Teriauna Duran, Director of Arts Integration July 29, 2020 By wpengine I have witnessed from the very beginning the commitment Friendship PCS has for arts education. In 2003, I came in as a music teacher and taught for 13 years. During that time, the arts team at Friendship Collegiate Academy decided that we were going to focus on implementing student productions. Can you talk about your role at Friendship? A large and exciting part of my role is ensuring that our partnership with City Arts and Prep Charter School is a smooth transition for both families and staff. We’re excited about bringing the arts program from City Arts to our Armstrong campus. Our FPCS Armstrong campus is now the only arts program for preK through 8th grade in the city! I provide professional development for our specials staff. I also establish and maintain partnerships – not just at the community office level, but I ensure that each of our schools has strong partnerships in the arts to support instruction, arts integration and programs. I am proud of some of the partnerships we’ve established just in this past year. We’ve had a residency with the Washington Ballet at Woodridge International for about 5 weeks. Scholars had the opportunity to perform in a culminating presentation after several weeks of ballet instruction. Several students even received scholarships to the Washington Ballet. We also have a new partnership with Busboys and Poets. The curator, who sits on our advisory board for the arts program, is in the process of reviewing our students’ artwork to be featured in several Busboys and Poets restaurants. Their Southeast location will feature our scholars’ work this October. The DC Collaborative is our biggest partnership. Our students regularly attend performances, view art exhibits, and participate in arts residencies. Any educator at Friendship can take advantage of these opportunities, not just the arts teachers! How have students benefited from the arts? I have witnessed from the very beginning the commitment Friendship PCS has for arts education. In 2003, I came in as a music teacher and taught for 13 years. During that time, the arts team at Friendship Collegiate Academy decided that we were going to focus on implementing student productions. After our inaugural production of “The Wiz”, a decision was made to re-stage it at the Lincoln Theater. When you make this kind of investment in scholars – offering abundant resources, a professional set and costumes – it says a lot about what you believe and value. We are adamant about offering students choice for their education. We want them to have options, not just a one-dimensional educational experience. There is more than one way to get to and through college. My job is to ensure they have the skills and opportunities necessary to excel in the arts if they so choose. Many of our talented scholars have majored in the arts and have since returned to teach at Friendship. Seeing former students use the skills, experiences and knowledge they’ve acquired to invest in the next generation is amazing. It is a true testament to living our mission and vision. It shows that we are getting it right. What do you find most rewarding about working in the arts at Friendship? It is most rewarding to connect with students when they’re just getting started in high school or earlier. They’re a little shy, a little unsure, and a little timid. You teach them and develop relationships. You see their growth. You see them blossom in front of your eyes as they gain more confidence. They perform at school events, in the community, and even at the Kennedy Center, which one of our spoken word artists recently did. Their growth from these experiences shows that we’re achieving our mission in a variety of ways. We are graduating well-rounded, confident, persistent, and responsible students. Artists need to have all of these traits. You have to have perseverance, because you’re going to be told “no” a lot before you’re told “yes.” You have to be responsible and put the work in to get better at your craft. They may pursue an arts degree or something all together unrelated, but they will have developed traits that will have a profound effect on their life. What has been your journey been like? I am grateful to do something that I absolutely love, which is to work with young people and affect their lives as much as they affect mine. I went to Howard University and studied classical voice. I never planned to teach, but I wanted to use my degree in some meaningful way. I initially applied to be a part-time music teacher. The next day, I received a call saying, “Oh, we’re going to need you full-time.” Here we are, 16 years later, and Friendship has shaped my career. I am doing what I love, aligned with my purpose, and I am growing professionally. I also love this school network, the family environment, and how Friendship has invested in me, believed in me, and allowed me to learn and grow. It is a huge honor to now be able to lead this work with other passionate artists and educators and to have an impact on a larger scale. Are there any strategies you would recommend to help teachers incorporate the arts into their lessons? During the next few years, we’re going to offer support to further integrate the arts into our curriculum. Regardless of what you teach, you can have the arts embedded into your curriculum, so long as you have an open mind and the ability to be a little vulnerable. It’s really about the collaboration that takes place between the teaching artist and the core subject teacher. When both teachers are open and explore together, ideas start to flow. The opportunities are limitless, as the arts connect in so many different ways to ELA, math, social studies, science, and more. Is there a fun fact you’d like to share? In 2005, I auditioned for American Idol and even made it to the Hollywood Round. My “storyline” was that I was a music teacher. When I got my “golden ticket” to Hollywood, they asked me to call my class and announce it to them to see their reaction on camera. Jendayi Wright, who is now a teacher at Blow Pierce and a Teacher of the Year finalist this year, was my student. She answered the phone. American Idol was a life-changing experience. It taught me that just because someone says “no” today, it doesn’t mean that it is a “no” forever. I am truly living my American Idol superstar dream – it just happens to be in a supporting role, here in Washington, D.C. with the scholars and staff at Friendship Public Charter School.
