Erica Nottingham, Aspen Middle School’s choir director, is celebrating a silver lining in the midst of facing a new school year when COVID-19 has forced her program online.
Far from the large-group setting that was most pre-pandemic school choir rooms, Nottingham will be working with her students in virtual capacities — and, importantly, often in one-on-one models that more resemble private voice lessons than ensembles.
It creates an opportunity for far more equity in the performing arts, she said.
“I was telling the administration, too, those are types of things that are very, very expensive,” Nottingham said of private instruction. “It’s so important to provide that for all kids, and if we just kind of reinvent what this school year looks like, we can still give them a really high-quality arts education where it’s more individualized instruction without losing it.”
Equity questions became acute points of concern for AMS Interim Principal Elizabeth Meador, as well, when creating a broader strategy for instruction, but especially when it came to ensuring students indeed didn’t lose their opportunity for extra-curricular — or exploration, in the Aspen School District’s nomenclature — classes.
“It’s a huge concern, and the digital divide is real,” Meador said. “It’s something that the district takes very seriously, and our tech team, our teachers and our support staff have reached out to families.”
To that end, the school provided Google Chromebooks to students though a take-home, loaner program.
“Whether it’s a wireless point that we loan them to have at their home or making sure that everyone has a Chromebook, [the school is working with families.] If you live in Old Snowmass, it’s very difficult to get internet in a reliable sort of fashion,” she said. “So people can come to our parking lot and use our wireless connection, if they want to sit in their car, but we’ll make sure that if a kid or a family is struggling with that kind of connectivity, we are definitely problem solvers in that arena.”
It’s not the only one. Teachers — those who felt comfortable doing so, anyway — were back in the building this week, brainstorming amongst departments about best practices for online instruction and setting up their respective classrooms so they and students felt at least some sense of normal environment.
“Teachers are encouraged and invited to be in their learning space and to use that because of the resources that are available there,” Meador said.
However, there isn’t any pressure on teachers who, for whatever personal reason, does not feel confident to return to the facility to do so when school starts Aug. 26. And equity concerns regarding those teachers’ access to resources was also a consideration, Meador noted.
“Our district has purchased some new laptops for teaching staff, as well as document cameras,” she said. “So teachers can take that home if they choose to use some of the materials at home. We’re flexible — some teachers are more comfortable teaching in their classrooms, and some teachers have various family issues or health concerns that require them to be home a little bit more.”
All around, though, the energy at the middle school is one of excitement and innovation, she continued.
“Our band teacher has purchased some software that will allow kids to record themselves as they’re playing music, then he’ll be able to not only listen to it but do a critique of their playing through that software,” she said. “Our choir teacher is so committed, it’s unbelievable. She’s been talking about working one-on-one with kids, then creating some virtual choir opportunities. Technology is bringing us the right thing at the right time, that’s for sure. You just have to learn all this and figure it out.”
For the first virtual group performance, Nottingham — who in addition the middle school also teaches at Aspen High School and directs Maroon Bel Canto Singers — is planning something uplifting.
“We’re kind of finding the positives, the rainbow-beyond-the-rain kind of idea for back to school,” she said. “I think students have had such a void over the summer, that being able to participate in this kind of program, it’s so vitally important and crucial that schools continue to provide it — especially as we as a district put so much emphasis on social and emotional well-being for students.”
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August 22, 2020 at 04:00PM
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Aspen Middle School staff puts emphasis on equity ahead of online start - Aspen Daily News
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