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Online Learning in the Arts
Zoom Master Class with Taylor Okey, an actor from the national tour of Bandstand, in a session titled “Life of a Working Actor.”
When it became clear that in-person conservatory classes would have to be suspended for a while due to COVID-19, the question was not if classes would continue, but how they would continue. Our education team quickly developed a plan of action for moving to an online learning model and, within one week, all conservatory classes were up and running on Zoom, an industry leader in online video conferencing platforms. “We knew that so many of our students would be counting on their classes for some sense of normalcy, not to mention the community that comes with taking part in a conservatory class,” said Meghan Montaner, director of education at the theatre and conservatory. “It was important to us to maintain that community for our students and faculty, regardless of distance.”
Prior to classes going live online, conservatory faculty received extensive training on the Zoom platform and conducted rehearsal classes to ensure that students would receive the highest quality of instruction possible. Faculty members also participated in researching best practices for effectively teaching performing arts curriculum online and leveraged their professional networks to gather ideas. According to John Minigan, who teaches Adult Acting and Adult Acting: Performance at the conservatory, “Like most teachers, I was worried at first about finding ways to teach classes online. The education staff has been amazing, getting us training and bringing us together for department meetings to share best practices, and other conservatory teachers have reached out with resources to make the going smoother. It’s also been great to connect with friends and colleagues facing the same questions in their classes and sharing ideas amongst a broader network.”
While the task of reworking classes so heavily dependent on physical presence was daunting at first, many teachers have found that the virtual environment offers unique opportunities that are not typically available to them in the classroom. For example, students in drama classes have had the opportunity to test out their on-camera acting skills and work on scenes in pairs or small groups using Zoom’s breakout room feature rather than just selecting a corner of the studio to work in. The new medium has also pushed students and teachers to think about acting in different ways. “It’s been an opportunity for creative thinking,” says Minigan, “How does the prop move from one person to another in a scene? When does the camera see your face as opposed to your profile? How do you handle an entrance when it’s on screen?”
For dance classes, special consideration was taken when restructuring curriculum to ensure that all instruction is safe for dancers to execute at home in whatever space they are working with. This means that while students may not be doing elaborate jumping or turning combinations at home, they are working through other exercises that will maintain their strength so that they will be prepared to revisit those combinations once they return to the studio. One particular benefit of conducting live,
interactive classes as opposed to pre-recorded sessions is the ability for faculty to continue offering personalized corrections based on what they are seeing from their students in real time. “Conducting classes through an interactive platform enables us to give personal corrections to our students in classes and rehearsals, and maintains the value of our dance program during this challenging time,” says Jennifer Agbay, director of dance at the conservatory. “The ability to continue providing corrections and feedback to our students allows them to maintain and develop new skills in both a technical and artistic capacity.” For students of all ages, online classes have offered structure and a sense of normalcy to an otherwise uncertain time. After the first day of online classes Andrea Carlson, a student in Adult Improv II, said, “Thanks to The Hanover Theatre Conservatory my improv class took place online tonight. What a boost I got from a tiny bit of normalcy. I went from sobbing most of the day to full-fledged laughing. Surprising how regularity can make sense of chaos.” Parents of younger students have seen the benefit of online classes as well. “My daughter was so happy to be back to her regular classes and teachers,” said Sharon Macrelli, whose twelve year old daughter takes ballet classes at the conservatory, “Any part of the routine that we can keep going right now goes a long way for kids.” Lusvit Moy, whose daughter Hanna is a member of the conservatory’s Youth Ballet Apprentice Company, also recognizes the value in maintaining a normal class schedule. “We know it is important for Hanna’s body to keep up her physical training through online classes,” says Moy, “but more important than the physical work is the emotional support the conservatory is providing her by allowing her to maintain a mentally healthy routine doing what she loves to do. . . dance!” In addition to regularly scheduled classes, students have also been able to attend master classes, a benefit that conservatory students enjoy throughout the year. Students had the chance to speak with Taylor Okey, an actor from the national tour of Bandstand that was set to visit the theatre in March, in a session titled “Life of a Working Actor.” Boston Ballet principal dancer Ashley Ellis held a virtual ballet master class, as did Telmo Moreira, ballet master at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia and Stephen Hanna, Broadway performer and former New York City Ballet principal dancer. Even though this was not how we expected the conservatory’s spring semester to play out, our commitment to igniting creativity, inspiring confidence and offering high quality arts education for students of all ages has not changed. Although we would prefer to be in the studio together, this process has opened our eyes to new possibilities and challenged us to find new ways to connect and create together. “While we know that social distancing is prescribed as the best protective factor right now, it is also true that the arts and culture are a powerful source of healing in these times of high stress and anxiety. We are committed to ensuring that our students have a place to learn and grow through arts education now, and in the future,” says Montaner. kftselios Full load of classes tonight @thehanovertheatre from home. Thankful the technology and hard work by the teachers exists to connect the kids with the thing they love so much! #thtc #keepondancing.
ACT • SING • DANCE • DESIGN NEW SUMMER SESSION STARTS IN JUNE
