me arts ed

State Drama Festival

Eighteen schools vying for Maine drama crowns, Portand Press Herald, please click here for article.

OH, how awesome this is!

Bobby McFerrin presented at the 2009 World Science Festival. With  audience participation he used the pentatonic scale to demonstrate a neurological phenomenon: expectation. I am sure the music teachers reading this have had similar experiences. Please share how you transfer this knowledge to your classroom.

Thank you Kate for shaing this link!

Until March 27th see oodles of art work at Bangor Mall

What do you get when you mix….

• 54 art teachers
• 28 – 4′ X 8′ panels
• an empty store front at the Bangor Mall
• two hours on a Sunday morning
• Youth Art Month
• University of Maine Museum of Art
• OOOOOODLES of OUTSTANDING  artwork by K-12 students
• and an organization that supports the good work art teachers do and celebrates student achievement???????????????

Art teachers Kal, Emmy, Sarah, Lori, Charlie, Stephanie, Dan

If you guessed a SPECTACULAR art exhibit that will remain in place until March 27th, you are correct! Art in the Heart set up their annual exhibit yesterday at the Bangor Mall and it is AWESOME!

Thanks to the following teachers who went above and beyond to facilitate the creation of the exhibit: Eric, Sasha, Nancy, and Helena for moving the panels. Courtney for publicity, Jenn for registration, Sarah for supplying materials, and all the members who traveled from near and far with their student work and for taking the time to put the work in place. You can see this process by clicking here, a clip from WABI TV5, and their coverage of the show. Also, thank you to University of Maine Museum of Art, Bangor Mall and the Rudnicki family for storing the display boards when not in use.

Emma, grade 8, Orono Middle School

The Arts enhance all parts of education

The mission of this website “The Right Brain Initiative” is to help readers understand the importance of developing both sides of the brain. To educate ALL young people ENTIRELY, focus needs to be made in integrating both sides of the brain in teaching and learning. When the education system provides that, students have the opportunity to be completely ready and fully educated!

From the Right Brain Initiative site:

“Brains come with two sides for a reason. They need each other. They fill in each others blanks. One is messy by plan. The other regimented. One is linear. The other bounces off walls. One reasons. The other feels. But what happens when they work together is magical. Magical enough to make kids connect, achieve, aspire, succeed. In a future that will require the full measure of all our thinking, it’s no time to leave kids half-interested, half-motivated, half-engaged, half-ready. Remember the right brain.”

Thanks Sandy for sending this.

Flowers, art, and outside time

Gotta love the hair on the middle child

Since Friday was a mandatory state shut down day it forced me to do something selfish so we headed off to Portland for the Flower Show. What a treat! I so enjoyed just being among the blooming flowers and trees and observing how the “artists” had created their displays of suggestions for the use of outdoor space. I only wish I could have heard the conversations that planned the unique aesthetic arrangements. Each display was very good but my favorite overall had a school of fish sculptures suspended from a wire above that swam down towards the center of the stone outdoor fire place. Many displays had amazing stonework with walkways, patios, trails and walls. I have embedded a picture a display that was so fun with children made out of trees and flowers.

Artist Lynne Shulman, retired art teacher, Westbrook

Visited the Maine Art Education Association art teachers exhibit at the Saco Museum. The terrific show is called Practicing What We Preach which remains until March 19th. I love the variety of work and it was great to see the large number of participants. Outstanding teachers displaying their own work! The artists included two of our recently retired educators, Trudy Wilson from USM and Lynne Shulman from Westbrook. I had seen the sculpture of Lynne’s several months ago when she had started the work so it was fun to see it complete. I have embedded a picture for you to see.

Maiden Cliff, Camden

We had a chance to hike Maiden Cliff in Camden Hills State Park, a place I hadn’t been in several years. The leaves on the trail were very dry (and slippery) for March. When we reached the summit the view of Megunticook Lake was spectacular. The sun felt warm on our faces while the pond was still frozen but graying. We could tell that the ice will be gone soon. Won’t be long now people will be paddling or fishing on the open water. We agreed that the first day of fishing season will have many ponds with open water this year. You can see another picture of the lake and read more about our adventure by clicking here.

Semi-finalist for Maine Teacher of the Year

Bill enjoying a moment last week at the TOY ceremony at the State House

YAHOOOOOOOOO for Bill!!!!  Leavitt Area High School Music Educator Bill Buzza has been named as a semi-finalist for 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year. Leavitt Area High School is part of MSAD #52 and serves Greene, Leeds, and Turner. Bill is one of the many outstanding arts educators teaching in Maine.

Two years ago I had the opportunity to visit Bill’s school district and visit the arts classrooms, K-12. Under Bill’s leadership the music education program is thriving. Bill is instrumental in facilitating an incredible Arts Gala Week which takes place each year at the high school throughout many classes. The annual event is taking place this week, March 15-18.

