ART V. ARTS and CRAFTS

It is a constant discussion. It is therapeutic for children (adults too) to make things. Yes, it can be a learning and creative experience too. Often arts and crafts are a way to occupy one’s time and de-stress, use your hands and mind to some degree, in a pleasant constructive way. I know there are lots of craft lovers out there who may not be too happy with me after this post, so if you love your crafts, it may be time to stop reading.

I am not bashing crafts, all good. Stores like Michael’s have made hobbies, crafts and scrapbooking into a very detailed, sophisticated outlet. Simple definition: A craft is that in which one uses ones hands to make something, most likely for a particular purpose. It is skilled work which may involve the development of a technique, such as pottery or flower arranging. You have to know how to throw pottery on a wheel, glaze, fire etc. Some pottery is very beautiful, and it is art, but also has a purpose, right? A scrapbook is to relive memories and at the same time, is more appealing when it is expressive and aesthetically pleasing. An arrangement of dried flowers-no real practical purpose there except to enhance the way something looks, can be aesthetically pleasing. So is it art? It takes some skill, but how much skill?  Is it at the level of a Van Gogh painting?  How about woodworking?  You need skill to do that and it does reap a practical result, perhaps a chair or a dresser. I think you get where I am going.

So then, What is art?  Does art have no practical value? Is it just a statement?  Does it have a purpose if all it does is evoke emotion or communicate something beyond the obvious? It too requires skill and development of technique. My humble opinion is it requires more of that than a craft, and then you have a Jackson Pollock painting and you think, “What skill?’” There is actually a lot of skill behind Jackson Pollock. So does it involve a certain number of years to learn and study a discipline and practice to continually perfect? Is it art if it stimulates thought or emotion? Is art, art in part because no one thought of expressing something in the same way?

I want people to do what makes them feel good, especially in recreation. Arts and crafts are for hobbies and recreation, not academic pursuit. Art or the Arts can be for self and creative expression that results in works for public display or participation. Thus a difference in the level of the quality, and as a result, the process. In teaching children and considering an arts integrated curriculum or the infusion of the arts (all of the arts) into  a STEM curriculum, the question of making things and arts and crafts crosses my mind frequently. What makes something “art?”

I have said, STE[a]M education is not arts and crafts. Project Based Learning or Inquiry Based Learning should not be a poster board for arts and crafts. If you are going to build something, such as a bridge out of what are essentially popsicle sticks, you must understand the design and structure and purpose. It is the substance behind the craft, and at the same time, you need the skill. I think that true art, in whatever form, involves process and time. It involves imagination, trial and error and repetition to strive to improve. And above all, it involves communication. You must have something to say. The art is the vehicle or vessel.

In a recent conversation, the kind you have with your child as captive in the car, my son and I discussed arts and crafts versus art. I talked to him about my experience and life as a performing musician,  not much of which he remembers. After describing how it was for me and my perception of my work, he said, “it sounds like engineering.”   I said well, it has many similarities. There is a problem and you have to solve it. In the case or art or music, the problem is learning the music to perform at a high level and gaining the technical mastery to do this. In addition, there is having something unique to say, but within the confines of what is written. My interpretation of Piece X should be different from anybody else’s.There is a process and procedure, in essence, a design of how to do it. It may not be the same for everyone, but there must be one. Practicing with no method or plan is useless. As well, practicing by rote is useless, and copying is just not okay. I equate that to the filling out of a worksheet or coloring in the lines on an existing drawing. You need a very small part of your mental power. Music must be analyzed and the history and cultural time in which it was written studied. If it is a character, like in any play or movie, one needs to understand personality and motive. Art in its pure form exists with many levels. Craft is exactly that, a craft or well-done task.

Not to belabor the difference between art and craft, I will wrap it up. My point is if we are to add the arts to education to gain academic depth, there must be a process and a protocol. Let’s not just make stuff. Let’s dig deeper than that.

