Artist in Residency
ACHF Arts Access
Elementary students will learn to actively listen, reflect and use musical language. They will make music by singing or using their bodies to make sound. Brass students will respond to music questions; demonstrate improvement in posture, tone production and technical skill; and experience chamber music. Seniors will hear professional quality artists perform; understand the difference between the brass instruments; and interact with the artists in an informal, unintimidating way. College of Saint Benedict teaching artists use video recording for reflective self-evaluation. Community/student surveys will be used to measure outcomes. Community Education staff, band directors, and senior center staff will observe participants and provide feedback.
The desired outcomes for the brass masterclass were achieved. The session focused on fundamentals that need to be in place in order to produce an outstanding sound. The session was very interactive, with the students asking good questions. The students enjoyed hearing Copper Street Brass play a few pieces as well and several of them attended the concert the next evening. The desired outcomes for the “informance” at the Senior Center were also achieved, as the seniors got to hear Copper Street Brass play many pieces; speak about their instruments and the music; and ask questions. The seniors reported enjoying this format, the interaction with the musicians, and the learning that took place. Many of the seniors attended the concert the next evening. The Brass Petting Zoo sessions also achieved the desired outcomes. The students learned basic concepts such as loud and soft; fast and slow; and high and low pitch. The Copper Street Brass played several songs that the students knew. The Copper Street Brass used “hose-a-phons” – rubber hoses of various lengths with a funnel serving as a bell on one end and their instrument mouthpiece used for playing the hose on the other – to teach the students about the relationship between the length of the brass instrument tubing and the instrument’s pitch. The Copper Street Brass players excelled at keeping the students fully engaged during these sessions. The evaluations were different for each of the residency components. For the masterclass, a written evaluation was given to the band directors to complete. Their responses are included in the evaluation document uploaded with this report. They both indicated that the learning goals were either met or exceeded for the masterclass. For the “informance” at the Senior Center, the Senior Center Director and the Community Education Director sought verbal feedback from the seniors in attendance. The feedback was very positive, as noted above. For the brass petting zoos, an evaluation survey was given to a few of the staff members in attendance. Included with this evaluation was a request for a “one word” evaluation. The surveys are included in the evaluation document uploaded with this report. Copper Street Brass also provided their self-evaluation information via email. That is included in the uploaded file as well. In addition, I (Diane Johnson, Community Education Director) attended and observed all sessions of the residency. As an accomplished flutist with years of teaching experience, I have the knowledge base to evaluate this residency. My comments are included in the response to the Artist Critique question.