Tania Ghandour
Arts Scholar
Semester 1
College During a Pandemic
This year has definitely been like no other, whether you are a student, adult, or senior citizen. I am grateful, though, that I was privileged with the opportunity to continue my path of education. Given the shift in teaching style for the past almost year, I feel as though technology has allowed us to successfully continue our studies. Zoom, recorded lectures, and asynchronous assignments were the expected route, yet the detachment from the classroom has made a crucial impact on how we learn as students. Personally, I felt as though professors were trying their best in accommodating our requests, as they too are needing to change their teaching methods, and because of this, at times it was difficult to connect with them and feel a part of a whole class. Nevertheless, synchronous class sessions were crucial to tie us back to the classroom.
Additionally, this semester I registered for the Music 289I class in which we explored the influence of music on society in different regions of the world. This course not fulfilled a general education requirement, but also allowed me to make wonderful connections with international genres, styles, and artists. During each week’s lesson we would learn about a new genre and its origins. For example, we explored Brazilian Capoeira, an art form that encompasses both music and martial arts. This directly connects to the concepts studied in CPSA100 as it was a fantastic insight on a tradition that not only implements different musical instruments, but also incorporated highly intense and practiced physical movement. This correlates with what good art represents, how new forms or art can be formed, and how one’s culture can be expressed through art. Moreover, I did not expect guest artists Sami and Pepe to visit our class under these circumstances, as it is usually seen to be more benefitting to visit a class in person. Yet, I enjoyed how they brought us together, pushed us to contribute, and learn about their perspectives and careers. I am looking forward to exploring more form of art, and hopefully in person, dive into different forms that I have never focused on before, such as instruments other than voice and piano. I do think though, that completing five pentathlon events allowed me to remain connected to the artistic world and observe a diverse selection of the arts.
Accordingly, the online environment did somewhat allow me to settle into what the college life is. For the majority of the semester I resided in Bel Air Hall, and enjoyed getting to know the campus and becoming familiar with the university’s educational system. Now, I realize that the physical college life is not as different as the high school experience. Mentally, though, I do find it intense, especially because these next four years pave the way to my future. However, as the weather becomes warmer and hopefully the pandemic becomes less severe in the spring, I hope to become more involved on campus and to begin to meet more of my peers.
I believe that UMD fairly and safely responded to the COVID-19 crisis as students were allowed on campus and had the opportunity to be in person when it was safe to do so. The monthly testing policy was crucial to the continuation of these practices, yet I do wish there were more slots to accommodate the students. In addition, the capacity rules of the dining halls became a little too relaxed as large quantity of students were allowed in the diner at a time, when in reality, the same precautions should have been taken from the first day of move-in to the end of the semester.
Looking back across my first semester, however, I can say that I learned a lot of about the university and myself. The group arts and activism podcast was a noteworthy assignment as my group and I were still able to effectively work together asynchronously and produce a final product that we were passionate and proud of. I learned how to thoughtfully communicate over online platforms and maintain a connection with my group, regardless of our individual tasks within this project. Finally, I am confident that the technological aspects during these hard times will continue to be incorporated into education, as it not only allows students to work together from different environments, but also provides opportunities for students to communicate and be a part of something from all over the world.
Semester 2
The most significant way in which I developed relationships with my professors over this past year was through participating during synchronous classes. In doing this, professors could become familiar with my name and face through the zoom session. Actively participating in class shows one’s efforts and dedication, and a good start to accomplishing this is to turn on cameras on zoom. Additionally, I emailed my professors when in need of help or advice. For example, when planning my schedule for next year, I had a time conflict and needed to resolve the issue. Therefore, by emailing back and forth with my professors, they were able to approve the time conflict. This portrayed my dedication to the courses that I wished to select, my flexibility, and communication skills that will be crucial throughout all of college as one becomes more and more independent. So, emailing professors to introduce yourself and asking for help can be especially helpful, as well as making an effort to show dedication during class, in order to show respect and become respected. However, because of this independence it was definitely difficult to feel supported and not lonely. In attempt to resolve this issue, I met with fellow Arts Scholars who live in Bel Air Hall and we became a friend group who would eat dinner every night. This way, I have made friends who have a similar schedule to me, but also ones who I can talk to about workshops, field trips, and colloquiums that had taken place for this program. We can also share our experiences from high school, and teach one another about how our ethnicities and cultures embrace the arts. For example, I taught my friends how to do a traditional Lebanese dance. Being able to establish such a group was beneficial to all of us, as we felt comfortable and able to rely on each other when stress or panic emerged, yet it was also difficult to reach this level in the beginning of the year as we not only feared getting sick, but many of us come from different places and backgrounds, so I felt self-conscious not knowing how I would be accepted. However, the most important part of making new friends is to take the opportunity to meet and speak to as many people as possible because then one can optimize finding similar interests between others and themselves, which can then lead to long lasting friendships.
