announcing the kennedy center/stephen sondheim ... · the kennedy center/stephen sondheim...
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From September 20-22, 45 Teaching Artists gathered at the Kennedy Center for the annual Teaching Artist Retreat, designed and hosted by Amy Duma and the staff of Teacher and School Programs. Over the course of three days, artists participated in sessions covering topics such as 21st Century Learning Skills; assessment in arts integration; developing online workshops and courses for teachers; documentation of student learning through arts integration; and Universal Design. It was a rich agenda, and the Teaching Artists took away new skills and knowledge to enhance their workshops for teachers and residencies with students. Sponsors will see some of these ideas incorporated into their work as early as this school year. Kennedy Center Teaching Artists are a remarkable group of professionals, always curious and dedicated to continuous improvement of their educational work. To find out more about what they can offer your programs and communities, visit w w w . k e n n e d y - c e n t e r . o r g /touringresources and click on the link for “professional development opportunities.” On each Teaching Artist’s individual page, you will find a listing of their education services. And look for a fuller article on the Teaching Artist Retreat in the November newsletter!
Barbara
OcOctober 2010
Announcing the Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is pleased to announce the Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards – a series of annual grants that recognize inspiring teachers across the United States. The awards were created in honor of Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday and were initiated and funded through the support of Freddie Gershon and his wife Myrna. Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim frequently attributes his success to the teachers in his life. The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Awards will be presented each year on Sondheim’s birthday – March 22 – to a handful of teachers, kindergarten through college, who are nominated via the Kennedy Center website (www.kennedy-center.org/sondheimteacherawards).
By spotlighting the extraordinary impact teachers have on the lives of their students, the awards celebrate the teaching profession, the important role of teachers in society, and seeks to inspire others to pursue this noble profession. Along with the Award, the selected teachers will be showcased on the Kennedy Center website and will receive $10,000.
Nominees must be living, legal residents of the United States who currently teach or have taught in a K-12 school, college, or university in the United States. Teachers of all grade levels and subject areas are eligible. To nominate a teacher, you must be at least 18 years of age and must have been the Nominee’s student. Nominations can be a written, audio, or video story. All required materials must be submitted online or postmarked by Wednesday, December 15, 2010. For more information, official rules, and nomination information, visit the website: www.kennedycenter.org/programs/awards/sondheim/
Kennedy Center Announces New Major Gift On September 22, the Kennedy Center announced a major gift of $10 million from Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein. The five-year gift consists of $5 million for the National Symphony Orchestra in celebration of the arrival of Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, $2.5 million for other artistic programming which will be used to fund a significant production each season at the Kennedy Center called The Rubenstein Program, and $200,000 annually to support major Kennedy Center events. An additional $1.5 million will be earmarked for Kennedy Center education programs that bring arts into classrooms around the United States.
Kennedy Center Performing Arts Distance Learning The Performing Arts Distance Learning Series presents "The Suzanne Farrell Ballet: Deconstructing Divertimento" on Friday, October 1, from 11 AM-12 PM ET. Renowned ballerina and Balanchine protege Suzanne Farrell provides students with a unique vantage point as the company rehearses, demonstrates, and performs excerpts from Balanchine's Divertimento No. 15 and Agon. NEW this season, students can participate in an interactive Q&A video chat with Suzanne Farrell on Friday, October 15, at 2 PM at kennedy-center.org/pwtv.
Richard Peck and creative writing students explore Mr. Peck's latest books, the craft of writing, and advice for aspiring writers in "Telling Stories: Richard Peck" on Friday, October 15, from 11 AM-12 PM ET. All programs are broadcast via cable/satellite and the Web and registration is free.
"Teachers define us. In our early years, when we are still being formed, they often see in us more than we see in ourselves, more even than our families see and, as a result, help us to evolve into what
we ultimately become. Good teachers are touchstones to paths of achieving more than we might have otherwise accomplished, in directions we might not have gone.”
