Making personal connections is not always easy in a society that often refuses to recognize the richness of the arts and what they have to offer. Many of us were told when we were younger that we couldn't carry a tune, or didn't have the ear to play an instrument, or the hand to draw or paint skillfully. Personal connections to the arts must be made early on, and making those connections within an arts curriculum is essential. When my acting students work on a scene from a play, they begin the process of creating a life for their character, which means understanding the historical, scientific, and cultural ethos of a particular time. Indeed, I find that the most exciting educational experience for any student is when the knowledge from several disciplines begins to coalesce.
Athleticism is invaluable when it come to learning about movement.
As they move through space athletes unwittingly incorporate ballet leaps and plies, Martha Graham dance steps, Luigi's jazz steps. Fifth former Dan Weinrieb from Buffalo, New York, initially came to Choate to play hockey. He and generations of Choate students, past and present, have discovered the artist within.