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Art

Art Foundations Class Eco-Art Project

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This past week, Art Foundations (Ages 8-11) class instructor Rachel Wiseman took her students outside for a creative project where they collected leaves, twigs and other natural materials and constructed miniature “boats” which they set afloat upon Mason Pond for all to see.

“As a teacher, I strive to build lessons that can provide my students with both artistic exploration and personal enrichment,” explained Miss Rachel. “The general idea of the lesson was to expose the students to Eco Art Sculpture through having them collect natural materials and create boats that they could float onto the Mason Pond.”

 

ArtEcoProjectD

 

The lesson was designed to have many valuable components and provide the  students with a learning experience that would contribute to both their artistic and personal development. They had to first experiment with materials, attaining an understanding that sometimes when creating art, your project can fall apart, and that it’s okay. “Sometimes it’s the experience of rebuilding something after having it fall apart that can give us the confidence we need to embrace the challenges we face, both in art and in life,” said Rachel.

 

ArtEcoProjectF

 

Students had to make choices about the objects they were selecting to create their boats, experimenting with the buoyancy of their materials, and clearly having to acknowledge that rocks don’t float!

 

ArtEcoProjectG

 

“Nature is degenerative, continually cycling between growth and decomposition,” Rachel stated. “After shipping off our boats, we would not be retrieving them. They would be left in the lake to interact with the rest of nature, eventually decomposing, just as everything else, and with that, there is the experience of letting go. It is hard to put time and effort into creating a work of art, just to leave it outside and know that it’s going to fall apart, but in life, there is value to understanding that it is okay to let go, and that the experiences we have can be just as profound without possessing the different components of them.”

 

ArtEcoProjectB

 

Aside from the bigger ideas put into the lesson, the students were able to get outside in the sun to release energy, work together collaboratively to construct their sculptures, form relationships, and communicate with one another about their different approaches to the project.

ArtEcoProjectC

“As we moved outside to begin collecting materials, the students all seemed to be really excited about what materials they wanted to use and how they wanted to approach the assignment,” described Rachel. “We all gathered around the pond to construct the sculptures, and this was where everyone seemed to be in their own worlds. Some students were focusing solely on the construction the entire time while others were anxious to test their boats in different stages to ensure that they would float. Finally we all gathered as a group to watch each boat get shipped off and hear what each artist had to say about their project. Some were discussing what inspired their designs while others were expressing how challenging it was to work with natural materials. The children all approached the assignment so differently that we ended up with a beautiful array of boats in different colors, shapes, and sizes, and all of the students were eager to see what theirs could do! None of the boats sank and the excitement of the activity was evident with how anxious the kids were to huddle around and see what each boat did.”

 

ArtEcoProjectA

 

The students had a wonderful out-of-the-box experience. Thanks to Miss Rachel for implementing such a wonderful, innovative lesson into the Art Foundations curriculum.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ART CLASSES
The next session of art classes will begin in February 2017!

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Events

“Knock Your Socks Off” Contest

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OCTOBER 21ST UPDATE: Congratulations to Karin Puffer of Marlborough, MA and Chloe Lewis of Fairfax, VA, our two winners of this past week’s “Knock Your Socks Off” quiz contest. Thanks to everyone who participated, and look for more contests with fun prizes in the future!

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Take a quick online quiz for a chance to win a pair of striking music-themed socks! The first 2 contestants to answer the 10 questions correctly will win. Answers to the quiz questions can be found by searching through the Potomac Arts Academy website. Why not give it a try? Your feet could be dressing up as music notes for Halloween!

Anyone is eligible to participate except Potomac staff and faculty.

TAKE THE QUIZ BELOW NOW!
Having trouble with the embedded quiz? Click here

 

 

Winners will be announced next Friday, October 21st – good luck!

 

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Events Music

Free Mason Music Faculty Recital

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Mason’s School of Music Faculty Artist Showcase Recital is this Sunday, October 16 at 3 pm – and it’s FREE. Listen to inspiring performances by an impressive list of faculty and Mason alum, covering flute, harp, clarinet, trumpet, voice, piano, guitar and more. Potomac Piano Teaching Artist Dr. Ina Mirtcheva Blevins is a featured performer!

WHAT: Mason’s School of Music Faculty Artist Showcase Recital
WHEN: Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 3PM.
WHERE: Harris Theatre, Mason Fairfax Campus
PARKING: You can park in Lot K for free (about a 10-minute walk) or in the Mason Pond Parking Deck (next to Harris) for $8.
Campus Map

 

SEE EVENT FLIER FOR MORE DETAILS:

SoMFacultyShowcaseF16

 

MUSIC.GMU.EDU

 

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Music

Faculty Feature: Harriet Vorona

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Violin Teaching Artist Harriet Vorona is a new addition to our faculty for Fall 2016. In addition to teaching, Harriet also performs extensively in the Washington DC metro area with numerous groups including the National Symphony Orchestra, the Fairfax Symphony, and the National Gallery Orchestra. Harriet also works with bowmaker Donald Cohen to rehair and repair bows. Faculty Coordinator Claire Allen interviewed Harriet to find out more.

 

CAllen: How did you first fall in love with music?

HVorona: My parents, especially my mom, loved music and exposed my siblings and me to music from an early age on. As a little kid I started going to symphony concerts, and I saw my first opera when I was five. I still absolutely love opera and musical theatre. My older sister was a serious trumpet player, my brother played piano so it was a natural step for me to pick up an instrument. I started playing the recorder in preschool, at the age of two. My preschool teacher recognized that I was really musical. My hometown happened to have a very well known violin pedagogue so my mom took me to a trial lesson when I was six. The rest is history…

 

CAllen: Tell us about a memorable teaching experience you’ve had.

HVorona: There is not just one experience I can single out. Generally, I just love it when a student “gets” something. When we have been working hard on something, musical or technical, and all of a sudden it happens. It’s such a rewarding moment for the student and the teacher. That lightbulb moment. Practicing an instrument is quite the lonely activity, it’s just you and your instrument working for hours and hours to achieve those moments of beautiful music making. Nothing feels better than when your discipline and determination has paid off.

 

CAllen: What is a unique thing you do when you teach?

HVornona: I was blessed studying with some incredible violin teachers. I’m continuing that lineage of the German violin school by passing on what I learned from them. One thing I’m teaching my students from the very beginning is how to practice. To develop a thorough and thought out way on how to get the most out of your practice time. I’m also quite hung up on composers and musical terminology. I have noticed how little students seem to know about the composers of the pieces they play. My students always have to read up on them and tell me a few fun facts about them.

 

HarrietVDog

 

CAllen: Do you have any pets?

HVornona: Oh my…You will be sorry to have asked! [Laughs] My three kids and I have a zoo: a puggle named Bella [pictured above], a guinea pig named Super, a dwarf hamster named Henry, a gerbil named Charlie, a goldhamster named Leo, a gecko named Skittles (he’s on loan for a year) and five goldfish named Michael, Nigel, Razzle Dazzle, Bubi and Gwen.

 

SEE HARRIET’S BIO

VISIT HARRIET’S PERSONAL WEBSITE

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONS

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Announcements

We Are Open on October 10th for all Activities

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Potomac Arts Academy is OPEN for all classes and lessons on Columbus Day – Monday, October 10th.

If you have any questions, please call the office at 703-993-9889.

The Academy will be closed for Spring Break beginning Monday, March 25 and will re-open on Monday, April 1. We will be operating with limited hours. For any urgent requests, please call 703-993-9889.

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