NEWS
Little China
The third grade commemorated their learning journey through China with a grand celebration at the Spencertown Academy Arts Center on March 29th. The event showcased the Chinese art, music and poetry the students had created as part of their studies over the past eight weeks.
The centerpiece of the event was a student performance of Chinese songs using xylophones and finger cymbals. Under the direction MED music teacher Abigail Brownell, each class had composed their own song using Chinese rhythms and notation, which they demonstrated to an audience of parents and other family members.
Throughout February and March, third graders had explored Chinese language and art in written and spoken form, practicing calligraphy and studying masterworks of Chinese painting. Their work was now displayed along the Academy’s walls, where those in attendance could view and enjoy them.
In another room, Spencertown Academy program director Tom Lee led students through an exercise where they studied a vase and flowers, drawing what they saw and describing the scene through poetry. Over the course of their studies at MED, the students had read and discussed many poems from the “Golden Age” of Chinese poetry, and each student created an original poem in Tang Dynasty style, which focuses on a strong personal connection with the natural world.
Students also had the chance to sample authentic Chinese food and have their portraits taken while wearing Chinese masks.
The field trip was part of the artsVOYAGE educational partnership between Chatham public schools and the Spencertown Academy. Through artsVOYAGE, Chatham students experience world cultures and social history in a rich, multifaceted way by fusing academics with interdisciplinary themes and artistic expression to enhance classroom curriculum.