Travelling to the Morristown Neighborhood House, in New Jersey, we taught our arts based curriculum for one week. By connecting educational outreach with performance, we discovered that these young people, third grade, can learn basic skills and values through a collaborative arts curriculum. Each camp day started with a specific word (Trust, Respect, Creativity, Confidence, and Community), which our lesson plans spurred directly from. These words are fundamental building blocks in our development as artists and as human beings. Whether dancing together as a community, playing instrument telephone, or writing and drawing, each student experienced, viscerally, the meaning of each word.
Ending with a collaborative arts performance, allowed our group to empower the students with a sense of confidence, and build a community among the students. Our group strives to illustrate the power of the arts as a universal teaching tool for initiating change, and offering hope for a brighter future.
The Morristown Neighborhood House
- Developed and initiated a week long summer program for students in New Jersey, beyond the academic training they receive during the year.
- Students planed and performed for their peers, discussing the ideas trust, respect, and community.
- I am currently in conversation about our return trip to teach another grade level.