Tag Archives: arts education

Link Roundup! – 2/13/15

Link Roundups feature articles and bits of internet goodness that our dramaturgy team digs up. If you find something you want to send our way, drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter!

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Kindergartners at Wheeler paint the backdrop for their school photos. (Courtesy of Ada Leaphart/Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler)

Kindergartners at Wheeler paint the backdrop for their school photos. (Courtesy of Ada Leaphart/Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler)

This piece about the Integrated Arts Academy in Vermont combining the arts with math, science, social studies and other curriculum really highlights the importance of creativity in the classroom:

What does art integration look like? Recently, a fourth-grade lesson on geometry examined the work of the famous Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky. The class talked about his work and then created their own art using angles in the style of Kandinsky. Students had to be able to identify the angles they’d used and point them out in their art.

“Higher analytical thinking and reasoning and student voice fit so well with the arts,” said Bobby Riley, the school’s principal. Teachers are seeing ways to make connections between subjects and watch as students find creative confidence and voice in their expression.

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The Boston Globe has an interview with Julie Burros, the new arts and culture chief, about her plans for Boston and what she’s learned about the city’s cultural scene since taking office:

On the relationship between the arts and income inequality, I’m curious to know: Can you use arts and culture to address that growing problem?

Maximizing people’s creative capital could help create income opportunities for people who maybe don’t see themselves fitting into the four-year college track or the corporate world. There’s another relationship in, how can unlocking people’s creative tools help them be more employable, more well-rounded employees for all different kinds of industries? And then there’s just the appeal factor. If we have more robust arts and culture offerings in our schools, it could keep kids in school longer.

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#LinkRoundup! — 11/14/14

Link Roundups feature articles and bits of internet goodness that our dramaturgy team digs up. If you find something you want to send our way, drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter!

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Definitely check out this awesome post from author and illustrator MariNaomi:

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The Clyde Fitch Report has this important reminder about the class and economic factors at play in the development of young artists:

It begins in high school. If you are fortunate enough to grow up in a wealthy suburb, you are likely to have the benefit of a drama teacher (or two) at your school and a well-financed and active drama program where you can begin to develop your talents and gain experience in front of an audience. If your parents are wealthy enough, they will notice your theatrical interests and send you off to drama summer camps for further arts training, and perhaps they will pull whatever strings are necessary to get you enrolled in a high school of performing arts, where you will receive more attention, more training and more experience.

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#StaffChat: Supporting Arts Education

Staff Chat posts feature articles and news that the C1 team discusses as part of our weekly all-staff meeting. We’d love to hear your thoughts, too — hit us up on Facebook or Twitter!

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Kristen Engebretsen, arts education program manager for Americans for the Arts, wrote an article about ways to support arts education for ArtsBlog that was recently posted by The Alliance for Student Activities:

C1’s educational programs are a huge part of the company’s mission, so this issue is near and dear to our hearts. We are passionate about our Stage One and Apprentice programs, and always looking for ways to increase the visibility of the work our students are doing. This article is a good reminder to think about how we can ensure the future success of our educational programming and initiatives, and a solid resource for anyone who is passionate about keeping the arts in our schools.

Here are a few suggestions from the article that especially stick out: Continue reading

The Atlantic: Art is Vital

This article from The Atlantic highlights the importance of art in education and how participating in the arts enhances success in other areas of academia. Read the article here.

Thoroughly Modern Millie Controversy at Local High School

This Boston Globe by Ellen Ishkanian article talks about the controversy surrounding Newton North High School’s production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Read the article to find out how students, parents, and administration responded to the outcry regarding the show’s racial stereotypes of Asian Americans.

In this Boston Globe article by Don Aucoin, he highlights the issues surrounding producing plays that come from “problematic source material, as in the case of Thoroughly Modern Millie, and says that one of the underlying issues is that older plays haven’t caught up to our increasing diversity. He also highlights our production of Neighbors by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins for using stereotypes to show the racial assumptions we still make in today’s world. Read the article here.

UPDATE:

This column from the Boston Globe talks about high schools feeling fearful of producing certain plays due to content. Read the column here.

In this editorial also from the Boston Globe, the writer talks about how producing controversial plays can prove educational to students. Read the opinion piece here.

HowlRound: Taking the Drama Out of High School

On HowlRound, Jack Serio’s essay, Taking the Drama Out of High School, talks in depth about the unwillingness of high schools across the country to do plays that feature so-called “controversial” themes for fear of offending anyone. Therefore, it leads to high schools producing the same plays and musicals over and over again with content that is more than likely not relevant to what they’re experiencing in their lives. I think this is extremely relevant to how we engage with high schoolers that we interact with through our programs and shows at C1. Read the full article here. This article is a part of a larger HowlRound series called School Days.