“A Day in the Classroom with Arts For All” series highlights the work our teaching artists do with students in our programs. During the Fall of 2022, Arts For All intern McKenna Dixon (Fordham ’25) shadowed three teaching artists at their respective schools.
October 29, 2022: Corlears School with Teaching Artist Leah Young
On Saturday, October 29, I had the pleasure of spending my morning with Teaching Artist Leah Young at Corlears School. As Leah and I set up a PowerPoint and music in preparation for the day’s activities, our friend Alex from Corlears guided the students into the space. Gradually, the room grew more vibrant as it filled with a myriad of frilly, spooky, and creative costumes to celebrate a very fun upcoming holiday.
Photo by McKenna Dixon
With the visual aid of a PowerPoint, Leah asked the children, buzzing with energy, if they knew what holiday was right around the corner. About a dozen hands shot up into the air, and they took turns sharing their plans for Halloween: variations of trick-or-treating with friends, eating yummy candy, and dressing up as their favorite characters from movies and TV shows. Then, Leah asked if anyone knew which holiday was almost immediately after Halloween—spanning from November 1-2. As clues, the PowerPoint depicted visuals of an ofrenda and calavera. Once one of the students correctly guessed that Día de los Muertos was nearby, Leah facilitated a conversation surrounding the origins of the holiday and which cultures celebrate. We then invited everyone to dance to “Llorona,” starting with a slow version to learn the flowy, free movements before picking up speed with a more up-tempo version.
