Moving from Curitiba, Paraná Brazil to Halifax, Nova Scotia to study music was a big change for Lucas Hernandes Nascimento (BMus’18). So was the way in which Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts approaches performing arts education.

“Our productions have lighting, sound, costumes, accompanists or even an orchestra. With so many moving pieces to a production, it informs you on how to behave as a professional. It gives you perspective on how far you can go professionally, and those experiences help you decide that.”

Every year the school mounts various stage productions, music concerts, and an opera, all of which provide impactful applied learning opportunities for students. It exposes learners to a range of disciplinary approaches and grounds theoretical knowledge in an abundance of experiential learning. While it seems an obvious observation, Nascimento points out that giving performing arts students as many opportunities as possible to perform is what makes the Fountain School so special.

Now on staff at the Fountain School himself, he has an even greater appreciation for everything he gained from his time as a student – and for the generosity of the school’s supporters, who make career-defining learning experiences possible.

Multi-disciplinary performing arts programs create applied learning opportunities

Photos by Kate Hayter

“Coming from a music school in Brazil, we did not have applied instruction, it was mostly theoretical and focused on studio technologies,” says Nascimento. “Coming to the Fountain School was a huge world-changing experience.”

In Brazil, Nascimento sang and played guitar in an indie circus, which he describes as a very interdisciplinary environment. “We’d gather in the same space to do our own thing, then teaching each other. We’d have community night, somewhat like the Fountain School’s noon-hour recitals. We were exposed to different types of art. It provides perspective on how we all learn.” Building on this foundation, the Fountain School’s multi-disciplinary approach was a natural fit.

Support for enhanced learning activities strengthens our artistic community

Beyond required curriculum, the Fountain School hosts guest lecture series, concerts, and masterclasses which are all open to the public. They provide students an opportunity to engage in arts outside their own discipline. These enhanced learning environments, made possible with help from donors, also allow students to create connections with various arts communities. Nascimento quickly saw the value in creating connections in and outside the classroom. “Knowing the humans around you is a crucial life skill.”

“It changed my life to get this training. I had such different teachers during my three years at the Fountain School. It gave me a real appreciation for everything I studied and continues to help me hone my craft of teaching voice. How I learned voice continues to inform how I learn other artforms, like visual arts. It’s all about the process, and it’s always in progress.”

Funding for Fountain School students allows them to explore their passion for the arts in a safe, inclusive and collaborative environment. The Fountain School’s network and the efforts of colleagues, alumni and supporters continue educate, motivate, and inspire students with outstanding opportunities and access to other critical resources that further their learning.

For Nascimento, this included financial support. “It was such a relief to receive financial support,” he says. “Financial success isn’t why anyone chooses art but it is a constant pressure that can keep us from focusing on what really matters. The commitment to becoming a vessel for the arts, that’s why I choose this path.”