Why the Arts?

a reprint from the fall 2013 Lovett magazine

Lovett

Why the Arts?

WhytheArts?

Why the Arts? by ginny evans Communications Specialist

A two-word phrase that is frequently

A scene from The Sound of Music.

(L-R) Madison Thompson, Chip Fankhauser, True Geralds, Lydia Flock, Carter McPherson, Mary Stewart Delong

associated with The Lovett School is Progressive Education. Our founder, Eva Edwards Lovett, was a pioneer in this self-assessing and active type of learning. In her words, “It is education which is progressing continually in order to keep in step with the constant changes occurring in the world around us.”

To maintain this approach to education in the 21st century, we must continue to reassess what skills and abilities will be necessary for our students in the future. Courses in science, technology, engineering, and math all quickly become part of the agenda.

Yet, as many educators and researchers have discovered, these subjects cannot be fully mastered without a sustained study in the arts.

You might be asking, ‘Why the arts?’ To put it simply, a sustained study in the arts is a lifelong benefit.

The arts help students find the link between simply knowing facts and being able to apply those facts creatively. The arts engage the mind and imagination, promote collaboration and teamwork, develop disciplined efforts, improve communication skills, and build self-confidence. Academics are geared towards these core com-

WhytheArts?

petencies, but music, theater, photography, dance, and visual arts require them daily.

Lovett’s nationally recognized fine arts program engages our students in the core competencies with the help of a faculty comprised of 42 working professional artists.

“These are some of the most exceptional artists I’ve ever come across in any institution,” said Jay Freer ’78, Lovett’s director of fine arts and himself an alumnus of the arts program at Lovett.

“Being part of the Lovett faculty, I have access to some of the most creative and talented people in the business,” added visual arts teacher Amy Story. “It is a place where self-discovery is encouraged and pushing the boundaries in education is embraced.”

The arts are incorporated throughout the curriculum beginning in Lower School. As kindergartners, students build fine motor skills by creating and discussing visual art.

By Middle School, students have explored a number of year-long and semester-long fine arts classes, such as band, orchestra, dance, chorus, or digital arts. Upper School students continue their studies with at least one year of art instruction.

With 55 courses in a full range of visual and performing arts (see sidebar, last page) students are able to find and pursue an art form that speaks to them. Band teacher Stutz Wimmer formed the Ellington Jazz Band to encourage his students to do just that.

“I think it’s really important for my students to have high aspirations,” explained Wimmer. “That’s one of the reasons I started the Ellington Band.

It gives students a specific reason to

push harder.”

The Ellington Jazz Band is structured as a performance class, with a specific focus on improvisation and music from the Big Band era. Membership in the select ensemble is by audition only, and students are expected to make a long-term commitment because of the continuous curriculum and ensemble balance. By the end of their tenure, members have a high level of proficiency as instrumentalists.

They perform throughout the school year on campus and compete at national competitions, such as Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival and Competition in New York City.

Colin Tucker ’12 first saw the Ellington Band perform when he was in Lower School. “I remember thinking, ‘I want to do that’,” he said. “Being able to fulfill that goal as an upper schooler and traveling to a national competition with some of my closest friends was an amazing feeling. I don’t think I would have been able to do that anywhere else but at Lovett.”

Ellington Band members not only find success at national music competitions, but also reach high

Top: Julian McCarthy, Katherine Pope, Stephen Ewing, and Avery Dean rehearse for the Middle School play.

Bottom: Charlotte Pollard plays a song in Mrs. Beverly’s music class.

academic goals. In fact, recent Lovett alums who received the Morehead-Cain scholarship at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Hudson Vincent ’09, Daniel Rue ’11, and Peter Diaz ‘12, and the Jefferson Scholarship at the University of Virginia, William Henagan ’13, were all members of Ellington.

WhytheArts?

Lydia Flock ’14 Senior Lydia Flock is a key member of The Lovett Singers, a select Upper

School chorus ensemble, and has appeared and starred in many of the Upper School theater productions. In 2012, She played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and in 2013, she played Maria in The Sound of Music. Lydia was nominated for best female lead at the 2013 Shuler Hensley Awards. made you become so QWhat involved and passionate about the fine arts program?

In the choral program, the individual attention is fantastic.

If I ever need help with sight-reading, I can go after school to practice. Or, if I need to ask a question, my teachers are always timely in their responses.

Everyone really feels like they have a place in the program. What I love about the theater program is Mr. Silverman’s flexibility. He takes the time to get to know each one of his students and teach accordingly. Because everyone works differently, he shows us different ways to get fully into character and really perform. have you seen the arts QHow benefit your academic performance?

Reading, watching, and performing plays and musicals has helped a lot in history classes like American Studies. For example, when I was performing in The Sound of Music, I was also learning about the Anschluss in class.

