Arts Education Update

February was jam-packed with outreach opportunities for Helena-area students! Here’s a look at what’s been happening in the world of Arts Education at The Myrna Loy…

February 11th – 14th: Story Scroll “Crankies” Residency at Central Elementary

Local artist Ryan Eggensperger led a 4-day Story Scroll Residency at Central Elementary for Mr. Napoletano’s Upper Montessori students. Students delved into the craft of storytelling, devised their own stories, and learned how to use Kleenex boxes, pencils, and rolled paper to craft story scrolls, aka “Crankies.” They performed their stories for one another on the ‘big screen’ and gained experience using a microphone and sound effects to enhance their storytelling. Students said…

Thank you for coming in and teaching us about acting. The little plays are so much fun! The scrolls were the best. Everyone was laughing and sharing theirs. I really appreciate that you came!

I really had fun learning how to make an entire story in just 5 slides. I also thought it was fun making and mounting the scroll into the box.

February 12th: Latingrass Duo Larry and Joe visited Helena High School

Music, theatre, and Spanish students at Helena High School engaged in a workshop with visiting artists Larry and Joe. Students sang and clapped along to a variety of songs, including “Cielito Lindo,” and thoroughly enjoyed learning about Larry and Joe’s blend of Venezuelan and Northern Appalachian cultures and musical styles. Spanish students, in particular, were pleased to be able to practice their language skills, and everyone in attendance delighted in the duo’s warm sense of humor. Spanish teacher Lanie Sund reflected…

Students loved how interactive the artists were and specifically commented on how the workshop felt like an awesome way to mix up a normal school day, but where they still felt like they were learning something. They were inspired by how the artists played multiple instruments and by their ability to blend cultures to create such engaging and fun music.

February 12th: Storytelling Teacher Workshop at The Myrna Loy

As part of our Mental Health and Arts Initiative, Helena Public School teachers were invited to participate in a storytelling workshop led by local teaching artists Kevin and Ilgaz Casey. Teachers came to play, laugh, connect, release, and rejuvenate, all while learning new skills to enhance literacy instruction in their classrooms. Many teachers were currently working through a storytelling unit with their students and found the integration of theatre and storytelling skills to be highly applicable and just what their students would need to take their understanding of the craft to the next level.

February 25th: Mask Making with Bozeman Field School

High school students from Bozeman Field School traveled to The Myrna to craft fantastical cardboard masks with local teaching artist Eric Dymit. This field trip formed part of their experiental “art week” during which time they endeavored to meet and work with as many different artists and art forms as possible. Eric taught them the fundamentals of using repurposed materials to create masks with 3D form. Teacher Zoe Pritchard commented…

We loved the Myrna Loy and working with our instructor Eric! Students were excited to build masks, and we got to participate in curriculum in ways we couldn’t have done otherwise. As a small school, our exposure to the arts is limited, and having an affordable and engaging option was huge for our program.

We dove into March by hosting State of Mind through UM’s co-lab for Civic Imagination on March 3rd and 4th. They led student and teacher workshops at Helena High School, an evening community performance, and a community coalition meeting. State of Mind is a statewide theatre and public dialogue tour aimed at community listening, tackling stigmas around mental and behavioral health, sharing resources and exploring strategies for care across our communities. To learn more about this fantastic project, please click here!