NewsUpper SchoolStudent LifeFaculty/StaffPre-K to 8ServiceAcademicsFine Arts
Students fall for the arts
Nov 1, 2005 4:40 PM
By Tannika King - Faculty
Since its inception in 1991, Darlington’s annual fine arts event has evolved from a one-day festival to a month-long Fall for the Arts celebration involving the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.
“When we began to discuss what our approach would be this year, we realized that we wanted to reach out to the community and bring experienced performers, musicians and artists to our campus for more than just an hour or so,” said Kathy O’Mara, Upper School art teacher. “We also wanted to create the atmosphere of the ‘open classroom,’ where students not currently in a specific class could visit and experience what we have to offer.”
Fall for the Arts kicked off Oct. 5 when The Biscuit Burners, an acoustic group from Asheville, N.C., presented their Appalachian Roots Music Schools Program to students at all three campuses.
“The Biscuit Burners were really neat, and I loved the different instruments,” said sixth-grader Haley Cooper.
Eighth-grader Jesse Milner was most impressed with the banjo. “It was one of the most interesting instruments, and I would like to learn to play it,” he said.
From that point on, each week in October was designated “open class week” in a particular division of the arts – drama, studio art, music and creative writing – which meant other students could visit and participate in classes.
Additionally, Fall for the Arts month featured guest performances by Megaphone Man and Bleuel Duo, visiting artists, Darlington’s fall choral concert, and other activities, including tie-dye days at the Middle School and a fourth- and fifth-grade field trip to see the State of Georgia Art Collection at The Forum in Rome.
“The Fall for the Arts guests greatly influenced me to try new things and really dig down deeper into the many careers fine arts has to offer,” said junior Manning Burns. “Having never heard of Megaphone Man prior to their performance, I had no clue what to expect, but I was blown away by their talent and musicianship. Never before had I heard anything like this coming from a three-piece band. My eyes kept looking for more performers because my brain could not acknowledge that the broad sounds coming from the instruments were being made by only three people.
“As a member of the Jazz Ensemble, I was more than surprised to witness a performing jazz band come to Darlington,” he continued. “Hearing them perform at the School has really opened new doors to the meaning of jazz for me, and has influenced me to learn different techniques.”
Guest artists representing various disciplines included Vince Pisani, an Atlanta-based actor; Janda Canalis, artist and owner of Earthworks Pottery in Rome; Rob Seals, a touring writer and musician from Greensboro, N.C.; and Kate Breytspraak, an Atlanta-based vocalist who has performed with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Lyric Theatre and the Atlanta Opera Chorus.
“Having the opportunity to talk with working artists and musicians can be life-changing,” said O’Mara. “All of a sudden a student who is thinking about pursuing a career in the arts can see that it is possible.”
“When we began to discuss what our approach would be this year, we realized that we wanted to reach out to the community and bring experienced performers, musicians and artists to our campus for more than just an hour or so,” said Kathy O’Mara, Upper School art teacher. “We also wanted to create the atmosphere of the ‘open classroom,’ where students not currently in a specific class could visit and experience what we have to offer.”
Fall for the Arts kicked off Oct. 5 when The Biscuit Burners, an acoustic group from Asheville, N.C., presented their Appalachian Roots Music Schools Program to students at all three campuses.
“The Biscuit Burners were really neat, and I loved the different instruments,” said sixth-grader Haley Cooper.
Eighth-grader Jesse Milner was most impressed with the banjo. “It was one of the most interesting instruments, and I would like to learn to play it,” he said.
From that point on, each week in October was designated “open class week” in a particular division of the arts – drama, studio art, music and creative writing – which meant other students could visit and participate in classes.
Additionally, Fall for the Arts month featured guest performances by Megaphone Man and Bleuel Duo, visiting artists, Darlington’s fall choral concert, and other activities, including tie-dye days at the Middle School and a fourth- and fifth-grade field trip to see the State of Georgia Art Collection at The Forum in Rome.
“The Fall for the Arts guests greatly influenced me to try new things and really dig down deeper into the many careers fine arts has to offer,” said junior Manning Burns. “Having never heard of Megaphone Man prior to their performance, I had no clue what to expect, but I was blown away by their talent and musicianship. Never before had I heard anything like this coming from a three-piece band. My eyes kept looking for more performers because my brain could not acknowledge that the broad sounds coming from the instruments were being made by only three people.
“As a member of the Jazz Ensemble, I was more than surprised to witness a performing jazz band come to Darlington,” he continued. “Hearing them perform at the School has really opened new doors to the meaning of jazz for me, and has influenced me to learn different techniques.”
Guest artists representing various disciplines included Vince Pisani, an Atlanta-based actor; Janda Canalis, artist and owner of Earthworks Pottery in Rome; Rob Seals, a touring writer and musician from Greensboro, N.C.; and Kate Breytspraak, an Atlanta-based vocalist who has performed with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Lyric Theatre and the Atlanta Opera Chorus.
“Having the opportunity to talk with working artists and musicians can be life-changing,” said O’Mara. “All of a sudden a student who is thinking about pursuing a career in the arts can see that it is possible.”