My Take on the “EDGE EFFECT”

 

Venn Diagram showing The EDGE EFFECT

Recently I listened to renown cellist Yo-Yo Ma give the Nancy Hanks lecture for The Arts and Public Policy at the Kennedy Center. He brought with him some others with whom he performed, all notable and eclectic. Their performances highlighted a concept about which he spoke — The Edge Effect.   The Edge Effect is the place where two different ecosystems come together.  Where they overlap, there is the most diversity of life and beauty. Examples of this diversity are the Amazon Rainforest or the Savannah. Think about where the mountains and ocean meet. You get characteristics of each system as well as unique characteristics to where the two coincide. This analogy to the arts and how it reflects itself in our culture was very vivid. Think about how two styles meet in design,music or visual art and what the outcomes are.  He shows this effect in the eclectic performers he brings as he plays his cello with Lil Buck who does jook. He speaks about the traits that studies show that employers will be looking for in hiring newcomers to the workforce; those who are collaborative, flexible, imaginative, and innovative. So for the past few weeks, this idea has been roaming through my mind, steeping.

The Edge Effect…I finally get it! Yes, Ma talks about STEM into STEAM and the need to bring Arts education to all.  He calls it “arts for life’s sake.” He speaks about STEM into STEAM and how important infusing the arts is for education, for our nation’s future. As a well-seasoned, experienced musician who left that world and entered the one of public education, I believe this is my edge effect. I take who I am and what my experiences are and bring it to public education. The best of both worlds will reap great things. I believe it is important to bring the arts to students so they can relate the past to the present. This experience itself is its own edge effect illustrated so well by Ma playing the well-known “The Swan” from Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals combined with Lil Buck’s jook. It was powerful. Watch the video HERE and HERE.

The idea of combining cultures or art forms speaks to me about what the true nature of a STEM  education infused with the arts should be. Communication of all types is a critical 21st century skill that STEAM addresses. I never thought of relating the ideas to our world in such a direct way, but it makes so much sense. The idea of an arts infused education where core academics and necessary 21st century skills become practical and obvious is so right. It explains the great things that happen when the disciplines meet. I believe I bring from my performing arts background these very specific skills: aesthetic value, process, discipline, focus and passion, and as a result, communication. I believe the nexus of where I meet education demonstrates these things and teaches. Yes, is it a bit out of the box. That is the good news.

If as a society we can collaborate and take the best from all worlds, we can authentically educate our children and prepare them for the future. Instead of adopting a “one size fits all” approach of standardized tests, teaching to those tests and measuring everything from them, we can combine the academic disciplines with the lessons from the arts. Public education needs The Edge Effect.     

Full STE[a]M AHEAD!!

The discussions are endless. STE[a]M is this….STE[a]M is …..

I think the acronym thing drives people nuts in a way. It is supposed to define something and by doing so, therefore limits understanding. I am thinking about this a lot lately as those I work with struggle to understand. Truthfully, I believe they rely on me to tell them what STE[a]M is supposed to be.

I have engineering professionals say they like the arts or the idea of STE[a]M but not too happy about the acronym, or is that another acronym. It doesn’t explain anything, and actually neither does the STEM acronym. It is really a combination of academic disciplines that refer to possible future careers. Each one of these subjects is involved with the other in some way. This is true for STE[a]M as well. So, how can you do science without mathematics? Technology?  And how do you do engineering without any of the other STEM or STE[a]M disciplines? STE[a]M, in my humble opinion, suggests that we infuse the STEM curriculum with the arts to make it more accessible and understandable, and yes experiential.

So why am I even bothering with this pedantic and detailed analysis and discussion?  Because so many people comment, criticize, support or question. These acronyms are a point of reference or a point of departure for a much more detailed list of what this is. So, back to STE[a]M. I never would question the need to include the arts in a comprehensive education. No matter how much you may believe that public education needs to prepare a child for what comes next, to be a productive and valuable member of our world (and it should do this!), we  need to justify what components exactly accomplish this. We need to defend that we include the arts as a part of education. How many students will ever be artists? Musicians? Can they support themselves and a family this way?

The arts for the art’s sake are valid –  no discussion here. The arts have a history of thousands of years, be it for pleasure or a way to evolve and develop culture and society. People have always needed to communicate and much of the arts is about communication, the rest is about creative or self-expression. All that we lump together as the arts reflect out world today, what we value, and how we look. In the future, it will be a mirror to the past. I don’t talk too much about the arts for art’s sake, simply because to me this is a no-brainer. Who really wants a world without art?

What is important in today’s “who knows what the future will bring” world,  educators focus on tasks as a way to innovation and technology. Get a better education and do it in a straight-forward, measurable way. Learn vocabulary, write in this formula, spit back math facts, memorize what you are told. Don’t think too much, just give those testers what they ask for.

