The Open Dream Ensemble’s Adventures in SCIENCE!!!

This post is from the perpetually sunny and wonderfully enthusiastic Brandon Harris. This is Brandon's first year as a member of Open Dream Ensemble.

We’re currently in the middle of our second residency at Mineral Springs Elementary School, and I can’t tell you what a blast it is! Honestly, for myself, it is a little surreal. I mean, for the past 18 years of my life I have spent every September beginning a new school year as a student. And now, my first September OUT of school and I winded up... back in school!

And I couldn’t be happier. This week we of the Open Dream Ensemble are splitting our time between performing Peril on the Red Planet for local elementary schools in the morning, and heading to Mineral Springs in the afternoon to teach. As far as teaching goes, we’re currently “rocking” our 4th graders with a lesson about rocks and minerals, and “covering some ground” the 5th graders with an interactive lesson on landforms. I’m teaching alongside “Mr. Peter,” who is a wonderful teaching artist with lots of experience and a truly giving spirit. He definitely helped me get my sea legs under me during our first week long residency at Summit School last week. Combine that with spending my evenings watching Bill Nye the Science Guy, and I really feel that I’m coming into my own as a teaching artist. Today was my first day running a class solo, and I don’t think it could have gone better! :-) Tomorrow I’m bringing in drum sticks and fabric so that my 5th graders can lay down a beat while exploring the actions of tectonic plates. GO SCIENCE!!

As for Peril on the Red Planet, this particular morning we performed at Walkertown Elementary. We had to get to the school extra early, (6:45 am) to load in the set before the school busses got there carrying their precious cargo. We artists often tend to be a nocturnal bunch, so getting up at 5:30 in the morning to be ready for a 6:15 call time is quite a change of lifestyle to say the least. Especially after just graduating from a school where rehearsals regularly went until 11pm. (And sometimes 1am for side projects!)

We’re definitely a sight to see in those early mornings: a band of groggy headed artists wearing brightly colored shirts, loading into a van with a smiley face on each side (the smiley van!) in the pre-sunrise dimness, coffee in hand, eagerly awaiting the caffeine to hit our blood streams and sincerely hoping it doesn’t rain. Another day on the job.

It’s not always easy. It’s not always fun. And taking on a class full of kids can definitely be intimidating. But when you see the children’s excited faces during the show, when you feel their engagement and enthusiasm for learning growing throughout the week, and when you receive a hand written note from the “problem child” that says,

“Mr. Brandon
you ar a good teacher
Pleas come back next year”

You know it’s all worth it.

-Mr. Brandon"

I attached the mentioned note. I think it might be cool to post it on the blog. [notice the coffee stain from aforementioned coffee :-P ]