Virtual Art and Music Classes Received Mixed Reviews

During all virtual instruction some students struggled with the adjustment and found it more difficult to be successful in their core classes, but how did some of the students in the more hands-on classes such as art and music adjust to being all virtual while still improving their skills?

Having all classes all online meant that students needed a fast enough internet so they could attend their classes and have other work up without it being slow and this caused a lot of problems with students at Greendale.  Another thing with classes being all virtual was that they were also a little shorter so there was less time to learn the material and get help from teachers.  

And this could be harder for students in art class because they weren’t able to get feedback on their work as easily.  Junior art student Macy Ortloff explains how she felt having online school. “I liked doing it virtually because it gave me a break to draw and it was a little more interactive than my other virtual classes,” she said. “However I missed being in the art room and having Merkel in person to ask questions. I think the biggest challenges were being able to learn the techniques without having someone else there to guide you, but it also was kind of fun in a way because it was challenging and rewarding when everything clicks..” 

Although it might have been difficult, art teacher Pam Merkel found a way to make sure her students were able to learn at their own pace.  “The hardest part was getting the correct balance between presentations and work time and still touching base with each student about their projects,” she said. “Work time is really important and with in person class I would normally be going around to each student and having conversations about their ideas and giving advice on symbolism or materials. It is much more difficult when we were virtual. The hybrid was also difficult as many students would forget their supplies at home or suddenly get quarantined and their supplies would be at school.” 

Art classes were also especially difficult because of the materials needed to do any assignments or projects and not everyone had access to those materials.  Ortloff explained how she was able to get materials needed for the class. “I got my supplies from the art room, Merkel made us all totes to carry our supplies in. I also bought some supplies on the side because I wanted them, like alcohol markers and white pens,” she said. 

Music classes being all online was also a real struggle for some people because they may not have had a place to play their instrument, were unable to tune the instrument by themselves, or may even have had background noise that kept them from concentrating on their music.  Senior violinist Kayla Mageski has been a part of the orchestra her entire high school career and had a lot of trouble with having orchestra class online.  “It was a lot harder to feel involved because I was not able to see everyone in my class,” she said.  

Although it was challenging to have these types of classes online, everyone was able to make adjustments to make the classes as normal as possible so if this happens again they will be ready.