“Arts Unite Us” Apprentices will have a unique opportunity to acquire direct experience teaching the arts, while also serving as role models for children participating in the Harding project.  Apprentices will also attend workshops in classroom management, arts teaching techniques, working with learners of all abilities, documenting student learning in the arts and developing a professional portfolio.

The project will take place from February to June of 2012.

We are offering 3 apprenticeship positions in Dance, Theater and Visual Arts.  These apprenticeships are offered by Youth in Arts through the Rosemary Kennedy Internship Initiative. A stipend will be provided for each apprentice selected for the program.

Application Deadline: February 8^th, 2012

Qualifications:

• Visual or performing artists, active in the arts field.
• Enrolled in college or an equivalent educational program; or an artistic training program.
• Have a documented disability.
• 18-25 years of age.
• Available to attend professional development workshops and teach during some school days.

If you would like to apply for this apprenticeship, you may do so by filling out our online form.

Contact: Nydia Gonzalez at ngonzalez@youthinarts.org

We’re going to let the students toot their own horn here and tell you about their success!

Students acknowledge their cheering (standing!) audience

“I was so happy at the end.  We crafted that play out of nothing.  I’m just so proud of everything we’ve done.  Not just the performance, the whole process.  So many people have come up to me… the audience was shocked.  I mean, we got a standing ovation!”  - Glyn

Students rehearse the blocking for a lift at the end of the play

“I feel proud… I know what to do!”  -Jake

Students perform the lift onstage in "Her Face to the Sky"

“It was really good [to be onstage.] The lift was hard.  I felt kinda nervous, and proud.  Proud of myself.” -Maribel

Performing together onstage at Tamalpais High School

“It’s not about just me.  I have to pay attention and observe.  I have to work together as a group.” – Monica

Waiting to greet family & friends in the Theatre lobby

“My whole family was so impressed with what we did.  It was special because of the collaboration.” -Allison

Students celebrate with friends, family & teachers

“I have to say, I felt famous!” -Tevin

Among the reasons Tevin felt famous was an article in their local paper about their work.  He also may have been responding to an enhanced profile on this sprawling campus.  Over the weeks of rehearsal and performance more and more of their student peers, unrelated to the project, reached out to them.  Stopping Tevin in the hall to ask when the show was, dropping by Mr. Lovejoy’s class on the way to lunch to say hi to Jake, or asking Maribel how rehearsal were going.  And campus feedback following the performance only fueled further integration and dialogue.  Monica’s response to congratulations from her peers on the performance was to remind them of their playmaking process:

“I always tell people,‘Thanks, we WROTE it!’ and they are just like:  ‘HOW?!’  It’s such a hard thing to do but we wrote a great play!”

A board in the Theatre lobby depicts the playmaking process

Feedback from students, teachers, administrators, and department/ district heads was glowing.  We hope to be able to expand this opportunity for collaboration in communities throughout the Bay Area.  Theatre integrates our inherent creativity and need to connect with the continued development of communication and life skills. It bridges seemingly vast gaps in our abilities and income levels – helping students see the we in a world full of me.  Plus, its “crazy fun”!  Reactions, like Glyn’s below, to the rigorous curriculum, rehearsals and high artistic standards of this arts integration project epitomize our goal:

“It was so rewarding at the end.  I was so happy and proud of everyone!”

So were we.

Youth in Arts is dedicated to serving youth of all abilities with high quality arts programming.  We created the Arts Unite Us program with seed funds from the Special Hope Foundation, and this project at Tam High has been supported by grants from the Green Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation. We are grateful for their generous support.  For more information on how you can support this type of programming, visit our support page, or visit our store at 917  C St. in downtown San Rafael.

2012 started off in fine style as art class was welcomed back with a fun “get back in stride” project. Students were given an option to be a interior designers or create their own banging custom taco truck. The energy was fun a upbeat as students were able to individualize their works with fun themes. This project will lead into a more in-depth interior design project-stay tuned!!-Peace Mr. K-Dub – Willow Creek Art teacher 5th-8th grades.

Next Week: Painting family Portraits.

Cutting oaktag for colograph prints

More pieces make a more interesting finished print

Layering oaktag to add depth and texture

In preparation for this week’s project of printing on black paper with white ink, students practiced drawing skeletons with oil pastels and chalk pastel pencils. They experimented with lights and darks, contrast and composition. They looked at the works of Jose Posada (Mexico 1851-1913)

The students were so inspired by their drawings that many of them created accordion books and shared their stories with the entire class.

Just in time for Dia de los Muertos: students recreated their skeletons in line drawings which were then turned into etchings in foam and printed two different ways: White paper with black ink, and black paper with white ink.

The arts ARE the plate.

The key to student engagement.

And communicating what student know and can do.

- Dr. Milton Chen, Edutopia

Recently the Youth in Arts Mentor Artists came together for our yearly September orientation and dinner. It was an evening filled with passionate discussions about why arts education matters and the impact it can have on students, schools, and communities.

These professional artists represent a wide array of backgrounds, talents, and disciplines. During the orientation the artists go to know each other through hands-on experiences that incorporated music, dance, theater, and visual arts. As a group they discussed strategies for building multiple learning modalities into their school residencies. They also investigated the language of state standards and considered how the arts overlap all content areas. To get to know our Mentor Artists, please browse the Youth in Arts website.

Working from YIA’s “I Am From…” lesson plan, the group of educators explored identity, culture, community and core values, culminating in a group project.  Using tracings of their hands, words, images, symbols and some glue, each group created a visual representation of their values and goals as a community of educators.

