“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” – Twyla Tharp

There is little doubt that COVID-19 has had a profound impact on every aspect of our lives, and while the challenges have been many, the resiliency of students, faculty and parents alike has sparked new and creative explorations in the performing and visual arts at Trinity College School.

Creativity, ingenuity, adaptability and imagination have been the guiding principles of how best to impart a creative environment for learning, and each arts discipline has adapted programming to meet those challenges.

The very nature of the performing and visual arts demands interaction, exploration and invention, most often tied to ensemble rehearsals, hands-on creativity and the free-flowing exchange of ideas among peers, students and faculty alike. Be it in-person or virtually, students have continued to contribute to the cultural fabric of TCS through their unwavering commitment to their artistic development and by adapting to every challenge encountered.

None of this would have been possible without the dedication of our students, the artistry of our faculty and the support of our senior leadership, all working together to foster the creative conditions for learning. Below you will hear from our dramatic arts, music and visual arts faculty.

The Dramatic Arts Unmasked

“Theatre is the art of looking at ourselves.” – Augusto Boal

At its core, the dramatic arts program fostered innovation, creativity and self-confidence through the exploration of performance, a skillset most suited to in-person engagement, and exposed students to a myriad of performance techniques including the use of voice, physicality, movement and facial expressions.

During the course of study, students worked together, albeit masked and physically distanced, in order to explore ensemble performances, scene study, character building, theatre design and monologue performance: from Greek tragedy to Shakespeare, from Shaw to Beckett and the works of Canadian playwright David French. A challenging array of creative tasks, given the public health restrictions, and yet, students and faculty found a way to embrace their studies and acquisition of talents through in-person and virtual learning.

One hundred years ago, theatre education and performances were decimated by the Spanish Flu epidemic. One hundred years later, in the midst of COVID-19, theatre studies, although challenged, found ways to use technology to bolster learning. Teachers of dramatic arts around the world refused to submit and give in. Rather, we collectively shared ideas, resources and talents to instill creative possibilities in our work.

One example of this was the early exploration of the Greek tragedy Electra. Students on campus, masked and physically distanced, adapted their movements on stage and their application of voice, physicality and movement, while those participating virtually contributed to rehearsal through a laptop screen. It was as if no restrictions would stand in the way of the ensemble process and an imaginative final performance. Students learning in-person actively related to their virtual counterparts and fulfilled the needs of the playwright in conveying the text in a meaningful manner.

As we moved into a fully online model, technology, breakout rooms and a tenacious desire to carry on allowed for the works of Shakespeare, Shaw, Beckett and others to be explored and enjoyed by our students. A three-hander scene from Shaw’s Saint Joan was fully rehearsed and performed online, while Beckett’s Waiting for Godot was explored through online articles and documentaries. And now with the unknown before us, leading into final assessments students will explore the development of monologues from the works of Henrik Ibsen and David French. Online rehearsal schedules and exploring the use of one’s surroundings will make for some outstanding performances.

I truly believe, as Boal stated, “Theatre is the art of looking at ourselves.” Given all that our students have had to adjust to, respond to and endure, their creative spirit has been the mainstay of our program. They have relentlessly explored the dramatic arts and kept the program alive.

- Bill Walker, drama teacher and head of the arts department

Music Education in the COVID Era

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” – Duke Ellington

For those old enough to reflect on their experiences in the music classroom, your memories likely include playing in a band, singing in the choir, the excitement of concert season and dreaded theory homework. And while all facets of school life this year have required significant adaptation, perhaps no discipline has experienced as large a paradigm shift as music, a subject largely rooted in traditional methodologies that for decades has relied heavily on a proven and prevalent transmitter of COVID: our respiratory system.

Nevertheless, the music department – and all constituents of TCS – have remained steadfast in their desire to engage students meaningfully, despite the necessary, though significant, restrictions mandated by the provincial government. With a break from tradition came room for innovation and experimentation across all grade levels and ensemble mediums, and as the calendar inches closer towards Speech Day, there is much student work to be proud of, whether they were on campus or completing their studies remotely and asynchronously. 

The piano is a foundational instrument that many adolescents and adults first experience music instruction through, and students in Grades 9 and 10 were given the chance to explore the keyboard by means of project-based learning, composition and improvisation. Breaking somewhat from the Euro-centric systems of music pedagogy, students experimented with non-traditional forms of notation that allowed for quicker access to music that was of intrinsic interest. Most students often enter music, drama and visual art courses already possessing an affinity for the tasks at hand, and it is at that point that educators must also play the role of facilitator, a transition that allows for student voice and independent learning. This framework also helped guide senior level music courses through research, transcription (the art of learning music by ear) and arranging opportunities. Research topics this year included an examination of bebop and cool jazz, the role of video game music and the user experience, as well as individual analysis of indie, glam and psychedelic rock from a historical, cultural and musical perspective. Similarly, students at the Grade 9 and 10 level also collaborated with their peers to create podcasts, film scores and remixing of popular music using web-based digital audio workstations. Pretty cool!

Another significant component of the music program at TCS is the introductory guitar course, which this year featured three robust sections of students with varying abilities. While the delivery of course materials required significant adjustment, the nature of this instrument allowed for it to be played in class, in the dorm room or at home. In keeping with the courses taught this year, guitar students had the opportunity to establish technical foundations and an affinity for the instrument through composition, repertoire study and active listening. 

What came as somewhat of a surprise was the flexibility granted to explore these topics in greater depth due to an absence of seasonal concerts, and, while performance opportunities will remain an important, regular and necessary aspect of the program, a more comprehensive and innovative approach will be required at TCS in order for music courses to reflect how we as a society engage with this art form.

- Nicola Lee and Jeff Biggar, music teachers

Innovation in the Visual Arts

“A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.” – Salvador Dali

The study of visual arts is alive and well at TCS! Although the global pandemic delivered one curveball after another, the likes of which haven’t been seen since Cal Quantrill ’13 took to the TCS pitching mound, the art department dug deep, developing new and innovative strategies, processes and inquiries. Over the summer, creative course material packs were procured and shipped to our remote learners. Lessons were live-streamed and projected on large screens via a webcam and a document camera, connecting on-campus learners with distance learners, and students were able to share ideas and offer each other real-time critiques.

Teaching visual art and visual culture during this pandemic allowed us to explicitly teach critical thinking and creative problem solving as the challenges of remote teaching acted as the crucible for clear and concise thoughts and actions. Using technologies new to them, our traditional visual arts students linked the contemporary through ancient and creative processes, producing exciting new work like digital landscapes and contemporary collage through the lens of traditional cubist abstraction. Media arts students pushed the boundaries of what art is, exploring new and emerging technologies, mixed media, kinetic sculpture, and the use of sound as both a medium and a subject. Our Advanced Placement Art and Design students showed a breadth of creativity through the lens of visual research, driving a sustained investigation producing many incredible and sophisticated works.

As we look forward to next year, TCS visual arts students will once again no doubt be vanguards at community arts events like the Art Gallery of Northumberland Student Exhibition and the CIS Visual Arts Festival. Students can look forward to in-house Saturday workshops, gallery visits, guest artists and speakers, and sketching en plein air. Continuing collaborations with local art collectives like Critical Mass and the Hamilton Preambulatory Unit connect our students to contemporary artists working in many disciplines. The future of visual arts is very bright at TCS!  

- Sally McKay-LePage and Jessie Ironside, visual arts teachers

Click on the links below for multimedia:

• Photo Gallery: Arts Classes 2020-2021 
• Video: Drawing With Objects (student work)