Curricular Connections

Using Live Performance and Exhibitions to Engage Students and Enhance Classroom Lessons

Writing Assignments

(Fine Arts Designation, First Year Seminar, Aesthetic Perspectives, Historical & Social Perspectives, Local to Global Perspectives)

• General reaction paper: "what was your experience?"
• Offer an interpretation of a piece of work or live performance.
• Compare/contrast: live performance vs. film, TV etc., or does the artwork relate to something in another discipline or media like videos, movies or science?
• Critique/review: Good, bad? How do you decide if you like or do not like something?
• Evaluation in class, have students anonymously write a specific reaction to one aspect of the performance or exhibition (i.e., a controversial or thought-provoking part of a exhibition or plot/story, broader issues about why the university paid to bring this performance or exhibition to campus, whether/why the arts are important, is it possible for something to be important as art and not be something you might like? etc.) and then read one another's responses aloud. Encourage discussion after each reading.

Mini Presentations by Students

(Fine Arts Designation, First Year Seminar, Aesthetic Perspectives, Historical & Social Perspectives, Local to Global Perspectives, ICT Literacy)

• Find and present an article, blog or link that relates to your interpretation of a work or exhibition or that fits within the context of the live performance.
• Find example(s) from your own life experiences that relates to what you saw on stage or in the exhibit—present it and "relate it" for your classmates.
• Bring an object into class that represents an aspect of the performance and "relate it" for your classmates.
• Bring an example of content (scientific/social theory, work of art, speech, political platform, etc.) from your linked class that relates to what you saw on stage in an exhibition. Present it and "relate it" for your classmates.

Instructor-led Class Discussions

(Fine Arts Designation, First Year Seminar, Aesthetic Perspectives, Historical & Social Perspectives, Local to Global Perspectives)

• Performing Arts staff can present "what to expect" at the show and Turchin Center staff can provide a guided tour of exhibitions.
• 1-2 weeks prior, begin class discussions that relate to what they will see on stage or in the exhibition (social/political history, cultural relevance, literary context, musical genre, etc.).
• After the performance, continue the discussion about what they saw and how it relates to linked course content, your course content, what's happening in their everyday lives and globally etc.
• Provide "connection-building" opportunities throughout the semester to reflect on the performance or exhibition—relate to current discussions, assignments, etc.

Student-led Class Discussions

(Fine Arts Designation, First Year Seminar, Aesthetic Perspectives, Historical & Social Perspectives, Local to Global Perspectives)

• Lead a class discussion:
  • "How does experiencing a live performance or artwork in an exhibition setting relate to what we're learning in our linked course and in this course?" (Focus: Experience)
  • "What connections or correlations can we draw from the issues/themes of the performance/exhibition and those we've been studying in this course and/or our linked course(s)?" (Focus: Content)

Community Building

• Set expectations: performance/museum etiquette, creating a group experience.
• Purchase tickets in a group so class can sit together; meet prior to show (in lobby or elsewhere).
• Dinner and a show/gallery opening—eat beforehand or afterward as a group.
• Informal discussion: "What did you gain from the live performance/gallery experience?"

Consider

• What does it mean to be an audience member or gallery visitor interacting with art?
  • What is it like?
  • How is it active?
  • How is it passive?
  • What expectations do I have?
  • What is expected of me?
• How can what is happening on stage or in an exhibition act as a "bridge" from classroom discussions into experiences beyond the classroom?
  • What are the broad themes?
  • What are the specific issues?