- Stephen Sondheim
Dates of Interest October 2, Re-launch of ArtsEdge
October 12-16, NASAA Conference in Austin, TX
February 15-19, 2011 Annual Meeting
KCAAEN News
The KCAAEN offers a list of federal, state, and local advocacy resources such as case-making research, advocacy how-to’s, and local action toolkits. Learn from your peers and find new ways to be effective. This simple one-page list includes both national and state-level resources that are free and online. If you have something you’d like added, please let us know.
Stephanie D’Abruzzo as Trixie. Photo credit: Carol Pratt
Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences (TYA) on Tour Update
The first national tour of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical will begin in early October. For the past eighteen years, the anchors of all of the tours have been the Partners in Education sites, and TYA will be visiting several during the first leg of the tour this fall, including:
Alberta Blair Theater Billings, MT October 18 Cam-Plex Heritage Center Gillette, WY October 19 Broadway Center for the Arts Tacoma, WA November 2 Morrison Center for the Performing Arts Boise, ID November 5 Smith Center for the Performing Arts Las Vegas, NV November 8-10 Higley Center for the Performing Arts Gilbert, AZ November 16 Scottsdale Center for the Arts Scottsdale, AZ November 18 Sangamon Auditorium, University of IL-Springfield Springfield, IL November 30 The Grand, Wausau Performing Arts Foundation Wausau, WI December 6
The tour will continue in the spring with both Knuffle Bunny and Barrio Grrrl! For more information on this season or our 2011-2012 tours, visit www.kennedy-center.org/kctyaontour. TYA can also be reached at (202) 416-8840 or [email protected].
National Schools of Distinction in Arts Education Award It is a pleasure to announce the five winners of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts National Schools of Distinction in Arts Education Award for the 2009-2010 school year:
Adlai E. Stevenson High School – Lincolnshire, IL Boston Arts Academy – Boston, MA Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts – Hilton Head Island, SC Roland Park Elementary/Middle School – Baltimore, MD Sudbrook Magnet Middle School – Baltimore, MD
Congratulations to these five schools for their accomplishments, and our continued thanks to all Alliances that supported applications this year. Next year’s application information is online at www.kennedy-center.org/AllianceAwards.
NSBA and Kennedy Center offer $10,000 Prize The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) is again partnering with the National Schools Boards Association (NSBA) to recognize a local school board for outstanding support of the arts in education. The winning district will receive $10,000 to help strengthen arts programs. Nominations must come from the state school boards association, the State Alliance for Arts Education, or these organizations jointly. The deadline for nominations is December 1. To learn more about the program click here.
OAAE Board Member Recognized by State Gary DeVault has been recognized as the Distinguished Educator for Arts Education by the Ohio Art Education Association as part of their 2010 Service Awards. Gary serves as a Fine Arts Consultant for the Tri-County Education Service Center in Wooster, Ohio. He is also a founding member of Wayne County Performing Arts Council and has served on the Wayne Center for the Arts Board of Trustees. He previously served Ohio Alliance for Arts Education (OAAE) as President and Co-chair for the Ohio Arts Education Assessment Project. He currently serves as the Advocacy Committee Chair for OAAE. At the national level Gary is the Vice Chair of the Arts Education Council of Americans for the Arts and a former Network Leadership Committee member of the KCAAEN. Congratulations to Gary!
A Guide for Non-Profit Boards
With non-profit organizations increasingly turning to the experience and expertise of business leaders, their board members must have a firm grasp of the similarities between non-profits and for-profits—and the differences that set them apart.
HBS faculty member Warren McFarlan examines how to design better strategies, i m p r o v e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l performance, and achieve your nonprofit mission, in his forthcoming book, Non-profit Boards: A Guide. National Partnerships Welcomes Fall Intern Brooke
B r o o k e LeBleu has joined the N a t i o n a l Partnerships team at the K e n n e d y Center as intern. A graduate of
Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Brooke holds a Bachelor of Arts in theatre and a minor in arts administration. Brooke is a product of a strong arts education, having attended arts academies for both middle school and high school. Brooke hopes to pursue a career in Arts Administration where she will advocate for the arts as fundamental to education. National Partnerships is grateful to Sandy LaBry of the Louisiana 1993 Partnership Team for recommending Brooke pursue this internship.
