Curricular Connections
The Arts at Middlebury make up a rich tapestry of performances, exhibits, classes, behind-the-scenes talks, and more—and those threads are woven into the fabric of life at Middlebury.
So just what IS a Curricular Connection?
- Many professors include arts performances and special events into their course syllabi, adding a unique angle for experiential learning.
- Visiting artists offer outreach activities like master classes and behind-the-scenes discussions for students, faculty, and staff.
- Symposia organized around an arts event can offer opportunities for multi-dimensional learning, a hallmark of the liberal arts tradition.
- A connection can be something as simple as a conversation.
We'll document some of the Arts' Curricular Connections here—but we don't have all the answers. Do you have an idea for a Curricular Connection? Let us know if you see a project we can pursue together.
Greek Tragedy from Every Angle
Classics professor Pavlos Sfyroeras and theatre professor Cláudio Medeiros ’90 collaborate on a year-long exploration of Greek tragedy with their students. Their journey begins in fall 2010, with a Department of Classics Symposium, followed by the Theatre Program’s production of Euripides’ Hecuba. In spring 2011 their co-taught class, “Greek Drama in Performance,” includes a field trip to Boston to see A.R.T’s production of Sophocles’ Ajax.
Learn more>>
Tamar Rogoff: Diagnosis of a Faun
Choreographer and Guggenheim Fellow Tamar Rogoff’s newest work, Diagnosis of a Faun, asks which is more powerful: medicine, or art? Drawing inspiration from Nijinsky’s Afternoon of a Faun and lead dancer Gregg Mozgala’s first-hand experience with cerebral palsy, Rogoff creates a faun that simultaneously inhabits two seemingly disparate worlds: the operating room and the forest. Rogoff’s movement techniques opened new worlds of movement to Mozgala, an actor and former non-dancer whose achievements were chronicled on CBS’ Sunday Morning. Their week-long residency at Middlebury drew neuroscience, psychology, and biology majors, along with professors, staff, and parents of children with cerebral palsy to a series of talks and performances.Learn more>>
The Piano: a First-Year Focus
Acclaimed British pianist Paul Lewis has performed at Middlebury many times, but never was he surrounded by a group of admirers so very young. The first-year students in Professor Bettina Matthias’ “Exploring the Piano” seminar were glued to Lewis’s side after his October 2010 concert, with a barrage of questions: How do you have the stamina to play such tremendous pieces for so long? How do you like the Steinway in our Concert Hall, compared to so many others you’ve played? The conversation was tweeted and facebooked—new verbs for a new audience—and right there, some amazing musical time travel happens: music written over 200 years ago surfaces in the social media of the 21st century.
