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| Terrance Kennedy teaches students theatre and dance as part of NJPAC's arts residencies program |
Actor and musician Terrance Kennedy can do something most teachers would never dare: Get a teenage boy to do a plie in front of his friends.
"Once you create an environment of mutual respect and trust, they don’t mind the plie," Mr. Kennedy says, referring to the graceful ballet movement that’s often part of the theater and dance classes he teaches at New Jersey schools. His classes are part of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Arts Education Program, which The Merck Company Foundation sponsors to help fill the void created when school districts cut back on arts programs due to budget constraints.
For many students, Mr. Kennedy says, this is the only arts education they will receive in junior high or high school. He notes that these programs are vital to a student’s personal development; if they are not given outlets to express or develop their artistic talents, he says, they miss out on important life lessons, or worse, may "act out."
"Some of the best work I have seen comes from students who have been labeled ‘rambunctious’," Mr. Kennedy says. "There have been many magical moments where students who have thought they weren’t good at anything start to shine when they have the chance to write or perform a scene or sing. Their talent hadn’t been recognized before because it wasn’t conventional."
Mr. Kennedy teaches NJPAC’s art residencies, which are 10-week theater and dance classes structured around the state’s Core Curriculum Content Standards that specify the arts as "a vital part of complete education." Up to 4,000 students across New Jersey participate in the residencies every year at their schools at no cost during their regular school day. They learn acting techniques, creative playwriting, dance and other arts-based skills to promote positive self-expression.
Mr. Kennedy notes that students aren’t the only ones who can undergo a transformation. As part of the program, NJPAC provides a Professional Development Workshop for all participating teachers, so that the arts remain a classroom tool long after the residencies are completed.
"At the beginning of the residencies, teachers often sit on the sidelines like a study hall monitor," he laughs. "But after a few weeks, they’re involved and excited. They ask me to teach them theater games, which they, in turn, adapt and use as tools for teaching science, math, language arts and other subjects. That’s the real blessing of this program; when teachers integrate the arts lessons and tools as part of their regular curriculum, the program’s impact is infinite."
"My goal isn’t to make anyone a professional actor or singer," Mr. Kennedy says. "What students learn in the residencies about respect, being able to express their thoughts, and working as a team will benefit them no matter what career choices they make."
The Merck Company Foundation, a U.S.-based, private charitable foundation, was established in 1957 by the global research-driven pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. The Foundation is funded entirely by Merck and is its chief source of funding support to qualified non-profit, charitable organizations. The mission of the Foundation is to support organizations and innovative programs that: expand access to medicines, vaccines and quality health care; build capacity in the biomedical and health sciences; promote environments that encourage innovation, economic growth and development in a fair and ethical context; and support communities where Merck has a major presence. For more information, visit www.merckcompanyfoundation.org.
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