not have money to contribute, but they can contribute time.

Every October Americans for the Arts celebrates National Arts and Humanities Month. One of the activities they promote is called Creative Conversations. Here’s how their website describes them:  ”Creative Conversations are local gatherings of emerging leaders in communities across the country and are part of a grassroots movement to elevate the profile of arts in America during National Arts & Humanities Month every October. Started in 2004, some of these local convenings have grown into cohesive, organized emerging leader networks. This local tool empowers emerging leaders to take a leadership role in their own community by both designing programming and galvanizing their peers to connect professionally.”

Doesn’t that sound like the perfect opportunity for us in Chatham County?  Our school system covers such a large geographic area that many involved in arts education rarely see each other and may never have met. When resources are limited, collaboration can be a valuable strategy to make real progress, plan for the future, and provide the best arts education opportunities for our students.

Take a look at the Community Audit along with feedback from other communities that have used this tool.

What do you think?  Are you interested? Who would you invite?

Let’s have a conversation!

[To join another conversation of sorts, check out next week's Americans for the  Arts ArtsBlog which will be devoted to Arts Education with two dozen national arts education experts contributing.]

Looking Back on the Way Ahead

As an addendum to the NorthwoodArts Annual Report, here’s a short retrospective slide show of highlights from 2008–2009. Marching band season, the fall drama Up the Down Staircase, dance & choral concerts, parades, art exhibitis, Into the Woods, Tri-M music honor society, graduation, drama camp.

Another year at Northwood has begun. Students, teachers, parents, and alumni helped move into our new Arts Wing this week. The first football game is Friday nite and there will be a preview of this year’s marching band competition program, Escape. School starts August 25.  NHS Open House is Tuesday, Sept 15 and our first NHS Arts Ed Foundation general meeting immediately following at 7:30.

NorthwoodArts Report Online

I’ve completed the NHS Arts Ed. Department’s annual report and posted it online at last!  The back page includes a tentative calendar of events for the coming year, so of course it will need updating, but otherwise I think it’s complete.

NorthwoodArts: Annual Report 2008–2009

There’s information about Northwood instrumental music, choral music, dance (NHS has the oldest public school dance program in NC), theatre arts, and visual arts.  You can also see marching band awards, members of the new chapter of Tri-M Music Honor Society, links to dance performances online, faculty activities, as well as a listing of our generous patrons and sponsors.

I’m trying out an online service called Issuu to post the document. I really like the interface and would love to know what viewers think.

Enjoy!

New Horizons

Last week we got to visit Chicago for a few days. Immediately after dropping off our bags at the hotel, we walked over to Millenium Park and had a delightful afternoon, happening on to an open rehearsal by the Grant Park Orchestra for their concert the following night of Bruckner’s 4th Symphony. [an added bonus, with his new iPhone, my husband downloaded the program notes as we sat down!]

The Grant Park Music Festival dates back to the 1930s and is a 10-week season of free classical concerts. And Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavillion is a gorgeous venue. Tourists and community members alike were out at lunch to enjoy the park, the people, and the music. As I watched, I realized this orchestra included something like a 20- or 30-year age span in its membership and I think that’s something we need to think about in Chatham County.

As an arts ed advocate, I spend a good deal of time talking about the benefits of the arts for students—a vehicle for project-based learning; the research about arts study and its effect on other disciplines and lowering of school dropout rates; using the arts to study math, physics, language, history, culture; how the arts  promote teamwork, collaboration, and creative problem-solving, etc. One of the other great benefits I have experienced first-hand is the opportunity it provides to work together across age spans. Orchestras, bands, choral, dance and drama groups can bring together students, teachers, professionals, and amateurs to create  wonderful, educational, enlightening and entertaining experiences.

We provide many group arts experiences for students in our schools—school bands, guitar ensembles, dance ensembles, acting company. The community has groups like Sisters Voices, Fearrington’s Villlage Voices and Harmony Grits. I’m sure many churches have choirs with members across an age span. But I’m not aware of groups like Little Theatre (perhaps CCCC productions involve community members beyond students?), or community bands, or choral societies.

Do you know of groups like this in Chatham County?

Maybe this kind of activity could start small with individual projects or groups combining for a specific event—a holiday concert or 4th of July performance.

The arts are also about building bridges, increasing understanding, and making connections. We might not need to look far beyond our own back yard.

Summer Updates

A few updates from the end of the school year at Northwood, some summer arts opportunities,  and a new report I want to recommend to you over the summer…

First, congratulations to senior Andrew Southerland, Northwood’s recipient of the John Phillip Sousa Award. Created in 1955, the award honors the top student in a high-school band and recognizes superior musicianship and outstanding dedication. It was developed with the cooperation of Helen Sousa Albert and Priscilla Sousa, daughters of the famous composer and bandmaster. Southerland played Euphonium in both the NHS Marching Band and the NHS Concert Band.  He was a featured soloist in last year’s marching band program, Psychoses, as well as a student conductor at the Concert for Memorial Day. Southerland will continue his music studies this fall at Western Carolina University. Both the Northwood band director, Eugene Cottrell, and the principal, Chris Blice, received this award upon graduating from their respective high schools.

Induction ceremonies for new Northwood chapter members of the National Art Honor Society took place this year at the Spring Art Show on May 30. Congratulations to new NAHS members Aubrye Carr, Josy Christian, Kapreshia Covington, Bailey Friedman, Ashley Gardner, Chelsea Gardner, Silvan Goddin, Charlotte Harrison, Emily Kerscher, Michelle Oliver, Claire Pauley, and Jan Reinberg,

Check out the new Photo Albums at the NHSAEF website. We’ve posted pictures from the recent Drama Camp for Chatham middle school students. Students worked for a week with Dr. Carlin and members of the Acting Ensemble to prepare skits and a short play for family and friends on Friday June 19.

This year I began serving as co-chair (along with Kathie Russell ) of ChathamArts’ Arts in Education Committee. This group is responsible for promoting and organizing the residency programs in Chatham County Schools each year. We’re looking forward to 9 residencies in the coming year! This summer ChathamArts kicks off their first series of summer camps and classes. They are working with Briar Chapel to offer several art camps for your child, giving him/her an opportunity to experience music, painting and drama. It’s not too late to register, so check out their camp info here: http://www.chathamarts.org/programs/programs-classes.html

Take a few minutes to read Increasing Arts Demand Through Better Arts Learning. This June 2009 Wallace Foundation “Knowledge in Brief” summarizes new research on how some cities are working to reverse a decades-long decline in arts education in ways that could also lift demand for the arts overall.

As many of you know Northwood is currently undergoing a major renovation effort. When completed this fall, the Arts Education Department will be consolidated in a new, expanded arts wing. NHSAEF is an all-volunteer organization working to promote and enhance NHS arts education. Join us and share you time, talents, and ideas as we work to assist faculty, provide opportunities for students, and promote involvement and collaboration with the community!