Being heavily involved in the arts has also helped my time management skills, which are hugely necessary in the real world.

Balancing schoolwork during tech

week of a show is particularly challenging, but I’m so glad I have that experience so I’m ready for whatever life throws at me.

QWhat will you take with you

after Lovett from your experience in the arts?

Taking Mr. Wimmer’s AP Music Theory class has opened doors to the world of composition. After working hard on part writing, chord analysis, and ear training, I did not exactly know what I was going to do with all the new information. This summer, however, I put those skills to work and composed two pieces that tell an amazing story through music and movement. I also had the luxury of performing my pieces alongside other incredible artists. It was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, and I will continue to explore composing and arranging music.

there anything else you QIswould like to share about your experience?

Lovett has given me so many amazing opportunities. I have so much support from my teachers and mentors here. I know I will keep in touch with them long after I graduate.

The notion of the arts benefitting a student’s academic performance is nothing new to Lovett. When Mrs. Lovett founded the school, she purposefully integrated the arts with the school’s whole program. “At Lovett, creative arts are a fundamental part of the curriculum,” she wrote. “In one or more of these classrooms, every child finds full play for creative capacity and a happy outlet for talents and energies. He is therefore stimulated to keener interest in academic exercises.”

Mrs. Lovett was an advocate for the arts in education from the very beginning. She understood its importance in teaching students.

Today at Lovett, teachers in each division continue to incorporate the arts with curriculum. The American Studies program in the Upper School has found that supplementing history and literature with an emphasis on art and music allows students to think in very interdisciplinary ways. “We find that students with a background in art are often able to ‘read’ paintings and photographs in very sophisticated ways,” said English teacher Mark May-Beaver. “Likewise, students who are musicians often make great contributions to our discussions about spirituals, minstrels, blues, and jazz.”

When students have a background in the arts, they are able to contribute even more to their studies and make the subject more accessible to the entire class through discussions and presentations.

A similar interdisciplinary approach to curriculum happens in visual art classes. Amy Story asks her students to take a subject from their academic courses to create a work of art. Story encourages her students to take control of their education by letting them decide what to explore

WhytheArts?

Top: Senior Blair Fisher created this piece of sustainable artwork with found and recycled objects.

Bottom: Artwork by Junior Sydney Wolfe

in a subject in which they connect. “It is a great thing to empower kids with options and to learn that there are other non-traditional ways of expressing ideas,” she said. “It has stunned many teachers to see what the kids are capable of and how much they enjoy what they are learning in class.”

Stutz Wimmer finds that his music classes often overlap with academia, as well. “Almost every day, there’s an ‘a ha’ moment when I explain some element that’s present in music that they’ve always dealt with, but have no idea what it is,” he said.

“Suddenly it’s a tangible thing, and then they know.”

While there is this value in studying the arts for a student’s academics, there is also a value in the arts itself.

“The arts give students an opportunity to see the world in their own unique way,” explained Jay Freer.

“Students gain perspective on the world and that vision adds focus to everything they do.”

“Besides teaching them technique, we have to teach them how to see—how to see the world as an artist,” added teacher Tom Zwierlein.

Even if students do not continue to pursue the arts, Zwierlein believes that an experience in the arts will give them a unique perspective as they

Pottery by Katie Fee ’12

WhytheArts?

Mary Kathryn Flynt ’00 Mary Kathryn Flynt pursued theater while a Lovett student, both on the stage and off. She first tried acting, appearing as

Agnes in The School for Wives, and later began stage-managing for many of the Upper School productions. Realizing her passion for behind-the-scenes work, Mary Kathryn went on to pursue her degree at the top training program in the country for stage managers at the North Carolina School of the Arts. After graduation, she moved to New York and began her career as a stage manager on Broadway. She is currently the assistant stage manager for Annie.

QWhich fine arts program did you pursue and why?

I had always done plays and been a part of theater groups before moving to Atlanta and enrolling in Lovett in the sixth grade. I loved acting and taking on the role of a different person, so I was surprised at how quickly I fell in love with the stage management role after being introduced to it at Lovett. I found that in stage management, you have the job of being a part of the creative process. I enjoyed being a part of the rehearsal process and watching the show come to life with the director and actors. This new part of the creative process—watching the set, props, lights, and costumes complete the picture of what the playwright had written—was exciting.

He looked at me unapologetically and said, “That’s your job.

Get us started.” I was immediately terrified and could feel each pair of eyes in the room staring at me. It became apparent that this train was leaving the station, and I needed to figure out how to get onboard and drive! Fast! Somehow, the words started coming out of my mouth. The curtain was taken out, the first actors stepped out, they were lit, and they had the right prop in their hand. Not one show goes by that I don’t think about that moment. Whether I’m an assistant stage manager or the head production stage manager, there is always a moment where all eyes are on me, and I need to make a decision. That moment of searching for a teacher and then being viewed as not a student but a stage manager, is one of the best teaching moments I have ever had.

made you passionate about pursuing the arts at QWhat QWhat teachers had the most impact on your time at Lovett?