Now, it’s the kids’ turn!  Students will work with their teachers and Angela to conceptualize, design and create their school mural.  We all look forward to seeing their work!

180 Days: A Year in the Classroom,

an exhibition of drawings from the teaching journal of YIA Mentor Artist,

Brooke Toczylowski.

The artist, Brooke Toczylowski, responds to questions from young viewers during the opening. The youth asked questions like, “Did it really say that on the classroom door- is this true?” and “Why did you decide to do it like that?”

Each drawing represents one school day during the 2010-11 school year, during which time Toczylowski worked as an arts specialist with Youth in Arts in the Sausalito Marin City School District.

Teachers from both Bayside and Willow Creek came to the opening and discussed the work together.

Toczylowski taught grades K-5 at both the regular public school, Bayside Elementary, and the charter school, Willow Creek Academy, which reside on the same campus. The black-and-white ink drawings explore the personal and political experiences of a teacher working in a diverse community. From the small, inspiring moments of working directly with students to challenging situations that highlight the social and racial inequities prevalent in schools, Toczylowski gives us glimpses of the 21st century American classroom.

A student and parent peruse the process books, which document the arts learning experiences in the classroom.

Toczylowski’s artist statement discusses the importance of reflection in the life of a teacher and how this journal was her forum for processing her experiences.

Viewers are invited to share their own comments about the show, education, or specifically about their favorite teacher(s).

Student work is exhibited through process books that document the students’ arts learning experiences. Using student quotes, photos, and tangible examples, these books make visible the student-centered curriculum YIA encourages in the classroom.

By displaying Mentor Artist and student work together YIA intends to show the influence that professional artists can have in K-12 education.

The exhibit is open through November 5th.

Closing: Saturday, Nov. 5, 4-7 pm

Visit the Youth in Arts Gallery Monday through Friday 11-2 or by appointment (415-457-4878).

Using the mime technique of “string causality,” Eliot taught the second graders at  how to fly. Eliot warned them not to wave to people in airplanes or to fly out over the Pacific–but they ignored his warnings and came back with incredible stories.

The children became “film” in a magic camera that can photograph ANYTHING, past, present, future, near or far, real or imagined.

Students also made sculptures of one another:

With help of a generous grant from the California Arts Council and the Laurel Dell PTA, the students of Laurel Dell and Hamilton Elementary were treated to a unique opportunity this Spring.

The multi-part program in Ballet Folklorico was inaugurated with an assembly performances by the Ballet Folklorico Netzahualcoyotl at Laurel Dell, and Ensembles Ballet Folklorico at Hamilton. The troupes performed dances from several regions of Mexico including La Danza de Los Viejitos, which is an allegory for respecting your elders, and Las Amarillas, which shows the beautiful movement of birds. Students learned about each dance and joined along in movements and song!

At Laurel Dell School, Maestro Netza chose to teach the students dances from the Son Jarocho because working with each grade level, he was able to help students share and learn about the diversity of Spanish, Mexican and African Rhythms in Mexico. Netza explained how Africans brought to Mexico as slaves contributed to the styles and rhythms of Son Jarocho. The Jarocho genre evolved from a combination of influences: European, Indigenous and African; making it a Mestizo art form.

The students of Laurel Dell shared the stories of their ancestors from all over the Americas, and through the dances of Son Jorocho, were able to learn more about their own family backgrounds. During their time with Maestro Netza, each grade level learned one of these traditional Sones Jarochos:
Kindergarten: Maria Cirila, About a girl who makes Chocolate
1st Grade: La Guacamaya, about the Macaw bird
2nd and 3rd Grades: La Iguana, Mimicking the movements of the Iguana
4th Grade: El Colas, About a popular boy named Nicolas
5th Grade: La Bamba, The traditional version of the popular song.

The teachers at Laurel Dell also received professional development sessions with Mentor Artist Nydia Gonzalez in which they learned the historical and cultural context of the dances; dance steps; and, how to sing and play instruments to accompany the student performers. This enabled teachers to continue practice when the artist was not there, as well as further integrate the content into academic lessons.

At Hamilton School, YIA Mentor Artist Zenon Barron focused his dance program on the Flowers and Fauna of Southern Mexico, specifically the states of Tabasc, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla and Guerrero. One of the goals of this program was to emphasis the importance of preserving our natural habitats and earth’s animals that are celebrated through traditional dances: Los Quetzales (Colorful Birds), El Zopilote (The Buzzard), La Iguana (The Iguana), Pajaros Azules (Blue Birds), and El Patito (The Little Duck). This process inspired students to explore the imagery and imagine how these animals would move to the rhythms as they learned the steps to the traditional dances.

Each of the students took part in making their own costumes by creating a design sketch and applying their color choices depending on the animal they were depicting in the dance. Each of them transferred the idea to material, creating their costume. This was a theatrical approach, allowing students to further explore the animal movements and attributes.

Students learned to breathe deep, and stretch and strengthen their muscles through some Yoga techniques. A few children commented to Maestro Zenon that they liked learning how to stretch and breathe. One student said that he felt like his heart beat better afterwards. Through dance techniques and floor exercises, students learned to follow choreography creating squares, circles and triangles as a group, and how to move within the limits of the stage space. They also learned how to create the intricate percussive rhythms with their feet, which play a large part in the Folkloric dances of Mexico.

Students at both schools (and some of their teachers!) performed their dance at their school-wide Fiestas, where students were able to compare and contrast the stories, styles, and music of each dance performed, and community members enjoyed the colors and sounds of their festive dances!

Thank you to the California Arts Council for helping us to provide this wonderful program to our community!!