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Meet the performing arts teachers at CHS.
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For theatre teacher Robert “Bob” DiMartino, the
performing arts are all about fostering collaborative
thinking, creativity, commitment, and a strong work
ethic. For band director Michael Feroce, the work is
also about that unique experience of creating and
performing with peers, giving participants a sense of
belonging within a community. And for choral director
Janita Ducharme, it is about discovering what we’re all
capable of.
This is the matrix of music, storytelling, and singing
that make up the Cumberland High School performing
arts department.An after school instrumental workshop at CHS.
“Offering music ensembles and classes create
opportunities students may not have realized they had,”
Ducharme says. “Some of my strongest musicians are
students who do not excel in other subject areas. Music
gives them the confidence to do bigger and better things,
make new friends, and push themselves to perform
well.”
CHS’s performing arts program has opened doors, both
on and off campus. Blue Man Group conducted a
workshop at CHS, the Clef Singers earned a superior rating
at the RIMEA Senior Choral Festival, and groups have
performed at the school and in public venues.Members of Blue Man Group presenting an educational workshop at CHS.
Mr. DiMartino, who has been teaching thespians for 26 years, the last eight at CHS, produces three drama shows each year plus showcase performances.
“We are members of the National Thespian Society, an honors society for theatre students, including attending the state theatre conference, where four of our students received “accomplished” ratings, the highest rating awarded,” he said.
Three CHS students plan on bringing their work to the National Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Mr. DiMartino will be teaching a workshop.
“Theatre classes foster confidence and collaboration as well as creative thinking and a good work ethic,” he says.
Students performing on stage at CHS.
In recent years, technology has helped improve the product, he says, but not to the degree it has other subject areas.
“Peter Brook wrote two entire books about how the only thing needed to do theatre is an “empty space. Actor B. D. Wong once told American Theatre Magazine ‘It’s not theatre if you can’t do it without electricity,’” he said. “While those observations are true to some extent, the availability of sophisticated lighting, sound and construction equipment often makes for a more interesting product.”
When he’s not teaching at CHS, Mr. DiMartino can be found at the Next Generation Theatre Company in Cranston.
Technology has had a more significant impact in music
education, says Mr. Feroce, now in his third year
teaching music, and his second at CHS.
“Technology has helped bring music making in the
21st century to life, with online-clinics from music
professionals, Skype chats with composers, and
instant and effective communication and feedback
between students and teacher,” he says.
The CHS band rehearsing for the next concert.
“Performing arts give students a unique experience to
create and perform with peers. Aside from countless
cognitive advantages that directly benefit a student
through music education, it also gives them a sense of
belonging within a community.”
Mr. Feroce says performance art classes have been
linked directly to higher academic achievement,
greater self-confidence, and give students a group of
peers they may call their confidants. - CHS band directorMichael Feroce
Choral director Janita Ducharme, now in her second
year at CHS and her fifth year in the district, agrees.
She says students who perform are creating in a
cooperative and collaborative environment on a daily
basis. “They learn hands-on skills, develop friendships
and relationships, contribute to their community, and
- most of all - they discover what they're capable of as
performers.”
CHS choral groups have performed at the state house and at music festivals.
Technology has had an impact on what students
perform and how they learn music, according to their
choral director.
“Social media has made finding things the kids want
to perform so much easier. YouTube and Twitter have
given my students access to so many music
performances that they are eager to share with each
other to listen to. We even use videos of our
performances to promote our own events. “
“We’ve always had a strong arts community in the
years I’ve been here,” CHS principal Alan Tenreiro
says. “But last year and now this year, parents,
students, and teachers all seem to be making it a
bigger part of our school community.”
This is a direct result of the kind of dedication, skill,
and love for the arts that CHS’s teachers are passing
on to their students.
CHS students rehearsing a scene.
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CLUBS