Arts News for Teachers
- In the News
- Music Core Content PD Session (Madisonville)
- Teaching About Asia (Somerset)
- LCT 2008/09 Season (Lexington)
- Actors Theatre 2008/09 Season (Louisville)
- Teaching Conference on Lincoln (Frankfort)
- Books as Bridges Project
- Arts Toolkit News
- Music Arts Toolkit Shipping!
In the News
Music Core Content PD Session Offered in Madisonville
A one-day professional development session on “Integrating and Assessing Kentucky’s Music Core Content” will be offered Tuesday, July 15 at the Center for Cultural & Professional Development in Madisonville. Led by John Christopher, participating teachers will explore a variety of topics that are useful in teaching a general music class or music keyboard lab, from teaching techniques and curriculum development to free software. Participants will receive electronic resources including multiple-choice questions and sample keyboard lesson plans. The registration fee is $60 (purchase order number required); call (270) 821-4909.
PD Offers Opportunity To Learn About East Asia
Teachers and librarians serving grades 6-12 can gain skills and ideas for teaching about the history and cultures of China, Korea, and Japan at the 30-hour professional development seminar “Teaching About Asia.” The seminar will be offered July 28-August 2 at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset. Each participating teacher will receive a $500 personal stipend, $200 worth of texts for his or her personal library, $300 in resources for the school library, and the opportunity to purchase graduate credits and to apply for a study tour to East Asia.
The course is sponsored by the Freeman Foundation and will be led by Dr. Carol Medlicott of Northern Kentucky University’s Department of History and Geography. Participation is limited to 20, and applications must be received by July 1. For more information and to obtain an application, visit the Asia Center web site or contact Shana Herron at (859) 257-7858.
Lexington Children’s Theatre Celebrates 70th Anniversary
The 2008/09 season will be Lexington Children’s Theatre’s 70th, and a wide array of performances are planned. Productions will include Still Life with Iris, Honk, The Giver, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and more. The theater also offers previews and educational materials for teachers. Visit the LCT web site for additional information.
Actors Theatre 2008/09 Season Announced
Actors Theatre of Louisville’s 2008/09 season includes some productions with exceptional potential for Kentucky classrooms. Among the offerings are Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice; Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun; and Wild Blessings: A Celebration of Wendell Berry, about the Kentucky writer and philosopher. In addition to student matinees, ATL offers numerous student workshops on topics ranging from playwriting and monologues to conflict resolution. The Actors Theatre web site has more information about student matinees as well as other educational workshops and camps.
Workshop Offers Ideas on Teaching About Lincoln
Teachers can gain ideas and information about a wide array of resources relating to Abraham Lincoln at a Kentucky History Education Conference on the theme of “Abraham Lincoln and Kentucky,” scheduled for July 9 at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in downtown Frankfort. Sessions will cover such topics as the Lincoln Heritage Trail, lessons on Lincoln, books about Lincoln, and writing activities relating to Lincoln. Register by July 2 to attend the day-long conference. Visit the Kentucky Historical Society web site for more information and to register.
Books as Bridges Project Connects Classrooms Worldwide
The Lexington-based International Book Project has been distributing books to those in need, both within the United States and abroad, since 1966. Now the IBP is offering the Books as Bridges Project to connect Kentucky classrooms to other cultures through Peace Corps volunteers or classrooms in other countries.
Each participant in the project is given contact information for a Peace Corps volunteer or teacher, a disposable camera to take pictures of the participating class, information about the country where the contact is located, and $25 to offset expenses.
If you are interested in participating, e-mail Lynda Jeffries at ibpdirector@alltel.net, or visit the International Book Project web site for more information.
Arts Toolkit News
Music Arts Toolkit Is the Biggest Yet!
The Music Arts Toolkit from KET includes nearly 12 hours of video segments,
including professional and student performances, demonstrations by educators
and artists, cultural music, and artist profiles. You’ll also find
a CD-ROM called A World of Music, with music and social studies
information on 25 countries around the world; a set of 10 posters spotlighting
musical periods and styles; a binder with lesson plans, glossaries, and
other informational materials; and a set of Idea Cards. All materials
address Kentucky’s Program of Studies and Core Content for grades
K-12.
The cost of the Music Arts Toolkit is $99 for the DVD version or $125 for the VHS version. Quantity discounts are available.
To order any of the Arts Toolkits, call KET Duplication Services at (800) 945-9167, or fax or mail the online order form.
On the Web
Some Cool Web Sites
Arts Research/National News: The Americans for the Arts site includes everything from arts news from around the country to events, opportunities and resources, and research and information.
Visual Arts: NGA Kids from the National Gallery of Art provides fun activities for children and resources for teachers.
Visual Arts: The Artist’s Toolkit enables students to explore the tools artists use to create works of art. The web site is a project of the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Dance: American Ballet Theatre has a wonderful interactive Ballet Dictionary featuring dancers illustrating key terms.
Multi-Arts: PBS Teachers provides access to the amazing resources that accompany such signature cultural series as Great Performances, American Masters, and Masterpiece Theatre. You can also sign up for a weekly e-newsletter.
Arts and Academics: Recent Studies
National Endowment for the Arts Releases Study on the Arts and Civic Engagement—A large-population survey from the NEA has found links between arts participation and community health. People who participate in the arts are people who help make communities thrive, according to “The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life.” It reveals that people who participate in the arts also engage in positive civic and individual activities—such as volunteering, going to sporting events, and participating in outdoor activities—at significantly higher rates than non-arts participants. The report shatters the stereotype that art is an escapist or passive activity, showing instead that it is associated with a range of positive behaviors. The study also reveals that young adults (18-34) show a declining rate of both arts participation and civic activities. Visit the NEA online newsroom for the full press release.
Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement—This new advocacy brochure describes in non-technical terms what the research says about how study in the arts contributes to academic achievement and student success. This eloquent case for the arts can be ordered in bulk from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies for distribution to school boards, school-based councils, administrators, and other decision makers. The information is based on Critical Links—Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, a study released in 2002 by the Arts Education Partnership and funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Status of Arts Education in Kentucky Public Schools Survey—In an effort to gauge the status of arts education in Kentucky public schools, the Kentucky Arts Council contracted with the Collaborative for Teaching and Learning to conduct a comprehensive statewide survey of school districts. For years, Kentucky arts educators and others have feared that the state of arts education in the schools has been on a downward trend, but these suspicions have remained largely untested. The survey is providing baseline data which the KAC and other state-level partners in the project, as well as local arts and cultural organizations, can use to design education outreach efforts focusing on the identified needs.
Project SMARTArt—A Case Study in Elementary School Media Literacy and Arts Education—The Center for Media Literacy, the Music Center Education Division, AnimAction Inc., and the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Leo Politi Elementary School recently designed and implemented Project SMARTArt (Students using Media, Art, Reading, and Technology) through a federal grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts. The aims of the project are to achieve a new understanding of media literacy and to develop new guiding principles for integrated programs involving the arts, media literacy, and other academic content areas.
Reading at Risk—The National Endowment for the Arts has released Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, a research report presenting the results from the literature segment of the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