Furthermore, the Arts Scholars program pushes its members to be active with one another. The colloquium brings artists with diverse interests ready to learn and engage in something new. The Arts Scholars all joined for the same reason, and through workshops and field trips, we are able to step out of our comfort zones to not only physically learn a new form of art, but also be culturally educated about it and spread that awareness to non-Arts Scholars members. Personally, this semester, the Arts Scholars program encouraged me to take on a new challenge through the workshop: The Painting of Greek Gods and Goddesses. I have always been weary of painting and drawing because I was never confident in my work, or thought that I was good enough. However, by studying techniques of mythological art, and drawing a scene or image every class session, I found that my creativity was unique to my own perspective and perception, and observed my peers stepping out of their comfort zones as well. As a result, I allowed my abstract mind to lead me during the final project, utilizing water color paint, something I have always wanted to try, and feeling so proud when I submitted the final project, that I was showing all of my friends. Because of this experience, I will attend ArtsFest every year, and encourage others to join this program as it is an escape from the stress of my other academic classes. In addition to this, the recent workshop I participated in with ChArma, I learned about how each generation carries on and adds to cultural forms of art, and in this case, Hip-hop. I learned that Hip-hop embodies all forms of art, ranging from vocal performances to graffiti. This shows how versatile all forms of art are, and how every person is able to fit into a certain category to express themselves, whether directly in the spotlight or not.
Future Arts Scholars should recognize their abilities to contribute and try new challenges because they will come out of the other side feeling accomplished, educated, and cherishing the memory. Finally, taking part in such workshops, taking risks in choosing unique pentathlons, speaking to professors and asking questions, as well as being open minded during this course, allowed me to feel connected to each member of Arts Scholars, included in the program, and a part of a family who can laugh, sing, dance, and draw with no worries.
Semester 3
Art may act as a record of history that tells a story about an event or the emotions exhibited by an individual affected by it. Text and literary devices can be paired with sound, visuals, and movement, making art a universal language that can be therefore interpreted by anyone, as seen in the La Manplesa documentary. As a result, art, whether that be dance, theatre, music, visual art, etc., functions as a source to express one’s opinions, stories, and emotions. This may yield belief changes, and also allow one to reflect between the past and present, comparing history through time, and observing what has or has not changed. Accordingly, a fellow artist or even an intended audience member will be genuinely influenced if the message of a piece of art, whether related to a historical event or not, is most directly displayed. That is the first step of initiating a creative process: being passionate about the subject. The next step would be to research, as this will provide definitions, historical origins, impacts, and relevance to the topic. Then, it would be important to become familiar with techniques and methods implemented to carry out this art form, applying it to real world practices or issues. In addition, one must establish its importance within society, and how it can be applied to everyday life or what the audience impact is. Once these factors have been considered, peer review is necessary to gauge more creative ideas from other artistic minds and clarify confusing or broad aspects. This can be done through a discussion with a series of questions and answers. Once a project proposal has been developed by the artist, a virtual or less direct peer review can also be conducted, just as sophomore scholars did during the final day of class where advice was given after watching classmate proposal videos.
Moreover, I am a fan of National Geographic, especially the wide variety of photos captured and published from various countries, communities, and ecosystems. One example I came across included an article regarding how the rate of glaciers melting needs to be given serious attention, and as a result, action towards possibly preventing further climate change. The visuals provided by National Geographic displaying the melting glaciers and exposed water is eye catching, and therefore triggers a worrisome emotion in the reader. In this case, photography is a great way to utilize pathos, as well as strengthen the ethos of the topic, and therefore portray an important and sensitive message. Arts Scholars has definitely improved my ability to contextualize art when it comes to a social or political issue, and recognize how crucial it is to include pieces that go beyond words to build on audience impact.
This semester, I was enrolled in University Chorale, a voice minor requirement. The most prominent aspect of this course related to Arts Scholars was the concept of ritual and community. As a class, we came together to learn a selection of renown pieces, make them performance ready, and then share with the greater community. Each voice part would work hard to ensure their part was solidified in order to create harmony among the group. This unity created a tight knit group, that was then also able to collaborate with other choirs on larger musical pieces. So, all of the UMD choirs were able to come together as a community, but then also incorporate the greater UMD audience to view this hard work.
