The story of Tuneful, Beatful, Artful

“Tuneful, Beautiful, Artful” provides life-enhancing experiences for students at École Sir John A Macdonald Public School. The LLF grant of $2,033 was invested in technology to support this school-wide project.

Almost 650 students explored a wide variety of multicultural music and dance, both choreographed and independently improvised. Each class independently modelled and developed movements for a separate piece of classical or folk music from a variety of genres and time periods. Each class, and some smaller groups and individuals were filmed in front of a large 10' x 22' green screen. Some groups sat on log benches around a stone campfire while others had Kingston-area backdrops superimposed during post-production. Students were involved in the entire computer-editing process by choosing different special effects, backdrops, and filters, and by analyzing the final product they began to develop an understanding of their inner feelings connecting them to the beautifully expressive musical selections and the computer enhanced video. In total, 68 separate videos were produced.

By participating in the rehearsing, filming, editing, and analyzing the final product, students developed practical artistic, critical analysis, and communication skills. This project enabled students to better identify and describe Music and Dance experiences in their own lives, identify the role of Music and Dance in a community today, and compare it to its role in a community of the past.

They also benefitted as they learned that with by using technology, Music and Dance (art) is unique in it's ability to express something that is below the surface and that together they can change the world into one great musical community.

Here a just a few samples of student video projects:

- OrgelkidsCAN - Isabel & Grant Grade 5

- Italian Polka - Grade 4 English

- Halloween - Grade 5 English

- Campfire - Kindergarten