Archive for September, 2014

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PK-12 Teaching Artist Roster

September 8, 2014

Opportunity for Teaching Artists

Maine Teaching Artists who met to discuss and brainstorm ideas for MACs Teaching Artist program.

Meeting with Maine Teaching Artists to discuss and brainstorm ideas for MACs Teaching Artist program, Spring 2014

In August I wrote a blog post called What is a Teaching Artist? that provided information on the ongoing work that the Maine Arts Commission (MAC) has made a commitment to PK-12 Teaching Artists and the Creative Aging Teaching Artist program.

Today I am happy to announce that the application for the PK-12 Teaching Artists Roster is available and information is online at the MAC website on the Teaching Artist page that you can access by clicking here.

Teaching Artist Roster

The Maine Arts Commission is presently accepting applications for the PK-12 Teaching Artists Roster. The roster will include artists whose applications reflect their expertise and commitment to providing learning opportunities for students and/or teachers in the PK-12 education setting. The Teaching Artist Roster will be promoted to those in PK-12 school settings and organizations who work wtih this age population.

Successful applicants will demonstrate:

  • Mastery of an artistic discipline
  • Knowledge and expertise in sequential arts instruction
  • Good communication skills
  • Planning and organizational ability
  • Understanding of PK-12 learners

How to Apply:

Please click here for the MAC page where the PK-12 Teaching Artist Application Form is located. If you have questions about the application, contact me at argy.nestor@maine.gov.

Application Calendar 

September 8, 2014   PK-12 Teaching Artist Application available

September 29, 2014   Application deadline for PK-12 Teaching Artist

November 3, 2014   Teaching Artist roster available

Please forward the link to this page or the MAC page to your colleagues who are Teaching Artists and may be interested in being part of the MAC Teaching Artist roster.

Posted in Communication, Community, Leadership, Opportunity, Professional Development, VPA | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

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Early Childhood and the Arts

September 7, 2014

Michigan Public Radio

Earlier this year Michigan Public Radio broadcast a show that was about the unique link between young children taking part in arts and crafts activities and patents received or businesses launched as an adult.

The study took a close look at Michigan State University Honors STEM students between 1990 and 1995. Ninety-four per cent of the STEM graduates had musical training as compared to 34% of all adults.

You can listen to the entire interview by clicking here.

Posted in Music, Research | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

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Colossal

September 6, 2014

Art, Design, and Visual Culture

Screen Shot 2014-08-23 at 2.33.20 PMIf you’ve ever had the chance to sit at a potter’s wheel and mess around with the slip while cleaning up you know how much fun it can be. This video was posted on the blog called Colossal which focuses on Art, Design, and Visual Culture. It is joyful to watch the designs being created set to music. This entry called A Spinning Mosaic of Patterns Drawn With Wet Clay on a Potter’s Wheel.

Fair warning: if you’ve never had the chance to do this, you might not be able to resist after watching this video.

Thank you to Kal Elmore, Bangor High School art teacher for sharing this link.

Posted in Food for thought, YAHOO | 1 Comment »

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Art for Life

September 5, 2014

Based on Studio Thinking

Thanks to Belfast High School Art Teacher and president of the Maine Art Education Association, Heidi O’Donnell for sending this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1Q3Z1JleK0

Posted in Creativity, Food for thought | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

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Assessing Creativity

September 4, 2014

Can it be done?

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Kate Smith

Thanks to Central Elementary School in South Berwick and Maine Arts Assessment Initiative Teacher Leader Kate Smith for the following review of an article entitled Assessing Creativity. The article is from Educational Leadership.

This is a fantastic article from Educational Leadership about assessing creativity. I like how the author illustrated the importance of separating the assessment of the content knowledge from creativity. I can remember (as a student) a rubric in which covering the content was “mastered”, or an “A” but if you were creative, you got an “A+”. It always felt wrong. Or how about when you’d ask your teacher for feedback and she’d say, “well… (pause) it was creative.” (Okay, maybe that only happened to me.) And I also like the definition of “creative” in this article. Yup, it was a good article!

To read the article please click here.

 

 

Posted in Creativity, Resources | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

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Articles and More Articles

September 3, 2014

Been waiting to be posted

You know every so often I take several articles that are sent to me and I put the links into one blog post. Well, this is that post. Filled with all kinds of interesting information and resources. Some of it you may want to share with your students, colleagues and/or parents.

  • The New York Times Science research report on the long-term benefits of music lessons. Read about it by clicking here.

Thanks to David Cadigan for sending me this information. 

  • From a blog post title Music: The Essentials of Tone Production and Its Ties with Art. Check it out by clicking here.

Thanks to Sebasticook Valley Middle School Music Teacher and Maine Arts Assessment Teacher Leader Jen Nash for sending this information.

  • You can use your voice: UNESCO keep Creativity and Arts Education as a fundamental priority. If interested please click here.

Thanks to Performing Arts Teacher at Carrabec High School and Maine Arts Assessment Teacher Leader Beth Lambert for sending this information.

  • Teacher in a Strange Land, Nancy Flanagan taught music for 30 years. In this blog post she weighs in on STEAM while co-teaching a course on the topic. To read the post please click here.
  • Using Essential Questions in Interdisciplinary Lessons video, to watch click here.

Thanks to Ellsworth High School art teacher and Maine Arts Assessment Initiative Teacher Leader Leah Olson for sharing this information.

  • An interesting slide show on digital portfolios by Frank Chimero.  Click here to access.
  • An article that was published in Fortune magazine: What entrepreneurs can learn from artists written by Tim Leberecht. To read the article please click here.

Thanks to Ed Brazee for sending this information.

Posted in assessment, Communication, Creativity, Curriculum and Instruction, Leadership, Music, Research, VPA | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

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Arts Programs

September 2, 2014

Education Comes From Programs, Not Just Classes

We sometimes talk about the difference between Arts Education and Arts Experiences, both are valuable but are very different.  This is a story from Claire Stack, a 2011 graduate of Irondequoit High School in NY, that provides some food for thought on the topic.

“I had a wonderful four years at IHS, which prepared me for the rigor of my four years at Cornell University. However, much of my education was not in the classroom but in the Black Box Theater, where I acted in five productions and directed one. In that theater I found a home away from home; a place where I could develop in an environment that was both safe and fun. I made incredible friends and learned from teachers who challenged the way I thought and pushed me to become a better artist and performer”.

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

 

 

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Jobs and the Arts and Humanities

September 1, 2014

Re-printed from Americans for the Arts Arts Education Weekly News Roundup

When you think “jobs,” do you think “arts and humanities”? No? Well, maybe you should. You see, as the world gets bigger and the world’s problems become more complex, employers seek more critical, comprehensive, and creative leaders. And the arts and humanities provide just that. To read the entire article please click here.

 

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