Lovett?

The theater has always been a place where people from every social group can safely mix. It’s evident in shows I do now—the star who lives in a hotel in Soho, the ensemble dancer who lives in Harlem, the director who lives in a penthouse on the Upper East Side, and the stagehand who lives two hours outside the city—all have a place. In my theater class at Lovett, I remember having the girl who would ultimately become our valedictorian, a couple of football players, a guy with a mohawk, a foreign-exchange student, members from the Student Government, and so on. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t hip to that fact specifically when I was in high school, but it was fun to be in a class and after-school activity that felt high stakes in its final product. Our shows needed to be collaborative from each person—no matter what his or her GPA or sport of choice.

In theater everyone is working toward one goal: to get the curtain up. Then, hopefully we make the audience laugh, cry, scream, think, and clap at the end. This is exactly what sparked my passion.

QWhat is one of your favorite memories from Lovett?

The first show I stage-managed was the spring musical, South Pacific. I remember so many moments from this show. Jay Freer would tell me at each stage of the rehearsal process what my jobs and duties as stage manager were, and I followed his directions as best I could. The first day of tech, we were supposed to start at 4:00 pm and it was 4:00 pm. Each actor was ready, each designer was ready, and Mr. Freer (the director) was ready. Mr. Freer was sitting two rows behind me, and I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders, “How does this get started?”

Jay Freer without a doubt. He led me to stage managing, he showed me that people do it for a career, he told me about North Carolina School of the Arts, and he gave me the chance to view the whole process of putting on a show from a more detailed level.

Each of my English teachers had a great impact as well—Ms. E-Z, Dr. Franklin, and Mr. Anderson. Each chose great works of literature, which gave me a great love of reading. Reading, I think, has led me to a deeper respect for other forms of art.

And a teacher whom I speak often of is Mrs. King. I ran cross country with her for three years. My senior year practice conflicted with rehearsals, so Mrs. King had me take the finish line times for girls at meets on Saturday mornings.

This way I was still a part of the team. I was a terrible runner then—and still am—but this didn’t matter to her. Mrs. King taught us to never quit. She didn’t care how ugly the run might be, but if we had committed to being on her team, we would run the race and finish. I’ve carried this lesson with me during many hard times in theater. Just as you can’t quit the race, the show must go on.

QWhat advice would you give current students at Lovett?

Take true advantage of all that Lovett has to offer. This will sound like a brochure for Lovett, but it really was my experience. When I went to college (a small state school), I realized how incredibly lucky and rare it was to have the range of classes, the caliber of teachers, and the incredible facilities we had at Lovett. It’s an education that very few are privileged to have, so I would say enjoy and appreciate the golden ticket that you’ve been given.

Spring 2009 9

WhytheArts?

Seth Decker ’97 Seth Decker has been involved in theater since age eight. At Lovett, he

performed in numerous plays and musicals during his four years in the Upper School. “Seth is probably the most gifted actor that has come through the theater program in the last 27 years,” said fine arts director Jay Freer.

Seth received his BFA in classical stage acting from the Boston University Theatre Conservatory, where he graduated magna cum laude. Seth found great success as a professional actor on stages across the country and has appeared in various television and radio commercials. In April 2003, Seth and his wife, Leah, returned to Atlanta and founded the Red Door Playhouse, a children’s theater company that now also produces adult theater in Roswell.

QWhich fine arts program did you pursue and why?

I pursued drama in Upper School, as I’ve always loved the theater.

made you passionate about pursuing the arts at QWhat Lovett?

I always wanted to become a professional actor, writer, and director.

QWhat is one of your favorite memories from Lovett?

It is when I got the chance to play Mozart in Amadeus. did your experience in the arts at Lovett prepare you QHow for your career?

At Lovett, we got the chance to do amazing shows that other schools would only dream of doing. I acquired a strict work ethic and learned to cultivate the highest standards for my work in all areas of the theater. Now, I run a local theater company of my own.

QWhat teachers had the most impact on your time at Lovett?

Jay Freer, Steve Bickley, Raul Miyar, and Señora and Dr. Rawe were all exceptional.

QWhat advice would you give current students at Lovett?

Take full advantage of all the amazing opportunities that Lovett has to offer. You don’t know how lucky you are.

Seth Decker ’97 as Mozart in Amadeus with Brynn Harris DuVall ’98 as Constanza.

WhytheArts?

move forward in life. By using the creative side of their brains, students begin to learn how to think outside the box, how to express themselves, and how to communicate effectively.