STE[a]M and the arts in general are not specifically measurable. You can’t assess someone on their ability. There are not necessarily right and wrong answers. The goal is to think, explore, and figure it out.  These skills can be used in all the STEM/STE[a]M disciplines. It is my opinion, and not mine alone, that this kind of learning actually enhances knowledge, critical thinking and problem solving. And of course,it enhances a student’s ability to find the answer. They have to know where to look. The questions are not only why, but also why not?

My question is why do we need to argue about it?  I think we need to define in some way what STEM requires and how the arts can contribute to making this type of learning more accessible to all students, whatever their age level. It is clear that by the time an engineering student gets to higher education, they must understand some of these complex problems and concepts. Maybe building and designing, along with an evolving understanding of how beauty and aesthetic value contribute to human sensibilities, will further their imagination to look beyond what is immediately seen. This practice begins with very young children and opens the door to not be afraid. To not be afraid to try something and to challenge oneself.

So my reason for saying “full STE[a]M ahead” is let’s just go there. It is a collaborative learning style and it needs collaborators who are not afraid of the box getting broken. Don’t worry about the acronym or its definition. Open the box.

The Therapy of Running — Metaphor to overcome tragedy

Barack Obama to the country memorializing the wounded of the Boston Marathon…”You will run again.”  Simple, yet powerful words. Immediately the metaphor sparked images to me.

I am a runner. I have never, regrettably in some ways, run a marathon. I have run every day (just about) for well over thirty years. It has been my salvation,  my moments to ponder my life, and my celebration. It is something I do, and probably not all that well, for me which I simply will not stop. It is my therapy and at the same time motivates me. I get my best ideas when running. It  fosters my creativity, and a time when I usually feel in tune with myself and my world.

I have done this for years and  allow almost nothing to stand in my way of running, injuries, ice, snow, whatever.  I know how much the act of running means to me, but I had yet to think about it on a more cerebral, introspective level. I run because I can, because I must, and maybe because I shouldn’t. I have heard the president’s words resonating in my head all day, haunting me in a way that compels me to send out a message: Running is a metaphor for life.

I run at my own pace. I challenge myself as I see appropriate. I enjoy the daily sameness and almost mindlessness that other exercise doesn’t allow. I take in the world around me and yes, it is my moment to be grateful, to feel lucky and to assess what I need to do better.  So when the President said those words, “You will run again…” it symbolizes so much. The community in Boston, our country and even the world was all shocked by this horrific event during one of our country’s sacred rituals. It violates in so many ways. This event, all positive, people striving to challenge themselves, some running for charities, and yes, those who this is actually their job, all there for a different, yet honorable purpose.

So regardless of who you are or where you are in your life, the words, you will run again, apply. We all have to pick ourselves up at one time or another and just fight back against those that try to destroy us. You must be strong and not allow the haters or the naysayers to defeat. It is relevant in the light of Sheryl Sandberg’s LEAN IN. Don’t let anyone take away your dreams or your passion, not for anything. Don’t wait or expect someone to knock on the door telling you you’re great or you are perfect for this job. Go out and claim your turf. Work your hardest and don’t allow any room for negativity. Just move forward. And I say, don’t look back.                                       

ARTS Advocacy Day 2013 – What does it mean to me?

I am not sure why, but I guess I never thought about Arts Advocacy day before. It was April 3 this year.  On April 8, Americans for the Arts sponsored The Nancy Hanks lecture on Arts and Public Policy by esteemed cellist Yo-Yo Ma that was broadcast through Google and available on You Tube —  HERE. The question remains, can he fix the arts?

I don’t think the arts need fixing as much as they need ambassadors. Everyone must contribute to a solution. What do the arts contribute to our world?  What do they teach us? Yo-Yo Ma certainly is a powerful advocate and ambassador for the support of the arts. All of the arts.

I just finished watching this video and I am almost speechless. The emotion invoked by the passion of those who perform here is beyond words. Yo-Yo Ma asks for support. He asks for us as a country to support the arts in every aspect of life. The arts are transformative. He asks that we as a country practice ” arts for life’s sake.”   Ma discusses the important facets of what a 21st century education must do. He tells that through research, important companies state what they look for in potential people to enter the workforce: one who is collaborative, flexible, imaginative and innovative.

