Starting Service 2020 Edition

Author: Josie Greenwald

As we are all in our 6th month of quarantine and still adapting to the "new normal" I have found that teaching the arts has been especially important during this time. I think if you ask anyone what they have done during quarantine their answer will be a combination of listening to music, watching tv/movies, and online performances. We're seeing now more than ever that in times of chaos and uncertainty that the arts matter and not only do they matter, they are necessary for us as human beings to keep going and remain hopeful and engaged during these uncertain times. With all of this extra time on our hands people are finally taking the opportunity to slow down and enjoy human connections, especially through the arts.

As a teaching artist my goal is to encourage others and help my students reach their full potential. This is my second year as an ArtistCorps member and, as expected, my service looks very different. Before, I would go into the classroom once a week and teach small groups for an entire school day. Now, I mostly work on the weekends creating video content for each grade level and consulting with my colleagues to plan new material. This new normal has forced me (in the best way) to be more innovative with my teaching and learn to engage with others over a screen.

Adapting to new challenges is something that artists are constantly doing and COVID has prompted many artists to explore alternate ways of creating.