Buncombe County Schools' performing arts programs SHINE ON

Photo by Ben Rickert

By Laura Mitchell, Arts Education Specialist, Buncombe County Schools

Under the adversity of a pandemic, the arts must be resilient. They must be a healing force, bringing students, families and communities together with peace and purpose.

In Buncombe County Schools, students have found new ways to develop their artistry, creativity and gifts without live performances — and their resilient teachers have learned new skills while juggling the challenges of teaching both online and in classrooms, wearing masks and maintaining six feet of social distance.

Bands, chorus ensembles and theatre troupes have learned to work together through Zoom. Some teachers have used specialized music apps to piece together videos of individual student performances. Band directors are safely utilizing outdoor rehearsal spaces and using bell covers generously donated by Dogwood Health Trust. Fairview Elementary School music teacher Cheryl Lewis has added shower caps to her classroom’s drumheads, allowing her to sanitize them while maintaining the integrity of the instruments, so that her students can practice rhythm while using the meter of poems as inspiration.

By innovating and adapting to the changing world, students and teachers were able to connect and engage with the performing arts, creating tangible commemorations of 2020. Though nothing can replace a live performance or the magic of working in collaboration, these experiences help keep the arts in the forefront of people’s minds.

With live performances on hold, there has been an emphasis on music literacy skills, music history, music technology and music theory, with a strong focus on social-emotional learning.

“I’ve seen students interact with each other in ways I have never seen before, and it has been incredible to witness firsthand how music can connect a group of people, no matter the circumstance,” shared Enka High School chorus teacher Sydney Bryant.

Photo still by Cheryl Lewis

From home or socially distanced classrooms, students traveled on virtual field trips, participated in virtual theatre festivals — some with help from the Wortham Center — and experienced music from various countries, time periods and parts of the world. At Oakley Elementary, students studied Appalachian music and art, learning folk ballads passed down through the generations in Western North Carolina. They then shared these works with their parents, some of whom were delighted to connect to their own ancestral ties to the region with their children.

“Our kids are starved for beauty and creativity more than ever,” one parent noted.

Maegan Dauphinais, music teacher at West Buncombe Elementary, expertly summed up teaching during a pandemic. “It’s learning how to enjoy the journey, its struggles, its highs and lows,” she said. “These are going to be valuable lessons for my students.”

This is what a resilient arts program looks like. Despite the challenges, students are creating, problem-solving, appreciating the arts, and collaborating with others — even if it’s not always face-to-face. When we are one day back together again, the experience will be all the more powerful.

Follow BCS Arts on Facebook to see more examples of resilience in the arts.

Laura Mitchell, Arts Education Specialist, Buncombe County Schools