All of those ideas are familiar to me. I am so happy that someone of such notoriety and great talent has the communication ability to put what is needed into words and examples that can relate to all. A better ambassador for the arts I cannot imagine. In this lecture, he makes every important point about how the arts connect to real life and how students learn collaboration and communication. Critical thinking skills are a must and important by-product of arts education. He connects the arts to other things in life people do and need to do and understand.

So now what?  I want to be involved with this movement. I am in a small way, but I want to partner with the people who are taking action so there will be more action. I have already looked into how to contact Yo-Yo Ma. I haven’t come up with a sure way yet. After all, I don’t want an autograph or a fan picture. I want to join the team. We can take what he has done successfully and apply it to any small venue. It will work. I am doing it in part, but the endorsement of a super talent would work miracles. It can open ears that aren’t really listening. The performances in this video speak.

So anyone out there who wants to join, let’s do it. There is no time to wait or waste. Write members of the US Congress STEAM Caucus. Write Yo-Yo Ma. Write Americans for the Arts. Let me know your ideas. Don’t allow the dust to gather. If we all work together this can happen to reform and rethink education. Join the STEAM TEAM!

My life as a Musician-What it taught me about learning

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My purpose in this blog, Reach for the Stars, is exactly that: to motivate teachers, parents and administrators to inspire their students to reach for the stars. I talk about my view of how to do t…

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My life as a Musician-What it taught me about learning

My purpose in this blog, Reach for the Stars, is exactly that: to motivate teachers, parents and administrators to inspire their students to reach for the stars. I talk about my view of how to do this and my educational passions. I have had the privilege to have two careers, the first one as a professional musician, and the second as an educational consultant and teacher to create and implement integrated arts programs. I don’t talk about my music career in this venue for several reasons. The first is that it is past for me and a life from which I decided to move forward for several reasons. Second, my purpose in this blog is not to talk about my life, but to inspire others to find theirs. This morning I read this blog post and I realized that I make daily references to students about skills that I have, that I learned in my time studying music or as a musician. I don’t label them as such, but their importance is never understated in my mind. I wouldn’t trade those skills or that time for anything.

Music is the ultimate activity to boost critical thinking skills. It is another language through which one interprets the works of others, maybe through both words and notes, and has to do more than one thing at a time. It requires one to practice skills that will build on the next level of mastery (like mathematics). It uses the spatial and analytical skills of math and the physics of acoustics and the science of sound. You must understand history and political situations of the times as well as other art forms used. There is physical involvement and coordination and literature and above all CREATIVE EXPRESSION, my favorite term to repeat ad nauseam.

Teachers and students alike that know me (even going back to my music students) understand my mantra: Learning is a process and a series of experiences through which trial and error will give you a product, not one that may be final, just final for now. As you evolve through this process, you will refine and improve. It is never-ending. The need to be done just will not work. Every day and every experience is different, building on what you will do next.

Back to my music days. . . I know that as a student who earned two degrees in vocal performance that I understood one thing for sure about music education: No matter how smart you are, how talented you are, or how much money you have, you will have to work at this. Although certain aspects of those characteristics which are present in more or less amounts do make a difference, the bottom line is no one buys or fakes their way into a career in music. I enjoyed the daily work at drills, equating that to what an Olympic athlete would do to become the best. I loved working with others to perfect my craft, analyzing and using the process to improve. I was short on patience I suppose, but again, I loved the learning, the process and working at something to improve. These skills apply to anything. I had the discipline to repeat and perfect without frustration(at least most of the time).

I recall studying in Italy with a well-known Maestro and spending countless hours in his dark, dingy studio, repeating one phrase of a famous aria over and over for days to get it right. It was probably 2 seconds of music. So therein lies the lesson. We need to work at things to get better. Education is a process that one embarks through life in which we integrate and incorporate all of our skills as human beings. We take these things and try to make something new-whether it is my version of a piece of music or someone else’s idea on how to make a better Mars Rover. As I have said to students, “You go through life collecting things in your bucket, when the time is right, you start to take things out of your bucket to share.” Now I am taking things out and at the same time, putting new things in. And above all, one must have something to say. Both the arts and sciences are vehicles for this “something to say.” The vessel is all that differs.

