International Music

1) Gajah Mina from Tyler Yamin on Vimeo.


I'm not sure if you've heard, but our World Music Program has been stellar this trimester, with Brazilian rhythm, dance, and song teacher Stefanie Schmitz and Balinese Gamelan musician Tyler Yamin welcoming our young musicians to encounter unique instruments and traditions.

Our PTA, through the Center for World Music, has arranged for a complete Gamelan orchestra to be hosted on our campus for our students' use. As students enter they remove their shoes and take their positions. Within minutes they are creating fascinating, mesmerizing music. Examples of two Gamelan pieces are found above.



 

Celebrating Art Together

Student-designed art show programs (I have one or two left if you'd like a copy)

Thank you for attending our annual Del Mar Heights Art Show! The media and innovations center was transformed with vibrant, thoughtful work representing every child in the school on exhibit. Thank you for supporting the creative work of our students and taking your time to enjoy the evening with me.

Dream Machines

Well, here we are with a few finished dream machines. I appreciate how all are so unique and there is evidence of creative thinking throughout. Enjoy!

Our third-grade students spend a deal of time working with our science teacher, Mrs. Minarik, on the idea of forces and their applications on simple machines such as levers, gears, pulleys, and screws. As an extension, we in art class are creating "Dream Machines" that take non-tangible qualities such as hope, laughter, trustworthiness, and determination and turn them into a desired result such as success or friendship. 

The machines are inspired by the cartoon work of the famous Rube Goldberg. his work is iconic in the clever nonsense he creates in impossible machines. Our students sketched ideas in their journals and were asked to create their machines out of cut paper and other mediums. The art ideas of spacing, composition, essential shapes, color contrast and compliments, and proportion are actively addressed. In addition, we will be drawing a self-portrait of each student dreaming up their machine in the corner of their paper. This allows us to revisit the wonderful self-portrait work they achieved in second grade. 

Dream Machines: linking art, science, and character education

Our third-grade students spend a deal of time working with our science teacher, Mrs. Minarik, on the idea of forces and their applications on simple machines such as levers, gears, pulleys, and screws. As an extension, we in art class are creating "Dream Machines" that take non-tangible qualities such as hope, laughter, trustworthiness, and determination and turn them into a desired result such as success or friendship. 

The machines are inspired by the cartoon work of the famous Rube Goldberg. his work is iconic in the clever nonsense it exudes. Our students sketched ideas in their journals and were asked to create their machines out of cut paper and other mediums. The art ideas of spacing, composition, essential shapes, color contrast and compliments, and proportion are actively addressed. In addition, we will be drawing a self-portrait of each student dreaming up their machine in the corner of their paper. This allows us to revisit the wonderful self-portrait work they achieved in second grade. 

I can't wait to see the results of this project!

Kumeyaay-inspired woven baskets

As the third grade students of our lovely school study the lives of the local indigenous groups they encounter recurring themes based around creative problem-solving to enable subsistence. Kumeyaay peoples used woven baskets to store, transport, cook, and create.

In our art studio, third graders learned to create a woven basket on an armature made of a disposable cup. Their fine motor skills improved as they struggled along towards a finished project. Now, this may seem simple, but to create these baskets were quite a task for our little artists. Well done!

Kumeyaay Oyas- a visit to the local past

There is nothing quite like ceramic work with kids. working in three-dimensions activates areas of the creative mind that connect deeply with many individuals.

This project involves gaining a background understanding of Kumeyaay Native American art and craft, including pottery. Using this information, students learn basic coil and pinch techniques, slip and score methodology, and create pottery reflective of their understanding. Students were encouraged to make individual choices about form and decoration while maintaining a connection to Kumeyaay work. Students worked in partners to aid in reflective discussion about the choices being made.  The next week will bring a visit to the kiln and then final decoration and reflection.

Perspective and Symbolism- reflections on Del Mar

We live in a magical place. Our beachside community sits nestled between two major cities and just outside the reach of the sprawl that surrounds. Our children are tasked with learning about local history and community as part of their third-grade social studies work. As an extension, we worked on a captivating project placing Del Mar at the fore.

Inspired by the clean and whimsical line illustrations of Marz Jr., our students endeavored to create a symbolic representation of Del Mar as a beacon of individuality between Los Angeles and San Diego. Collaboratively they decided on using either Torrey Pines or palm trees to represent our town- sensible since the unique nature of our area is embodied in both kinds of trees.

Then we began to learn the essential, but not easy, use of two-point perspective in drawing. Vanishing points, perspectives, and technique were explored as we practiced in our sketchbooks. Buildings were drawn and revised on the edges of the papers, with hidden clues as to the nature of the symbolic representations within each building. Look for the L.A. or S.D. on the images above.

The central part of the paper was reserved for our focal point- the trees as symbols of Del Mar. Building on our three- toned shading and fundamental drawing work used in third grade students animal alliteration artwork and poetry projects, we worked on constructing more textured, nuanced trees to contrast the stark linearity of the cityscapes.

Finally the pieces were put together using complementary color palettes for framing.

In the end the products are striking and represent layers of learning both technical and intellectual. To adults, the symbolism of such a work is obvious. To children, building meaningful symbols is an activity of complexity that helps young minds to become nimble and probing- traits that are valuable throughout life, not only in the arts.