what are performing arts education

New evidence of the benefits of arts education

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February 12, 2019

Engaging with art is essential to the human experience. Almost as soon as motor skills are developed, children communicate through artistic expression. The arts challenge us with different points of view, compel us to empathize with “others,” and give us the opportunity to reflect on the human condition. Empirical evidence supports these claims: Among adults, arts participation is related to behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society , such as increased civic engagement, greater social tolerance, and reductions in other-regarding behavior. Yet, while we recognize art’s transformative impacts, its place in K-12 education has become increasingly tenuous.

A critical challenge for arts education has been a lack of empirical evidence that demonstrates its educational value. Though few would deny that the arts confer intrinsic benefits, advocating “art for art’s sake” has been insufficient for preserving the arts in schools—despite national surveys showing an overwhelming majority of the public agrees that the arts are a necessary part of a well-rounded education.

Over the last few decades, the proportion of students receiving arts education has shrunk drastically . This trend is primarily attributable to the expansion of standardized-test-based accountability, which has pressured schools to focus resources on tested subjects. As the saying goes, what gets measured gets done. These pressures have disproportionately affected access to the arts in a negative way for students from historically underserved communities. For example, a federal government report found that schools designated under No Child Left Behind as needing improvement and schools with higher percentages of minority students were more likely to experience decreases in time spent on arts education.

We recently conducted the first ever large-scale, randomized controlled trial study of a city’s collective efforts to restore arts education through community partnerships and investments. Building on our previous investigations of the impacts of enriching arts field trip experiences, this study examines the effects of a sustained reinvigoration of schoolwide arts education. Specifically, our study focuses on the initial two years of Houston’s Arts Access Initiative and includes 42 elementary and middle schools with over 10,000 third- through eighth-grade students. Our study was made possible by generous support of the Houston Endowment , the National Endowment for the Arts , and the Spencer Foundation .

Due to the program’s gradual rollout and oversubscription, we implemented a lottery to randomly assign which schools initially participated. Half of these schools received substantial influxes of funding earmarked to provide students with a vast array of arts educational experiences throughout the school year. Participating schools were required to commit a monetary match to provide arts experiences. Including matched funds from the Houston Endowment, schools in the treatment group had an average of $14.67 annually per student to facilitate and enhance partnerships with arts organizations and institutions. In addition to arts education professional development for school leaders and teachers, students at the 21 treatment schools received, on average, 10 enriching arts educational experiences across dance, music, theater, and visual arts disciplines. Schools partnered with cultural organizations and institutions that provided these arts learning opportunities through before- and after-school programs, field trips, in-school performances from professional artists, and teaching-artist residencies. Principals worked with the Arts Access Initiative director and staff to help guide arts program selections that aligned with their schools’ goals.

Our research efforts were part of a multisector collaboration that united district administrators, cultural organizations and institutions, philanthropists, government officials, and researchers. Collective efforts similar to Houston’s Arts Access Initiative have become increasingly common means for supplementing arts education opportunities through school-community partnerships. Other examples include Boston’s Arts Expansion Initiative , Chicago’s Creative Schools Initiative , and Seattle’s Creative Advantage .

Through our partnership with the Houston Education Research Consortium, we obtained access to student-level demographics, attendance and disciplinary records, and test score achievement, as well as the ability to collect original survey data from all 42 schools on students’ school engagement and social and emotional-related outcomes.

We find that a substantial increase in arts educational experiences has remarkable impacts on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes. Relative to students assigned to the control group, treatment school students experienced a 3.6 percentage point reduction in disciplinary infractions, an improvement of 13 percent of a standard deviation in standardized writing scores, and an increase of 8 percent of a standard deviation in their compassion for others. In terms of our measure of compassion for others, students who received more arts education experiences are more interested in how other people feel and more likely to want to help people who are treated badly.

