On Mar. 14, students in Deborah W. Johnson’s second grade class at Ronceverte Elementary School participated in a unique learning experience via a Carnegie Creative Classrooms/Arts In Education presentation titled “Juggling Obstacles To Learning.”
Instructor and professional clown Glenn Singer provided a practical and fun approach to improving students hand-eye coordination while encouraging them to make mistakes and learn from them.
“Get out of your comfort zone and learn something new. There is no reason you should be good at something you have never tried before. Go ahead and try. You might find out you have a talent you never dreamed you had,” said Singer.
Singer has performed and attended festivals all around the world including Asia, Europe, Australia and Mexico; he’s even worked on cruise ships and has taught at Carnegie Hall Kids College in the past. In January of this year, he spent a month in New Zealand.
“We are fortunate that Mr. Singer lives in Greenbrier County and we can see him perform at our local festivals, parades, First Fridays, etc.,” said Johnson.
At the conclusion of the workshop, Singer had each student demonstrate something they had learned during the program and then sat down and just talked for a few minutes about how his presentation related to school, homework and real life. “It warmed my heart to hear singer say, ‘I believe in you’ to a little boy who was struggling to catch the ball he was tossing. What a wonderful program,” said Johnson.
Greenbrier County Public Schools’ Creative Classrooms in Greenbrier County are subsidized by the Greenbrier County Board of Education. The board has agreed to underwrite one workshop (including materials and fees) for each classroom in Greenbrier County. This means each classroom in Greenbrier County is entitled to one free Creative Classroom.
For more information on the programs and how to register, contact Leah Trent, education director, Carnegie Hall, 105 Church Street, Lewisburg, WV 24901, www.carnegiehallwv.org, or phone 304-645-7917.