Core Workshop Sessions

Participants will attend one class every day with each of the core clinicians listed below:

(Please note that the following drama sessions are designed for both arts specialists and for the generalist classroom teacher. Drama experience is not required or needed. All educators who have an interest in learning how to use drama techniques to enhance learning opportunities in the classroom are highly encouraged to attend. The majority of participants in these sessions will be regular classroom teachers with little or no theatre background.)

Drama Structures for Today’s Schools
Clinician: Robert Colby
This session will provide a practical exploration of contemporary drama education practice, including how to plan and implement story drama and process drama. A range of source material, games, exercises, approaches and structures will be offered and can be used with a variety of ages in classrooms and other settings.

Literacy in Action: Integrating Theatre & Language Arts
Clinician: Elana Lagerquist
Elana Lagerquist leads an interactive workshop filled with creative activities teachers can use to put some fun into the language arts curriculum. Through practical, hands-on activities, participants will learn to integrate dramatic games into the literacy program with a focus on oral language development, word work, reading comprehension, and writing.

Performing Objects and Table Top Theater: Puppetry for Small Spaces, Small Budgets and Small People
Clinician: Libby Marcus
Puppets! Toy Theater! Object Theater! What do these things have in common? They are all easy, engaging, transferable modes of playmaking that require limited space, minimal resources and will liven up the learning in any classroom. This hands-on workshop offers participants practical techniques and activities for creating object, puppet and toy theater with elementary age students. Participants will work in pairs and small groups to create short performances that they will share with the class.

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.