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#TBT Rhythm and Me: An Adaptive Dance Residency

September 3, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

As Virginia public school students get ready to head back to school next week, many will once again be experiencing virtual learning. We take a moment to look back on this Throwback Thursday to a time last winter before Virginia schools shut down and our artists worked with students in-person.

#TBT

Sometimes a single moment can illustrate the power of an Arts for Learning program.

That was the case at Rhythm and Me, an adaptive dance residency that connects students living with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Students from throughout Portsmouth Public Schools are transported to Simonsdale Elementary School twice a week to learn the basics of dance and movement, with a focus on key health concerns associated with ASD, including non-verbal communication.

A4L teaching artists Jasmine Marshall and Natasha Leshanski have been working with a group of students since early February. Natasha, who leads the yoga portion of the program, says it’s the “very opposite” of typical classroom learning, where students are expected to be self-contained as they lean over desks and aren’t free to move around. In Rhythm and Me, students exercise, stretch out, and open their bodies, Natasha says it’s also “helping them feel less vulnerable about opening up emotionally by literally using their whole body.” That process may be more challenging for students living with ASD who can feel uncomfortable with certain types of movement or with touching or being touched.

In the early weeks of the program, Natasha had been encouraging students to create more independent yoga poses, but it wasn’t quite working. She introduced the concept of partner poses, including one called “lizard on a rock,” with the person on the bottom kneeling in a child’s pose and the person on the top leaning back and extending their arms to the ground.

Teaching artists work with a second-grader in the Rhythm & Me dance residency.A second-grader named Seth was fascinated. Natasha says he’s often not interested in certain activities and will choose to run laps around the classroom instead. This time, though, was different. With Jasmine stretched out in the child’s pose, Seth climbed on her back as the “lizard” and Natasha supported him as he balanced himself. He then tried out the post with other students, connecting with them in a brand new way.

“It was the first time Seth had relinquished control over his body, so when he was laying across his classmate’s back, he even was able to draw his arms up and get that full stretch. When you think about it, that’s probably the most vulnerable position you can be in,” Natasha says. “He let himself go all the way in a classroom full with people he doesn’t know very well, and so I felt like it was really a breakthrough with his comfort level with all of that.”

The goal of Rhythm and Me, Natasha says, isn’t the perfect downward dog or the precise execution of  partner poses.

“We want the kids to feel confident, we want them to be moving their bodies, and we want them to enjoy themselves. So everything else takes a back seat to those. As long as they’re willing to put themselves out there, it’s success, day after day.”

We are grateful to the Portsmouth General Hospital Foundation, the Portsmouth Service League, the Helen G. Gifford Foundation, the Business Consortium for Arts Support, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts for their funding of the Rhythm and Me dance residency.

We look forward to serving students both virtually and, when safe, in person, and we wish all students and educators a successful start to the school year. If you’d like information about our special arts experiences created for virtual learning, please click here.

 

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, ArtsEd, ArtsED for Exceptional Students, COVID-19, Throwback Thursday Tagged With: Arts Ed, arts integration, autism spectrum disorder, back to school, dance, teaching artists

Wherever. However. Arts for Learning Introduces New Virtual Arts Experiences

August 27, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

This will be a back-to-school like no other for students attending Virginia public schools, with so many school divisions operating on a virtual basis only, at least initially. Educators have been busy preparing to provide students with quality virtual learning…. and so have we here at Arts for Learning.

Our program team and artists are collaborating closely to create a rich and diverse collection of virtual arts experiences. Check out the variety of programs we’re offering by clicking here. And be sure to contact us at programs@arts4learningVA.org if you’d like more information on specific programs or artists.

Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, we’re determined to find innovative ways to connect children with arts experiences WHEREVER and HOWEVER their schooling is taking place.

 

Filed Under: Arts Integration, ArtsEd, COVID-19, News, Virtual Learning, Virtual programming Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, Arts Ed, arts education, back to school, digital programming, Virginia public schools, virtual learning

The Sights and Sounds of A4L’s Summer Camps

August 7, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

SSCA visual arts camp SSCA visual arts camp SSCA visual arts campSSCA visual arts campSSCA visual arts campEven though the pandemic and Tropical Storm Isaias aren’t making it easy at times, kids are learning and creating and having tons of fun at summer camps where our performing and teaching artists are working. Check out some of the scenes from the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts’s visual arts camp, which wrapped up last week. Thanks to Carly Holmes for taking these wonderful pictures. This week’s stormy weather has pushed theater camp to next week.

SSCA visual arts camp-COVID-19 precautions

With all of our in-person camps, we’re observing strict safety protocols to keep campers, artists, and staff members safe.

A4L's Harold Wood entertains at the ASYMCA Operation Hero campOver at Operation Hero’s Armed Services YMCA camp, Harold Wood showed off his magic to a wowed crowd.

Teaching artist Beverly Taylor and an ASYMCA camper Creating at the ASYMCA camp

Creating at the ASYMCA campAnd in teaching artist Beverly Taylor’s class,  campers learned about different musical instruments and made their own while joining in a song with some great advice for us all. Click here to listen and enjoy!

