Terry Boyarsky

Kennedy Heights Arts Center in Cincinnati invited me for a month-long residency, 2010 – through the Ohio Arts Council Arts Learning program.

3 groups of adults from the community of Kennedy Heights met at different times but covered the same material, to be presented at the culminating performance.  The main idea for this residency was to have a community chorus, so we learned songs from many traditions (I gave context for each) and they were all taught through varied movement activities.

The peripheral groups were:  pre-schoolers from the Jewish Community Center, an after-school recreation center group of 2nd – 4th graders, 2 lower elementary classes from Kennedy Heights Montessori School,  a group of 5 – 8 year olds who met at Kennedy Heights Arts Center, and another group of 9 – 14 year olds.  I did music and movement activities with all these groups, sometimes with only a drum and recorder, other times with a piano.  The main focus with all these groups was Dalcroze Eurhythmics.  The KHAC groups performed at the culminating activity.

We created an all day camp one day for 5 – 15 year olds, most of whom had not participated in the other groups.  We had Dalcroze, an activity to make and decorate your own tambourine, a scavenger hunt in the neighborhood, and a folk dancing (using our tambourines).  Then a performance for the parents at the end.

I gave a folk dance party on Saturday night for people (ages 3 – 75) from the community.  Many of these people we had not seen before in any of the other groups.

A drum group met at the KHAC weekly.  I met with them and asked them to accompany a song for the final performance.  They listened to the song, their teacher tried a few things with them, and then I left it up to them.