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Participant Details
- Community Arts Partner Name
- Puget Sounds: Art//Music//Theatre
- Partner Type
- Individual
- Profile Photo
- Individual Bio or
Organizational Statement
- My name is Rachel Nelson-Knecht! Artist. Musician. Educator. Collaborator. Director. As the founder of Puget Sounds Art//Music//Theatre, I strive to inspire connection and togetherness through the shared experience of creating meaningful art. I believe we are all artists at our core. We all need be given the opportunity and encouragement to create, observe, reflect and express our feelings, identity, and ideas. Every voice has a place in the choir. Every person's identity has a place on a canvas.
For the past seven years I've taught in the Seattle area in the public school classroom and my private studio. My degree is in Integrated Arts from Seattle Pacific University with a focus on music. As an adept artist I have directed choirs, theatre productions, and hosted multi-arts festivals. My most recent festival was the school’s largest ever and was attended by over 1500 people in one evening.
Cultivating creative spaces and bringing positive and personal art experiences into the community is my passion. I look forward to continuing the work of community health and happiness through the arts.
Grade Levels Preferred
- Grade Levels Preferred
- Pre-K, K-2, 3rd - 5th, 6th - 8th, 9th - 12th
Artistic Disciplines
- Discipline
- 3, 4, 5, 6
- Type
- Singing
Choral Music
Musical Theatre
Ukulele
Student Guided Play Production
Painting
Drawing/Sketching
Community Created Installations
Auction Art for School Fundraisers
Mural Work
Experience
- Previous School Partnerships
- John Hay Elementary
- WA State TAT Lab Graduate
- No
- Other Trainings or Certifications
- Certificated Teacher
- Sample Lesson Description: Student / Classroom Residencies
- 2nd Grade Science Soils: Visual Arts Integration
- Students created observational drawings of flowers and their root systems.
- Students created textured paintings displaying soil layers and characteristics.
- Students created clay flower pots with a drainage hole to then be filled with sand and humus, a perfect for a plant!
5th Grade Fractions in Real Time: Ukulele
- Students learned how to strum in different time signatures.
- Students learned how to subdivide beats with quarter notes and eighth notes.
- Students created bar models and fraction sentences to represent rhythms in different time signatures.
Kindergarten LA Comprehension: Theatre
- Students acted out all the events and characters in a picture book while it was being read.
- Students were assigned a character and showed the characters emotions and actions.
- Students drew a character map and a portrait of their character.
- Students drew and explained to their peers the order of events in their story.
- After rehearsing, students performed for their buddy class.
- Sample Workshop Description: Teacher Professional Development
Areas of Experience and Expertise
- Approved Professional Development Provider
- 1
- Approved Classroom Residency Provider
- Yes
Teaching Approach
- Teaching Philosophy + Approach
- We are all artists!! How student's view themselves and their art is so important! I approach teaching as building a positive relationships. I believe art is meant to be enjoyed and shared, thus trust and respect are crucial. It is essential that students feel confident and positive about their process of creating art.
- Curriculum Integration Possibilities
- Math
Science
Language Arts
History
- Special Skills and Areas of Expertise
- Student Showcases
Community Art Events
Unit Building
Integrating Arts into Established Curriculum
Community Concerts & Sing-a-longs
Student Created Installations
- Testimonials from Schools
Fees
- Fees
- $60 hour for prep time and teaching time
Images
- Image
- Image Description
- Watercolor resist. 5th Grade nature inspired landscape after a hiking field trip.
- Image
- Image Description
- Senses Poem and Illustration. Inspired by the Mood Meter.
- Image
- Image Description
- Butterflies Installation. Every student painted a butterfly which was the mounted onto fishing wire to appear to be in flight. "Our stories are like butterflies, not meant for just you to see, but to be set free. When our stories are shared, they fly soar
- Image
- Image Description
- 5th Grade self portraits. Inspired by Picasso. Study of shape and form. Constructed with cardboard.
- Image
- Image Description
- 2018 Musical Production of the Lion King Kids. Performed at Ballard High School.