AXP Spring Workshop Focuses on “Blooming in Your Community”
Published to the Pacific Symphony Blog (https://pacificsymphony.blog/2021/05/13/axphome-spring-workshop-focuses-on-blooming-in-your-community/)
Recently, the arts-X-press team found a way to carry on their tradition of summer fun by introducing AXP@Home, the remote format of Pacific Symphony’s immersive arts summer camp. With the success of last summer’s virtual camp, AXP@Home has since been expanded through alumni workshops that focus on a different art form each month.
AXP@Home’s latest online spring workshop—Blooming in Your Community—took place last Wednesday and provided students with a space to express themselves through poetry and collaborative discussion.
AXP@Home workshops strive to empower students to find their voice through the intersection of different art forms and creative risk-taking. Last week’s workshop focused specifically on creative writing, which can allow students to develop their imaginations, broaden perspectives and improve problem-solving abilities.
Instructor Michal Yadlin and the AXP counselor team led our group through fun and reflective exercises to get the conversation flowing. After showcasing various personal items chosen to represent their own character, students created “I Am” poems, which allowed them to find their voice through descriptive writing based on what they feel, perceive and identify with.
From symbolic and abstract ideas to more tangible concepts, many students expressed their identities, passions, and future aspirations through the stanzas:
“I am a reader and a collector.”
“I see my childhood all around me.”
“I want health all around.”
“I understand that [the pandemic] cannot just magically disappear.”
“I dream that someday I can be a great mom like my mom.”
“I try to be a good brother.”
“I hope to change the world.”
Instructor Michal then guided students through drawing their own flowers, with each petal containing written ideas of how we can make a difference in the many aspects of our lives. She encouraged students to take on leadership roles, explore their own attributes and learn from others to benefit the people around us:
“Think about how you can take [these ideas] from the figurative to the practical. When we are the spark of change in our own communities, families and friend groups, one little act can cause change across everything.”
Oftentimes, young people may feel that they have little or no say in the things that transpire within our communities; however, these discussions help prove that setting forth these thoughts and ideas alone can be a great step towards developing real change. Empowering future leaders to act on their strongest passions for the sake of helping others can be remarkably impactful for sparking true change in all of our lives.
The next event in the AXP@Home Spring Workshop series—“Raise Your Voice”—will focus on music and will take place on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021. In this workshop we will explore the intersections between vocal and instrumental music and how female composers have paved the way for one another throughout history.