Artists in Schools

Vashon Artists-in-Schools launches winter semester

A short history

Celebrating 20 years since its inception in 1988, Vashon Artists-In-Schools has always consisted of passionate and committed individuals who care about keeping the arts integrated into public school curriculum.  Thanks to an ongoing partnership between Vashon Allied Arts and Vashon Island School District and the collaboration between teachers and artists, this program has made art a reality for hundreds of Island children.

“The relationship between the teachers and the artists is really the heart and soul of the program,” says Carrie VanBuren, coordinator of the program.  Vashon Artists-in-Schools program has been nationally recognized by the NEA and is now a model for other communities.  Funding support is provided by Washington State Arts Commission, Vashon Island School District, King county Councilmember Dow Constantine, Vashon Partners in Education and ongoing in-kind support by Vashon Allied Arts.

How it works

Island artists are encouraged to submit applications, resumes and/or project proposals for Artists-in-Schools any time.  Artist applications are assembled into an artist roster which is made available to teachers at Chautauqua, McMurray and VHS every fall.  Teachers work directly with artists to complete an application which is turned into the school district office in early December.  Most Artists-in-Schools projects are completed between January and May.

Complete program guidelines and application forms are available online at www.vashonsd.org/vais.  For more information about how to get involved, please contact coordinator, Carrie VanBuren, 567-5313 or Vashon Allied Arts, 463-5131.

Project: Harmony of the Spheres
McMurray Middle School
Teacher: Heidi Van Harper
Artist: Erin Durrett

When McMurray Middle School Humanities teacher, Heidi Van Harper was approached with the idea to bring vocal music into the school’s multi-age elective program, Van Harper (who holds degrees in both music and humanities) was thrilled to meet the challenge.

“It’s been years since McMurray offered a vocal program. Fifteen girls signed up for the one-semester fall elective. We did a crash course in music history and joined the band in their winter concert, where we sang a French-Canadian folk song, a piece in Latin and some fun winter songs. We also did some singing at Camp Burton. For our final project, we worked with Erin Durrett through the Artists-in-Schools program. Erin’s program ties music into history. When I read about what she does it seemed like a match since our focus has been on early music; it fit perfectly with my curriculum.”

Observing the class one afternoon, students paid rapt attention in a dimly lit classroom, sitting in a tight circle with Van Harper and Durrett, chants from an opera written by Hildegard of Bingen (German abbess, artist, author, poet, activist, visionary, and composer,1098-1179) resonating in the background. An overhead projector depicted Hildegard’s other-worldly medieval visionary paintings. Curious, eager hands flew up with questions about this woman, her music and times, deftly and articulately answered by Durrett who does a beautiful job bringing history to life.

Durrett, who has taught medieval music history and vocal technique for many years, was eager to integrate her knowledge into an Artists-in-Schools program with Van Harper. “Erin and I met several times in advance to talk about our curriculum goals,” said Van Harper. Durrett spent two weeks in the classroom teaching a customized version of her program, Harmony of the Spheres.

“Throughout history, scholars of Europe and the Middle East believed the universe was made up of eight pure crystal spheres, each with its own tone, which revolved around the earth to create celestial music,” she said. According to Durrett, this concept has profoundly influenced Western culture and ties in well with interdisciplinary studies including music, mathematics, science, social studies, history and English.

The last two days of the program, students practiced and demonstrated chants in the Blue Heron Dance studio and parents were invited to listen. “We wanted to achieve an echo effect and that was a great space for it,” said Van Harper.

“The kids got to experience a different aspect of music and music history through this program; they had a great time. Working with Erin has been fun; we’ve collaborated well together,” said Van Harper. “This was my first time to do an Artists-in-Schools program and I would definitely do it again.”