Who: Bay Laurel Elementary
Art Form: Theatre
Teaching Artist: Rob Bowers
Program Dates: October 2007 – February 2008
Grade: 5
Program Associate: Clare Schulberg

Skirball Artist-Teacher Partnership Residency Program at Bay Laurel Elementary, Las Virgenes Unified School District

Bay Laurel Elementary School (located in the southwestern section of Calabasas, 20 miles north of Los Angeles) has been a Music Center partner school since 2003. For the past five years, their fifth grade classes have participated in the Music Center's 14-session Skirball Artist-Teacher Partnership Residency Program with teaching artist Rob Bowers focusing on musical theatre. With ongoing support from their current Principal, Karen Hansen, and enthusiastic teacher participation, all fifth grade students continue to benefit from this program.

During a time in their lives when all they want to do is fit in and be cool, these fifth graders were given the challenge to step out of their comfort zone and into "the fascinating and creative world of live theatre," where they needed to make choices and present themselves in a manner that may risk being laughed at by their peers. Though this may be uncomfortable for some of the students, the teachers agreed that this theatre experience was a great opportunity for students to learn about themselves. In addition, "The students love working with Rob. We appreciate how he talks to the students. He challenges them to speak louder, to use their body to communicate, and to figure things out on their own. He doesn’t 'dumb' things down for them" (Gail Tomaszczuk).

Rob Bowers has been a professional theatre artist since 1969 and a Music Center roster artist since 1986. He has worked as a writer, director, musical director, arranger, accompanist, lyricist, composer, choreographer, scenic/lighting designer, actor, cabaret artist, ghost-writer, dramaturge, mentor and "Artistic Director" on various projects. As a Music Center teaching artist working with grades pre-K through 12, Rob's objective has always been "to help children improve their ability to present themselves well in front of others by enhancing their self-esteem and cultivating their talents."

During this year's residency at Bay Laurel, Rob partnered once again with classroom teachers, Julie Atkinson and Marnie Davis, participants since 2003 and Gail Tomaszczuk and Corey Weinberg, participants since 2005. With prior experience, these teachers were better able to support the artist during their 60-minute weekly sessions. In addition, these teachers worked with their students during the week to rehearse the songs and staging in-depth, discuss text, and reinforce skills and concepts such as teamwork, diction, centered energy and presentation. When asked how the residency was going, Rob replied, "All goes well on site. The most interesting thing is how each teacher's relationship with the work is a bit different, as is my relationship with each teacher. [That] makes it fun."

Rob combines music, theatre, and education and offers the students the opportunity to learn more about the world around them. Through ideas gathered from their song selection, the students learned about history, culture, musical styles, and universal themes from various time periods. Songs included "It's a Fine Life!" (Oliver), "New York, New York" (On the Town), "Defying Gravity" (Wicked), "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" (Camelot), "Seasons of Love" (Rent), "Air" (Hair), and "Under the Sea" (The Little Mermaid). While Rob created a "skeletal" staging for these songs, he asked the students to create their own shapes and movements. This allowed the students to be part of the collaboration and to take ownership of the work.

On the day of the culmination, Rob welcomed the audience (which consisted mostly of parents, fellow students, and teachers) and reminded them that the ‘show’ was not for the parents, but rather an opportunity for the performers to work together as an ensemble and to present themselves with confidence, while applying such concepts as diction, projection, timing, and focus. When Rob called "PLACES," excitement filled the room as the students traveled to their starting positions. Rob accompanied them on piano, while the students presented their work with confidence and enthusiasm. While watching the culmination, one could sense that the students took ownership for the project.

A lot of time, effort and energy were invested by the teaching artist, teachers, and students in this 14-session theatre residency. The goals of the residency were to provide teachers with a professional development model that supports collaborative planning and teaching with the artists, focus on helping teachers gain skills and content knowledge in musical theatre, and explore integration strategies with other areas of the curriculum. And hopefully, the residency also provided the students with an experience that allowed for intellectual, social, and emotional development. This residency ended on February 15, 2008 and the teachers are eager to make plans for Spring 2009.

For more information about bringing student workshops to your school, call (213) 250-ARTS or email us at schoolprograms@musiccenter.org.

Written by Cammy Truong, School Communications Associate