During Arts Gala the visual art department has a massive art display which covers the wall space on the first floor of the school. Throughout the “gala” artists participate in an artist-in-residence program where they work with classroom teachers to connect the various arts to the curriculum being studied in those contents. When I was there dancer Karen Montanaro was teaching mime to a French class who was learning about mime as a French art form. Leland Faulkner and Mandy Houtari were working with English and Theater classes about expressing a character. Poet Paul Janeczko was working in the English classes to improve writing and poetry. There were several other artists as well. Also included were school assemblies where various artists performed for the student body and students that had participated in some of the workshops performed.  During the evening the school was open to the public for a celebration of the arts with musical performances and the art show. This event draws 800+ people.

Karen Montanaro at Leavitt Area High School, Arts Gala Week 2008

The next steps of the Teacher of the Year program will include a visitation at Bill’s school, a portfolio, and a 15 minute presentation where Bill will be “teaching a lesson”. All the steps will include the importance of arts education and I am sure Bill will be a great ambassador.

If you’d like to read the first 2011 TOY post that I did please click here. Please join me in congratulating Bill by posting a comment below.

Here is a list of all the semi-finalists:

• Alice Barr   Yarmouth High School, Yarmouth, Grades 9-12 Technology Integration
• William (Bill) Buzza   Leavitt Area High School, Turner, Grades 9-12, Music
• Kate Gardoqui  Noble High School, North Berwick, Grades 9-12, English
• Amy Hediger   Poland Community School, Poland, Grade 4, Elementary Education
• Shelly Moody   Williams Elementary School, Oakland, Grades 3-4, Elementary Education

2011 Maine Teacher of the Year Nominees

Going From STEM to STEAM

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Ohio

Outstanding article in Education Week by Joseph Piro discussing the importance of the arts being included in the conversation with science, technology, engineering and math. Please don’t miss reading it and sharing it with your colleagues.

Please click here for the article.

Classical music is used as a tool for punishing youth in U.K.

This article from the CBC News has sparked a great deal of debate… would be an interesting topic to discuss with colleagues and even your students. You don’t want to miss reading it and I invite you to comment below. Please click here for the article.

Thanks Barb for sending this link.

Heartwood College, Kennebunk, ME

Emma Christensen, Gold Portfolio winner, grade 12, Rangely Lakes Regional School, Sonja Johnson, art teacher

Heartwood College of Art in Kennebunk is pleased to announce they are hosting the  Scholastic Art Awards for 2010 for Maine High Schools and Middle Schools.

The Betterment Foundation is supporting the event for the second year.  Last year there were over 400 hundred entries from across the state and more this year.

Heartwood College of Art will host an awards ceremony on Saturday, March 13th, 11AM – 1:00 PM followed by by an awards ceremony and reception at 1:30 p.m. at the Coastal House in Wells. All the Gold, Silver and Honorable mention artworks will be on display at the college March 8 through March 17, Monday – Thursday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

Congratulations students and art teachers who are participating.

Thank you Sonja for sending me this information.

The CI2 Awards: Win $500 for Your School!

Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity, E=mc2, at the age of 26, and it became the most famous equation of the 20th century. In Maine, we have a new theory of prosperity for the 21st century, which is that prosperity is tied to education and education is only as good as our students’ creativity, imagination, and innovation.

In other words, E=CI2.

The Maine Design Team, a group of innovative thinkers from our local schools, higher
education, the legislature, the business community, the arts community, and the Maine
Learning Technology Institute (MLTI) has formed to kickstart Maine’s learning
environments and build on all the ways that we can teach our students to imagine,
innovate, and create.

With that in mind, the Maine Design Team would like to see what sorts of amazing work is already happening all around the state.  We invite students, teachers, and administrators from any Maine school to submit a digital video that highlights their most innovative, imaginative, and creative project.  The winning school will be chosen by the members of the Maine Design Team and receive $500.  Several other schools will have their innovative work publicly acknowledged.

Who: Any student, teacher, or administrator from a school in Maine

What: Submit a short digital video (maximum 2 minutes long) that demonstrates how
your students are being asked to imagine, innovate, and create.

Where: Email a link to Lindsay.rowe@maine.gov or send a DVD to Lindsay Rowe,
Maine Arts Commission, 193 State Street, 25 State House Station, Augusta, Maine
04333-0025.  Any questions can be directed to Lindsay Rowe at 207/287-6720 or
Lindsay.rowe@maine.gov.

When: Submit by April 1

Why:
• Because you want to show how creative, innovative, and imaginative your students
are and highlight the great work happening at your school
• Because you want to win $500 for your school’s next creative project