Partners in Education News Introducing Teaching Artist Amy MacDonald
Kennedy Center Teaching Artist Amy MacDonald is a believer in learning by doing: she learned journalism through her work as an editor for a local weekly and her teaching artist experience was jumpstarted when she accepted an invitation to present eleven workshops for students in one day. Amy is the author of
a dozen children’s books—which she says is her “true calling as a writer”—and has worked as a journalist for major publications both in the United States and abroad. Her learning-by-doing philosophy guides her workshop for teachers as well; participants learn what works for professional writers so they can think like authors and apply these methods to the teaching of writing. However, Amy is clear that “to teach writing, you don’t need to be a writer—you need to be a teacher.”
In “Writing by Storm: Overcoming Obstacles to Writing,” participants practice techniques to rid students of “writing anxiety.” In another instance of “learning by doing,” teachers deal with the concerns and struggles they have with writing themselves in order to gain insight into guiding students to success. “Writing by Storm” uses a group writing activity to teach the writing process and story structure. Amy also shares non-judgmental techniques to encourage students to write. She points out that, “not only [do these techniques] make us more powerful writers, they make us more discerning readers.” To learn more about “Writing by Storm: Overcoming Obstacles to Writing” or to bring Amy to your community, contact her directly at [email protected] or visit AmyMacDonald.com.
Florida (West Palm Beach) 2005 Team Receives Educational Programming Award Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, FL is among The Broadway League 2010 National Education Grant recipients. These grants support innovative programs that enable students to experience touring Broadway as a form of artistic expression and as an educational tool. Dreamgirls will be the focal point for the Kravis Center’s program “Young Women Pursuing Dreams Through Performance Discovery.”
Annual Meeting 2011 Registration Information Comes out this Month!
(Watch Your E-mail Inbox)
Partnership Team Updates AK 1991 – Curriculum Consultant Brooke Hull joins this team as the new representative for Anchorage School District. Brooke can be reached at (907) 277-4695 and [email protected].
CT 2005 – Westport Country Playhouse is no longer a member organization of this team.
GA 2001 – This team welcomes Michael Simanga, Interim Executive Director for the Fulton County Arts Council, who replaces Veronica Njoku. Michael's c o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n i s ( 4 0 4 ) 7 3 0 - 5 7 8 0 a n d [email protected].
IN 2007 – This team welcomes Vicki Vaughn, Principal of Edgelea Elementary School, who replaces Karen Combs. Vicki's contact information is (765) 772-4780 and [email protected].
MN 1991 – Comprehensive Arts and Magnet Coordinator LeAnn Dow joins this team as the new representative for Minneapolis Public Schools, replacing Pat Teske. LeAnn can be reached at (612) 668-5346 and [email protected]. Also joining this team is Ordway Center for the Performing Arts K-12 Education Coordinator Erin Gomach, whose contact information is (651) 282-3135 and [email protected]. Shelley Quiala’s new title at the Ordway is Director of Arts Education and Engagement.
MS 2003 – Mae Johnson, Instructional Strategist for the Greenville Public School District, replaces Ruth Ann Striebeck on this team. Mae can be reached at (662) 390-3371 and [email protected].
MS 2007 – This team welcomes two new members. Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Professional Development Amy Carter joins this team as the new representative for Meridian Public School District and can be reached at (601) 482-8246 and [email protected]. Lauderdale County School District Testing/Curriculum Coordinator Linda Dulaney replaces Clara Godine. Linda can be reached at (601) 485-0832 and [email protected].
MT 1991 – This team welcomes William Wood, Executive Director of the Alberta Bair Theater, who replaces Bess Fredlund. William's contact information is (406) 294-5201 and [email protected].
