In This Issue
- Update on Arts Block Grant Funding
- The Day Music Died
- Getting to the "Harp" Of It All
- Herb Alpert Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists
- NEA Announces Second Education Leaders Institute
- New PSAs Championing Arts Education
- Call for Nominations, BRAVO Award
- Bravo! Project
CONFERENCES, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Arts Learning Summer Institutes Alameda County
- Art in Education Teaching Institutes CA College of the Arts
- 2nd Annual TCAP K-12 Courageous Creativity Conference
- TCAP Regional Centers: 2008 Summer Prof Development Institutes
- Arts LINC
- SouthCAP Summer Institutes
- Bay Area Writing Project
- ACSO 40th Annual Conference
- Executive Director/President, Arts Orange County
June 11 , 2008
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Update
on Arts
Block Grant Funding
There is little new to report from Sacramento. Both the Senate and
Assembly Education Budget Sub-Committees adjourned, having made their
recommendations based on the proposals included in the Governor’s May
Revise budget. By a majority vote, each committee voted to support full
restoration of funding for categoricals, including the Arts and Music
Block Grant. These recommendations will be folded into the larger budget
discussion, which will be occurring in the weeks and, no doubt, months
to come.
The proposal in the Governor’s May Revise to allow unspent balances of all categorical programs to revert to the general fund is just that— a proposal. While this flexibility is appealing to administrators, it would have the effect of punishing districts that were taking the necessary time to strategically and thoughtfully plan arts education programs. To that end the Alliance is strongly communicating these concerns to both the Governor's office and to legislative leaders. A general reminder that the budget proposals do not become law until the legislature passes a budget and the Governor signs it!
At the local school district level, here's what you can do today:Write a letter to your local school superintendent and school board members. Help to inform them that their decisions will impact student access to a core academic subject—the visual and performing arts. Click here to see a sample letter.
The
Day Music Died?
Unless some eleventh-hour funding comes through, the fifth-grade instrumental
concerts this week at San Mateo Park and several other elementary schools are
slated to be the last. Also extinct beginning next year will be the schools'
K-4 classroom music programs, as the district plans to eliminate its three elementary
school music teacher positions. Middle school music will remain, though the teachers
fear the program will wither if students enter sixth grade with no experience.
The cuts, approved by the school board on May 1, were prompted by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's proposal to balance a $17 billion state budget gap in part by
slashing education funding. To read the article in full, click here.
Getting
to the "Harp" Of It All
With its grand reputation and heavenly sound, the harp has become
the instrument of choice for a group of local youth. For the second year
in a row, more than a dozen students attending Carver Elementary in Watts-Willowbrook
are receiving free harp lessons during and after school. The district hired
Visual and Performing Arts Administrator Lanette White two years ago to
sharpen its focus on arts education and enrichment districtwide. Since
she was brought on board, a number of schools in addition to Carver have
received free instruments and funding for related instruction. To
read the article in full, click here.
Herb
Alpert Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists
After 22 years of providing an esteemed summer arts program to 10,000 talented
high school students aspiring to careers in the arts and entertainment industries,
the California State Summer School for the Arts (InnerSpark) will now offer its
students the opportunity to receive college financial aid through the Herb Alpert
Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists. The Herb Alpert Foundation (HAF)
has committed $1.2 million to the Scholarships so that 18 students each year
can be designated Scholarship recipients. HAF funds are coordinated with the
California State Summer School Arts Foundation (CSSSAF), a non-profit organization
created to support InnerSpark in achieving its mission via a unique public and
private sector partnership. To read the article in full, click here.
National
Endowment for the Arts Announces Second Education Leaders Institute
Bridgeton The National Endowment for the Arts Education Leaders Institute is
building "dream teams" to design powerful state arts education plans.
The NEA Education Leaders Institute convenes teams comprised of school leaders,
legislators, policymakers, educators, professional artists, consultants and scholars.
Together, these teams will discuss a shared arts education challenge, and jointly
create strategies to strengthen their state's arts education policies and programs.
The following states have been selected to participate in the July 2008 Education
Leaders Institute: Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island. "By
addressing these varied state challenges, we support state arts educators as
they participate in the national conversation on public education," said
NEA Education Director Sarah Cunningham. To read the article in full,
click here.
Americans
for the Arts, Ad Council and the NAMM Foundation Launch New PSAs Championing
Arts Education
The Advertising Council joined Americans for the Arts and the NAMM Foundation
to announce the launch of a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs)
designed to promote the benefits of arts education. To read the article in full,
click here.
Call
for Nominations, BRAVO Award
The Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County is awarding cash prizes
to outstanding arts teachers and schools. The Music Center BRAVO Award
Call for Nominations; Deadline- September 26th, 2008. Click here to download
a nomination form or call Faith Davis at 213-972-3387 for more information.