 

Filed Under: ArtsEd, Summer camps Tagged With: Armed Services YMCA, arts integration, Beverly Taylor, Harold Wood, Suffolk Center, summer camp, summer enrichment, teaching artists, United Way of South Hampton Roads

One Book, Two Book, Red Book, Blue Book

July 29, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

You can bet there are some big smiles hiding behind the masks—children at Virginia Beach’s Armed Services YMCA camp are the proud owners of some brand new picture books, thanks to a Women United book group who donated them to the United Way of South Hampton Roads (UWSHR). UWSHR is underwriting Arts for Learning’s residencies at the camp which is reserved for sons and daughters of members of the military.

Arts for Learning weaves age-appropriate literacy concepts into its curriculum, so the book giveaway was a natural. In true A4L fashion, teaching artists Lenecia Porro and Gary Garlic made it a fun educational experience instead of kids just being handed a book. In Lenecia’s Artsploration class for five and six year olds, kids drew numbers from a toy cauldron and had to match the numbers with the correct book. In Gary’s Poetry and Percussion class for seven and eight year olds, kids had to identify musical instruments from clues that Gary shared.

No matter whether it’s Pete the Cat or Pop-Up Dizzy Dinosaurs that’s sparking kids’ imagination, hats off to these generous donors and the United Way (hats that may look a lot like the red and white striped one below!)

Filed Under: ArtsEd, Donor Spotlight, News, Summer camps Tagged With: 757 nonprofit, Armed Services YMCA, Arts Ed, arts integration, book giveaway, Dr. Seuss, summer camp, summer enrichment, teaching artists, United Way of South Hampton Roads

Open Norfolk Hits the Spot for Safe Community Gatherings

July 27, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

The need for safe, outdoor places for people to gather and a desire to have the arts play an important role in those spaces have come together in two innovative “neighborhood spots” in Norfolk.

As part of the Open Norfolk initiative, Arts for Learning artists are offering free workshops in dance, hip hop, scat singing, and more at the spots located in the Norview and Broad Creek neighborhoods. Today from nine a.m. until noon, drop in for a workshop in African Fusion dance by Jasmine Marshall at the Broad Creek spot, 1200 Roberts Road. At the Five Points spot at 6123 Sewells Point Road, you can enjoy Joél Casanova’s hip hop workshop today, also happening from nine until noon.

Hanging out at the Broad Creek spot with Joel Casanova (left), Open Norfolk volunteers, and Hillary Gentry (right).

“Each and every one of the instructors that have been on site has been very engaged with the community and really knowledgeable about what they’re doing,” says Hillary Gentry, project manager for Open Norfolk. “Arts for Learning has a variety of different programming, which is really fantastic because it meets the needs of various people.”

Open Norfolk began as a way to help businesses adapt to Virginia’s COVID-19 rules that allowed restaurants to offer outdoor dining. With funding from Cincinnati-based YARD & Company, Open Norfolk helped map the outdoor areas that could be utilized and provided signage and seating to restaurants. The program then moved to its next phase of creating neighborhood spots, based on the growing evidence that outdoor spaces are much safer environments in this COVID-19 crisis.

Joppa Whitehead leads a Dance FUNdamentals workshop.

The neighborhood spots offer resources and programming in four areas: health and wellness, recreation and fitness, education, and arts and culture. Pop-up food pantries, a mobile barber, an educational program on bees, and fitness boot camps are all part of the services offered at the neighborhood spots, free for the community to enjoy. The Arts for Learning workshops are a vital part of that programming.

It’s more than just food and beverage that fill our soul,” Gentry says. “Having a well-rounded experience in our spaces is something that we really value. We recognize that arts and culture is something that our brains need to fully develop.”

So what’s next for Open Norfolk? With the news that Norfolk Public Schools will be virtual learning only for the first nine weeks of the fall, the neighborhood spots may have a role to offer children and youth who will be missing in-person interactions. If funding permits, Open Norfolk could provide safe spaces for students to gather and have fun, whether it’s enjoying the arts or playing kickball. Gentry notes that staff members at the neighborhood spots are careful to follow all CDC guidelines for safety and adults are always on site to supervise.

For a schedule of upcoming Arts for Learning workshops and other events, visit the Open Norfolk website. And enjoy this snippet of A4L’s Joél Casanova from last week’s Broad Creek spot.

https://yav.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/joined_video_13f67551408e4bf4bb58ca7ee7b895c01.mp4

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, COVID-19, News Tagged With: arts education, city of Norfolk, Covid-19, neighborhood spots, Norfolk Public Schools, Open Norfolk, outdoor spaces, teaching artists

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Arts for Learning
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Norfolk, Virginia 23502
Phone: 757-466-7555
Fax: 757-455-9859

Western Region Office

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20 East Church Avenue
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Our Stories

Artist Spotlight: Karim Nagi and “Arabiqa”

With all the challenges Arts for Learning has faced in the past year, there’s one very positive side effect—thanks to virtual programming, our roster has expanded to include vibrant and culturally diverse artists who live in other parts of the United States. We’re especially excited about Chicago-based artist Karim Nagi joining our team. Karim is […]

New Stories from a Favorite A4L Storyteller

She’s back, and we couldn’t be happier. After a three-year tour in England, Arts for Learning storyteller Sarah Osburn Brady returned to Virginia in August, her art and her connections to the storytelling community deepened by the experience. Sarah and her family—daughters who are now eleven and eight and a pediatrician-husband whose transfer to Royal […]

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