American Resilience…

A study of change through the lens of an artist.

Each of us faces change throughout our lives.  Sometimes change comes out of our own desire and sometimes change is put upon us.  Sometimes change is caused by other people and sometimes by natural causes.  Dealing with change can be challenging. This project is intended to give students the opportunity to explore optimistic ways to cope when change has altered their lives.

Teachers and students from three Columbus City Schools explored the work of Terence Blanchard and his response to the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina in his hometown of New Orleans.  The work of this master musician helped us understand how an artist often documents historic events that call for or respond to change.

Each student, grades K-12, worked with the teachers of several classes who approach the subject of change in their own medium.  Through a variety of viewpoints, the students gained knowledge and skills they may rely upon throughout their lives to cope with change.

Although this project was conceived as a jazz residency at Duxberry Park Elementary, it grew to include the Arts Impact Middle School and Ft. Hayes High School administrators, teachers and students.  The scope of topics reached beyond music to visual art, drama, dance, photography, film and other art forms that teachers chose to embrace.  The historic event of Katrina was not the only topic explored.  Teachers were encouraged to also include other significant events throughout American history.

The Analogy:
Jazz is an art with many diverse styles and forms.  This project focused on the methods and knowledge used by musicians when they “jam” or “sit in” to play together.  Many standard jazz tunes follow an organizational pattern which is referred to as the form of the song.  The main idea of the music is expressed in the “head” which is followed by the musicians improvising (changing the elements) to create a version through their own viewpoint. To organize this project, we followed a similar form.  The work of Terence Blanchard served as the “head.”

The Script:
The culminating experience allowed elementary, middle and high schools students to come together to share their projects – each focused on the main idea – change.  This script describes the process and provides a prospective for each presentation.