saxonbrown

[saxonbrown]

Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talks

May 1st 2020

Sir Ken is the paragon TED presenter--and, as I understand it, has the most viewed presentations of all time. Sir Ken blends humor with statistics and reasoning to explain how schools are not supporting creativity. My former high school was forced to cut an art position, displacing over 150 students and dissolving higher level courses including AP Studio. Though math and science are undoubtedly important, being a “tested-area” does not mean it is more important than the arts. Sir Ken discusses this phenomenon which devalues the arts at the expense of other subjects. It is a fantastic listen and I plan to show it to my students in the hopes that they will not make the same mistakes as other generations and appreciate the arts as a way for students to use their skills to contribute to their society.

[saxonbrown]

Streamed Film: Traumfabrik

April 2020

Yeah... it’s a little cheesy, but it’s a wonderfully entertaining, very beautiful love story. It’s one of my all time favorite movies! Films are a wonderful way to interact with foreign languages--this one especially because it has no English subtitles. I like getting to practice my German and have some fun while doing so. Americans regrettably overlook many foreign artists, but their works are ways to engage with the world through a different lens. I hope to expose my students the marvelous perspectives of the many non-English speaking authors (Goethe, Camus, Saint-Exupéry, etc.) when I begin teaching

[saxonbrown]

Listening to Short Stories via Spotify and LibriVox Recordings

March 18th, 2020

I love listening to short stories! (Attached is a collage of some of my favorites). They’re incredibly accessible (Spotify has thousands of recordings--many by famous actors!) and they’re highly enjoyable. Sometimes life seems too crazy to sit down and read a book so listening to short stories is a perfect way to interact with literature in these crazy times. As a prospective English teacher, I believe audiobooks are a medium that encourages non-readers to interact with stories.

[saxonbrown]

Neuro Blooms Mixed Media Art Exhibition

Stamp Student Union

February 28, 2020

After the field trip with Life Science, I have been contemplating the idea of combining the arts with the sciences which Neuro Blooms does perfectly. Artist Leslie Holt reproduced real CAT scans of those suffering from mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, or Alzheimer’s using mixed media (paint, needlework, etc.) What was particularly intriguing was her use of color; CAT scans are always in black and white. I hope to discuss color symbolism in my English class. Holt deliberately chose certain colors to represent different mental conditions (bright colors for schizophrenia, dark and muted colors for depression).

[saxonbrown]

Concert in Close Quarters with Leyla McCalla

The Cambridge Community Center

January 29, 2020

It is always a privilege to hear another artist perform and talk about their lives. It was especially nice to hear of Leyla’s creative processes when writing and performing. As a future English teacher, I hope to stress upon my students the importance of an author’s background; it always manifests itself in that author’s work. Hearing Leyla speak of her Haitian heritage and current life in New Orleans gave me remarkable insight into the style and themes of her songs which made the concert all the more enjoyable.   

[saxonbrown]

William Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

November 14, 2019

As a future English teacher this one was right up my alley! I really enjoyed the intimate “black box” setting that the Cafrtiz Foundation Theatre offered. It allowed the actors to be on the same level as the audience, even permitting them to interact with one another on occasion. This specific production also had a cool 80s theme which made for an interesting take on one of my favorite stories.

[saxonbrown]

Gustav Holst’s “The Planets”

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

November 3, 2019

I have always enjoyed Holst’s suite but have never seen it live so I naturally pounced upon the opportunity to go to this performance. It was wonderful to see students my age performing the pieces I love so much and to be right in front of the music just as it was happening (as opposed to a recording). My favorite part though, was watching the conductor. The conductor is a physical embodiment of the sounds and emotion coming from the orchestra. Arts Scholars is about conveying emotion through art; the conductor is a wonderful example of this.

[saxonbrown]

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera

The Hippodrome, Baltimore

October 20, 2019

I really enjoyed this production because the actors were all very talented singers! I enjoyed the novelty of a story told (almost) completely through singing, as I do not often think of music as being a means of storytelling. Because of my Introduction to Theatre class (THET 110) I was fortunate enough to be able to listen to the powerful and popular songs with a fresh perspective with my knowledge of performance analysis and mise-en-scene. As an English major, I am fascinated with Webber’s compositional choices to suppliment Gaston Leroux’s original story. And, of course, it was a joy to be able to hear the songs in person and not just through my earbuds.

[saxonbrown]

August Wilson’s Fences

Ford’s Theatre, Washington D.C.

October 4, 2019

It was a neat experience to see the exact chair one of our nation’s greatest presidents sat in, as well as the box where he was grimly assassinated. Because the theatre is so small, the actors didn’t use microphones, which made for a more intimate performance. Fences is a difficult show to watch but a rewarding story to hear. The show addresses themes of racism, generational gaps, adultery, and familial roles. Arts Scholars is all about how art can be used as a method of exposing difficult and complex situations in a presentable way, which Fences does effortlessly.

[saxonbrown]

College Park Scholars Convocation

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

August 29, 2019

Convocation visually displayed the power of the program I am in. Watching a sea of tiny flashlights light up the room was incredible; it showed me that everyone around me shared my same sentiments towards their college experience. Convocation encouraged me to consider what a rewarding experience this is to be a part of something much larger than myself. As a future teacher, I hope to be able to institute this “sea of lights” within my future school in order to encourage my students look forward to the years ahead, while also helping them to look around at the people who are in the same boat.

[saxonbrown]

NextNOW Fest Reflection Questions:

What did you see/hear/learn that was completely new to you?

I have never seen interactive art before. Bridging science, technology, and art, the Lucid Dreaming exhibit was an exciting deviation from the traditional art world.  This was especially interesting because the projectors and computers connected to the exhibit were visible so I was able to gain some insight on how the exhibit worked.

What was your favorite performance/experience? Why was it your favorite?

My favorite performance was the Jazz Professors. Jazz is our country’s music--it’s entirely American. Yet, jazz is not part of out mainstream culture, nor is it popular with today’s youth. Hearing professional musicians play the music that I love so much for an audience of college students was incredible.

What instances did you notice where artists were collaborating or working beyond the boundaries of a particular arts discipline? How do you think collaboration and interdisciplinarity are helping to push the boundaries of what we understand art to be?

Art, just like people, is multifaceted. We need to rethink how we can represent and support the diverse values, ideals, and cultures of the world’s artists. NextNOW featured many of these “boundary pushing” works of art. There were artists, for example, who used blacklight paint, puppetry (Jim Henson), and technology which all conveyed the artist’s passion and worldview, though through a different medium.