When we restrict our analysis to elementary schools, which comprised 86 percent of the sample and were the primary target of the program, we also find that increases in arts learning positively and significantly affect students’ school engagement, college aspirations, and their inclinations to draw upon works of art as a means for empathizing with others. In terms of school engagement, students in the treatment group were more likely to agree that school work is enjoyable, makes them think about things in new ways, and that their school offers programs, classes, and activities that keep them interested in school. We generally did not find evidence to suggest significant impacts on students’ math, reading, or science achievement, attendance, or our other survey outcomes, which we discuss in our full report .

As education policymakers increasingly rely on empirical evidence to guide and justify decisions, advocates struggle to make the case for the preservation and restoration of K-12 arts education. To date, there is a remarkable lack of large-scale experimental studies that investigate the educational impacts of the arts. One problem is that U.S. school systems rarely collect and report basic data that researchers could use to assess students’ access and participation in arts educational programs. Moreover, the most promising outcomes associated with arts education learning objectives extend beyond commonly reported outcomes such as math and reading test scores. There are strong reasons to suspect that engagement in arts education can improve school climate, empower students with a sense of purpose and ownership, and enhance mutual respect for their teachers and peers. Yet, as educators and policymakers have come to recognize the importance of expanding the measures we use to assess educational effectiveness, data measuring social and emotional benefits are not widely collected. Future efforts should continue to expand on the types of measures used to assess educational program and policy effectiveness.

These findings provide strong evidence that arts educational experiences can produce significant positive impacts on academic and social development. Because schools play a pivotal role in cultivating the next generation of citizens and leaders, it is imperative that we reflect on the fundamental purpose of a well-rounded education. This mission is critical in a time of heightened intolerance and pressing threats to our core democratic values. As policymakers begin to collect and value outcome measures beyond test scores, we are likely to further recognize the value of the arts in the fundamental mission of education.

The Benefits of Arts Education for K-12 Students

While arts programs often fall victim to budget cuts, they can be an important contributor to students' success at school.

Benefits of Arts Education

Shot of a young schoolboy in an art class

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Just like after-school sports programs allow students to learn skills not necessarily taught in the classroom, like teamwork and self-discipline, the arts provide students with broad opportunities for growth outside of strictly academic pursuits.

Your child’s art class involves a lot more than just the Crayola marker scribble-scrabble that will end up hanging on your refrigerator.

“Good arts education is not about the product,” says Jamie Kasper, director of the Arts Education Partnership and a former music teacher. “It is about the process of learning.”

Policymakers, school administrators and parents alike may overlook the significance of arts education, but these programs can be a crucial component of your child’s school life. Whether they're practicing lines for a school play or cutting up magazine scraps for a collage, children can use art to tap into their creative side and hone skills that might not be the focus of other content areas, including communication, fine motor skills and emotional intelligence.

“Sometimes folks who are not involved in the arts focus on the product without realizing that that is not the most important part of what we do,” Kasper says.

While arts programs often fall victim to budget cuts, they can be an important contributor to students' overall success at school. Arts education can help kids:

Engage with school and reduce stress.
Develop social-emotional and interpersonal skills.
Enrich their experiences.
Handle constructive criticism.
Bolster academic achievement.
Improve focus.

Engage With School and Reduce Stress

Kasper says she often hears from other educators that art programs are one of the main factors that motivate children to come to school.

"If they don't want to come to school, you're never going to get them," she says. "So why wouldn't you do that thing that makes them want to come to school, that also teaches them these really great skills?"

Michelle Schroeder, the president of the New York State Art Teachers Association and a high school animation teacher, seconds this. She says the arts allow students an opportunity to have fun throughout the day without having to worry so much about the stressors of other content areas. And this is backed by research, too – some studies have shown that the arts, from drama to dance , can have therapeutic effects.

"It's that part of their day where they can have fun and just play with materials, and really not have to worry about the answers on their tests," Schroeder says.

Develop Social-Emotional and Interpersonal Skills

Participating in arts programs – particularly those that focus on more collaborative forms like theater and music – is a good way for students to sharpen their communication and social-emotional skills, experts say.