John Kenniebrew, Vocal Music Teacher January 29, 2020 By wpengine Since I’m a music teacher, it will come as no surprise I would say this, but I really believe that music is much more than just an elective. This applies to all of the arts really, but especially to music. It is so central to everything that we do, whether we realize it or not. There is not a single person in the world who doesn’t like music. What do you like about teaching vocal music? Vocal music offers a million connections to other subjects. For example, having to learn about anatomy in order to perform certain vocal techniques is a science connection. Whether a student needs help singing with more volume or hitting their notes with more accuracy, knowing their body on a scientific level helps to lay out a roadmap. Through this connection, they learn how to employ the proper techniques at the proper time. A vocalist who can do this well is bound to be quite versatile, which leads to more performance opportunities. We also do a lot of music reading, writing, and learning about history and famous composers, which all connect intricately to other subjects – math, ELA, social studies, and more. How did you decide to become a music teacher? Well, I started off singing in church and eventually pursued it more formally. By the 10th grade, I was taking voice lessons and singing in several choirs. I soon decided to pursue music beyond high school. So I enrolled at Howard University. I primarily studied vocal jazz. Vocal arranging and writing for ensembles and choirs became a passion of mine. And, of course, I enjoyed performing as well, traveling all around the country and overseas. One of my favorites was a visit to the White House in 2013 to sing for the Obamas. That year, I returned to Howard to earn a master’s degree in music. As a graduate teaching assistant, I taught four or five courses at the undergrad level, and I really enjoyed giving voice lessons, teaching music theory, and preparing ensembles to perform. I saw what wonders music and academics could do and I was reminded of a time in my life when I had been a very bad student. I soon realized that my love of music had helped me to understand other subjects, which led to a great improvement academically. It was the only reason I was ever able to go to college and get good grades. So naturally, I discovered a love and respect for teaching music. I want to give someone else the opportunity to use music to better themselves, as I did. It’s fair to say that I was a bad student. I probably would have ended up in college somewhere, but I might have landed in a field for which I lacked passion. It’s no exaggeration to say that I may not have finished college. If I had not had that introduction to a mind-opening view of music in high school, it would have changed everything. I have no idea what else I’d be doing right now. You mentioned that you wanted to get into teaching because you wanted to ignite in students the same passion for music that you found. Do any examples come to mind from over the years? One student, who is now in high school, first came to me as a sixth grader. She is the “poster child” for what hard work can accomplish–especially in music. While other students may have entered my class with more of a natural talent, she came in with an outstanding work ethic and a passion that was rare. By the time she graduated from eighth grade, she had learned how to do things with her voice that others had not. She had learned to listen to her own voice and how to respond to vocal instruction. This took her performance to a much higher level. When I think about students like that, I realize how important it is for them to have these kinds of experiences. Now I’m fully confident that whether she goes into music full time or not, she is going to be that much better of a student and that much better of a person because she learned how to do something simple; to sing a song, and sing it well. That takes a lot. Yeah, a lot of confidence I imagine. Confidence, yes, but also a lot of higher-order thinking skills; knowing how to receive a critique, and how to deconstruct the performance. To apply the critique to one’s performance—to reinforce vocal techniques that are working and to adjust those that aren’t. Is there something that I haven’t asked that you want to include in your spotlight? Since I’m a music teacher, it will come as no surprise I would say this, but I really believe that music is much more than just an elective. This applies to all of the arts really, but especially to music. It is so central to everything that we do, whether we realize it or not. There is not a single person in the world who doesn’t like music. If you ask a hundred people, each will all have at least one genre of music they like. Music is all around us. And it’s not just for pleasure. Music has powerful functions. Who knows how long it would have taken me to memorize the 26 letters of the alphabet if they had not been taught to me in song? And Albert Einstein said that his theory of special relativity dawned on him while he had been pondering a beautiful orchestral arrangement. He was a musician, and a very good one at that. Modern theoretical physics wouldn’t be what it is today if he had not been one. A deep understanding of music enabled him to think about things from a different angle. I love to see support and honor given to the arts, especially music, because it does so much for us. It’s not an “extra.” It’s something we could never do without. What are your thoughts about the Friendship Arts program? I’m so proud of Friendship for expanding its arts offerings! Before it was closed down, City Arts + Prep PCS was the only arts school in DC serving kids in grades Pre-K through 8th. The fact that Friendship has transplanted the entire arts team and many of the students is a testament to the vision of our leaders, which is just spot on. They can see something is working, they can see something is effective, they can see something that is changing lives, and they can see how good it is for Friendship to offer these opportunities and fill a void that was left by the closing of City Arts. The response has been great. Our kids and families that are so excited about the arts hub at Friendship Armstrong. Is there a fun fact you would like to share? One fun fact is that I performed as a contestant on a TV show, NBC’s “The Sing Off”, which was a competition-style show for singing groups back in 2011. That was a really fun experience and it is so surreal to be able to say I’ve performed on TV in front of millions of people. It was life-changing, to say the least. Another fun fact is that I studied French for four years in middle/high school and then later and college. I feel almost as strongly about language as I feel about music; it opened up a lot of doors for me. My grasp of the English language grew immensely because I learned concepts in French which carried over to my mother tongue. It also aided my music studies; when you study classical music, you inevitably begin to learn music in other languages like French, Italian, Latin, etc.
