"What's commitment?" Rebecca asked. She didn't know she'd been using it for about five months now by not only committing to faithfully attend her acting class for herself but to her friends there as well. "Compuh...what?"
"Commitment." I said.
One of the challenges in using "big" words for kids is how to explain in little words. It came down to putting all of your focus on one thing without letting anything distract you. A little like concentration but with your full heart. Doing something no matter what.
"Doing it 100%," Rebecca said.
Absolutely.
When you can commit to listening to your friends in a fun acting game or in an improv scene then chances are you'll be able to commit to studying for a science test or listening to your mom's requests or making your bed every morning. Baby steps.
These kids are learning to do just that. Like focus, one is always committing themselves to something. What? You have to become aware of that before you can discern it. Their eyes are opening to this.
It's a short one today. I'm committed to having time off for the rest of the weekend.
Til next time,
Fleur
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Taking a Bite of a Lemon
Close your eyes. Picture yourself holding a lemon wedge. It's ripe, it's juicy and cool. And very lemony. Now take a BIG bite.
Ack! Right?
This was part of a visualization exercise we did in class today. I saw puckered lips, surprised and shocked smiles and a few grimaces. This is an introduction to Sense Memory. Which is just what it sounds like. A memory of your senses. I asked, "Are you eating a lemon right now?" "No." "But you can remember what it feels like to eat a lemon." "Yes." We did a few more exercises before we took it to a different level.
Close your eyes. Remember something that happened that "didn't go your way." Remember something that you had no control over. I asked them not to tell me what it was but asked how it made them feel. "Did you feel angry, sad, confused? Open your eyes." I heard answers like "I felt confused and shocked." "I felt sad." I asked, "But is that happening right now?" "No." "But you can remember it and call on it when you might need it." "Yes."
Now we did not go far into this exercise emotionally. Just a taste. Everyone was fine. I was less interested in their ability to recall for the stage as in their ability to apply the exercise to the real world. We talked about how we use this exercise as a tool in acting. Briefly. But if you are able to use this for the stage - the re-call - and then let it go when the show is over - then can you not do this offstage in your own life as well?
Is this happening now? No. It's over. It's not happening right now. But when it did happen it was <fill in the blank>. But you can learn to let go of it. Whatever it is. Or hang on to it. Your choice. We learn to honor what has happened or is happening and how to release.
Then we played games which is always fun! My favorite creation today was a bird Jessica created called the loolooloo - argh now I forget the word! It was a stellar word. Then Rebecca took it over and gave it this noise - GooooLaaahhhh. Then she formed what only can be described as a part ostrich part velociraptor sticking her elbows out and shrinking her neck and head as far down as they would go and led everyone around the room "GooooLahhhh". It was a sight to behold. When was the last time you GooLahed?
Until next time,
GooooLahhhh
Ack! Right?
This was part of a visualization exercise we did in class today. I saw puckered lips, surprised and shocked smiles and a few grimaces. This is an introduction to Sense Memory. Which is just what it sounds like. A memory of your senses. I asked, "Are you eating a lemon right now?" "No." "But you can remember what it feels like to eat a lemon." "Yes." We did a few more exercises before we took it to a different level.
Close your eyes. Remember something that happened that "didn't go your way." Remember something that you had no control over. I asked them not to tell me what it was but asked how it made them feel. "Did you feel angry, sad, confused? Open your eyes." I heard answers like "I felt confused and shocked." "I felt sad." I asked, "But is that happening right now?" "No." "But you can remember it and call on it when you might need it." "Yes."
Now we did not go far into this exercise emotionally. Just a taste. Everyone was fine. I was less interested in their ability to recall for the stage as in their ability to apply the exercise to the real world. We talked about how we use this exercise as a tool in acting. Briefly. But if you are able to use this for the stage - the re-call - and then let it go when the show is over - then can you not do this offstage in your own life as well?
Is this happening now? No. It's over. It's not happening right now. But when it did happen it was <fill in the blank>. But you can learn to let go of it. Whatever it is. Or hang on to it. Your choice. We learn to honor what has happened or is happening and how to release.
Then we played games which is always fun! My favorite creation today was a bird Jessica created called the loolooloo - argh now I forget the word! It was a stellar word. Then Rebecca took it over and gave it this noise - GooooLaaahhhh. Then she formed what only can be described as a part ostrich part velociraptor sticking her elbows out and shrinking her neck and head as far down as they would go and led everyone around the room "GooooLahhhh". It was a sight to behold. When was the last time you GooLahed?
