ELEMENTARY FINE ARTS/CULTURAL ARTS

CALENDAR & PLAN

(For more information about any of the programs, contact the school or Michele Milliam, Elementary Fine Arts Coordinator, 631-9252)

ELEMENTARY ARTS PLAN

The goal of the Elementary Arts Plan is to provide equitable opportunities for meaningful arts experiences for students grades K-6.  District and building administrators, teachers from each building, and representatives from the EPTA and The Foundation for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns have joined together to form a district elementary arts committee.  This group meets throughout the year to make decisions about which programs our students should experience, allocate funds for each and monitor the quality of programs through an evaluation process.

Tappan Hill

Dance Residency, Tappan Zee Dance Group
The goals of this residency are to foster listening skills, encourage socialization and cooperation among peers, develop gross motor skills, provide an outlet for creative expression, encourage students to be comfortable with themselves and their physical abilities, introduce the language of dance, integrate dance as an art form with the music and art curriculum, and finally, work cooperatively with teachers to incorporate dance into the overall curriculum.

Author/Illustrator Visit
An author will visit classrooms in an effort to support the language arts curriculum. She will show the children how she creates books, from start to finish, including slides of her work in progress

Mary Knysch, Rhythms Around the World
Interactive performance focusing on percussion instruments and their cultures of origin.

Westchester Philharmonic: Philharmonic Alive
A small group of musicians will come to the school and introduce students to instruments, ensemble playing and the joy of music.  The theme changes each year.

John Farrell
Folktales and folk songs
As part of the character education program, singer/songwriter/storyteller John Farrell presents an interactive program that encourages students to be good to one another.

Little Hawk
The student’s unit on Thanksgiving included a visit by a Native American dancer who shared his customs and traditions with youngsters.

Nutcracker
Students attend the Ballet Atlantic’s performance of The Nutcracker at The Tarrytown Music Hall.

Storyteller David Gonzales
Bilingual storyteller extraordinaire David Gonzales entertains and challenges students with his wit and sense of humor through the telling of Latin American and European folk tales and stories.

Hudson River Museum
Students learn about the solar system through a Star Show at the Planetarium.

John Paulding School

Visit to Neuberger Museum
Students will engage in a participatory tour of the museum’s collection, with an emphasis on the work of Alexander Calder.  By exploring Calder’s art and the interplay of balance and motion he uses, students will consider connections between science and art.

Dance Residency with Tappan Zee Dance Group
Students will work with a dancer from Tappan Zee Dance Group for five sessions during their physical education classes.

The objectives of the residency are to:

• Provide an overview of dance
• Understand dance vocabulary
• Experience formal dance steps
• Explore different actions and shapes with their bodies
• Utilize the imagination and be creative
• Increase muscle strength, endurance and flexibility
• Participate in an activity that is physically challenging
• Realize that dance is fun

Westchester Philharmonic: Philharmonic Alive
A small group of musicians will come to the school and introduce students to instruments, ensemble playing and the joy of music.  The theme changes each year.

Author/Illustrator
An author/illustrator will visit the school and share a love of reading, imagination and books with students.

Storyteller David Gonzales
Bilingual storyteller extraordinaire David Gonzales entertains and challenges students with his wit and sense of humor through the telling of Latin American and European folk tales and stories.

Morse School

3RD grade theater residency
For the second year, third graders will have a theater residency with Peter Royston that will enrich their literacy studies.  This year, students will work with American Folk Tales and Tall Tales. Each class will read and then bring to life a particular tale.  Students will learn to “show” the stories plot and characters feelings through language, voice, movement and gesture. The residency will culminate in a grade-level performance, in conjunction with the school music classes.

Dance Residency, Tappan Zee Dance Group
The goals of this residency are to foster listening skills, encourage socialization and cooperation among peers, develop gross motor skills, provide an outlet for creative expression, encourage students to be comfortable with themselves and their physical abilities, stimulate language and conversation, integrate dance as an art form with the music and art curriculum, and finally, work cooperatively with teachers to incorporate dance into the overall curriculum.

