Performing jazz offers students the opportunity to participate in a unique group activity where notated passages are blended with exciting moments of improvisation. Expectations have risen over the years as middle and high school jazz ensembles have proved that they can perform at a very high level. This expectation however, has led to the…

Belly dance is a folk dance with a history that can be traced back to the beginnings of civilization. It is a form of expression and movement that has been used for hundreds of years in religious ceremonies, birthing rituals, and social and familial gatherings in the Middle East. Students of belly dance can increase their muscular strength and…

Discusses how to teach the expressive aspects of music more effectively. For example, teachers can use verbal imagery to communicate how music is expressive of the human condition. Students should be encouraged to experiment with the possibilities of musical expression and allowed to choose their own mode of expression. (AM)

Notes that the beginning of the 20th century witnessed "The Manifesto Moment"--a ten-year period of "glorious madness" in which nearly every "-ism" that people identify with Modernism proclaimed its existence. Considers how in a time of heightened student violence, the manifesto may offer young writers a proactive strategy for expressing their…

Examined the writing forms used as a means of self-expression by 148 high school students. Results indicated the majority of the participants utilized at least one writing mode. Females and those who were juniors in high school reported more frequent use of these than did males and seniors. (Author/BL)

Explains how a teacher asks her students to write on topics close to their hearts and how she, in turn, writes her own heartfelt essays and shares them with her students. Contains one such essay, in which the author describes how she narrowly escaped serious injury when, as a teenager, she jumped on a moving vehicle. (TB)

Describes a lesson in which students drew their own self-portraits following three criteria: (1) use mixed media; (2) emphasize expressiveness of facial features; and (3) focus on the eyes. Asserts that students were not allowed to use an opaque projector or copy from photographs. Reports the students had difficulty drawing the planes of their…

A movement therapy program for learning-disabled adolescents is described. It is explained that movement can provide a physical expression for the release of feelings. (PHR)

Describes how having students draw both their own and a literary character's reality not only introduces students, quite painlessly and concretely, to a large number of literary terms, but also suggests that literature appreciation demands an imaginative extension into the life of another. (MM)

Explains how the artistic design of t-shirts with positive images, some having grown out of the study of particular literary works, do much for student attitudes, self-awareness, pride, and interest in school, especially in a "rainbow classroom." (TB)

Journal writing is recommended to help gifted students understand themselves and be understood by others. Three techniques are described: journal jumpers, which are ideas useful in promoting self-disclosure and self-analysis in journal writing; film reaction writing; and analysis of emotional growth found in the journals of other writers. (JDD)

Describes how poetry and teaching poetry is a way to pay attention to the world, to feel connected to other people--a conduit to each student's truest discoveries, offering solace and courage and wisdom and survival. (SR)

Discusses issues related to the writing of novels, the construction of meaning by readers, and generally about the act of writing from the first person point of view. Outlines the elements of strong fiction. (HB)

The individual uniqueness of every student forms the foundation for expressive activities. Our number one priority as art teachers is to assist our students in identifying their creative expressive potential. (Author/SJL)

Discusses how students can express their feelings and problems through writing, painting, and drawing; also discusses how this process can increase the awareness and sensitivity of their classmates. (MG)