Intensive Learning @ MFS
The World At Your Fingertips
The Outdoor Exhibits Intensive Learning group arrived at around 10:30 to explore Fairmount Park at the beginning of the cherry blossom season. It was an incredible sight to see the pink blossoming flowers. We then met at the Shofuso Exhibit and split into two groups, taking off our shoes to show respect and to...
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Today we further explored the work of improvisation. Our teachers led us through many activities throughout the day. We started with team building exercises and slowly worked our way up to larger scale improvisation. During these exercises, we had the opportunity to push ourselves out of our comfort zones. After lunch we did an...
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Today, we were joined by a triad of Newmans, a Truman, as it were. Today, it all came together. Shouts of “Hot Metal!” rang through the through the trees, followed by the glorious clank of metal, anvil, and hammer coming together in the anthracite-laden morning air. We maintained fire in our forges for most...
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Today, the Careers in Music Intensive Learning group went on a walk down Philly music history in the form of a 3-hour long fun-filled bus tour. The tour featured an amazing, groovy tour guide that knew everything about Philly’s rich music history. The bus driver/tour guide drove around the entire city to show monumental...
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Today, we visited the Pig Iron Theatre in Philadelphia. It’s a school that teaches students acting and directing, but it’s also open to the general public, like our class field trip. They taught us a lot about body language and how people can present themselves to show off their personalities; we got to apply...
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This morning we left on a bus for Philadelphia. We went on a Mural Arts tour around the city, where our tour guide explained how murals impact the community by creating new opportunities for people and inspiring social change. Some of the topics included homelessness and the Black Lives Matter Movement. We also learned...
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For our third day in Careers in Music, we learned about songwriting. We started the day with Mr. Howard giving us some background on what it is like in that industry. Then, we watched two informative TED talks: one about a songwriter who writes for artists, and one giving us information on the whole...
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Our third day of blacksmithing had the class split into slightly larger groups due to absences. This introduced several challenges as communication became the key to keeping the fires alight. The morning gave students the opportunity to use many of the new tools such as the hacksaw, metal file, and chisel. Working off of...
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We arrived after a relatively short bus ride to a windy and overcast Philadelphia sky. We were excited for our third trip in this Outdoor Exhibits experience. We took a quick group photo and then separated into small groups. The entire day was independent open exploration — no guided tours. This allowed each group...
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Today was our first day using the forges for blacksmithing and our second day of blacksmithing. First, we brought out the forges we had built on Friday, along with out tools and set them up at the end of the fields. We then filled our boxes with sand and started building our fires. Everyone...
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On March 21, 2022, at 9:20 am, we departed from MFS to visit the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. We arrived at 10:00 am for a private tour. Inside, it was very large and spacious. There were different sculptures, paintings, and even a organ, a keyboard instrument connected with pipes, that were...
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Today after a long bus ride, we finally arrived at Longwood Gardens. We then broke into two groups with Kathy and Mellissa as our guides. Even though a lot of the plants and trees were still budding, we were surrounded by all kinds of nature. We were able to walk around the conservatory with...
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Today is our first day of Intensive Learning. We were first divided into six teams. We learned some interesting information about the name of “blacksmith.” Our first important task was to build our own sandbox. In order to build them, we spent time measuring and learning how to cut the boards with the machine. It...
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Today, we stopped by the Gradwell House Recording Studio and talked to Dave Downham, who showed us the multiple rooms with different opportunities to record with acoustic and digital equipment. We then returned to campus and talked with David Grow, a musician whose Nashville-based company Howling Music produces mini-scores for large companies like the...
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Today we were on campus and looked at film as a type of art that creates social change. We specifically focused on the HIV/AIDS epidemic that began in the 1980s. In the morning we watched portions of And The Band Played On. The film (adapted from a true story), explored the beginning of the...
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