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Middle School
ArtsConnection helps middle school students develop a sense of identity as artists. Programs for middle schoolers introduce a new art form or build upon prior knowledge and skills. Creative self-expression and an exploration of issues important to students are at the heart of the work.
By working in the arts middle school students:
- Develop critical thinking and creativity to explore complex relationships among ideas and cultures
- Improve physical development such as correct breathing, fine motor skills, coordination, strength, flexibility and inner awareness
- Learn to value their individuality and appreciate the diversity of their classmates
- Engage in constructive risk-taking
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Middle School Dance
Middle school dancers enhance their technique and learn the principles of choreography. Students experience dance as choreographers, dancers, musicians and audience members, incorporating the skills and knowledge necessary for each role. Through improvisation students discover connections between the dance forms they are studying and their own dance styles. Strength, stamina, flexibility and coordination are developed through increasingly complex sequences of movement. Breathing exercises help students achieve physical relaxation and improved focus by balancing external self-awareness with a greater level of internal consciousness.
Sample dance residencies for students (10 sessions):
- Learn the folk dances of China, West Africa, the Caribbean or Mexico and their historical and cultural contexts
- Learn modern dance technique and choreography
- Create dances that explore dance principles such as level, pathways and direction
- Discover how dance relates to fitness and learn dances that increase strength, flexibility, coordination and endurance
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Middle School Music
Through call and response exercises, listening and replicating phrases, and understanding the structure of a musical piece, students will sing or play the school’s instruments, drawing from a wide repertoire. Students will be able to hear, understand and apply the language of music. Experienced students can refine their technique through master classes for voice or brass, percussion, string or woodwind instruments.
Sample music residencies for students (10 sessions):
- Learn songs from many cultures or historical periods
- Write and sing original songs
- Learn to play percussion instruments
- Make and play an mbira (African thumb piano)
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Middle School Theater
Through improvisation, scene work and playwriting, students explore the point of view of various characters and experience role-playing and role reversal. They examine the essentials of dramatic action including characters’ motivations, challenges and behaviors. Working alone or in groups, students develop critical thinking, learn how to collaborate and build physical and vocal expressive skills as they expand their range and awareness of artistic choices. ArtsConnection’s theater residencies support and enhance the Reading and Writing Workshop model and can promote understanding of different cultures and historical periods.
Sample theater residencies for students (10 sessions):
- Create original stories focusing on story structure, characters and setting
- Enact a scene from literature, developing a character’s physical and emotional life
- Construct puppets and use them to act out stories
- Explore the art of writing plays, either individually or in groups
- Learn the basics of improvisational theater to create scenes
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Middle School Visual Arts
In the visual arts students develop a distinctive personal style as they learn to experiment with unexpected, “imperfect” results and explore complex concepts such as visual metaphor and symbolism. Students learn to decode and “read” visual imagery from a variety of cultures and historical periods by discussing reproductions of works of art in the classroom. Middle school students may work with a range of artistic media, including drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, quilting and collage. They also have the opportunity to explore photography, video and computer art.
Sample visual art residencies for students (10 sessions):
- Learn about masks from many cultures and create their own papier maché mask
- Draw and pain self portraits to express their emerging identities
- Construct hand-made books using a variety of techniques
- Delve into photography, video and/or computer art
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What it Costs
ArtsConnection programs are custom designed for each school or site. The cost of residencies is based on the number of classes participating, the art form chosen and the length of the residency.
# of classes
Minimum of 2/Maximum of 5 per day
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Afterschool groups of up to 25 students |
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Rate per 45-minute session
$117 - $187 |
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# of sessions
5 - 25 |
Click here for a list of performances and their prices. |
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