Owensboro Public Schools provided a two-day enrichment opportunity for 75 fourth- and fifth-grade students who were identified as gifted and talented in the fine arts from each OPS elementary school. Students were transported to OMS and Kentucky Wesleyan College on Jan. 26 and 29 to explore their identified discipline outside of the regular setting.
“Students are identified in third grade and OPS uses the upper two elementary grades to give advanced instruction. All of our arts staff are top flight,” said Tom Stites, coordinator of fine arts for OPS.
Stites said that these students are performing above grade level and most have abilities above what they receive in the regular school setting. The enrichment opportunities existed in the past but were halted for a couple of years. With more funding and scheduling opening up, Stites said it was time to restart the program.
He also felt it was important to involve people outside of the district which created the partnership with visual art students using the Ralph Center at Wesleyan.
Visual art students explored ceramics and Wesleyan artist Heather Logsdon made the space available for students to be instructed by OPS teachers Amber Midkiff and Dayna Smith on how to create ceramic bowls and mugs. In the first session, Midkiff did a clay demonstration on the coil method. Over the week, the creations were fired and in the second session, the students glazed the pieces to be fired again for the finished product.
“We hope they learned about ceramics and enjoy keeping the piece forever as well as develop a love for art,” Midkiff said. “They also got to meet a college art professor and see the art building at KWC.”
Dance students attended class with OMS dance teacher Shauna Jones. Students worked through a series of class exercises that train neuromuscular patterning, memory development and basic dance vocabulary. They also experienced various styles of dance: jazz, hip hop, lyrical, Broadway, Bollywood and even partner dances.
“I wanted to give them a bit of that experience,” Jones said.
The remainder of class last week, students sampled an across-the-floor exercise in hip hop to enhance critical thinking by putting movements in sequence while traveling from one side of the room to another.
In the second session, students followed the same format and then Jones added a small group choreography project where she provided a list of movements and directions the students must incorporate in no particular order and, at the end, students shared their choreographed routine.
Music students rotated through the three music disciplines offered in the district — band, choir and orchestra — sampled the instruments and worked to read music.
Choir students worked on two pieces of music, one a pop song and the other a traditional spiritual. The students worked on singing these songs in two-parts, which is an acceleration for most of them.
“I hope they are able to make connections with other students within the district, whether in their home school or not,” said Alecia Meyer, OMS choir director. “ I also hope they are able to see that their gifts are special and what they create with their gifts is truly amazing. And I hope they walk away with more passion for their gift and the desire to use it even more.”
Last week, orchestra students discussed the history of the string family of instruments. The students learned how to change the pitch by changing the tension or the length of string. Students used rubber bands, to simulate the different changes of pitch when plucked and then added a box behind the rubber bands to hear the difference in volume.
This week students investigated the latest innovation in stringed instruments, the electric violin and discussed how the electric violin lacks a “resonating chamber” and so must be plugged in to make sounds. After plugging it into a keyboard, students discussed the keyboard adding “effects” to the sound making the instrument sound like it is performing at a concert hall.
“I shared with them a bluegrass arrangement I made previously on the keyboard that allowed me to play the electric violin along with that arrangement; in effect creating a one musician band,” Wiggins said. “Each child then was able to play an electric violin, an electric cello, an acoustic cello and a ukulele.”
Band students were introduced to the clarinet and trumpet in their second session and discussed the differences between the two instruments.
“This type of hands-on instruction gives students an idea about whether or not they would like to pursue music in the future,” said Kara Smith, OMS band teacher. “In addition, we want to have fun with the students. The best part is seeing their faces light up when they try something new or make a new discovery.”
According to OMS theatre teacher Jessica Stafford, in the second session, students worked on levels, so there is a visual interest on stage, keeping the actor’s body open to the audience, speaking clearly, and projecting voices. They also worked on monologues which they later presented to the other students for feedback using Stafford’s technique of a feedback sandwich — a positive comment, a critique, and another positive comment.
“Our OMS theatre program is thriving and having these students join us is a wonderful way to spread the word and continue to build our theatre family,” Stafford said.
“These are some pretty awesome kiddos,” Meyer said. “I love that I get a chance to meet and work with them before they enter middle school. It truly is about relationships with children. Opportunities such as this, foster the start of these relationships. At the end of last week, I had to go into my daughter’s school (Newton Parrish) to pick her up. A couple of the boys from last week saw me, stopped, and gave me big smiles and waves. That’s what it is all about.”
