Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers of performance-basedcourses across our nation and around the world have been forced tolead much of the innovation in how to teach “hands-on” courses insocially-distanced world. For many institutions, this fall has in manyways been a continuation of the online-only format they began in thespring. At High Point University, we of course have a more hybridizedapproach this semester – having in-person meetings that practice socialdistancing, but also allowing for students to participate online.

As things continue to develop this semester, Educational TechnologyServices has put together a quick overview of recommended tips andresources for those teaching fine arts courses. There are links toarticles, videos, webinars, and other resources put together byprofessionals in your field to help guide instructors in the fine artsthrough distance and hybrid teaching.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,teachers of performance-basedcourses across our nation and aroundthe world have been forced to leadmuch of the innovation in how toteach “hands-on” courses in asocially-distanced world. For manyinstitutions, this fall semester has inmany ways been a continuation of theonline-only format they began in thespring. At High Point University, we ofcourse have a more hybridizedapproach this semester – having in-person meetings that practice socialdistancing, but also allowing forstudents to participate online.

As things continue to develop thissemester, Educational TechnologyServices has put together a quickoverview of recommended tips andresources for those teaching fine artscourses. There are links to articles,videos, webinars, and other resourcesput together by professionals in yourfield to help guide instructors in thefine arts through distance and hybridteaching.

The Educational Theatre Associationhas a lot of great resources onlinethat may be of help to you. Whilesome resources are not applicable tohigher education theatre, much of itis. You can find their resources HERE.

In addition to the above link, checkout their section on Creating VirtualPerformances and their webinar onusing Nearpod.

At the link to the ETA website you canview their Top 10 tips for teachingtheatre online. Here are some ofthose tips in a condensed format.

• See what technology your studentshave

• Vary what you’re doing when youmeet

• Encourage your students to have adedicated workspace and set aschedule

• “Adjust your lessons to match boththe challenges and the freedoms ofonline learning”

• Plan project-based lessons with aweb-based component

• Protect your meeting security

• Follow copyright/licensing rules

Check out the ETA blog for moredetails of each. You can also contactETS@highpoint.edu to request indivi-dual consultation.

“To be an artist is to be resilient, adaptable, and flexible, while

also committing to one’s holistic wellness. Although the

circumstances surrounding this moment are truly dreadful, we

have an opportunity as educators to turn this into a

constructive teaching moment.”

Article: “Teaching Performing Arts During the Pandemic” by Tracy C. DavisPodcast: “Variety Stagecraft” (interviews with Broadway and off-Broadway professionals)Videos: “Digital Theatre +” (Great collection of productions, along with interviews and teaching resources)

DanceTeacher magazine keeps a goodblog designed specifically for danceinstructors. During the currentpandemic they have posted on how toproperly clean a dance studio in thiscurrent environment, over-comingchallenges with teaching online, andhow to better utilize online tools andapps.

Click HERE to go to their section onTeaching Tips.

One of the recent posts at the above linkconcerns using the chat feature within avideo session. While they focus onZoom, the same principles would beapplicable to a Teams, WebEx, orCollaborate session. In their examples,they used questions to act asicebreakers (at the beginning of class),as monotony breakers (during class),and prompts for self-reflection (at theend of class). Their application isspecific to dance instructors, butcertainly could be used in otherperforming arts classes.

Article: “Teaching Performing ArtsDuring the Pandemic” by Tracy C. Davis

For those that are connecting with studentsonline for lessons or performance classes, theNewzik app may be helpful for you. Newziklets you collaborate with others remotelyaround sheet music. You and your studentscan annotate sheet music. While this isdesigned specifically for music lessons, itcould also be utilized for other courses, like amusic theory class, or even for ensemblecourses (once they’re back and going). It’savailable for iPad and iPhone. ForScore isanother similar app that you may also want toconsier.

MusicRepo offers some practicaladvice about what hardware is goodfor teaching and recording musicfrom a distance. Here are some oftheir mic suggestions:

• A good quality USB microphone isa wise purchase that will increasethe quality of your output. Onethat they recommend is this BlueYeti microphone, but there areother similar options that arecheaper and are still greatlysuperior to your computer’s built-in microphone.

• If you want to broadcast yourvoice and acoustic instrument atthe same time, they recommendan audio interface like theFocusrite Scarlett 2i2.

MusicRepo also offers information onhow to best broadcast a keyboard, aswell as other tips for at-homeinstruction.

Article: “Teaching Performing Arts During thePandemic” by Tracy C. DavisArticle: “How to Start Teaching MusicalInstrument Lessons Online” by StuartWilliamsPodcast: “Teach Music Online” by CarlyWalton

While there are a lot of website thathave bits of good information forthose teaching studio art in a hybridor online setup, UNC’s RemoteTeaching Resources for Studio Art andArt History is a nice collection of bothteaching tips and online resources(videos, readings, etc.).

A hub for ceramics teachers to learnfrom other ceramics teachers aboutteaching online (both what to do andnot to do!) can be found at theOnline Resources on Brackers.com

Workshop: Glaze of our Lives:Understanding Glazes for Beginners(This is a paid workshop that offers over 12hours of material that introduces students tothe basics of glazes on ceramics)

Website and Virtual Tours: TheMetropolitan Museum of Art.

Videos: ArtProf.org’s Teaching andLearning Art Online and Art TutorialVideos (excellent collection of easy-to-

access, free videos)

Try finding out what your colleaguesat other institutions are doing toteach effectively in your field. Onlinesyllabuses are sometimes availablefor easy perusal. Take a look at thisexample course for an upper-levelstudio art course that givesrecommendations for assessments,in-class activities, and asynchronousassignments.

The Blues Audio and Video clips; Lesson plans; bibliography/discography

Hielbrunn Timeline of Art History Interactive timeline and essays

Music and the Brain Podcasts from the LoC about how music affects our neurosystem

National Jukebox LoC’s website to access free music

POV Filmmakers Free video clips from documentaries; Lesson plans

Teoria Music Theory Exercises to aid in music theory

Theta Music Trainer Aural skills training

TrueFire Leading website for online guitar lessons

Anchor Helps create and distribute your podcast(s)

Flipgrid Video discussion platform

iMovie Video editing app for iOS and macOS

Microsoft Teams Chat, Videoconferencing, and Collaboration tool

Nearpod Interactive lesson creation tool

Padlet Online notice board to share links, videos, documents, etc.

Seesaw Digital portfolio app

YouTube Well-known video hosting site