Tuesday April 17, 2012 Blog Post
Today was a good day. It's nice to see in the first and second periods that the storyboard project is progressing with deadlines closing. The students from first period know were going to the computer lab next week so they have to be done with their storyboard drawings by then. Most people have either finished binding their book, are onto a large piece, or are putting their book together. There are a few people who are still working on their drawings. Since everyone is doing it, it's nice for me to be able to explain something to one or two students and then have them explain what to do to other students who are ready for that part. A lot of the kids want to sit around and talk but I bug them to get work done. Today I had students finish up recordings. Anastasjia was out of town for a week before break so I had her record hers today, as well as people who didn't put in their name or had sound that was not clear or missed pages. Rachel and PJs groups had to rerecord today since PJs group somehow turned off the microphone before Rachel's group went so neither groups worked. I didn't know if Rachel would go in and do it since I have kind of given up on working with her in class but she did. I think her group relied on her so she didn't want to not be a part of it. When we go into the computer lab I kind of want to make her stay in the class with Jeff and just do the drawing she's working on so she can see that she isn't going to be included and is missing out, but another part of me wants to let her work with her partner and at least get to see what everyone else is doing. We'll see.
Tomorrow I need to have Amy record her last page, one person who I'm not sure I have to find from period 1 and have them say their name, and I will have Carson do his as well. He had surgery and is way behind everyone. I told him I'd outline his for him to help him catch up. He still has two white pages but it will help him move along.
I think once we get into the computer lab they will enjoy playing with the sound in garage band and the transitions in iMovie. It will be neat when we get to watch all of them as a class. I'm sure they're somewhat sick of the project but its been neat to see that one thing can have so many angles, and points of view and layers to building it into something. You never know where inspiration for something can come from so I'm excited to see their large pieces. Ironically most of them are just blowing up one page from their book. I gave them the freedom to change it and just see it as an inspiration but most of them are doing it very similar to what was in their book.
Emily from the class I am not running did a fantastic piece of art inspired by Florence and the Machine's album "Lungs." Florence and The Machine is one of my favorite musicians right now as well as Emily's. Jeff gave me an application for a show at The Folk Art Gallery and thought of Emily so today I got her to fill in the application and told her by Friday we will matt it and I'll drop it off Friday for the deadline Monday. Jeff called to see what format they want it in, not framed, just matted.
So the billboard class is moving along. Kevin who's autistic came up with a nice idea today. We let them all pick between one of the top three slogans to redesign. They are allowed to change it if they'd like regarding the words but also change the design using new images and classmates images. I talked to the person at Lamar I'm working with and found out we'll only have the billboard until May 13th and that it takes two weeks to print. I just found this out yesterday. I did the math and we'd only have it for like a week, which isn't enough time to really have it make an impact, so I explained that and they are going to try to have the printing rushed, so hopefully if all goes well we will at least get 2-3 weeks.
I told them the urgency of the situation and that we have to have a final decision by Friday. I would like to go with the class to see the billboard once it gets put up. I was asking to see how many students have cars if there were enough to meet after school or something. On our way down, we stopped to ask the principal about it and he said we could take a bus during class to see it. It's right down the street behind the Price Chopper plaza. That made me happy to at least know we can go there and see it as a group to have closure on it.
I'd like to have the final critique before it goes up in the hallway and have a hallway display for the billboard project. I'll have to work on putting that together this week.
The latex class is continuing and doing well on their paintings. I look forward to seeing them develop. The nurse wanted something in her office and I was going to have the 6/7 period class do it, but now that I know the kids I think my 10th period latex class will be better suited just based on how focused and productive the are and how I have been with them the entire time. I discussed it with Jeff and we decided that the other class I will be taking over next week after the billboard class, I will just do the latex project with them. He said people are curious and that they will like it.
One student in ceramics Alex played music for us a couple times with his guitar and sang cover songs. I told him we could use the recording equipment since I had it to record them. I told him to get 12 songs together and ready to go after break. He remembered and we set it up to do it today during 11th period. He came and since I wasn't sure if he would I went to find him in the hallway and he didn't forget!
We recorded it in the middle room in between the two art rooms and set up a mic and mic stand. He brought 12 songs to do. I asked him if he'd ever recorded his music and he didn't. He's in chorus and they are the ones I borrowed the equipment from. Usually its just for recording their concerts. It's interesting to me that he's there everyday and never had his music recorded but I meet him and am the one borrowing the equipment to do it. Jeff said he's glad he's coming because he barely knows anything about him. I know how to see potential in things and actualize them. It's probably my best quality. I will take the time to do what other people don't especially when someone is talented. There is no reason not to put it out there and do it.
He was great, and is very talented. I just imported the music and added fades in and out for each song and will be burning about 5 copies tonight at home. Kevin the autistic boy in the class really wants a copy so I'm going to give him and Alex one and one for whoever else wants one. It's not the best quality there is a slight echo and blank noise in the air but it's pretty good. I love his rendition of "Sorrowing Man."
As I listened I thought to myself he doesn't know what he just signed up for. The equipment allows you to record a song to a track on a CD so I just hit record and stop for him. After he was done, I asked him if he knew what his challenge was going to be. He said "Write an original song." Him and I have talked about it and he told me he never wrote one. I told him that he's got this down and that will be his real challenge. I said, "No write ten songs." I told him I'd like him to write ten songs by the time I leave and rather than work on our next ceramics lesson that is what his assignment is. I told him once I had an art show and the cafe had an opening in 2 weeks, so all I did was paint for two straight weeks and made 10 paintings and sold 5. Sometimes you need to be pushed by things like that and I told him I was going to push him to do it and that he can work on it during class. To think about writing one song a day. He told me he sang one of the songs the other day for a homeless man in front of Funk N Waffles. The guy was a writer himself and shared some lyrics with him. I told him that he could write a song about meeting that guy. I also told him if he needs help with writing I can guide him but if it flows and he has no problem he can be on his own.
I showed the class the Burning Man documentary and they seemed into it. We'll finish watching it tomorrow and I will discuss more what it's like going there, and give the assignment. I'm going to have them do some sketched to draft out their idea a little before building it which I'm sure they probably aren't used to having to do in ceramics.
I like working with Jamie and Jeff. Jeff leaves me alone a lot, like in the classroom and goes to take care of other things but we do talk a lot. Jamie works with me more on what were doing in the graphic design class, like each day we talk about what we'll be doing and each day we discuss the plan and how it went on the walk back to his and Jeff's classes.
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