me arts ed

Two YOUTH ART MONTH exhibits taking place this month!

About 100 student works from Maine K-12 arts education programs are on display for the annual Youth Art Month celebration at the Portland Museum of Art. The exhibit is sponsored by the Maine Art Education Association.

Students and their families, art educators and other friends of the arts attend this special event to view student work and watch the young artists receive recognition. The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 7, 2009, 5:00-7:30. Certificates will be presented to artists in grades K-5 starting at 5:30 and to the grades 6-12 artists at 6:30. The exhibit remains on display until March 29th.

“On the Ice” by grade 8 student Anne-Marie, Art Teacher Frank Chin

Also, this month is the annual Bangor Mall show sponsored by Art in the Heart and the University of Maine Museum of Art. Fifty area K-12 art teachers are showcasing their student art work which will be on display at the mall, March 8-22, 2009.

I hope you find the time to exhibit student art work this month and/or visit an exhibit that is taking place. Taking the time to recognize students for their creations is the focus of Youth Art Month! What are you doing this month to recognize your students for their art work? Please let me know how you are celebrating and I would be glad to add them to the “Upcoming Events” page.

“The word Edutopia represents an ideal educational landscape, where students are motivated to learn and teachers are energized by the excitement of teaching.” The George Lucas Foundation established Edutopia in 1991 and publishes a magazine, website, and video documentaries.

This months issue of Edutopia is featuring the arts and entitled: “Why Arts Education Must Be Saved”. If you have questions about the importance of arts education you don’t want to miss these thought provoking articles and videos.

Take a snow day or some time on the weekend and check out Edutopia. You can learn about outstanding programs, research, gain ideas, see how technology is integrated in the teaching of arts education, and much more! You can even sign up for a Free copy of the magazine. One article is on using youtube to inspire your students. One of my favorite clips is this dance one is called “OK-Here It Goes Again”.

© Edutopia.org; The George Lucas Educational Foundation

Let us know what you think of Edutopia, which article you find valuable or inspirational!

I had a special treat last Thursday afternoon while attending the masterclass with Yo-Yo Ma at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland. Three young Maine cellists had the opportunity to work with Mr. Ma and about 300 members of the public in the audience. His warm smile and sense of humor invited all to participate. The man, as we all know, is a genius of a musician, but to see him work with students and draw in the audience, was pure magic! It was amazing to watch and listen to Mr. Ma teach and the students skills transform before my eyes.

Some of the highlights for me… On playing: ” music is so incredibly emotional, one can not just use one side of the brain.” It takes the entire brain to make music. On practicing: “you have the power to navigate your own course, you will find the buttons to push. Don’t make a sound unless you want to enjoy it. Move from “should” to “want to”. On nerves/stress: ” when I get nervous, I listen to the people around me and get their energy.” On learning: “what I love about music is that you never stop learning. Cultural literacy is so important. We can’t just look in through the window, we need to jump right in and learn.” When Mr. Ma was asked if he ever gets tired of playing the same music his response was: ” do you ever get tired of eating a hamburger? The ocean never gets boring, every time I look at it, it looks different. And every time I play a piece it sounds different.”

Yo-Yo Ma performed that evening to a sold out audience at the Merrill. Perhaps you were one of the lucky ones to attend that performance. If so, please give us your impressions. Both events were sponsored by PCA Great Performances. Thanks to the PCA staff who continue to bring outstanding music education opportunities to Maine. Read more at http://pcagreatperformances.org/