Camille Farrington, managing director and senior research associate at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, says art classes offer students opportunities to interact with their fellow students in a constructive and creative manner, a process that fuels their social and emotional development. For example, one study published in the Journal of Primary Prevention found that students in low-income schools who participated in an after-school dance program tended to experience heightened self-esteem and social skills.

Building those skills is more important than ever after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, says Denise Grail Brandenburg, arts education specialist and team lead at the National Endowment for the Arts. “Arts education can support the social and emotional learning needs of students," Brandenburg wrote in an email, "including helping students learn to manage their emotions and have compassion for others.”

Kasper also says that even with somewhat solitary artistic endeavors like painting or drawing, the act of perfecting one’s technique allows students to come up with creative ways to express and communicate their viewpoints.

“You teach the fundamentals of making the art ... – your instrument, your voice, your body in motion, painting, sculpture, whatever it is – so that students can then take those skills and use them to communicate more effectively,” she says.

Enrich Their Experiences

Human beings have practiced various art forms to express themselves since the dawn of their existence.

“Art immensely improves and enriches the lives of young people,” Farrington says. “It's a core part of being a human being and human history and culture.”

For kids in low-income neighborhoods, where residents may have less access to art and cultural resources that can improve quality of life , school arts programs are especially important. An analysis from the National Endowment for the Arts, drawing on data from four longitudinal studies, found that students with high levels of arts involvement had more positive outcomes in a variety of areas, from high school graduation rates to civic participation.

Just like after-school sports programs allow students to learn skills not necessarily taught in the classroom, like teamwork and self-discipline, Farrington says the arts provide students with broad opportunities for growth outside of strictly academic pursuits.

"One of the things that's really critical to young people of all ages ... is the opportunity to explore a wide variety of different kinds of activities," Farrington says. "Some of them are going to gravitate to one thing, and some are going to gravitate to another thing, but they can't gravitate to them if they've never experienced them."

Handle Constructive Criticism

Unlike many other school subjects, in which questions often have one specific answer, the arts allow for students to come up with a nearly unlimited variety of final products. This means that art teachers often give feedback a little bit differently, particularly with older students.

“They're teaching something and then immediately asking students to demonstrate that skill in a really authentic way, which is different from going to teach something and three months later giving students a test,” Kasper says.

Schroeder says that art teachers typically provide their students with highly individualized, constructive criticism. This allows students to learn how to gracefully receive a critique and respond to it, she says, explaining how and why they developed the artwork that they did.

“In so much of their careers and their future, people are either going to criticize or they're going to suggest improvements, and our students need to become comfortable with receiving feedback from other people,” she says. “So many experiences that they’ll have in an art classroom give them the opportunity to feel what it’s like to have someone question them. There's so much dialogue that happens in the classroom.”

Bolster Academic Achievement

While Farrington says that making art for art’s sake ought to be sufficient justification for school arts programs, research has also shown that arts education can lead to academic gains.

For example, a 2005 study on the impact of a comprehensive arts curriculum in Columbus, Ohio, public schools found that students with the arts program scored higher on statewide tests in math, science and citizenship than students from control schools. This effect was even greater for students from low-income schools. In the NEA analysis, socially and economically disadvantaged children with significant arts education had better academic outcomes – including higher grades and test scores and higher rates of graduation and college enrollment – than their peers without arts involvement.

Different disciplines also provide their own specific cognitive benefits – for example, participating in dance has been shown to sharpen young children's spatial awareness , while making music can help students develop their working memory .

Improve Focus

In addition to the specific benefits of each individual art practice, Kasper says that across the board, the arts are a good way for students to learn impulse control.

Intuitively, it makes sense that the act of concentrating in order to perfect one's craft can help an individual develop the ability to focus closely on other things as well. Research has shown that training in the arts also helps students hone their ability to pay closer attention and practice self-control. In 2009, researchers at the Dana Foundation , which funds neuroscience research and programming, posited based on multiple studies that training in the arts stimulates and strengthens the brain's attention system.

