Core Workshop Sessions


Judith Williams and Nancy Cason serve as facilitators for the administration component of the Tennessee Arts Academy. Highly respected arts administrators in their own right, Ms. Williams and Ms. Cason will offer their own unique perspective and insight on arts administration. They will share with the participants strategies and techniques to help maximize the benefits of arts programs in the K-12 school setting. Administrators will also participate in a number of sessions on areas specific to their own needs including current trends and issues. Special guests are often invited to address the group on particular educational issues and off-site visits to area arts institutions are typically scheduled as part of the regular curriculum. In addition, administrators attend sessions in music, theatre, and visual art to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the role of each of these areas in the total education of a student. Administrators also receive specialized instruction with several of the discipline-specific faculty members as well as one-on-one sessions with the daily musings speaker. Please refer to the other content areas for further information about faculty and sessions offered. The Arts Academy is in the process of applying for permission to award TASL credit to administrators who attend these sessions. Please check back for updates on this and other additions in this area.

INTERLUDE WORKSHOP SESSIONS

Interludes are workshop sessions that allow participants to cross disciplines. The following Interlude sessions are available to all Academy participants and will be offered on both Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 2:25 PM to 3:10 PM unless otherwise indicated. Please check back regularly for updates. For complete information on these sessions go to: http://tennesseeartsacademy.org/connections.html

INTERLUDE WORKSHOP SESSIONS
Monday and Wednesday

The following Interlude sessions are available to all Academy participants and will be offered on both Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 2:25 PM to 3:10 PM unless otherwise indicated.

Ann Ayers
WOW’em!
From Monster Mash, Mad-Hatter’s Tea Party, Pinwheels for Peace and  Lawn Painting to Funky Fashions, Thinking Caps, Cow Parades, and Artist Feats, all levels from beginner to expert will discover something to be used with students.  Ann has spent years trolling the Internet, seeking and searching and bookmarking!  You’ll see her favorite sites, favorite programs, and favorite technology tools. Technology takes on a whole new meaning and a whole new “Buzz”!

Janet Barrett
Bach and the Beetles: A Contrapuntal Interlude with Movement, Music and Poetry
Come prepared to move, perform, and listen as we experience the rich connections between a Newberry Award winning poet’s work and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Jeff Bush
It’s Carnival Time!
Come join the parade! This hands-on session for everyone (no musical experience necessary) is an exercise based on a form of Brazilian percussion music called Batucada, particularly popular during Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Through a variety of exercises, participants will not only discover one form of Brazilian music, but also to promote creativity, elements of music and numerous educational concepts.  You’ll learn a little about the culture and get an opportunity to march around in our own little Carnival!

Michael Chandler
Strategies for Developing Part-Singing in the Elementary Choir
Come experience three joyful choral selections that each represent a different way to facilitate beginning part-singing while reinforcing music skills and concepts with the elementary choir.

Robert Colby
“A Mother’s Heart:” Adapting a Text for Theatrical Performance
Working with characters and a theme that have appeared in short stories, poems, and ballads all over the world and across several centuries, participants will adapt the text as a play and perform several versions of it, all in 45 minutes!

Virginia Derryberry
Second Nature & Alchemical Narratives
Virginia Derryberry will present slides of recent narrative paintings from both her “Second Nature” series and “Alchemical Narratives” series.

Joel G. Fink
Truly Humour-ous Characters
Joel G. Fink will explore the use of the four humours in the creation of characters. The theory of the humours as the basis for personality-types dates back to at least the 2nd century A.D. Even today, however, it is a useful tool for analyzing and creating characters on-stage.

David Gamble
Painting and Ceramics
David Gamble will show images of his work and some European symposiums in which he participated over the past several years.
(Monday Only)

Daryle Grenead
New Art Teacher Discussion
Daryle Grenead will meet with new art teachers for an informative and casual session to discuss great classroom tips, organizational ideas, and ways to create meaningful and successful lessons for the art curriculum. 
(Monday Only)

Cecile Johnson
Sing a Story~ Read a Song
Learn to use children’s literature books with music connections to enhance and extend your lessons in a meaningful and purposeful way.

Elana Lagerquist
Building Character: Finding the Drama within the Language Arts
Elana Lagerquist will facilitate an interactive literacy through theatre lesson that explores the integration of the performing arts and the language arts curricula. By using the theatre techniques of tableaux and improvisation, participants will create characters to playfully develop oral language and writing skills.

Judy Langille
Art Created from One Piece of Cloth
Judy Langille will present “Art Created from One Piece of Cloth”, a power point slide show that includes work of artists from all over the world. Each piece Judy displays is created using a variety of surface design techniques, but all interestingly use only one piece of fabric to begin the work.

Libby Marcus
Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Method: A Useful Process for Responding to Student Work
Libby will take participants through this step-by-step group process for responding to artistic work that is supportive of student-artists and wonderful for developing the critical eye in young audiences.
(Monday Only)

Libby Marcus
Sure Fire Warm-ups & Icebreakers: Activities for Building a Safe Space to Create
Libby Marcus will guide participants through a series of her favorite tried and true theater games that develop confidence, trust and good feelings in any group setting.
(Wednesday Only)

Tawnya Pettiford-Wates
Impulse: Connecting through Sound, Movement & Gesture
It is only through letting go that we can truly get "in-touch" with our impluse. It is impulse wherein lies our artistic genius. Participants will explore some simple and fun exercises that demonstrate the power and magic of transition as it connects to impluse as well as learning how we get in our own way by controlling or blocking our creative impulse.

Davis Robinson
Music for a Change
Some fun ways to use music in the classroom or rehearsal hall to recharge the batteries, break up tensions, and get new ideas percolating. Use of recorded music as well as simple rhythmic and vocal exercises will be introduced.