A CREATIVE LEAP: Teaching the Arts During a Pandemic

A CREATIVE LEAP TEACHING THE ARTS DURING A PANDEMIC

BY ELIZABETH WILSON TAVILOGLU P’19

More than one year ago, it became clear that virtual classes were going to be a part of Storm King’s teaching and learning model, at least while the virus continued to rage. Since then, our faculty has been working to find innovative ways to deliver their course content to all students, whether studying in-person or online. The challenge has been even greater for our arts faculty, who normally rely on hands-on, in-person instruction, rehearsal, and practice to effectively teach their students.

Here, we take a closer look at how Storm King’s Visual and Performing Arts Departments came together, got creative, and succeeded in teaching our students not only to adapt, but to thrive in these new circumstances; and to produce excellent work that was showcased in a series of online events which received accolades from the community and uplifted all of us during these difficult times.

Did the Visual and Performing Arts Departments have an overall plan for teaching and learning during the pandemic, or did things come together organically?

John Carruthers: “For our visual arts courses, we collaborated on a plan for health protocols in the classroom; assembling individual art kits for each student to eliminate shared materials, directing movement in and out of each classroom space, new seating arrangements, installation of air purifiers, and hand sanitizer for each student desk. A supply list was sent to online students who were able to get most of the materials as they were available per country.

In class, we had the most success delivering our courses using a combination of both physical and online tools. Most lessons were set up so that students could participate, either using physical or online tools including apps like Sketchbook, PixelArt, and ProCreate, and they came out with some very nice work. An interesting story: one of my online students in Ethiopia could not get some of the supplies, so she made her own charcoal sticks for drawing by burning some local wood and used that!”

Anne Fulton: “Students in the performing arts thrive on in-person instruction and rehearsing together with their peers. The students, especially the seniors, were very disappointed when Broadway closed, and likewise, we had to cancel our spring musical Chicago: High School Edition. We immediately switched gears to begin producing a virtual version of scenes from the play. We also took steps to overcome the difficulties new health protocols brought with them. Conveying emotion in a scene is definitely more challenging for an actor when most of their face is covered by a mask!”

Jeanette Jacobson: “For my dance classes, we got to work immediately. Producing a virtual dance event was our end goal. When classes were exclusively online, the students danced along with me every day on Zoom from all over the world, and then sent me their recordings to be edited into a virtual show using the Flipgrid software and app. This past fall, we were able to use the dance studio and the gym for my in-person students to spread out and dance, while my online dancers continued to dance at home.

Our class routine remained the same in the sense that we came in, warmed up, practiced new steps, and then rehearsed our dances. Each week we still had our Choreographer’s Workshop days where the students presented their solos to the class on Zoom and received critiques from me. Because the dancers were in different time zones, there were some days we were meeting at 8:00 pm (EST) to ensure that everyone could attend.”

Sign on the door of the Dance Studio

What were the biggest challenges in teaching your curriculum online?

John Carruthers: “Some of the challenges came from our limited ability to work with students directly, meaning sitting next to them and doing artwork with them. We had to rethink our approach and emphasize a more spoken critique method. Surprisingly, we didn’t change our core curriculum that much. The method of delivery was changed, and sometimes the activities that taught our core skills were different (i.e. – using online drawing apps, doing more drawing than painting), but we really didn’t compromise delivering the content we feel is essential.”

Megan Liggett: “Fashion was a big challenge for a few reasons. It’s a very hands-on class where we use many tools from needles and thread, shears, and sewing machines to fabrics and accessories, so it was difficult for some online students to get all the supplies they needed at home. Time was also a concern. When moving back and forth between in-person and online classes, the students weren’t able to finish enough garments to put on a full fashion show as is the tradition. Instead, we switched gears to do a video of them working that focused on the process of putting together pieces in the classroom.”

Lindsay Brown: “For Stagecraft and Design, the struggle was the students not having all the same tools to work with such as power tools like drills and saws, as well as the microphones and lighting systems in the Theater. Things had to change from being very hands-on where students learned set construction and basic technical theater skills, to being theoretical when classes moved online. The curriculum turned into creating designs and how to budget for a production instead of learning how to build for a show. The students still learned the same aspects of technical theatre, but they were learning it from a different perspective.”

Jeanette Jacobson: “The biggest challenge was space at the students’ homes! The dancers were moving furniture, going outside, and finding other creative ways to ensure they had enough space to dance. They were dancing with dogs running between their legs, and parents working in the same room.”

Zhenya Kiperman: “This fall, in-person video production students had access to our digital lab, but the online students did not. To remedy this, our IT Department provided all of the online students with access to the Premiere software we use for editing on their home computers. Gradually, we installed Premiere on the home computers of all my students, so during periods of online instruction, everyone was able to continue their editing work from home.”

Stagecraft Teacher Lindsay Brown's class on Zoom

What were some of the tools/technology you used?

Lindsay Brown: “Along with Zoom, my students practiced their drafting skills, meaning they learned to create a set on paper. They were asked to draw out their designs in scale (in a set measurement on the page), and think about how their design would actually fit in the space. We also had many review sessions via Kahoot and the students experimented with the audio editing software GarageBand and Audacity.”

