By Benin Marshall, Education & Programs Intern
What role does a Teaching Artists play in the classroom? How much do these artists impact the lives of their students? My summer as the P.S. ARTS Education & Programs Intern has allowed me to better understand how important Teaching Artists are in the lives of the children they serve/teach. P.S. ARTS Teaching Artists provide an outlet for creativity in the arts that many of their students would not have access to otherwise. P.S. ARTS engages students in learning about the arts and encourages students to apply what they’ve learned to their daily lives.
I first got the chance to see a P.S. ARTS Teaching Artist in action at Harvard Elementary in MacArthur Park. The Teaching Artist I shadowed was Matthew Orduña, a P.S. ARTS Theater Teaching Artist. When I first stepped into Matthew’s class, I could instantly see the chemistry he had with his students. He would engage them on different levels, asking them about their hobbies, favorite athletes, and why they liked that particular athlete. For this particular project, Matthew had his students make a film out of one of the student’s scripts in class. He also gave his students the opportunity to participate in every role the film had. Students worked in casting roles, cinematography, lighting, set design, costume design, and sound. It was amazing. What stood out the most to me was how Matthew allowed his students to be creative problem solvers.
In one instance, Matthew asked students where a specific scene should be shot between a dialogue with the mother and her son. One student gave the ideal location for the scene, though at that time of day the location was not accessible. So the students brainstormed for a while more and finally came up with the solution of filming the scene in front of a window in their classroom. They arranged the set for the scene, the actors rehearsed their lines, the director said, “Quiet on the set.” In four takes, the students had the scene they needed. This is exactly the kind of teaching and learning we need in the classroom–teaching that inspires students to actively participate and share their ideas and creates a learning environment that is both positive and collaborative.
Another P.S. ARTS Theater Teaching Artists, Leo Vargas, had the same effect on students when I attended a P.S. ARTS Family Art Night at Jose Castellanos Elementary in Los Angeles. Leo, along with Stephanie Kistner and Amy Knutson of the Education & Programs Team at P.S. ARTS, made sure every student had what was needed in order for the event to go well. The lesson was based on the concept of painting to music. Students would look at a masterwork while Leo explained how the artist created the particular piece. With this concept in their minds, Leo put on music and the students and their parents began to paint. Leo had the whole audience engaged in the activity. Students were very involved in their painting and asking questions. The Education & Programs Team supported the Teaching Artist, students, and parents by providing answers to any questions they might have had and additional art materials for them to use. The event was a success and ended with a raffle giveaway of t-shirts, crayons, and music!
P.S. ARTS Teaching Artists play a critical part in student learning. They go into the classrooms ready to give these students the skills to master their craft. Since all of the P.S. ARTS Teaching Artists are also practicing artists, students get the opportunity to work with professional artists and learn useful skills that are used in the arts field. P.S. ARTS allows students to tap into their creative nature. They provide students with the creative outlet needed for them to be successful in life and serve as positive mentors that will help them along their journey.
This summer internship at P.S. ARTS has truly taught me a great deal about what it takes to have a successful arts education nonprofit. It takes a clear mission and a team with drive, open communication, and respect for one another. It was very important for me to see how the staff at P.S.ARTS took time to check on their Teaching Artists and make sure everything was going well in their class. Also, the Education & Programs Team was involved in creating lesson plans (for Teaching Artists and other nonprofits), To Go! Projects (for students to take home or access online), and Family Art Nights (which brought the community together and had parents engage with their children in making art). This internship has given me a lot of new inspiration that I will use in the future to create positive change through the arts.