In order to teach students how to see the world as artists, the fine arts program focuses on process. The faculty believes that process is the key to learning and understanding. “The process of producing artwork builds students’ confidence in clarifying and expressing ideas,” explained Amy Story. “It also teaches them discipline and how to develop and present their point of view.”

One way that some visual arts students articulate and focus on the process is through a daily blog.

The public nature of a blog allows students to express their development as visual artists and encourages them to communicate with their audience in an open forum. They begin to discover how to communicate their ideas to the viewer and use technology to share their experiences.

Once students have identified the art form that speaks to them, they begin to learn how to express themselves as individuals and build confidence. Senior Lydia Flock said that the individual attention she receives in both the theater and choral programs has impacted her passion for the arts. “Everyone really feels like they have a place,” she said. “In the theater program, Mr. Silverman takes the time to get to know each one of his students and teach accordingly.

Because everyone works differently, he shows us different ways to get fully into character and really perform.”

Teacher Rebecca Hirsch encourages her students to step out of their comfort zones through dance.

By making the connection between

Ellie Mayfield dances with her older sister, Emma, in the annual all-school dance performance.

music, expression, and movement, her dance students learn a different way to express their artistic voice.

“I want them to stand taller, so that someday they can walk into a job interview exuding confidence,” said Hirsch. “Students who study the arts at Lovett ultimately have a unique opportunity to discover a dimension of themselves that they might not otherwise uncover.”

The fine arts program closes the circle on the whole child education by requiring students to enhance and apply the core competencies they learn at Lovett. Academics and athletics are both key pieces to a Lovett education, but it is not fully complete without a sustained study in the arts. Through the fine arts program, students learn the skills to become successful adults, the courage to take risks, and the

ingenuity to solve problems they will face in the future.

“When you think about the future of The Lovett School, of Atlanta, or our country, you want people who are trained to see the opportunities, the possibilities, the creative solutions that can lead us to something better tomorrow,” said Michael Shapiro, the director of the High Museum of Art. As progressive educators, Lovett teachers will continue to train and educate students with this future in mind. Our students will be well equipped to face the world with their creative, collaborative, critical thinking, disciplined, and self-confident minds because of their well-rounded experiences in academics, athletics, and the arts.

WhytheArts?

Art Integration Lionel Flax of Sam Flax Art and Design approached Lovett this past

year with a grand idea: to create a program that more fully integrates art and curriculum. He worked closely with Lovett’s visual arts coordinator, Amy Story, to create the pilot program that provides a means for students and teachers to explore traditional academic subjects through creative processes.

More than 30 teachers across all three divisions expressed interest in the program, and four projects were selected:

Pat Costen’s seventh grade English class with their graffiti wall from The Outsiders

Sue Wingate’s physics students visualized the laws of motion by dunking assorted objects in paint and dropping them on canvas to demonstrate the principles of rhythm and motion.

Fifth grade teachers Kyleen Davis and Bettye Manning collaborated with graphic artist Wayne Pelletier to create a poster that reflects students’ under- standing of the Revolutionary War and the power of propa- ganda to stimulate social unrest.

Sandra Switzer’s New Testament students studied minimalist art by depicting the ideas and principles of Jesus through color and shape.

Pat Costen’s seventh grade English students expressed the literary themes from The Out sid–ers by creating a graffiti wall.

These projects demonstrated that expressing concepts encountered in a unit of study through art engages students in a variety of ways. Students developed their skills in creative thinking, problem solving, public presentations, and group collaboration.

As the partnership and program continues to expand in the 2013–14 school year, there will be four interdisciplinary units involving English, science, religion, and history. Classroom teachers will collaborate with a team of visiting artists and fine arts faculty to integrate the arts with a particular unit of classroom material. The partnership with Sam Flax Art and Design will not only offer students an integrated, project-based learning experience, but will also further our mission to develop the whole child.

WhytheArts?

Fine Arts Courses LS General Music LS Chorus LS Band LS Orchestra LS Dance LS Art MS Visual Arts MS Theater Arts MS Dance MS Band MS Orchestra MS Chorus 8th Grade Technical Theater US Art Foundations US Art History US Ceramics/Sculpture US Dance US Film History US Film Critique US Film/Screenwriting US Drawing US Painting US Mixed Media US Architectural Design US Photo US Digital Photo US Portfolio Development US Theater Arts US Technical Theater US Men’s Chorus US Women’s Chorus US Singers US Band US Ellington Jazz Ensemble US AP Music Theory US Orchestra Applied Lessons, Piano Applied Lessons, Voice Applied Lessons, Bass Applied Lessons, Cello Applied Lessons, Violin Applied Lessons, Viola Applied Lessons, Clarinet

Applied Lessons, Flute Applied Lessons, French Horn Applied Lessons, Guitar Applied Lessons, Percussion Applied Lessons, Saxophone Applied Lessons, Trombone Applied Lessons, Trumpet

Grace Sutherlin playing the cello

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