"That's something that I think we forget that kids have to learn," Kasper says.

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New Report Makes the Case for Arts Education: Recommends Access for All

In the 20 years since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 defined “arts” as a “core academic subject,” and the six years since the Every Student Succeeds Act declared them as part of a “well-rounded education,” arts education in American public schools has shrunk dramatically. The Commission on the Arts, at the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, says we are at a crisis point, where access to arts education is declining steadily—and action must be taken to reverse the trend.

In 2018, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences convened a Commission on the Arts to examine the state of arts education in the United States, and to assess the need for greater support. The Commission ultimately focused on the challenges of access to arts education in public schools.

The resulting report, Art for Life’s Sake: The Case for Arts Education , finds ample evidence for the attributes, values, and skills that come from arts education, including social and emotional development, improvements in school engagement, as well as more vital civic and social engagement. It also offers concrete recommendations to improve educational policy at the local, state, and national levels.

The Commission is chaired by three Academy members: actor and author John Lithgow , Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts President Deborah Rutter , and two-time United States Poet Laureate, Natasha Trethewey . They led a group of 38 other artists, scholars, and activists, all of whom contributed their time and expertise to this multi-year effort.

Art for Life’s Sake documents a persistent decline in access. While 88% of Americans agree that arts education is an essential component of a well-rounded education, there has been a persistent decline in support for arts education, particularly in communities that cannot finance it on their own.

“Americans understand the value of an education that includes the arts,” says Rutter, “but we as a nation have not established sustainable educational policies that make it possible for all students to receive the education they need.”

“We want every child to have access to music, paintings, writing, theater—all the arts—regardless of their socio-economic circumstances,” says Lithgow. “We want all American children to learn how to express themselves and to understand the ways in which others express themselves.”

To reverse negative trends, the Commission on the Arts is issuing a set of policy recommendations in six key areas for local, state, and national elected leaders to embrace.

Make the Arts an Important Part of Every Child’s Education by offering a diverse set of arts classes and including arts among the core distribution requirements.
Elevate the Role of the Arts through Data, Research, and Accountability at the federal, state, and school district levels, and reform accountability systems to incorporate arts education into the range of outcomes schools cultivate.
Ensure Arts Education Funding Is Adequate and Equitable through substantial economic support for public education and adequate funding mechanisms at the state and local level.
Recruit, Develop, and Support Arts Educators by establishing policy and funding priorities to increase the availability of arts educators, especially those from underrepresented groups.
Foster Collaboration within the Arts Education Landscape through adequately funded arts-based school-community partnerships.
Restore Federal Leadership in the Arts through increased funding, the reinstatement of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and a national celebration of arts education.

“Ultimately, arts education must be a group effort, a partnership in every community,” says Trethewey. “ Art for Life’s Sake offers strong recommendations to our policymakers and calls on our public institutions to make a greater effort. At the same time, it acknowledges that museums, community centers, and other stakeholders have an important role to play in the dissemination of the arts in our public schools.”

“ Arts education is not simply a training ground for future artists. It is a critical element in the education of every American, an important window on the wider world,” said Academy president David Oxtoby. “The American Academy of Arts & Sciences is grateful for the work of the commission members who produced this report and determined to help find a way to make arts education more accessible to every student.”

The Commission is funded by the Barr Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Getty Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and Roger and Victoria Sant.

Contact: Alison Franklin / [email protected]

Commission on the Arts

The Commission on the Arts is a multi-year project with distinguished cochairs, more than $1 million of support from foundations and individuals, and a commitment to exploring the role of the arts in American life, with an emphasis on arts education and infrastructure.

Art for Life’s Sake

Congressional briefing: the value of equitable arts education, now what an action plan for advancing arts education.

Reference Documents

Regional consultations

Multistakeholder dialogue.

