A Non-linear Delivery of Instruction as Applied to

Performance Arts to Enhance English as a Second Language

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Don Rechtman,Performance Arts Instructor,

Modeled after work by

Nicholas Harkiolakis, PhD,Northcentral University

The imagine! School of Creative and Performing Arts

Walking

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May I ask where you studied engineering?

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Subject Delivery - Teaching

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The imagine! Approach to Performance Arts

• Musical Creation and Production• Duration: 12 sessions (weeks)• Student’s Background:

– Music

– English as Second Language

Syllabus– Organizational needs for integration and

flexibility– Present status of music and acting skills– The integration of creative process, writing,

composing, and performance– Self-expression—saying what is important to

you– Creating a safe environment for self-expression

and experimentation– Teamwork– Working with individual strengths and

weaknesses and personal preferences– Improving reliability – Communication– Confidence– Stagecraft– Marketing– Improvisation– Becoming comfortable with nervousness– Balancing parts of a story in a musical– Originality– Memorization skills

• Project

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• Performing– Performance overview– Basic acting skills– Basic music performance skills– Pantomime– Improvisation – Creating character

• Body language• Voice • Emoting (expressing emotions)• Costumes and props

– Set design– Assigning roles and responsibilities

• Actors • Musicians • Stagecraft roles (sets, lights, sound,

house)• Directing roles 

• Writing and Composing– Brainstorming for story ideas

• Mindmapping • Drawing a storyboard

– Writing the story and script• Improvising the script• Writing the script

– Creating lyrics• Identifying places for songs• Deciding what to sing about• Writing the lyrics

– Creating music• Finding rhythms in words• Finding melodies in words• Transcribing the music• Arranging accompaniments

– Rehearsals and Marketing• Planning rehearsals• Preparing sets, costumes and props• Marketing the performances

• Performances

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• First Session (Introduction)– First Three Weeks

• Overview• Basic acting and music concepts • Creating a short musical• Rehearsing and performance

– Remaining Nine Weeks• More acting and music concepts•  Creating a longer musical• Rehearsing and performance

• Second Session– Emphasis on Music Theory

• ABRSM focus

– Emphasis on Story Creation• Editing Concepts• Balance of Drama

– Emphasis on Creativity and Confidence• Trinity focus• Improv• Body Language

• Third Session– Emphasis on Music Arranging

• ABRSM Applied

– Emphasis on Dialogue• Script Concepts• Integrating music into drama• Creating character

– Emphasis on Performance• Trinity applied

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Student Anxiety

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Incidental English Learning

They don’t even realize they are learning English!

1.Confidence of expression

2.Provides a new way of expression and thinking

3.It is my story; I want to tell it well!

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Traditional Approach

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Variations

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Thank You

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