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• A week-long intensive in the arts A week-long intensive in the arts The DARTS program gives kids a taste of theater, music, dance and more This summer, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders have had "the best week of their lives," thanks to Days in the Arts, a week-long arts immersion program sponsored by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In groups of 50, talented students come from urban, rural and suburban settings across Massachusetts and spend their days sampling visual arts, theater, music and dance, a week at a time for seven weeks. In a recent telephone interview, Myran Parker-Brass, director of education and community programs for the BSO, explained some of the details. "Mornings they are creating, afternoons they are exposed to artists. We hope that they get the total picture of how the arts are integral to everything we do," said Parker-Brass. A typical day includes creative expression at 8:30, art workshops at 9:30, and after lunch, a cultural excursion, followed by dinner and a group activity. The students who participate are chosen by school systems in the individual communities, she said. Community coordinators work with the individual schools and teachers, maybe the music teacher or visual arts teacher, sometimes the classroom teachers. Each community can make the selection differently. In one community, all the students might write an essay; in another community a lottery system might be used. The students are housed for the week at Simon's Rock College of Bard in Great Barrington, where they also have their morning classes. Monise Reed, a music teacher in Lawrence, Mass., has been with DARTS for four years. She teaches creative writing, visual arts and, she said, "I fill in where needed." Reed said she comes back each summer to experience what is, for her, the best part -- "Seeing how much it touches them every week. It's intensive but they get quite a bit out of it." She continued, "It's hard for them on Monday, when they hear all the rules -- but by Friday, they don’t want to get on the bus." Gabriel Cobas, manager of education programs, talked about the effect the program has on the kids. "It's a huge change. We have something we call DARTS magic. We don’t define or explain it, but by creating a total positive environment, we allow kids to be themselves. It’s so nonjudgmental. That’s what we encourage -- with the staff and the other students, the kids are allowed and feel safe to let down their barriers. At DARTS we allow them to express themselves, to create the inner person and let it show." Each community that sends students also sends a teacher. That teacher participates in a three-day training period and then leads the creative expression portion of the day -- an hour set aside each morning for the children to spend in self-reflection, journal writing or other activities. "That period of the day is for the kids to reflect on what they've been doing," said Parker-Brass. "We want them to learn about who they are as people -- we want them to see how alike they are," Parker-Brass said. "They learn about other young people and have a sense of how they can contribute to the world. It's not unusual for them to say 'This has been the best week of my life.’ It’s intense, but informal and nonjudgmental. We want them to do it and enjoy doing it.” Each afternoon is filled with excursions -- last week, the group went to Shakespeare & Company on Tuesday to see "King Lear." On Wednesday, they went to Jacob's Pillow for a master dance class with local choreographer Dawn Lane. Parker-Brass added, "The Pillow has been a partner for a long time. After the master class, the students get to stay and see a performance." And on Thursday, they went to the Williams College Museum of Art. Friday morning was spent at Tanglewood. Daniel Katzen, a French horn player who has been with the BSO for 25 years, spoke to the students, grouped under an enormous tent. He started by asking the kids to raise their hands if they played a musical instrument -- almost all the hands went up. Katzen held their attention during his humorous presentation -- he explained that his job was, essentially, "to spit." He demonstrated his mouthpiece and assembled all the components of his horn. He started to play, and the kids immediately recognized the theme from "E.T." Katzen has worked with composer and conductor John Williams a great deal over the years -- even appearing on the E.T. soundtrack. All the kids had seen the movie, so they were really engaged and attentive. Katzen went on, playing themes from “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones” and “Jaws.” After Katzen wrapped up his talk, all the students trooped over to the Koussevitsky Music Shed to sit in on a closed rehearsal with the BSO and conductor John Williams, practicing the pieces to be played during "Film Night at Tanglewood." The fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders were warned not to speak while in the Shed, and their behavior was exemplary. There was no wiggling, no fidgeting and not a sound -- they had all their attention on the orchestra. Lauren Wolfman, a student from Somerville, Mass., plays the violin, sings, writes and draws. She said that her favorite part of the week was getting to meet local illustrator Jan Brett, and agreed that the week had made the arts more alive for her. Cobas explained the daily routine. "Before each excursion we prep the kids. As an audience they are expected to be a mature audience. For 'King Lear,' we told them the story so they’d be ready. We also spend a lot of time talking about proper etiquette -- when to clap or not to clap, how to be a proper theater-goer, for example. The kids take it very seriously. When we get to the excursions, we never have to discipline a child. They are very serious, and when the lights go down, they are completely enthralled." Jacob Brandt from Newton, Mass., is a banjo player. He said of his week, "It was all really good. I liked it because I got a taste of everything." Asked whether he is considering a career in the arts, he replied, "I hope so. Maybe. It's what I’m thinking about now." Stefani Vivian, of Somerville, Mass., is interested in theater. "I want to be an actress," she said. She enjoyed her week, she said, and "'King Lear’ was good. And the party was great. I was so happy." The faculty members, all educators and artists, teach arts workshops for four hours each morning. They help the students prepare a group presentation, given each Thursday night, the students' last evening of the program. Parker-Brass said, "The theater faculty member is from England, and teaches at the Boston Conservatory. In music, we have a wonderful flautist and a brass player. In the visual arts we have a public school teacher and our dance teacher is also with the Boston Conservatory. Most have been with the program for nine or 10 years. Moe Downey, DARTS program coordinator, has been with the program for 27 years. They do it because they understand why the arts are important and they love passing on their passion to the students." Tuition is based on income -- everyone pays something to come, based on a sliding scale. The BSO subsidizes a large portion of the program. Local students who would like to participate in next summer's DARTS can contact their community coordinators. In Berkshire County, there are coordinators in Berkshire Hills, Pittsfield, Williamstown and Lee. If students live in a community that doesn’t have a coordinator, they can call the BSO and ask to be placed on an alternate list. Cobas said that most kids on the alternate list are offered a slot. The program has been in existence for 36 years. Some graduates have made their careers in the arts, others are just enthusiastic patrons and audience members. "We've turned out people who are very committed to the arts in one way or another," said Parker-Brass. Currently, an effort is under way to contact all 13,000 DARTS alumni in preparation for a reunion to be held in Boston this January. And in response to a question from this reporter, Parker-Brass added, "We're trying to figure out how to do a week for grown-ups, we get so many requests." |
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