Bravo!
Project
The Principal Leadership Institute presents an evening of performance and
exhibitions by the Bravo! Project . "Leadership as a Redemptive Act" Friday,
June 6th, 6-9pm Tolman Hall, 2nd Floor Lobby, University of California, Berkeley. The
Bravo! Project is an arts education project that employs critical pedagogy, critical
race scholarship, and artistic methods to examine hard questions and find a way
to collaborate in a learning community. For more information, click here.
Conferences, Professional Development
Arts
Learning Summer Institutes Alameda County
From June 14-August 14, immerse yourself in professional development
in the arts this summer! A range of 1-5 day hands-on experience workshops
focus on arts and arts-integrated instruction that inspires students and
enhances learning. Click here to visit the Alameda County Art Is Education
web site and view a list of conferences and workshops taking place this summer.
Art
In Education Teaching Institutes CA College of the Arts
Students are introduced to the basics of Visual Thinking Strategies
(VTS), an arts integration tool that can be used across the curriculum. This
student-centered, research-based method of facilitating open-ended discussions
is geared toward developing critical thinking skills, building visual literacy,
supporting language development, and refining powers of observation.
For Nonartists: Explore and reflect in an intensive arts workshop that engages participants to make and look at art nonstop for three days. Myriad art-making processes and techniques are explored, including traditional, multicultural, and contemporary.
For more information and registration, click here.
2nd
Annual TCAP K-12 Administrator Courageous Creativity Conference
June 23-25, 2008, held at the Disney Paradise Pier® Hotel,
Anaheim. This exciting conference provides administrators with leadership
supports for standards based arts education and insight into arts careers
in action. Keynote speakers include Martin Sklar, Disney’s “Imagineering
Ambassador” and international speaker on leadership and creativity, and a
special panel of Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Artists. The conference
includes behind the scenes tours of arts careers in action and breakouts
focused on supporting administrators in leading standards based K-12 arts
education. Register Early! Click here or
call 909-537-7542 for more information and a registration form.
TCAP
Regional Centers: 2008 Summer Professional Development Institutes and Programs
TCAP regional centers offer customized professional development
programs, yearly institutes, leadership development, support for assessing
and developing arts education plan and programs, and other arts education
related services. Click here to
find your regional TCAP Professional Development Center and Summer 2008 Institutes
and Programs.
Regional
Forums Throughout California
The California County Superintendents Association (CCSESA) is sponsoring
regional forums across the state to engage educators, school board members, parents,
arts organizations, and community members in a discussion about arts learning
for California students. The regional forums are intended to provide an
opportunity to discuss key ways to advance arts education in our schools. The
forums will include these key elements: Vision, Visibility, Resources and Support,
Call to Action, Next Steps. Click here for
more information on how to contact the regional lead in your area.
Arts
LINC (Arts and Literacy in Nebraska and California)
An Arts Education Model Development and Dissemination Project
is hosting a three-day outreach, June 25-27, 2008 in San Diego. The event is
co-sponsored by the San Diego Natural History Museum. The focus is on integrated
literacy instruction with the arts and science. Space is limited. For
more information or registration materials, please email: Nancy.Andrzejczak@leusd.k12.ca.us.
SouthCAP
(TCAP) Summer Institutes
SouthCAP, a regional site of The California Arts Project, is offering
five institutes this summer for educators from Orange, San Diego and Imperial
Counties. These offerings are for the elementary classroom teacher as well as
the arts teacher, K-12. All institutes offer Continuing Education credits and
some scholarships are available. For a discounted price apply by April 1st, and
due to the current budget constraints in many districts, payment may be deferred
to the next fiscal year. For more information, click
here or contact
Helena Hanna at 619-594-6647 or hhanna@projects.sdsu.edu.
The
Bay Area Writing Project / de Young Museum Summer Mini Institute
July 29-August 8, 2008, 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. This mini-institute
brings together the resources of the de Young Museum instructors and UC Berkeley's
Bay Area Writing Project to provide (K-8) teachers with an opportunity to develop
confidence in working with the museum's art collections as a teaching and learning
resource and expand your understanding of the multiple roles writing can play
in students' learning. For more information and to register, click here.
ACSO
40th Annual Conference
August 7-9, 2008 in Walnut Creek Hosted by the California Symphony. Click here for
a convenient overview of the sessions. For descriptions of all
of the sessions, take a peek at the Conference
Brochure . Online
Registration is now available for your convenience. Register
before July 1st to take advantage of the Early Bird rates. (Groups
of four or more please register by fax or mail.)
Executive
Director/President
Arts Orange County
3750 South Susan Street, Suite 200
Santa Ana, CA 92704
www.artsoc.org
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