Due to the collaborative. atmosphere of performing arts classes, distance learning caused these classes to make drastic changes this spring, including the ways that performances are showcased.
Vocal music teacher Tony Asaro said that his Songwriting and Music Production class is easier to conduct remotely because students work on independent projects. However, his other two classes, Vocal Ensemble and Vocal Point, are more collaborative and rely on in-person practice and performance. The curriculums of those classes. were changed to focus more on music theory and research projects, and members of the class recorded their singing to turn in virtually.
Vocal Ensemble also performed “Stay Strong” for the Lick community. The song was written and arranged by Asaro and posted on YouTube.
“We are trying to figure out ways to compensate for the lack of concert, both in terms of grading and fulfillment of the course, and what it means emotionally to have a concert,” Asaro said.
The seniors in Vocal Ensemble— Danny Shrestha ’20, Calum MacDermid ’20, Jackson Penfield ’20, Miles Buhrmann ’20, Ari Gonzalez Silas ’20 and Caitlin Cummings ’20— sang solos in “Stay Strong,” each one appearing on the screen as they sang their part. Then, all of the members of Vocal Point appeared together, harmonizing on screen, even though the students never actually sang together.
With a total of 22 singers in the recording, it was difficult to coordinate, and the entire process took nearly a month to complete. Each student had to individually record their part with specific instructions to record their audio and video separately, with specific lighting. A sound engineer was hired to compile all of the parts.
Due to the immense amount of work put into “Stay Strong,” Vocal Ensemble will not have another performance with the entire class. However, students are working in smaller groups and plan to create more videos.
Dance teacher Tabatha Robinson-Scott assigned all four of her classes to create a movement piece that involved collaboration with other members of the class.
So far, a video was shared in the eTiger with four of her Dance 2 students—Raya Shveyd ’22, Ella Carter Fenster ’22, Jayvyn Morthel ’22 and Marco Donohoe ’22—who completed this assignment. Each student designed a component of the dance, where the last part of each person’s segment would be the first movement of the next person’s. Though each part was individually created and recorded, these transitions were passed among the students and collectively composed one dance.
Robinson-Scott is working on compiling other videos that groups created for an end of the year performance. The seniors in Dance Ensemble worked outside of school to create one final dance together, instead of their usual senior showcase.
“I was really excited for the senior showcase because that was the seniors’ way of saying, ‘We’ve been in this program for a while and this is our last way to show what we’ve learned and show how we’ve grown,’” Jasmine Franklin ’20, a member of Dance Ensemble, said.
During class time, Robinson-Scott hosts guest teachers from around the world to help instruct her online classes, one thing she said she enjoys about distance learning.
The teachers introduce her students to a variety of dance styles that she was unable to teach in the classroom.
Like Robinson-Scott and Asaro, acting and improv teacher Miguel Zavala saw drastic changes to his classes. His classes now involve a lot more independent work, though he is still trying to find ways for students to connect with one another.
Zavala was directing The Laramie Project, Lick’s spring play. About a hundred students were involved with the play. Zavala said he was devastated the production was canceled. Charlotte Baszucki ’22, Andrzej Davis ’23, Lily Hessekiel ’22, Jamie Marwell ’23 and Ari Rangarajan ’21 recorded their monologues from the play, which are being edited and will be posted online. Zavala hopes that Lick will one day have a full production of The Laramie Project, but he is not sure when.
“There’s a lot going on right now in these trying times, so I think that the best thing for us is to take a step back and breathe and appreciate what we do have, and what we are capable of with online learning,” Zavala said.
Whereas before social distancing, instrumental music classes would collaboratively play, Lick’s Chamber. Orchestra is currently focusing on discussing music theory, watching videos and practicing independently rather than playing music together.
Advanced Combo is also doing a lot more independent work. It is currently impossible for groups to play together due to internet lags, so students record their work and submit it instead.
Both classes have plans to make recordings with the whole class, but it has been difficult to organize in light of the shelter-in-place order. A couple of videos have been posted in the eTiger of individual student performances.
In addition, the seniors in the instrumental music programs are working on a piece written by Toby Taylor-Cohen ’20. The seniors have recorded their individual parts, which will be compiled and showcased for the Parents Association Senior Slide Show, in lieu of a final spring concert.
In the past, spring music, theater and dance performances have been the final showcases of the school year, and an emotional event where seniors would gather on stage with their teachers after their final productions at Lick. Many plans are still in the works in regards to how to celebrate the seniors and everything they’ve accomplished within the performing arts.