Framework for Culture and Arts Education
Registration
Working Documents and Programme
Side Events
Graphic Charter and Communication

All Steps | A Framework for Culture and Arts Education

By 211 EX/Decision 39 in 2021, UNESCO Member States requested a revision process to develop a UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education. The Framework builds on UNESCO’s work in the fields of culture and arts education, including the Road Map for Arts Education , adopted in Lisbon in 2006, and the Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts Education , in 2010, the respective outcome documents of two world conferences on arts education. The Decision also requests the Director-General of UNESCO to convene a World Conference on Culture and Arts Education, which will be held in early 2024 in the United Arab Emirates. The revision process is a key opportunity to bolster the global consensus around the nexus between culture and education, and advance integrated policies and actions for the inclusive and holistic development of individuals and societies.

Why a revision process?

Since the existing arts education framework was established, the world has changed , and with it new challenges and opportunities have emerged. In today’s global context, marked by increased human mobility, social fracture, systemic inequalities, climate change, and accelerated digital transformation, there is a need to revisit and reshape guidance in culture and arts education that is both relevant and responsive to these dynamics, and which can better support Member States and other stakeholders in shaping improved policies and actions.

The future revised UNESCO global Framework aims to capture a broadened understanding of culture – from heritage to the cultural and creative industries – while taking into consideration the fast-evolving landscape of the cultural sector, including digital transformation. Digital and media technologies are ever more intertwined with the daily lives of learners, thus there is a need to both harness the opportunities it brings, but also strengthen the awareness of technology and how to use it responsibly.

Creativity, critical thinking, agility and resilience are the new generation of prerequisite skills for job creation – notably cultural entrepreneurship -, economic growth and environmental sustainability and adaptation. This means equipping learners with the set of knowledge, skills and competencies needed to nurture innovation and for the cultural and creative sector today and tomorrow. As societies around the world become increasingly diverse, the respect for cultural diversity and the ability to live together with other cultures have also emerged as crucial considerations for education systems, curricula and settings, and to ensure peaceful, inclusive societies.

While the synergetic relationship between culture and education has been enshrined in numerous fora, from international declarations and normative instruments to national constitutions, in many countries culture and education are often considered as separate policy entities and trajectories. Moreover, culture and arts education often sit at the periphery of education policy and school curricula. The future Framework thus provides the possibility to re-evaluate how culture and education can be better approached in policymaking, to address gaps, and to strengthen education – its pedagogies, contents and settings – including in non-formal, lifelong learning, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET). It is an opportunity to expand on solutions to integrate culture in meaningful and practical ways in education.

Given the essential role of culture and education in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , particularly SDG 4 on quality education, the international community has called for bold educational transformation. This requires fundamental changes to how education is defined and implemented worldwide. The transition towards holistic and integrated approaches to development presents an opportunity for the Culture and Education Sectors to activate a stronger interdisciplinary engagement across its fields of expertise and resources to advance policy and practice for sustainable livelihoods. This should be anchored in a staunch commitment to addressing inequalities and discrimination, including for women and girls, youth, children, minorities, indigenous peoples, migrants, older persons, people of African descent and persons with disabilities. There is also a need to foster a deep understanding of what education means for culture and vice versa, factoring in the recommendations of the recent Futures of Education Initiative and the follow-up to the Final Declaration of Cultural Ministers adopted at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022 .

Consultation process

For the preparation of the revised UNESCO global Framework for Culture and Arts Education, the Organization is conducting an inclusive and participatory consultation among a variety of stakeholders, including Member States, UNESCO Chairs and partner networks and non-governmental organizations, regional organizations, local governments, cultural institutions, culture and arts education teachers, individual experts, and youth.

Global consultation with Member States

A questionnaire was distributed to all 193 UNESCO Member States in March 2022 to map the state of play in the field of culture and arts education, including educational policy, approaches and pedagogies. The questionnaire addressed policy-makers and relevant professional stakeholders and partners, including the UNESCO Chairs/UNITWIN Network and partner civil society organizations.