Visual Literacy at The Jacob Burns Film Center
3^rd graders will visit the Jacob Burns Film Center.  The goal of this two-part program is for students to become more active viewers of visual media.  The program uses film to spark students’ imagination and creative expression, examine how filmmakers tell stories and improve their ability to write with clarity and confidence.

Westchester Philharmonic Concert and GLOSS Project
2^nd graders will participate in the Philharmonic Alive program, where musicians come to the school to introduce students to instruments and perform a program with a specific theme.

3^rd graders will again participate in the Westchester Philharmonic’s GLOSS Project, an interdisciplinary program that explores creativity and sources of inspiration in the arts.  As part of this program, a poet and visual artist worked with 3^rd graders last fall.  A composer, Antonio Carlos Defeo, will work with students in January.  Students will attend a concert April 27 at SUNY Purchase which will focus on “Bach to the Future” and will include a composition based on themes and motifs crafted by students at Morse and other participating schools as part of this exploration of the creative process. Students will be participating in Open Studios in the Music Room to prepare for the concert.

Ishangi Family Dancers
The entire school will attend performances by the Ishangi Family Dancers, an African dance and drumming ensemble.  The program will be integrated into the art program, where students will create projects based on textiles, sculpture or other African art forms.

Visit to the Union Church at Pocantico
As part of the art curriculum, 3^rd graders will learn about and then visit the Chagall and Matisse stained glass windows in nearby Pocantico.

Washington Irving School

Circus Residency
A one-week residency where 5^th graders learn basic circus skills such as juggling, devil sticks, clowning, stilt walking, spinning plates, etc during their physical education classes.  At the end of the week, there will be a performance for students and parents.

6^th grade Theater Residency
As part of the social studies curriculum, students are combining their studies of the ancient world and theater skills to create a performance that will demonstrate what they have learned about the past. The project has three goals, grounded in the New York State Learning Standards for Art and English Language Arts.

1)   Students will explore and analyze a piece of literature

2)   Students will learn theatrical techniques and language

3)   Students will demonstrate what they have learned about interpreting a written work through a performance.

Expected Outcomes: Students will: Learn about different cultures in the Ancient World; Gain an understanding of what daily life might have been like and relate that to their life today; Improve their ability to write dialogue; Apply theater skills to reading out loud or making class presentations; Have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills; and Interact in new ways through theater games and the creation of a communal performance piece.

Colonial Day
Each 4^th grade classroom is set up with a colonial craft demonstration.  Students travel from classroom to classroom to try their hand at these crafts and related activities.  This unit integrates in a study of colonial America.

Westchester Philharmonic/Philharmonic Alive
4^th and 5^th graders will attend a workshop by a small ensemble of the Westchester Philharmonic designed to demystify music and explain a particular topic or theme.

Trip to Broadway
5^th graders will travel to The Great White Way to see a musical theater performance.  The trip will be integrated into the curriculum, and will be a first visit to Broadway for many students.

Tappan Zee Dance Residency
Grades 4-6
As part of the music curriculum, students will explore rhythm, pattern and movement.

Jazz Day
Students in the jazz band and vocal ensemble work with professional jazz musicians to learn improvisation techniques, and be mentored by working musicians.  The program culminates in a performance for the school that includes a history of jazz, with students performing before their peers as part of the program.

NY Philharmonic
6^th grade instrumentalist will travel to NYC to attend an open rehearsal/Musical Encounters program by New York Philharmonic.

Loft Recording Studio
Vocal ensemble members get the opportunity to visit a recording studio and make a CD.

Art Experience: Picasso People
5^th grade
Picasso paintings are brought to life using mime, mask, puppetry, narration, and music.  The inspiration of Picasso's work is explored in a light-hearted array of clever stories and vignettes based loosely on his true-life experiences. The show begins with "Carlton the Curator" guiding students through a gallery of Picasso's work.  Each painting shown to the students is then brought to life in different ways throughout the performance, which also includes audience participation.