A Conversation with Wolf Trap Teaching Artist Gabriela Cohen Meet Gabriela Cohen, a Spanish and English-speaking Wolf Trap Teaching Artist who is passionate about early childhood arts integration. With a background steeped in music, Cohen has a deep appreciation for the impact that music can have on young minds. In this interview, Cohen shares her strategies for connecting with educators and children, and offers advice...
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When Fairfax County first grade teacher Kristin McClure first entered the field, she chose early childhood education because of the important role that high quality early learning plays in academic success. Today, McClure is an active participant with Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts’ classroom residency program, where she works closely with Wolf Trap Teaching Artists to adopt arts-integrated classroom techniques aligned...
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If you could assume an alternate identity, what would it be? By day, Wolf Trap Teaching Artists are busy in the classroom providing professional development to early childhood educators, but during their “off” time, they use their musical talents to perform onstage to throngs of eager children and parents. Undercover rock stars? Their fans would say so! Christina Sanabria, one-half of the popular songwriting duo...
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Interns have a year-round presence at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Each season brings a new class of students who arrive at Wolf Trap eager to gain valuable experience in all aspects of arts administration. But an internship at Wolf Trap is much more than day-to-day administrative tasks. Wolf Trap’s Internship team aims to provide interns with a fully realized vision of what...
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How do you start your day? Wolf Trap Teaching Artists like to use short, artful “energizers” in both professional and classroom settings to promote mindfulness and help prime students for learning. Energizers also help students reflect on what they’ve learned, and can be a useful tool for self-regulation and classroom management. “An energizer serves to focus and connect the energy of the group, whet our creativity,...
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New Category for Wolf Trap Grants for High School Performing Arts Teachers Encourages Students to Channel Commentary Through Artistic Expression How does one define peace? What does it mean to be culturally responsive, and how does one address the struggle for human rights? These questions form the basis for three compelling new projects for this year’s Grants for High School Performing Arts Teachers. Each grant,...
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In the Lazy Days of Summer, Set Aside Some Reading Time to Build Literacy For many families, summer means beach vacations, park playdates, and pool days. For educators, it means a much-deserved break from the rigors of the classroom. But as educators and parents are stuffing their beach bags and children’s backpacks with sunscreen, goggles, and snacks, why not consider adding a book to fill...
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The end of school year countdown is on, and soon children will be at home looking for things to do. Wolf Trap has composed a list of arts-integrated projects that parents can do at home with their children to extend learning opportunities for them outside of the classroom. Teachers, you can also try them out while they are working on their lesson plans for the...
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Fairfax County Public School Teacher Kristin McClure Brings a Musical Twist to STEM Learning Some people are lucky enough to find their calling early on in life. Centre Ridge Elementary School Kindergarten teacher Kristin McClure, who has been teaching with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) for more than 15 years and who was once a student there herself, is one of those individuals. “Growing up,...
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Wolf Trap Welcomes the National Science Foundation and Partners for the 2022 “Brain Dance Workshop” How does creative movement influence the brain’s ability to adapt? This April, a team of scientists, engineers, artists, educators, and choreographers from around the world gathered at Wolf Trap to explore the connection between dance and neuroplasticity for the 2022 International Workshop on the Neural and Social Bases of Creative...
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