Peck News: Fall/Winter 2020

The Arts at Peck

THE RENOWNED MUSIC EDUCATOR CHERYL LAVENDER once said, “The fact that children can make beautiful music is less significant than the fact that music can make beautiful children.” Lower School Music Teacher Lisa Wichman typically has Lavender’s quote prominently displayed on a poster in her music room. Not only does the quote wonderfully exemplify Wichman’s approach to teaching, it epitomizes The Peck School’s entire approach to the arts: the fact that children can make beautiful art is not as important as delivering an arts program that develops beautiful children.

Not all children will make subjectively “beautiful” art, and fewer still may pursue art as a career. Yet according to research, engaging students in the arts is a major priority in supporting their social and emotional health. In today’s educational landscape, maintaining an arts program is critical to maintaining a robust and healthy program.

But how does a school effectively offer arts classes across a K-8 school while still maintaining physical distancing and grade-level cohorting during a global pandemic?

The answer: arts intensives.

Peck’s administration wanted to find a way to allow students to take arts in-person while the campus remains open. So, a rotation of arts intensives was established. The intensives allow students to experience the same amount of hours of each arts discipline over the course of two cycles during the school year.

OPPORTUNITY IN DISGUISE: To reduce risk of cross-contamination, Peck's Woodworking Classes have been reimagined to focus on the art of creating with hand tools (vs. using the shop's shared machines and power tools)—giving students the opportunity to explore traditional woodworking methods more deeply.

That’s because each specials teacher becomes an additional member of the grade-level cohort for that cycle. This allows art, music, technology, science, language, and woodworking to be integrated into the curriculum throughout the day in ways unlike ever before.

“This allows us to work alongside the teachers and try to support the learning taking place in the classroom,” Department Chair and Lower School Art Teacher Karen Dispenziere said. “It makes for greater opportunity for arts integration.”

The benefits are immense,” Dispenziere continued. “We can dig deeper and really build on concepts and skills. Working with the students every day of the week allows for a deeper immersion in whatever it is we are doing.

Students each have their own individual inventory of art supplies so there is no cross-contamination, even within a cohort. Dispenziere and Upper School Art Teacher Scott Beil have also had to rethink the messiness of materials being used and the scale of projects.

In woodworking (grades 3-8), teacher Mark Mortensen has been able to retain the use of the woodshop, but has also modified his lessons to avoid tool-sharing while still maintaining a focus on design thinking.

“Art is supposed to be messy,” Dispenziere said. “But with limited access to sinks and utilizing a space that might be used for math after art, we’ve had to think creatively about materials that won’t ruin a student’s learning environment.”

The music curriculum has incorporated similar logistical modifications. In Lower School, Lisa Wichman focuses on rhythm, movement, and teaching students to make music with their bodies—without using their mouths! Maracas, scarves, drumsticks, and other props all play a big role in her students’ creative expression. In Upper School, while instrumental music is on hold, teacher Andrew Lyman is able to introduce music composition to students and teach a variety of digital music creation tools.

“The students are incredible,” Dispenziere said. “I cannot say enough about the way they’ve adapted and happily accepted all these changes.”

Dispenziere said the arts faculty plans to look closely as elements of the intensive model that can be carried forward post-pandemic.

One additional added benefit? Dispenziere says she feels like she’s gotten to know her students better than ever before.

“Because I am with them all day, I know what their favorite snack is. I know so much more about them,” she said. “I’ve been able to develop a real deep connection with the kids. Even with kids whom I’ve just met. It’s almost as if I’ve known them a whole year!”

Art Teacher Karen Dispenziere walks Kindergarten students through an observational drawing lesson that also incorporates Spanish class vocabulary words.