Anne Fulton: “For acting class, we used Zoom, Flip- Grid, iMovie, and Premier Pro. We also took advantage of Zoom’s screen sharing capabilities and were able to stream a wonderful production of Royal Shakespeare Company’s Macbeth, which we were reading in class.”

Jeanette Jacobson: “I used a combination of Zoom, FlipGrid and iMovie. One thing I found very useful was posting the recordings of our classes on the school portal. Students were able to go back and watch dances on their own. This is something I will continue to do, whether we have all students in person, or not, because it proved to be helpful for the students to have the videos to refer back to.”

Alva Nelson: “We used YouTube for our melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic dictation lessons. I would prepare lessons and e-mail them to students prior to class so they could prepare for classroom discussions. When in class, we would complete the assignment and students would email or text answers. We did this almost daily and it proved highly effective and kept students thoroughly engaged. I used the sequencing program LogicPro X (the professional version of Garage- Band, which many students have preinstalled if they have a Mac computer). I also used the notation program Sibelius for my Music Theory Class. One challenge I faced with my piano students was having them place the web camera where I could see their hands on the keyboard. This was more challenging than one might expect!”

Fashion Teacher Megan Liggett's class on Zoom

How did your students respond to learning in the new format?

Anne Fulton: “I think the fact that the students were already familiar with using their phones and platforms like TikTok to film themselves singing, dancing, and acting was extremely helpful in our efforts to record their work. They took to Zoom quickly and seemed comfortable with connecting virtually. That said, so much of our class in the past involved physical, collaborative exercises that couldn’t be duplicated in Zoom. The students adjusted, though, and we chose scenes that lent themselves to the virtual format. In the future, I will continue to encourage my students to film themselves as a tool to review their work. College auditions are being done virtually now, so the ability to convey their talents in a video format is an important skill for them to master.”

John Carruthers: “The students did very well with some of the new formats we tried, especially Sketchbook and some of the other drawing apps. I plan to integrate them into my curriculum going forward. In conversations with students, we also found new and fun ways to develop skills. For instance, I would suggest a photo project, and then the students would make suggestions about technical edits they could do, or they would include different details I wouldn’t have thought of. In general, our online students were very resourceful in using household items and being innovative in creating art, and the in-person students did some wonderfully in-depth work because the class sizes made for great oneon-one teaching moments.”

A socially-distanced Fashion class

How will you remember this time in the history of the arts at SKS?

Anne Fulton: “In fifteen years of producing shows at SKS, I had never canceled a show, until the 2020 pandemic. We were so used to being able to overcome any obstacles, to have the show go on, that it was surreal to have to shut down the live show. Fortunately, we had photographed the dress rehearsal and were able to combine those photos and the scenes that were acted out in students’ homes to create a wonderful virtual performance. I think that we’ve learned valuable skills during this time and that our students can adapt to new circumstances very well. I’m very proud of them.”

Lindsay Brown: “I will remember this as a time where we got to focus more on our craft and less on what the next production is. The students got to learn fundamentals that they would not have normally been exposed to. We were challenged in a way that I have never experienced before. We had to learn how to adapt and have compassion both as a community and as peers in a class. Many students were tech savvy, but many were not, so they struggled to transition to virtual instruction. By showing compassion and understanding, we got through it together as a class.”

Jeanette Jacobson: “This is my tenth year at SKS and I have never been more proud of the School. I think as a department, we had a huge challenge, but an important one. The performing arts classes provided our students with a way to express themselves and relieve stress, which was more important than ever. I feel this time has made us stronger and better educators. The triumph was the effort put in by the dancers. They really rose to the occasion. Our dance show videos turned out wonderfully. The students worked so hard to make them work, be fun, and be worth watching! I will always be proud of them.”

Alva Nelson: “Where there are obstacles, there will be opportunities. This has been an interesting time; however, I have learned so much from my colleagues and students alike. I will continue to prepare for remote learning, even if we go back to exclusive in-person learning.”

John Carruthers: “For me, I will remember it as a time of refocusing on what I do as a teacher– how do I teach, guide, and inspire in a relevant way in this “new normal” of our world. Every year, I always revamp my curriculum and see if there’s a new way to teach a skill, or whether there is an older lesson that I should bring back. This year, I believe the very role of a teacher was rethought, renewed, re-considered, and rebuilt. I think the future will be a very exciting time to recreate education. We’ve always looked at what we can do to innovate, but this year has also reinforced that the basic teacher-student relationship of reciprocal inspiration, under any circumstance, is the essence of what we do here at SKS.”

Global Studies in Art

Were there any benefits or lessons learned that you will continue to use after the pandemic is over?

Lindsay Brown: “I will continue to teach my students how to budget for a production. Not only is it an important skill for them to learn, especially if they plan to pursue a career in the arts, but it is a skill that can be used in their everyday life that I don’t think many students are exposed to early enough.”

John Carruthers: “I’ll definitely continue with some of the tech-oriented lessons and keep an open mind for working spontaneously with the students. One thing was discovering ways to teach off the cuff with what is right in front of you– from handheld devices to any paper, fabric, or literally anything within arm’s reach. Necessity becomes the mother of innovation, if I may coin a phrase!”

Socially-distanced art class