Running Head: INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT 1

Interdisciplinary Project: Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy

Mark Fioramonti, Elizabeth McNulty, Maria Palazzolo, Kateri Spencer, Caeli Welker

Franciscan University of Steubenville

EDU 360

November 9, 2017
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Students attending Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy in New York City will be well

versed in the subject areas of science, social studies, english language arts, mathematics, and

music and art according to national and common core standards for sixth and seventh grade.

Each teacher of these subject areas has teamed together to form an interdisciplinary curriculum

team. The purpose of the interdisciplinary curriculum is to teach a varying number of subject

areas within one project or theme. As students develop skills, they will also be diving deeper into

relatable subjects without solely focusing on textbook information and activities

(Interdisciplinary Curriculum, n.d.). The curriculum created by a set of teachers is aimed to have

students engage in high interest active learning that spans cross-curricularly. The three unit

themes takes place over a span of twelve days (George and Alexander, 2003).

Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy (FPAA) is a private school in the heart of New

York City and caters mostly to middle class students. The themes of the unit focus on the culture

of the school by tying in the evolution of music, and the culture of the city through topics of the

European impact on society and the effect of immigration. This interdisciplinary curriculum,

which was designed around a school’s system in Homer, Alaska, was chosen because of the

nature of FPAA. It is an art school; therefore, students should be well versed in both subject

matters concerning the arts and, of course, those of a common curricular nature like those

mentioned above. With the themes chosen, the goal will be for the students to experience the

culture of their home in a way that launches them into their desired profession that they may

hopefully find here in New York or beyond.

When attending Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy, one of the twelve-day unit themes

will be The Evolution of Music. This unit was created for students in grades sixth to seventh to

help them understand music itself and its evolution throughout history. In every subject, students
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will be deepening this knowledge through various kinds of activities and experiences. For

instance, in music/art, the students will create their own expressive piece of music modeled after

the music they have learned and perform or record the piece to share with classmates. Tying into

the subject of English Language Arts, the students will be able know where the music originated

and how it became popular in America. Students will also have a wide array of musicians to

learn about and add to their repertoire. Specifically relating the theme to New York City, social

studies will tie in for the students an understanding of the evolution of jazz and its effects on

American society. In math, students will learn about the prices and profits concerned with being

involved in an original jazz band. As students learn about the history of music, they will also be

learning about the science behind it, especially concerning how music is made. These lessons

will keep the students engaged and provide educational activities that allow the students to have

unique experiences concerned with the evaluation of music.

The theme of The European Impact within the 6th and 7th grade curriculum of the

Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy was chosen because of its ability to be incorporated within

different grade levels and its relevance to the students who attend the school. Students who

attend this school live within the city of New York, a city enriched with the influences of many

different cultures and lifestyles. These students are constantly exposed to influences from all

types of cultures, especially Europe. The European Impact theme allows students to understand

different topics in the context of something with which they are familiar and by which they are

influenced on a daily basis. The relationship between The European Impact theme and each and

every subject is consistent and relatable. Within the subjects of music and art students are able to

go to an art museum and analyze works from Europe. In science, students study European wind

instruments and overcrowded buildings during the height of immigration. And in social studies,
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students study the settlements Europeans made in New York. The Fitzgerald Performing Arts

Academy prides itself on its excellence within many subject areas as it strives to create

meaningful student experiences and to meet student interests through interdisciplinary themes.

To the advantage of the students attending, Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy is

located in one of the most culturally rich centers of America: New York City. Much of the

reason that New York is such a cultural melting pot is due to the fact that it is the home of the

port, Ellis Island. Millions of people from countries all over the world have been making the

move to America through this port for centuries, bringing with them new cultures, ideas, and

innovations. Throughout the course of the twelve-week unit titled Immigration in New York, the

students are given the opportunity to learn about who and what has helped to shape everything

that exists right beyond the doors of their classroom. This may include the music they hear, the

architecture they see, the food they eat, and countless other aspects of their very own lives. The

information will be relevant to the students and help to keep them engaged in what they are

learning, as well as the tasks that they will be completing. Many hands-on learning activities will

be included in order to achieve this goal, such as learning about famous people that immigrated

to America and what contributions they made. Providing the students with these experiences will

help them become aware of, as well as become more appreciative of, their own lifestyle and

culture and the plethora of other cultures flourishing around them.

The interdisciplinary curriculum carefully crafted by the team of teachers at Fitzgerald

Performing Arts Academy is meant to interconnect the subjects of the school under shared

themes so that students can experience unity and fluidity in their education. The themes, which

were also thoughtfully constructed by the faculty team, strive to engage students through

relatability and real life connection. The Evolution of Music theme shows students the
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importance of music history for New York as a city, The European Impact theme reveals how

influential Europe has been throughout history on the home of the students, and the Immigration

in New York theme helps students to understand and relate to the various cultures around them.

Through these themes and the interdisciplinary curriculum, the students of Fitzgerald Performing

Arts Academy will experience a holistic and unified approach to education that is tailored to

their interests and engages them in meaningful, hands-on learning activities.

Bibliography

Interdisciplinary curriculum (n.d.). Coalition of Essential Schools. Retrieved from:

http://essentialschools.org/benchmarks/interdisciplinary-curriculum/
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George, P & Alexander, W. (2003). The exemplary middle school. Belmont, CA: Thomson

Wadsworth.

Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy

North Brother Island, Bronx, NY 10454
FPAAcademy@gmail.com | #929-834-9283

Monday, August 15th, 2017

Dear Parents/Guardians,
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We, here at Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy, are so excited for this new school year!
There are many reasons as to why we are excited. First, we hope that you will be as willing as
ever to participate in school activities. We just love having our students’ parents join our school
community! Right off the bat, here is a great way to get instantly involved: join our parent-led
booster club! Our booster club has many exciting plans for this year, including bake sales at
every school performance, engaging halftime shows at our football games, raffles and
fundraisers at our baseball and volleyball games, and many more engaging ways to support our
wonderful school!
And of course, we are very much looking forward to all of our performances this coming
year! We will have band performances, solo recitals, dance numbers and, of course, our annual
spring musical! The musical is yet to be decided, but we do know it will be off Broadway. So
try to contain your excitement!
At Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy, we have always modeled the interdisciplinary
curriculum in an attempt to enhance student interest and engagement and unite our various
subjects under an overarching theme. This years themes, which will each consist of a 12-day-
long unit, are titled The Evolution of Music, The European Impact, and Immigration in New
York. These themes will be incorporated into as many lessons and as many subjects as possible.
Our goal is to spike our students’ interests by learning about a few major things (music, the
influences of Europe, and immigration) that have heavily impacted New York City.
As a last note, we hope you are able to make it to our beginning of the year barbeque on
Saturday, August 20th at 5pm! The event will be held in the school gymnasium, as always. We
will be enjoying hamburgers and hot dogs as well as refreshments! We ask that you please
RSVP by the 19th, so that we are able to plan accordingly. We hope to see you and your family
there!

Thank you for your involvement and support as we prepare for an exciting year!

Sincerely,
Principal McNulty
& Faculty of Fitzgerald Performing Arts Academy