UNESCO received a total of 89 responses to the questionnaire: 51% of these were Member States, representing a response rate of 23% of all Member States. Most Member States’ responses were from Europe and North America (52%), followed by Africa (21%), Latin America and the Caribbean (11%), Arab States (9%), and Asia and the Pacific (7%). Out of all the respondents, 13% were NGOs, 12% were public cultural institutions or organizations, 11% were public education institutions, 9% were a UNESCO Chair or Observatory, 2% were provincial ministries, and another 2% were private institutions or organizations.

The respondents noted several key evolutions in culture and arts education that have taken place over the past decade : (i) greater awareness of cultural diversity, prompted by migration and digital technologies and media (ii) diversification of curricula, through more multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, learning experiences and emerging art forms, including through the use of digital technologies and media, as well as the need for the diversification of skills; (iii) an increased focus on heritage education, notably on education on and through cultural heritage in its manifold dimensions, to sustain intercultural exchange; and (iv) broadened cooperation with a variety of stakeholders, through formal and non-formal education.

Respondents highlighted that in the realm of policy, culture and arts education lacks a fundamental place in its own right. The identified challenges, which often echoed across regions, included ministerial buy-in and structural planning, a lack of budget and financing, as well as the low priority of arts and culture education within policy, schools and the community at large. Moreover, compartmentalization and fragmentation in the culture and arts education domain means that a dichotomy has emerged as to how arts education is understood and valued within the field of culture; issues which can also be mirrored within the various disciplines of arts education itself.

UNESCO International Expert Meeting 24-25 May 2022, Seoul

The meeting was held on 24 and 25 May 2022, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and brought together 21 international experts from all regions and various academic and professional disciplines, including arts and heritage education, creative and cultural industries, museums, indigenous cultures, intercultural dialogue, TVET, and media and digital technologies. Participants shared insights on needs, gaps and priorities in the field of culture and arts education, while providing preliminary recommendations for shaping the revised Framework.

From January 2023 to February 2023, UNESCO is organizing a series of online regional consultations. Each consultation is being hosted by a Member State from the region, according to UNESCO Electoral Groups. The consultations provide a platform to bring forward nuanced and contextualized perspectives of regional concerns and priorities in culture and arts education. The outcomes of the six regional expert meetings will inform the strategic content of the Framework, and the preparations of the World Conference on Culture and Arts Education 2023.

Group I (Western Europe and North America) and Group II (Eastern Europe) chaired by Spain and Lithuania on 30-31 January and 1 st February 2023
Group III (Latin America and the Caribbean) chaired by Chile from 9-17 February 2023
Group IV (Asia and the Pacific) : hosted by chaired on 13-14 February 2023
Group V(a) (Africa) chaired by Kenya on 8-9 February 2023
Group V(b) Arab States chaired by Oman on 7 and 8 February 2023

A Multistakeholder Dialogue was held on 25 and 26 May 2023 at UNESCO Headquarters allowing for exchanges between a wide range of actors working in culture and arts education to strengthen ministerial buy-in, and shape solid recommendations to feed into the final drafting of the Framework and the World Conference on Culture and Arts Education 2024 to be held from 13-15 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Thematic Papers

A series of thematic papers authored by independent experts explore in-depth thematic areas that have been identified as strategic priorities related to culture and arts education. The topics directly stem from the issues and priorities raised during the ongoing consultation process of the Framework.

Consultation with Member States on the draft Framework

In the second semester of 2023 Member States will be consulted towards the finalization of the draft UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education. The drafting process, led by a drafting group comprised of experts and the UNESCO Secretariat, will be informed by the ongoing technical consultation process, including the global survey, and recommendations stemming from the international expert meeting, regional consultations, thematic papers and multi-stakeholder dialogue forum.