I believe that learning will always be improved when interacting with fellow Arts Scholars, or anyone with similar interests as myself. Everyone has different but also similar life experiences, therefore our creative minds may be expanded by someone’s different take or wording on a subject. Instead of separating our thoughts, we can come together and combine them into a greater concept. A moment when this occurred was during my workshop preview lesson where students worked together during an improvisational game to create and build a story solely based on a given setting and circumstance. Additionally, when working on my capstone proposal, while feedback was significantly helpful when it came to which aspects needed clarifications, peers were helpful. However, because this is a more individual project, and my topic is unique, there was a limit to how much advice I could receive from my peers due to their lack of knowledge on it. However, hopefully by learning about or participating in my workshop, they can gain a new and beneficial experience.
This semester, I served on the Scholars Advisory Board as the Arts Scholars sophomore representative. It was important for us to come together and discuss what is working among the colloquiums, but also what can be improved. I learned about the other scholars programs, some of which I was not familiar with, helping me feel connected to the program, especially since I do not live in the Cambridge community anymore. Finally, we also had a great discussion regarding our mental health as students, and how the greater UMD community can potentially implement changes to help its students. We were able to support one another and express our concerns in a safe space, and I feel as though I would be able to do the same in our Arts Scholars colloquium because we are a closely bonded group that harvests respect for one another.
Finally, this semester, Arts Scholars actually expanded my optimism on what we as art students are capable of accomplishing. I believe that when we come together we can have meaningful discussions regarding current events and our current states as students. Furthermore, after watching workshop proposals and observing how creative and different each project is, and how beneficial it may be to the greater community, I was inspired by our drive to complete a project of interest that also appeals to others. I admire our empathy for the earth and mental health of the community, and am looking forward to viewing the completed Capstone projects next semester!
Semester 4
These assignments were great ways to allow us to analyze the importance of artistic events, learn about new art forms, and communicate to our peers about our unique experiences. For example, the OAS Arabian Nights event I attended not only encapsulated my heritage and brought together a community, but it also tied in a dance genre that is significant to the culture. Being able to have this two in one experience allows my reflection to be driven by my personal attachment to the event and allow me to invite others to learn about my culture through art.
First, as a workshop leader, I learned how important it is to become the master of your art in order to teach and communicate it to others. In order for the actors in my workshop to be successful and comprehend the material to a performance level, I needed to reach a point where I could embody each character in any moment. I was their reference for this topic, so I learned that if I conveyed the wrong information, then they would perceive my teachings to be correct, even though they are not. This emphasized why research is necessary in becoming a reliable source. Second, after attending and being a part of ArtsFest, I believe that as a program, we were able to prove that the arts are not just the standard ‘music, visual art, theatre, dance…”, but art is history, art is writing, art is math, art can be a vocabulary term, art is a social message, art is a way to advocate for causes, and so many more. It is not so much that my beliefs were challenged in this case, but more so broadened, as any form of art is inevitably implemented within our everyday lives in these very ways.
Being a workshop leader for the theatrical Commedia dell’Arte workshop has allowed me to bond closely to my peers, draw upon real world examples, and showing our fellow arts scholars the new art forms we brought to the table. During my time in Arts Scholars, it was stressed that relating what we learned in class to a real-world event, person, issue, etc. was critical. In my workshop, we discussed real world characters in today’s television that have evolved from the commedia technique and how their traits are recognizable. Then, from the final performance, fellow Arts Scholars are able to understand one of the roots of today’s world of entertainment, as well as enjoy some comedy.
Moreover, this year I drew on the skills I learned in high school and directly applied it to my Arts Scholars experience. In high school, I was a performer in Commedia dell’Arte, but in this workshop I became a director. It is always such an enlightening instance to be on the other side of things in theatre. This allowed me to be a part of every character instead of committing to only one character as a role and unite the group.
Working as a workshop leader allowed me to train some actors who are more versed in art forms such as visual art, photography, instrumentals, etc. By being a workshop leader in theatre and movement, I worked with those who had never moved their bodies in the way that these Commedia characters have. As an ensemble we worked together to build confidence in working with actions less than with words, reaching a mutual understanding of the technique, and thinking in terms of improv and spontaneous concepts that were initially discussed.
Arts Scholars has especially enhanced my public speaking abilities. Through studying my capstone topic, I felt comfortable presenting about it for several minutes without truly needing to look at notes or PowerPoint slides when at ArtsFest. I learned how to be a fair leader, including the opinions of my peers in decisions, communicating my teachings in a diverse manner so all are able comprehend with their different learning abilities, and helping others have fun since I genuinely expressed my enjoyment.
