Students experience live performance
Students at Armijo were able to go see the Broadway play Hamilton on Wednesday, October 2. This is greatly due to the Hamilton Education Program which was created through the The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Through email, participants were given information on the sign up for the Hamilton Education Project.
Students were required to meet up a few days during one week and follow the steps required. The Hamilton Education Program was designed to engage students into learning how works of art can greatly contribute to our own history. The program was also designed to encourage and give the opportunity for students to create their own piece of art when doing the Hamilton Project. The program was designed so than anyone can create some sort of art. Resources were given and the teachers at Armijo who participated were also a tremendous help.
After making the mini art projects for the Program, students presented them in very small groups or alone to teachers who were participating. It honestly was very simple and people should try it out when they have the opportunity.
Those who earned the opportunity didn’t just watch the play. In the morning, after arriving at the venue, participants went to the designated seats. Several different schools and students come together for this event. When doing the project one group/person was elected to have a chance to present a piece of art that he or she had created directly on the Broadway stage!
The first part started after all the schools had arrived. Participantts were able to see students from all types of schools present. It really got the energy going. Then, there was the Q&A section. This was when questions asked by students from different schools were given to different people who took part in the Broadway play, including actors, background light people, and people who controled sub-actors during the play. This was an opportunityto ask questions that would be answered by learned professionals. After lunch, the students were able to watch the entire Hamilton play.
The tickets to the event were free, which made it accessible to all. The only commitment on the part of the student was the time to do the project and few small steps. The project was extremely fun because there were many things that could be done. Going to San Francisco was an amazing experience, and it was awesome to be in the same room with multiple students who have a passion/interest in Hamilton and the story the play tells.
During the first part, participants saw many different perspectives on approaches to the Hamilton Project. Q&As are not available when the general public purchases tickets to Hamilton, so this was an amazing opportunity. Many questions were deep and the answers given were answers that young students should hear. For example, one crew member was asked if he had ever looked down on the path chosen in life. He responded with, “At first I would always look at others and tell myself to try and become them. I later began to understand, that I couldn’t do what they can do. However, that also means they can’t do what I can do, they can’t do as well as I can. Everyone has some sort of skill/talent/ or anything that makes them different from others. Be proud of who are as an individual, because nobody can be you. Take advantage of who you are. ”
After the Q&A, the crew got close to the audience, which had a major impact on how the performance went. They had a lot of energy when performing, enough energy to make nearly everyone watching move their emotions. The experience of the play is hard to type out, it is something worth experiencing.
