{"id":28447,"date":"2020-02-13T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T14:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=28447"},"modified":"2020-02-13T02:15:53","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T08:15:53","slug":"austin-peay-state-universitys-ceca-cmcss-partner-to-boost-creativity-in-local-schoolchildren","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2020\/02\/13\/austin-peay-state-universitys-ceca-cmcss-partner-to-boost-creativity-in-local-schoolchildren\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Peay State University&#8217;s CECA, CMCSS partner to boost creativity in Local Schoolchildren"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-324279\" title=\"Austin Peay State University - APSU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Austin-Peay-State-University-APSU.jpg\" alt=\"Austin Peay State University - APSU\" width=\"250\" height=\"64\"\/><strong>Clarksville, TN<\/strong> &#8211; On February 6th, 2020, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts teaching artist Cissy Whipp captured the attention of more than 20 West Creek Middle School students.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_481341\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/APSUs-CECA-CMCSS-partner-to-boost-creativity-in-Local-Schoolchildren-1.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-481341\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-481341\" title=\"West Creek Middle students laugh as they try to choreograph a dance. (APSU)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/APSUs-CECA-CMCSS-partner-to-boost-creativity-in-Local-Schoolchildren-1-480x320.jpg\" alt=\"West Creek Middle students laugh as they try to choreograph a dance. (APSU)\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-481341\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Creek Middle students laugh as they try to choreograph a dance. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are going to make a dance today together,\u201d she told the seventh graders in Elizabeth Ward\u2019s vocal music classroom. \u201cThe type of dance we\u2019re doing is called creative dance where you are using your creativity to fulfill a task. It\u2019s fueled by your imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the class, the students had created a dance \u2013 using a simple three-part choreography called ABA form \u2013 to represent a West African symbol for strength.<\/p>\n<p>The exercise taught the students multiple lessons \u2013West African textile art, symbolism and human self-expression \u2013 while asking them to focus on only one \u2013 dancing.<\/p>\n<p>As a Kennedy Center teaching artist, Whipp travels the country showing educators how to use arts integration to enhance students\u2019 K-12 education. She led 25 teachers in a three-hour Feb. 5 workshop before spending time in six of Ward\u2019s classes, teaching nearly 200 students over two days.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CECA-CMCSS partnership untapping creativity in local schoolchildren\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tMZz07AdNvA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI love seeing creativity in children,\u201d Whipp said. \u201cThere\u2019s so much potential that you see, and I love that age of untapped potential. If you ask a child to do something, they\u2019re going to do it, no hesitation, and I just love that energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Austin Peay State University\u2019s Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) paid to fly in Whipp in collaboration with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System as Kennedy Center Partners in Education. Whipp, who lives in Louisiana, is one of four teaching artists who will come to Clarksville this school year.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018Looking at things a little differently\u2019<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_481342\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/APSUs-CECA-CMCSS-partner-to-boost-creativity-in-Local-Schoolchildren-2.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-481342\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-481342\" title=\"West Creek Middle students warm up for the dance. (APSU)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/APSUs-CECA-CMCSS-partner-to-boost-creativity-in-Local-Schoolchildren-2-480x320.jpg\" alt=\"West Creek Middle students warm up for the dance. (APSU)\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-481342\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">West Creek Middle students warm up for the dance. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ward has integrated the techniques she learned from a prior teaching artist, Bomani Armah, who in October taught Kenwood Middle students how to use hip-hop to write.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a really&nbsp;great way to integrate the arts with English language arts,\u201d Ward said. \u201cA lot of times, our kids don\u2019t realize that lyrics are really poetry, and it\u2019s a great way to introduce them to writing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t walk into choir and think, \u2018I\u2019m going to learn English in here today,\u2019\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>[320left]The students, maybe more than anything, have enjoyed the freedom the creative process has given them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey realize every thought is an important thought that&nbsp;can be turned into something else,\u201d Ward said. \u201cThey come to the understanding that when you\u2019re being creative, it might not work out the way you thought it should, but sometimes those bits and pieces come back later.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Though at first reluctant, the students are laughing and sharing by the end of the class.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re telling their friends about it, \u2018This is what we did in choir,\u2019\u201d Ward said. \u201cThey\u2019re looking at something a little differently and having a different creative outlet, and they\u2019ll say, \u2018You know, Ms. Ward, that was really&nbsp;fun!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Everyone learns by doing<\/h3>\n<p>All Whipp had to do to teach West Creek Middle students about textile art and symbolism was to get them moving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of this movement is based on symbols like that symbol up there for strength, these are called adinkra,\u201d she told the class. Adinkra are stamped art from West Africa, particularly Ghana.<\/p>\n<p>Whipp asked the students to create a dance to represent the adinkra symbol of strength&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;rams\u2019 horns.<\/p>\n<p>She moved around the room helping the students, \u201cDid you see the upper swirl, the diamond and the lower swirl? Yeah, good job!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[320right]Whipp explained how the process works: \u201cI believe that everyone learns by doing. Engaging in the choreography process gives students the opportunity to analyze and synthesize material.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The process also gives them pride in their creativity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s this feeling that they can do this, that feeling of success, they are using their creations, they feel empowered,\u201d Whipp said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The partnership continues&nbsp;<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_481343\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/APSUs-CECA-CMCSS-partner-to-boost-creativity-in-Local-Schoolchildren-3.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-481343\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-481343\" title=\"Kennedy Center Teaching Artist Cissy Whipp helps students at West Creek Middle School with their choreography. (APSU)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/APSUs-CECA-CMCSS-partner-to-boost-creativity-in-Local-Schoolchildren-3-480x320.jpg\" alt=\"Kennedy Center Teaching Artist Cissy Whipp helps students at West Creek Middle School with their choreography. (APSU)\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-481343\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kennedy Center Teaching Artist Cissy Whipp helps students at West Creek Middle School with their choreography. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>CECA is planning two more Kennedy Center teaching artist visits, which excites Ward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed the Kennedy Center of the Arts partnering with Clarksville-Montgomery County,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s always great as a teacher to have something else in your pocket that you can pull out and stretch your students in a different way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s another way to catch their attention and show them that these skills that&nbsp;we\u2019re trying to teach you, they\u2019re reflective, and they\u2019re used across many different things.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The teaching artist residencies are supported by CECA and the Heydel Family Foundation, which gave a generous 10-year gift to Austin Peay in honor of June Heydel. The CECA-CMCSS partnership also is supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[470center]<\/p>\n<h3>To learn more<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>To support CECA and other APSU fundraising initiatives, call the Office of University Advancement at 931.221.7127.<\/li>\n<li>For more about CECA, go to&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.apsu.edu\/ceca\" >apsu.edu\/ceca<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>For more about the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts\u2019 Partners in Education Program, visit&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kennedy-center.org\/partners\" >kennedy-center.org\/partners<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>For more about Cissy Whipp, visit <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cissywhipp.com\" >https:\/\/cissywhipp.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clarksville, TN &#8211; On February 6th, 2020, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts teaching artist Cissy Whipp captured the attention of more than 20 West Creek Middle School students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[23,589,262,31291,512,825,696,103,1601,34513,2939,2581],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4xGYI-7oP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28447"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28447"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28448,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28447\/revisions\/28448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}