The Show Must Go On

Charlotte NC

08 February, 2021

1:19 PM

Description

Press release from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: 2/5/2021 Sharon Elementary first-graders were well into rehearsals for their annual musical last spring when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close. Instead of shutting it down, however, music teacher Amy Escalante and theater teacher Brad Hood were able to convert the musical into a virtual show. "They did it all on their own and used their own resources, starting from nothing and building from there," said Talent Development teacher Ann Gaines, who coordinates the school's productions. "It was an incredible feat of ingenuity, trial and error, and lots of hours spent using editing software." Many in-person productions in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools fell by the wayside last spring, and plans have been adjusted this year, as the pandemic continues to limit student interaction. Arts educators, while eager to give students performance experience, have embraced digital technology as the next best thing. Some are learning to use the video-editing technology themselves, while others are paying for professional services. "There are multiple examples of virtual performances via digital technology being used all across the district in both theater and music," said Windy Fullagar, CMS performing arts specialist. "Our teachers are finding new and innovative ways to engage students and enrich their arts education during these challenging times." Three musicals are produced at Sharon each year with the first-, third- and fifth-grade classes. The school's PTA hires Lea Harkins to direct the third- and fifth-grade musicals, along with LouAnn Vaughn as vocal coach and Linda Booth as choreographer. Harkins, a retired Sharon teacher, has been writing and directing the curriculum-based school plays for more than 20 years. "A typical show would involve six weeks from initial rehearsals to four live shows," Harkins said. "The PTA and the principal reimagined what we could do this year and reallocated our funds." The third-grade musical – It's All Greek to Me, about Greek mythology – was the first to be performed entirely on Zoom. Each section of the show was recorded separately; a local church created studio space used by the adult actors, including PTA and community volunteers, and each teacher hosted their class' rehearsals and recording with Harkins. The school was able to purchase some video equipment and hired a professional videographer, who is editing the segments into a final product that parents will receive later this month. "We are certainly experiencing a steep learning curve, but the joy, energy, team building, critical thinking and leadership skills developed by our youngsters are still a part of the process," Harkins said. Brooke Koppang volunteers with the school's musicals, and her son, Wynn, played the role of Hercules. She said they were both worried the production wouldn't happen but were excited at how the process came together. "Wynn loved practicing via Zoom every week. The interaction with his peers and Mrs. Harkins was a blast for him," Koppang said. "To see my son and his classmates come together and work so hard to make this play possible has been awesome." Arts educators at other CMS schools have also discovered digital tools they can tailor to their particular discipline. At Sedgefield Middle, Band Director Demeka Kimpson uses a variety of programs that both enhance her lessons and enable virtual performances. But it took a lot of research and practice, by her and her colleagues, to get to this point. "The technology piece was a struggle at first. This is not a field with a lot of accessible tools and information to show us what to do," Kimpson said. "It's been a lot of trial and error – looking up things from YouTube, education blogs, as well as collaborating with other directors. As we hear about new music platforms and digital tools in the industry, we work together to determine if there is something that would be a benefit for our content area." Kimpson found some tools were too time-consuming and expensive to use, while others could be combined to achieve the best results. As a learning tool, she uses Upbeat Music App and Easy Virtual Choir for students to play, record and submit their individual parts. In combination with Zoom, Kimpson said they can have a finished product assembled in five minutes and can hear what they would sound like if they were playing together. Virtual performances are also delivered through Upbeat Music App, Easy Virtual Choir and Audacity, a multitrack audio recorder that mimics professional sound-production tools. "The world is your oyster with that," Kimpson said of Audacity, which is a safe CMS site that students can access through Chromebooks. She also used the Inshot app to add moving photos to the band's Winter Concert performance (to see it, click here). Kimpson said the school also uses the SmartMusic digital platform, which houses all of the sheet music and resources students need to play their instruments. SmartMusic has a free limited-access version, but Sedgefield has a paid account, which allows the use of a larger library of published materials. The school's PTO purchased standard accounts this year for every student in the band. "It's quite difficult to move a discipline that is based on physical, in-person collaborative efforts with others to a completely virtual setting, but with the support and shared efforts with other directors, we've made it happen," Kimpson said. "It's been a learning experience for all of us. "We plan on continuing the use of these new digital platforms in the future," she said. "Technology has made it possible for us to carry on with day-to-day learning while we are remote. These same tools will allow us to collaborate with a larger community of schools and musicians even when we're back face-to-face." This press release was produced by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The views expressed are the author's own.