Programs
New! Italian Language Class for Grades 2-3. Registration Form
The Arts at Canyon
We would
like to take this opportunity to share with you the exciting
Arts Programs that our children are participating in at
Canyon. It has been the goal of The Arts Committee to support
introducing the students to music, dance and theatre in a way that
enhances curriculum, supports our teachers’ commitment to
creating rich experiences for their classes and enables everyone to
experience and enjoy the arts.
Music
All Canyon students participate in one general music class a
week. These classes are arranged through the Santa Monica
Academy of Music for grades 2 through 5, with Kindergarten and 1st
grade being taught by the LAUSD district music teacher, Monty
Turner. The program was introduced last year and is still in
its early development. It is process/experiential in nature
and follows the California based standards. Textbooks for
each grade and orff instruments were purchased in the fall of 2006 to
support this program. We are endeavoring to build a
relationship between the classroom teachers and the music teachers so
that each music class enhances the curriculum.
In addition to general music the 4th and 5th grade students are offered
Instrumental Music. Currently 47 children have chosen an
instrument to study. They meet once a week for 45 minutes on
Wednesdays.
We encourage everyone during these developmental stages to participate
in helping us build a solid music base and to this end please check the
chronicle over the next few weeks and join us for an evening sometime
in February for a presentation/discussion of our music program.
Dance
This year, for the first time, a six week dance elective was offered on
a per class basis. Twelve classes chose to
participate. The workshops are taught by Olivier Tarpaga on
Fridays. So far it has been a huge success. Four
rooms danced in the fall and currently four rooms have just started the
winter schedule. The remaining students will dance in the
spring. Oliver’s workshop and his background are
outlined in the attachment.
Theatre
In the spring of 2007 we tested an in class theatre workshop.
It was well received and was expanded to nine classrooms for
2008. For eight weeks Peter Kors will bring his wealth of
professional experience in performing arts education into our students
lives.
Performances
David Prather performed his delightful poetry in the fall and will
return in January with mine artist Keith Berger to share “The
Bully Dudes!..and what to do about them”.
David’s April performance will support Poetry month at Canyon.
Ongoing
We would also like to thank Ms. Ito for her years of dedication to
Canyon’s Chorus, Mrs. Haskell for bringing the joy of art and
Rachel Galper for introducing our Kinders to the magic of
acting. “Sitting Bull” for the 5th grade
and Journalism for 4th and 5th round out our commitment to the arts.
Gratitude
None of this would be possible without the dedication of our
outstanding teaching staff. They have worked extremely hard
to integrate these programs into their classrooms.
Collaboration requires finding the time to sit down and work out shared
schedules, folding the arts into their curriculum, being in dialogue
with the artists and then to participate with their students.
Thank you.
We would also like to thank the Booster Club and the entire Canyon
Community for their financial support for giving us the room to grow and experiment.
Come Visit
Check with your child’s teacher as to when they are scheduled
to participate in any of our programs. You are always welcome
to drop in and see what’s happening. We encourage
you to ask your child to share with you their experiences.
And of course if you have any wonderful ideas please share them.
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