Using Live Performance to Engage Students and Enhance Classroom Lessons

Writing Assignments (Writing, Cross-Disciplinary)

• General reaction paper: "what was your experience?"
• Compare/contrast: live performance vs. film, TV etc.
• Critique/review: Good, bad? Apply personal rating system.
• Evaluation: in class, have students anonymously write a specific reaction to one aspect of the performance (i.e., a controversial or thought-provoking part of a plot/song/story, broader issues about why the university paid to bring this performance to campus, whether/why the arts are important, etc.) and then read one another's responses aloud. Encourage discussion after each reading.

Mini Presentations by Students (Cross-Disciplinary, Computer)

• Present a news item/current event/song/video/website & interpret it within the context of the performance and in-class discussions.
• Find example(s) from your everyday life that relates to what you saw on stage—present it and "relate it" for your classmates.
• Bring an object into class that represents an aspect of the performance and "relate it" for your classmates
• Bring an example of content (scientific/social theory, work of art, speech, political platform, etc.) from your linked class that relates to what you saw on stage. Present it and "relate it" for your classmates.

Instructor-led Class Discussions (Cross-Disciplinary)

• Performing Arts staff can present "what to expect" at the show.
• 1-2 weeks prior, begin class discussions that relate to what they will see on stage (social/political history, cultural relevance, literary context, musical genre, etc.).
• After the performance, continue the discussion about what they saw and how it relates to linked course content, your course content, what's happening in their everyday lives, etc.
• Provide "connection-building" opportunities throughout the semester to reflect on the performance—relate to current discussions, assignments, etc.

Student-led Class Discussions (Cross-Disciplinary)

• Lead a class discussion:
  • "How does experiencing a live performance relate to what we're learning in our linked course and in this course?" (Focus: Experience of live performance)
  • "What connections or correlations can we draw from the issues/themes of the performance and those we've been studying in this course and/or our linked course(s)?" (Focus: Content of live performance)

Community Building

• Set expectations: performance etiquette, creating a group experience.
• Purchase tickets in a group so class can sit together; meet prior to show (in lobby or elsewhere).
• Dinner and a show—eat beforehand or afterward as a group.
• Informal discussion: "What did you gain from the live performance experience?"

Consider

• What does it mean to be an audience member?
  • What is it like?
  • How is it active?
  • How is it passive?
  • What expectations do I have?
  • What is expected of me?
• How can what is happening on stage act as a "bridge" from classroom discussions into experiences beyond the classroom?
  • What are the broad themes?
  • What are the specific issues?

Sample Assignments

Capitol Steps
(Class Discussion)
What did you find funny about this show? Was there anything in it that offended you? Why/why not? Why do you think so many people came to the event? Why do we crave humor that satirizes our political system? What makes political satire so appealing to the American public, especially in a university setting? Are there other examples of this kind of humor that you can find in our popular culture?

Hills of Home
(Writing Assignment)
Consider a story told or the lyrics of a song sung during this show. How was the telling of this show distinctive of Appalachian culture (style, vernacular, character names, or other specific examples from class)? Can you find examples of this story told in other cultures other than Appalachia? How is it changed to "fit" another cultural paradigm? What elements remain the same?

Teatro Lirico D'Europa: Carmen
(Presentation or Writing Assignment)
Find three synopses of Bizet's opera Carmen. Note the differences in tone, characterization of the hero, heroine and plot. What assumptions did you make about each character as you read these synopses? How did you feel about the ending? Was Carmen's demise tragic? Deserved? Was Don José in control of his destiny? Was he a violent aggressor? A victim of his own passion?

Blind Boys of Alabama: Go Tell It On the Mountain
(Class Discussion, Writing Assignment, Presentation)
What do you know about the intersection of secular and worship music in Southern culture of the American South? How have the two styles influenced each other? How has each influenced/been influenced by African Americans? Who are the major players in the development of Gospel, R & B and Blues music? What was happening in US history (social, political) during the development of these musical styles? How do you see history playing out in the music, lyrics, etc.? (Potential to listen to examples in class.)