NM 1996 – This team welcomes three new members. General Manager William Bootz joins this team as the new representative for the Las Cruces Symphony Association and can be reached at (575) 646-3374 and [email protected]. Returning Las Cruces Public Schools representative John Schutz replaces Bonnie Hosie. John can be reached at (575) 527-5860 and [email protected]. Dona Ana Arts Council Executive Director Ceci Vasconcellos also joins this team. Ceci can be reached at (575) 523-6403 and [email protected].
NM 1999 – This team welcomes three new members. Associate Superintendent Jose Carrillo joins this team as the new representative for Cobre Consolidated School District and can be reached at (575) 537-4010 and [email protected]. New Silver Consolidated School District representative, Associate Superintendent Tricia Martinez, can be reached at (575) 956-2000 and [email protected]. Assistant Professor Debra Dirksen joins this team as the new representative for Western New Mexico University and can be reached at (575) 538-6559 and [email protected]. Hurley Elementary School Principal Margaret Kesler also joins this team. Margaret can be reached at (575) 537-4060 and [email protected].
NY 1996 (Great Neck) – This team welcomes a new partner organization, Hofstra University, and its representative, Donna Levinson, Assistant Dean for External Relations for the School of Education, Health and Human Services. Donna can be reached at (516) 463-5117 and [email protected].
Kennedy Center Teaching Artist Lenore Blank Kelner’s new email address is [email protected] and her new website is www. lbkcompany.com. 2010 Annual Meeting participants attend the Workshop Sampler
with Kennedy Center Teaching Artist Cynthia Elek
Nonprofits Adding Jobs: Ar ts & Enter tainment Positions Up Four Percent Nonprofit groups added jobs during the recession, according to an analysis of government data from 21 states by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies. Nonprofit employment in those states grew by an average of 2.5 percent a year from the second quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2009, the study found. By contrast, for-profit employers in the same 21 states shed jobs by an average of 3.3 percent a year. Employment at arts and entertainment groups grew by an average of 4.6 percent from 2007–2009, according to the study.
PBS Arts Launches on PBS.org PBS President and CEO Paula A. Kerger announced the launch of PBS Arts, a new website that offers Americans the opportunity to experience the arts and explore the creative process through special virtual exhibits, videos from PBS national and local programs and interactive features. The website is part of an ongoing commitment to strengthen public engagement in all forms of artistic expression and performance – in front of the camera and behind the scenes – and to bring more of the arts into the lives of Americans.
Cultural Fundraising in New York City On Labor Day, arts activists in New York City kicked off a three-year “One Percent for Culture Campaign” in response to a decline in city-level funding in recent years. In this year’s budget, the estimated 1,200 various arts and cultural groups in NYC received a collective $149.5 million—or 0.23 percent of the city’s entire budget. Advocates believe the city can do better, considering the 26 million tourists and $5.8 billion dollars in revenue arts groups bring to the city each year. The first two years of the campaign will involve cultivating grassroots supporters via petitioning and canvassing. Organizers hope to get 5,000 petition signatures in each of the city’s 51 council districts which they will use for support in legislative lobbying during the 2013 election season. Ultimately, the organizers indicate a goal of having a one percent city budget allocation for arts and culture in place by 2015.
NEA Foundation Launches Challenge to Innovate The U.S. Department of Education and the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation are launching a new challenge for public school educators to identify and solve education’s most pressing classroom challenges. The new Challenge to Innovate (C2i) program focuses intensely on solutions to the problems teachers face in their classrooms. In the new partnership, the Education Department’s Open Innovation Portal will host the Challenge to Innovate, a three-phase challenge from the NEA Foundation. Educators can participate by joining the Department’s Open Innovation Portal community. Then, educators can select the NEA Foundation C2i challenge and post, review, comment, and vote on the most pressing classroom challenges and their solutions.
