Kids love animals and they love music, and when the two collide magic really does happen. Welcome to the world of the Heritage Academy Performing Arts Club.
For the past two years, elementary school general studies teacher Jami Zmurko, who loves music and dance, has used the performing arts to enliven her curriculum. One year, her students did musical numbers with intricate choreography based on their social studies unit, U.S. Immigration 1870 - 1924. Musical selections included “Freedom” (by Paul McCartney, written after 9/11), “This Land is Your Land” (by Woody Guthrie), “Coming to America” (by Neil Diamond), and “Proud to be an American” (by Lee Greenwood). The next year, the class did a show based on the skills and concepts they were learning in the Open Circle program, a curriculum that teaches students the social skills necessary for positive, inclusive relationships. Some of the numbers that year were “Blackbird” (by Paul McCartney), “With Our Own Two Hands” (by Jack Johnson and Ben Harper), and “Hello Goodbye” (by the Beatles). This year, Jami Zmurko expanded her vision into a multi-grade after school Performing Arts Club (third, fourth and fifth grades).
Teachers at Heritage Academy are encouraged to follow their passion and bring it into their classrooms. Jami Zmurko has always had a great love of dogs. What she discovered was, so did her students! Why not have a show to raise animal awareness in the audience? The show could also be a benefit performance to raise funds and desperately needed items for a local animal shelter. Thus was born this year’s Performing Arts Club project, integrating tikkun olam with music, dance, photography, and design. Jami Zmurko’s and the students’ two passions, dogs and performance, became the driving force behind their learning about tza‘ar ba‘alei chayim: preventing cruelty to animals. Jami Zmurko, collaborating with Yehuda Edry (her Judaic studies partner), Shimon Shushan (Judaic Program Coordinator), and her sister (an art teacher in Pennsylvania), designed a curriculum to accomplish this goal.
Students built their background knowledge of animal awareness by reading books about how animals help humans. They also read books about the lives of homeless animals and how they can be helped. Students analyzed pictures of homeless dogs to get a better perspective on their conditions. The students visited the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Shelter in Springfield, Massachusetts. They read the shelter’s mission statement. The visit to the shelter allowed the students to better understand the needs of the shelter and the homeless animals under its care. The shelter gave the students a wish list of needed items. Upon returning to school, Heritage Academy students got down to business by sponsoring collection drives, and proclaiming a goal of raising $500. Attendees at the Heritage Academy Performing Arts Club Benefit Performance were asked to make donations.
Simultaneously, Jami Zmurko and the students began rehearsing for their show. There was extensive use of the arts throughout the whole enterprise. There was group and solo singing. Dance included ballet, lyrical, and jazz. There was some accompaniment on instruments. There were student-made scenery, programs, and signage. Students were involved with speechwriting and journaling about the program. Photography buffs took photographs of animals at the shelter and put together a slide show. In summation, the students were totally immersed in all aspects of theater. Some of the musical numbers in the show were:
The Performing Arts Club at Heritage Academy incorporated fundamental skills in music, voice, movement, theater, set design, photography, and public speaking with chesed. The students in the club were looking at the world beyond themselves. They were seeking out God’s less fortunate creatures, and learned to respect and provide for them. They learned that humans are the custodians of the earth and all of its creatures. They also learned that caring for God’s creatures is both admirable and rewarding. Our students were filled with pride when they finished their show, and handed over the money, paper towels, doggie toys, blankets, dog biscuits, and dog and cat beds to their honored guests from the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Shelter. In conclusion, after the performance, students reflected on the essential question: How can I have a positive impact on the lives of animals and do my part in tikkun olam? ♦
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