If it were not for the Contra-Tiempo Summer Intensive, I would not have been exposed to the more meaningful arts-activism side of dance.
I am grateful for those programs, because it allowed me to surround myself with others who loved dance just as much as I did. Being in those programs encouraged me to continue with my passion as I was exposed to adults who were successful in their dance careers.
Q: What has this experience as a teaching artist or arts facilitator taught you about yourself? A: This experience as a teaching artist has taught me that my improvisational skills are very useful in the classroom.
I am someone who tends to be very spontaneous, so if something does not go according to plan, it is very easy for me to adjust. I also learned that I have so much energy! I have a peppy and goofy personality that I use to present myself as an approachable teacher.
Finally, I learned actually reconfirmed that I really, really, really love dance. If I am able to pursue dance through teaching, then I shall do it for the rest of my life if life allows. A: As a teaching artist, I gain a newfound respect for all educators, especially arts educators all around the world.
Teachers are constantly being underappreciated, but it is teachers that shape and influence the leaders of the future. I also have a new love for students in the middle school age range. A: The VAPAE program has been amazing to me as I felt supported through every step of the way on my road to becoming a teaching artist.
I am the most grateful for the Arts Education Teaching Sequence course, because I feel that it has really prepared me for a career in arts education. I now know how to create lessons, a unit plan, and a teaching philosophy. My professor in the course, Jessica Bianchi, has answered every one of my questions about teaching while always reminding me that the stresses I feel about teaching are completely normal. She encourages me to continue teaching, because I could impact a student in a meaningful way through my dance lessons.
During one of my lessons, I asked the students to close their eyes and listen to the music. I asked them to really feel the music and to incorporate that feeling into their bodies as they dance our newly-learned phrase. After the end of the session, Ms. She observed that some students who took the listening activity seriously, looked like they were experiencing bliss.
Although it was just one positive comment, I feel like I am moving down the right path with arts education. Performing dance is my favorite thing to do, so I want to see how I can gain opportunities as a dancing teaching artist. In joining a company like those, I can teach, perform, and continue to grow as an artist. A: I quickly fell in love with movement as a kid, and started taking dance classes when I was four years old. I practiced ballet and modern throughout high school, and taught at a dance camp for a few summers.
Even though I had these experiences and was passionate about sharing dance with others, it took me a long time to realize that being a teaching artist was a profession that I could pursue and receive a degree in from a university. The first time I fully understood teaching artistry as a career was after a friend referred me to VAPAE and I started the first quarter of the teaching sequence.
Each class is dedicated to a different medium that is taught alongside culturally and socially specific lessons. Our students think critically about the world around them and use their artmaking as a way to explore their questions and visions for the future.
There is so much to be said about the influence artmaking has on brain development, not only in engaging critical thinking skills, but also in shaping interpersonal and emotional intelligence. Our students work on their computers for the majority of the day, so they also appreciate moments for messiness!
A: Absolutely! Growing up in the Bay Area, I was very lucky to have art classes in my K-8 school and have the opportunity to be a part of incredible arts organizations in high school; however, the classes I took growing up lacked emphasis on the cultural and historical context of certain mediums and works of art.
I think VAPAE is so important and unique because it takes a more comprehensive approach to arts education. A: Teaching in VAPAE has given me a new sense of confidence, and through my students I have learned the importance of patience and self-forgiveness.
Tackling this mental obstacle has permeated through many aspects of my life, and has allowed me to find stronger conviction in my voice.
A: Through my studies at UCLA I have become passionate about education and public engagement in arts institutions, such as museums and performing arts presenting houses. VAPAE is a crucial point of entry to the general field of arts education, and has given me the on-the-ground knowledge and skills to pursue many related careers. As part of our Creativity Sessions series, our goal is to situate these objects into categories that are related to current events.
We had been having some difficulty with this endeavor until recently, when we used a teaching technique called scaffolding to encourage our students to reach the idea on their own. Through this exercise, we were able to help the students understand the relationship between a personal interest like sharks, and a broader issue at play like landfill pollution in oceans. Giving the students the opportunity to find their own connection gave them agency, and we could see the idea lights going off in their heads making them even more dedicated to their new cause.
A: After graduating this spring I hope to work at a museum, performing arts institution, or non-profit in arts education, public programming, or arts policy. In the next few years I also plan to attend graduate school and work towards a PhD in a related field. Long-term, I would love to be an education director at a museum or an artistic director at a performing arts organization, and ultimately use those experiences to become a professor at a research university, such as UCLA!
A: I feel that there has never been a time when I was not interested in the arts. I have always been drawn to it. I found myself tirelessly working on art pieces throughout my experience as a student - that is not something I wanted to give up when I reached higher education. Being a teaching artist has truly given me a sense of purpose as a creative. They all are extremely unique and conscientious. They have been making art with gouache, sculpting using different materials such as wire, and creating their own personal fiber art pieces.
Most of the works deal with their idea of utopia, as well as address issues pertinent to their immediate or global community. A: An opportunity like this is vital to the lives of students. Not only does art help students express their thoughts and emotions, it develops their sense of self. They are able to become better communicators through artmaking, and can engage in genuine self-reflexivity. Such a program has so many benefits for the students in their personal and academic lives.
A: My school did not offer art programming as inclusive as this one, so I generally sought out outside technical training through private lessons. Sadly, we are all aware of how such programs are not available enough to young people.
It makes you appreciate and value the arts in your life. For me, art was always a way to realize my full self. It expanded so many of the traits I have today. It made me more emotionally aware of myself as well as much more diligent, committed, and compassionate. A: It has taught me a great deal about how to be there for others in a way that makes a lasting effect.
It has taught me how to communicate, facilitate, and organize in a way that is orderly but enjoyable for all involved.