Annual Magna Awards Seeking Exemplary School Districts American School Board Journal’s Magna Awards, sponsored by Sodexo School Services, honors school board best practices and innovative programs that advance student learning. Applications for the 2011 awards may be submitted using the online Magna Nomination form by the Oct. 15 deadline. Visit the Magna information page for answers to frequently asked questions, and take a look at the new, searchable Magna Awards Best Practices Database, where you can browse through past Magna winners and other high-scoring programs for innovative best practices, proven and practical solutions, and new ideas.
TV Shows and Movies Driving Kids to Music Education School choirs, drama clubs, and bands are set to win the popularity contest this fall, thanks to shows like Glee and Camp Rock 2. The National Association of Music Merchants released the findings of an August 2010 Harris Poll, in which students said musical TV shows or movies have made them want to become involved in various musical activities. Illustrating the increased influence of music-themed entertainment programs, 31 percent of the more than 1,800 young people (ages 8–18) surveyed nationwide, want to become involved in music-making activities thanks to their favorite musical shows.
Wolf Trap Launches First of its Kind Early Childhood STEM Learning Through the Arts Initiative The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts has launched an innovative Early Childhood STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Learning Through the Arts initiative focusing on the development, documentation, and dissemination of innovative, research-based models that integrate arts into early childhood STEM learning. Wolf Trap was awarded $1.15 million through the US Department of Education Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination grant program in support of this initiative. Through classroom residencies and professional development workshops, Wolf Trap Teaching Artists will work alongside educators to develop and implement new strategies and content that correlate fundamentals of dance, drama, and music with math/science learning outcomes in areas such as geometry/spatial relations, number/operations, pattern, measurement, and math reasoning. By the end of the grant period, Wolf Trap partner organizations will replicate the program in 10 regions around the country.
Michigan State Offers Arts Education Beyond Campus There is a need for Universities to find more ways to serve under-resourced communities beyond their borders. Michigan State University is doing that with its Community Music School in Detroit. This year, the school created the Aspiring Musicians Program to give young people, mainly those in grades 5–8, musical training that otherwise would have been denied them. Only a handful of the city's high schools now offer instrumental programs, and the picture is equally bleak in middle and elementary schools.
Teacher is Recognized for Developing Online Arts Curriculum
A high-school art teacher from Crescent, Oklahoma is receiving recognition for incorporating technology into her daily lessons. Kristi Lovett, an Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalist, used Moodle to develop a Web-based curriculum for her students, who record podcasts, take quizzes and check assignments online.
News and Resources
First Lady Hosts White House Dance Event The September 7th inaugural performance of the new White House Dance Series transformed the East Room into a stage for some of the world's most talented dancers. Michelle Obama hosted the event as a tribute to Judith Jamison, the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, who will step down in 2011 after two decades of leading the company. The event, directed by former New York City Ballet star Damian Woetzel, began with an afternoon of workshops for some dance students who traveled to the White House from schools all over the country. Woetzel, who is on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, says there will be future performances in the dance series .
College Board Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts The College Board is now accepting applications for the Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts. This new award will recognize and celebrate the achievements of six K–12 member schools that have implemented arts programs to promote student learning and creativity in e x e m p l a r y a n d i n n o v a t i v e w a y s . One school from each of the College Board's six regions will be recognized as a finalist and awarded a grant of $3,000 to support the continuation and growth of their arts programs. Of the six finalists, one school will be named the national winner and will be awarded an additional $1,000. The deadline for applications is Nov. 15, 2010.
North Carolina: KidZNotes Hopes to Duplicate Success of Venezuelan Violin Program Sponsored by Durham Public Schools, the Durham Symphony, and the East Durham Children's Initiative, the KidZNotes program is based on a model called El Sistema that began in Venezuela. That program has established a national system of youth orchestras that promotes positive change for thousands of the country's under-resourced children. The children will receive four days of afterschool music lessons and orchestra practice on Saturdays.
Celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month in Your Community Held every October and coordinated by Americans for the Arts, National Arts and Humanities Month is the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation. From arts center open houses to mayoral proclamations to banners and media coverage, communities across the United States join together to recognize the importance of arts and culture in our daily lives. Check the Americans for the Arts website for event ideas, promotional tools and resources.
2010 Creativity World Forum in Oklahoma As one of a dozen “Districts of Creativity” worldwide, Oklahoma was chosen to host a global event to explore the creative potential of individuals, communities, and citizens of the world. High-caliber speakers, international art exhibits, a Creativity Showcase, and Oklahoma tours are all planned to take place beginning November 15. Discounts are available for those who register before October 15. Visit the organization's website to learn more, to request a detailed program, and to register.
Vocalist Josh Groban Joins Forces to Bring Instruments to School Grammy award-winning singer, Josh Groban visited Marie Curie Middle School in New York City to kick off Bing's 'Our School Needs', a campaign in which students, teachers, and parents can submit a letter, pictures, or a video asking Bing to fulfill their school's wish list. In conjunction with Bing, Groban donated a variety of new instruments for the school's orchestra and music students. Groban is a passionate advocate for arts education and has dedicated much of the resources in his own nonprofit, The Josh Groban Foundation, to promoting school arts programs."
Webinars from Americans for the Arts Americans for the Arts is providing online professional learning at no cost to members. Attend Arts Education & District Superintendents November 15 at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST with presenter Donna Collins, Executive Director, Ohio Citizens for the Arts and Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. For more information on webinars or to register, visit http://www.artsusa.org/events/webinars/default.asp.
Pennsylvania: Dropout Task Force Calls for More Arts Education Programs
Calling the high school dropout rate for city students one of the most serious problems facing Philadelphia, Mayor Nutter said his administration would work with the school district to address it. 'There is nothing less at stake here than the future of this city,' Nutter told an audience at the district's administration building following release of a blueprint for stemming dropout rates. After studying the dropout problems of African American and Latino males in Philadelphia for ten months, a task force called for the district to reexamine its zero-tolerance policy toward violence, consider offering single-sex classes, add music and arts programs to help engage students' interest, and raise academic standards.
Music and art classes are being eliminated at many Oregon schools
Many Oregon school districts are eliminating music, art and other electives because of budget concerns and increased pressure for students to perform well on standardized tests. "Even if I see that music education is a benefit to kids on a day-to-day basis, the evaluation of my school, my county at the end of the year will be based solely on standardized test scores in a few subjects," said a director of a national music-education association.
News and Resources
Partners in Education KCAAEN (202) 416-8806 (202) 416-8817 www.kennedy-center.org/education/partners/ www.kennedy-center.org/education/kcaaen/
Any Given Child (202) 416-8806 www.kennedy-center.org/education/anygivenchild/
Partners in Education Advisory Committee Sharon Brooks Bess Fredlund Eileen Manganaro David Platts Omari Rush Michael Sandner Candy Schneider
National Partnerships Staff Barbara Shepherd, Director John Abodeely, Program Manager Kelsey Mesa, Program Coordinator Anthony Barbir, Program Assistant Brooke LeBleu, Intern
Sources for this issue of UPDATE include: Americans for the Arts, National School Boards Association, The Detroit Free Press, National Association of Music Merchants, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, PNN Online, Huffington Post, USA Today, The News & Observer, College Board, The Oregonian, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Mailing Address National Partnerships Education Department The Kennedy Center PO Box 101510 Arlington, VA 22210
Email [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
KCAAEN Network Leadership Committee Kristy Callaway Donna Collins John Ceschini Amber Harper Leslie Johnson Gail Mukaihata Hannenmann Penny Wallin
The U.S. Department of Education Supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy Center Education Department. The contents of this document do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Funding for the Kennedy Center’s National Partnerships program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
David M. Rubenstein Chairman
Michael M. Kaiser President
Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education