So, I have told you more about who I am and what makes me passionate about education, not just music education, but the thorough and inclusive education that our children deserve. Teachers and parents please take my message to heart. Don’t think music is only for the super talented, super smart or super rich. It is for all children. These are life lessons that can’t be learned any other way.

STEAM students display their projects

Finally the “E” in STEM and STEAM is addressed. It needs attention!

Anyone who has read my blog posts knows I adamantly and passionately promote STEM/STEAM learning. My complaint, as I immerse myself into the middle school curriculum, is that there is science and math and yes, they use technology, but where’s the engineering? I am bringing the arts and design into all the work we do. I have discovered no one ever really talks about engineering. What is it?  How you do it? Have a problem? Let’s solve it!

I read this article  this morning by Dr. James Catterall of UCLA entitled Getting Real about the E in STEAM. It is HERE . He poses every question I have and I felt so happy that someone else is paying attention. We are promoting, pushing and advocating STEM education, but are we really understanding what it means?  Do we automatically assume that engineering is a college discipline and K-12 students won’t get it so why teach it? It comes back to the same ideas-is STEM a program or curriculum or is it a pedagogy through which we demonstrate and learn?

You probably know what I think because I have said it before. What is STEM? STEAM? It is a way of integrating various subjects through inquiry and experience so that students have an understanding and practical knowledge. That is pedagogy or way of learning, not a curriculum or program.

Schools all teach Mathematics and Science and most have the use or integration of technology in both instruction and student work. So all but the “E” are always present. That existence does not indicate that there is a blending of these disciplines or places where their use and overlap is practically used.  Yes, STEAM or the idea of STEAM is to better the understanding of science and mathematical concepts and introduce students to practical problem solving through experience or engineering tasks. This opportunity is available for all age groups where traditional fact oriented rather than concept oriented learning is not available to younger students because it may be too complex. The idea is to introduce age appropriate concepts and build on those concepts as students mature and can comprehend. Yes, STEAM encourages and demonstrates the importance of design, but not just in the sense that you make things. One can make things without ever understanding or focusing on design.

An excellent STEM lesson is to design a functional bridge-this is now new. There are many competitions for all age students to do this. Most often it will include design. But with the aesthetic appeal of the bridge building comes the function of it. It must be weight-bearing.  You need to understand math and physics on some level to be successful at this bridge building. These concepts are presented and as students grow, they can make their structures more complex.  I have always thought the same thing with building and designing a yo-yo. You can get the parts and design your yo-yo, analyze what works and what doesn’t, and over years, the aerodynamic concepts taught will grow. At the same time, the yo-yo can be colorful and eye-appealing. So, the concepts of using the arts to help understand math and science is not new. It is well-founded and it works. We just need people to incorporate these skills into lessons that are homogeneous and do not overtly separate the tasks. Students need to learn that  engineering is a method to solve problems.

So, all that being said, we are back to where is the “E” in STEM or STEAM?  The world has recently embraced the need for STEM education. No one discusses whether we include E or how we do it. I know from my own work, I constantly must make a conscious effort to include design and problem solving, the mothers of the “E” in STEAM. It is not present otherwise in the curriculum. The curriculum to-date is designed to measure tangibles with right or wrong answers. Critical thinking and problem solving as goals inherently do not have one answer. I believe that we want to teach our children these skills, and that we must teach them these skills. Having a great idea, developing it, and then refining it to make it better based on what works and what doesn’t work is the essence of innovation. Children are innately creative in this way if we let them feel comfortable with experimenting, and perhaps failing, creativity and innovation will be the result of their learning.

I endorse the E in STEAM. I applaud it and offer it at every opportunity. Have I sold it to all stakeholders?  Well, probably not. There is still our system which demands that we produce stuff or have something concrete to show for our efforts. Measuring the intangible still remains a hard sell. I believe in what I offer to students. They do make things, but in doing so, I do not consider that the ultimate outcome. As a musician for many years, I learned that nothing is ever the same twice and one learns from everything one does. That is my message. Don’t go through the motions. Savor the experience.

 

Pi Day- March 14 – CELEBRATE the existence of PI (pie)

Pi Day- March 14 – CELEBRATE the existence of PI (pie).

“Reflections ~ How STEM becomes STEAM” by Ruth Catchen

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Reflections from designing a STEAM class for high-risk students.

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