I learned that I am much better at dealing with unexpected challenges than I thought. Through this experience I have realized my capabilities to listen to others, to be adaptable, and to be innovative in the way I approach arts and arts education.
A: The most rewarding aspect of this experience is learning from the students. These young artists have brilliant ideas and new approaches that we can benefit from as we all come from different perspectives and worldviews. I feel so glad that I can be part of such a positive growth experience that helps both myself and the young artists. A : This program is highly beneficial because it makes students aware of the reality of arts education in school systems.
It makes you believe so firmly in the benefits of the arts for all people. This program was a wonderful choice for me.
A: I think something that will always stay with me is the progression from not knowing the students at all to feeling their character come through their art pieces.
I could feel us all collectively getting to know ourselves better. One moment that stands out to me is when we conducted an exercise about the most pressing issues in our community. Seeing them working at being confident in who they are and what they believe in at that age was really heartwarming. A: My short term goals are to develop my art practice at UCLA, and go on in the future to explore more fields and avenues in the art world that I can merge with what I already do.
I hope to get to know more about all the professions available to someone who is passionate about the arts, whether that be in arts education, museum settings, a studio practice, or architecture. I do know that long term I want to make accessible and transformative arts education a big part of my career. Emmanuel Galvez Machuca Teaching Artist of April Hometown: Mexico City Major: Fine Arts and Minor in Arts Education Q : How did you discover your interest in the arts and how did you know that it was something that you wanted to pursue professionally, as an artist or as a teaching artist?
Q : What do you personally gain as a teaching artist, arts facilitator? Psychology B. Minors in VAPAE and Applied Developmental Psychology Q : How did you discover your interest in the arts and how did you know that it was something that you wanted to pursue professionally, as an artist or as a teaching artist?
Q: What do you personally gain as a teaching artist, arts facilitator? Rob Tom Teaching Artist of November Hometown: Santa Monica Major: Design Media Arts Q: How did you discover your interest in the arts and how did you know that it was something that you wanted to pursue professionally, as an artist or as a teaching artist?
Isabella Granados Teaching Artist of October Hometown: East LA Major: Art Q: How did you discover your interest in the arts and how did you know that it was something that you wanted to pursue professionally, as an artist or as an artist teacher? Major: Dance, Minor: VAPAE Q: How did you discover your interest in the arts and how did you know that it was something that you wanted to pursue professionally, as an artist or as an artist teacher? I was so harsh on myself and never asked for help so I struggled internally for a long time.
My best advice to you would be to ask for help, and do not be afraid to do so! Make sure you get a lot of sleep and rest well so your brain has time to digest all of the information you fed into it. Most importantly, do not let your grades define you.
I need to listen to my own advice You are more than your grades, and in the long run, your grades will not matter as much as you think they will. I can tell you from experience of being a Resident Assistant in the summer that you will encounter both UCLA students AND exchange students, but you will most likely be housed with exchange students exclusively. I was the RA for international students last summer and it was such a great experience.
Everyone was so friendly and excited to be in LA, and I realized that I was taking a lot for granted. This question is actually really hard to answer. I think my best advice would be to try your best in your essays because that seems to be a large determining factor for UCLA.
Also, take a look at this reddit post to see what others have to say! Bruin day was this past weekend and it reminded me of how excited I was as a freshman to be attending UCLA.
Reading back on some of the things I said on this blog made me relive the small things that I forgot about my experience here. That specific game does say anything, really. Hopefully, this has been somewhat educational for everyone! I know a lot of people want to know why we hate UCLA so much. Our athletic programs are toe-to-toe in almost every sport but this is just a personification of our similar institutions and the highly academic and competitive environments of both institutions.
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. What's a cookie? Got it! And I wanted to be the seeker. There were so many furry little squirrels roaming around nibbling on discarded granola bars tossed aside by overfed students filled to capacity with sugar. Those shrubs and bushes started to look like glorified weeds hiding something underneath their showy, possibly poisonous leaves. Those students on broomsticks? And those squirrels…oh those squirrels, they were frothing at their mouths, eyeing my jugular with rabid intentions as they crunched their stale granola from garbage cans pondering what fresh meat would taste like as they all looked me up and down through vehement eyes.
There was this fleeting uncertainty lingering beneath every emotion I entertained momentarily. The excitement was paired with fear of the unknown, the joy in seeing dozens of others my age moving into rooms next to mine was accompanied by a nausea caused by the immediacy of everything that was happening. Everything just sort of lost all definition I guess. The ambiance of the hundreds of passing, parking cars, the hundreds of fresh faces, the hundreds of hyperventilating breaths accompanying each transient thought, each rolling luggage rack, each beeping elevator, each excited voice cracking with farewell words to protective parents that never cut the umbilical cord.
I knew nobody. But I did know of two people. I earlier received a letter informing me of my roommate assignments in Sunset Village with two Chinese exchange students from Fudan University. So with worrying thoughts of two Chinese students I was set to spend the next quarter with flowing through me, my dad and mom helped me unload my luggage. When you get there, you are directed to a stand to rent official UCLA move-in bins, which you can wheel a decent amount of things in.
Most people required car trips using one bin to haul all of their belongings. One thing that caught me off guard was the number of mirrors people were bringing. Anyways, my parents and I were in the process of moving my first bin of luggage up to Delta Terrace, the housing complex to which I was assigned, and were greeted by a group of resident advisors R. My RA was very friendly. She was a human physiology major and we bonded over sharing the same exact birthday…actually the same exact birth hour 7am babies.
She flipped through a stack of mug shots of her future residents and walked me to my room on the second of three floors. Once there, she gave me my room card and told me the secret code to punch in to get into my dorm room.
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