Until next time,
GooooLahhhh
Sunday, January 8, 2012
"Long Fun"
Some things you should know: Jessica loves pie (apple and blueberry but NOT pumpkin.) Rebecca is "this much Catholic" (arms out wide) and "this much Jewish" (fingers open an inch). Sasha loves fashion because of her Aunt Nona. Derrick loves to laugh with his friends and play the drums. Aiden is a huge fan of Japanese animation and gory video games. Diana loves Justin Bieber and her favorite color is blue. Drew is best friends with Rebecca and her big sister had sleep overs with Jessica. She also has a crush on < classified information>.
We played one game (with variations) with one goal in mind - getting to know each other. I have not seen this type of focus for one full hour from these kids since we started last August. This makes me very proud of them. Because they were focused for the benefit of each other.
The children were asked to find a classmate that they didn't know that well. I gave them five minutes to talk to each other about themselves. Then they stood up and introduced their partner to the class and told what they had learned. Did they get some things wrong? Yes. Did they forget some things? Yes. But mostly they remembered. They were listening to each other. Then I made it a little harder. I warned them they'd better listen to every introduction because their was another layer to the game. One person stood up and whomever wanted to run up beside him/her could say what they had learned about them until the next person yelled "FREEZE" in tag team fashion. This allowed every individual to experience the whole class excited to share what they knew about them. I was happy to see how much fun they had doing this. Hint: if you ever want to add excitement and energy to a game then insert the word "FREEZE" and that will get the party started.
In the third phase we circled up and did a variation of our Name Game. (We go around the circle and say our name with a specific movement of our choosing.) This time we went around the circle devoted to each other. So everyone did movements that represented what they now knew about whomever was "it" while saying that person's name. Their was a lot of laughter in the room. Aiden made a very funny move for Drew which had everyone (literally) on the floor laughing. But he did not take the low road. He did not mock her. He captured her essence with a sense of humor. Everyone was honored. And I didn't have to say a thing. Parents, be proud. Your kids are great listeners with colorful imaginations and generous hearts.
You may be wondering how this is an acting lesson? Simplistically put, characterization begins with the study of people. I'm sneaky. More importantly, in the end I asked, "What's compassion?" None of them really knew how to tell me. But they had been demonstrating it for an hour.
Derrick said, "This was the longest most fun hour. Usually the fun makes the time go fast but this was a long fun hour."
"Long Fun." My new favorite phrase.
Signing off with Aiden's exit chant,
Marshmallow Fluffy Killers
(I didn't ask and I don't want to run into one.)
We played one game (with variations) with one goal in mind - getting to know each other. I have not seen this type of focus for one full hour from these kids since we started last August. This makes me very proud of them. Because they were focused for the benefit of each other.
The children were asked to find a classmate that they didn't know that well. I gave them five minutes to talk to each other about themselves. Then they stood up and introduced their partner to the class and told what they had learned. Did they get some things wrong? Yes. Did they forget some things? Yes. But mostly they remembered. They were listening to each other. Then I made it a little harder. I warned them they'd better listen to every introduction because their was another layer to the game. One person stood up and whomever wanted to run up beside him/her could say what they had learned about them until the next person yelled "FREEZE" in tag team fashion. This allowed every individual to experience the whole class excited to share what they knew about them. I was happy to see how much fun they had doing this. Hint: if you ever want to add excitement and energy to a game then insert the word "FREEZE" and that will get the party started.
In the third phase we circled up and did a variation of our Name Game. (We go around the circle and say our name with a specific movement of our choosing.) This time we went around the circle devoted to each other. So everyone did movements that represented what they now knew about whomever was "it" while saying that person's name. Their was a lot of laughter in the room. Aiden made a very funny move for Drew which had everyone (literally) on the floor laughing. But he did not take the low road. He did not mock her. He captured her essence with a sense of humor. Everyone was honored. And I didn't have to say a thing. Parents, be proud. Your kids are great listeners with colorful imaginations and generous hearts.
You may be wondering how this is an acting lesson? Simplistically put, characterization begins with the study of people. I'm sneaky. More importantly, in the end I asked, "What's compassion?" None of them really knew how to tell me. But they had been demonstrating it for an hour.
Derrick said, "This was the longest most fun hour. Usually the fun makes the time go fast but this was a long fun hour."
"Long Fun." My new favorite phrase.
Signing off with Aiden's exit chant,
Marshmallow Fluffy Killers
(I didn't ask and I don't want to run into one.)
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