World Conference on Culture and Arts Education

The UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education 2024 aims to reinvigorate and strengthen a global coalition for culture and arts education, as well as shape policies, ideas and practices to better equip all learners with the relevant knowledge and skills they need today and in the future.

Building on the legacies of the World Conferences on Arts Education in Lisbon in 2006, and Seoul in 2010, the intergovernmental conference will bring together policymakers, UN agencies, IGOs and UNESCO partners from around the world to share and generate new knowledge, practices and innovative ideas, as well as build creative alliances.

Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who’s Doing It Best

Art and music are key to student development.

"Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence," sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems. Years of research show that it's closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity.

Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation about the visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasures and stimulation of the art experience do more than sweeten an individual's life -- according to the report, they "can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing," creating the foundation to forge social bonds and community cohesion. And strong arts programming in schools helps close a gap that has left many a child behind: From Mozart for babies to tutus for toddlers to family trips to the museum, the children of affluent, aspiring parents generally get exposed to the arts whether or not public schools provide them. Low-income children, often, do not. "Arts education enables those children from a financially challenged background to have a more level playing field with children who have had those enrichment experiences,'' says Eric Cooper, president and founder of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education .

It has become a mantra in education that No Child Left Behind, with its pressure to raise test scores, has reduced classroom time devoted to the arts (and science, social studies, and everything else besides reading and math). Evidence supports this contention -- we'll get to the statistics in a minute -- but the reality is more complex. Arts education has been slipping for more than three decades, the result of tight budgets, an ever-growing list of state mandates that have crammed the classroom curriculum, and a public sense that the arts are lovely but not essential.

This erosion chipped away at the constituencies that might have defended the arts in the era of NCLB -- children who had no music and art classes in the 1970s and 1980s may not appreciate their value now. "We have a whole generation of teachers and parents who have not had the advantage of arts in their own education,'' says Sandra Ruppert, director of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), a national coalition of arts, business, education, philanthropic, and government organizations.

The Connection Between Arts Education and Academic Achievement

Yet against this backdrop, a new picture is emerging. Comprehensive, innovative arts initiatives are taking root in a growing number of school districts. Many of these models are based on new findings in brain research and cognitive development, and they embrace a variety of approaches: using the arts as a learning tool (for example, musical notes to teach fractions); incorporating arts into other core classes (writing and performing a play about, say, slavery); creating a school environment rich in arts and culture (Mozart in the hallways every day) and hands-on arts instruction. Although most of these initiatives are in the early stages, some are beginning to rack up impressive results. This trend may send a message to schools focused maniacally, and perhaps counterproductively, on reading and math.

"If they're worried about their test scores and want a way to get them higher, they need to give kids more arts, not less," says Tom Horne, Arizona's state superintendent of public instruction. "There's lots of evidence that kids immersed in the arts do better on their academic tests."

Education policies almost universally recognize the value of arts. Forty-seven states have arts-education mandates, forty-eight have arts-education standards, and forty have arts requirements for high school graduation, according to the 2007-08 AEP state policy database. The Goals 2000 Educate America Act , passed in 1994 to set the school-reform agenda of the Clinton and Bush administrations, declared art to be part of what all schools should teach. NCLB, enacted in 2001, included art as one of the ten core academic subjects of public education, a designation that qualified arts programs for an assortment of federal grants.

In a 2003 report, "The Complete Curriculum: Ensuring a Place for the Arts and Foreign Languages in American's Schools," a study group from the National Association of State Boards of Education noted that a substantial body of research highlights the benefits of arts in curriculum and called for stronger emphasis on the arts and foreign languages. As chairman of the Education Commission of the States from 2004 to 2006, Mike Huckabee, then governor of Arkansas, launched an initiative designed, according to commission literature, to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn about, enjoy, and participate directly in the arts.

Top-down mandates are one thing, of course, and implementation in the classroom is another. Whatever NCLB says about the arts, it measures achievement through math and language arts scores, not drawing proficiency or music skills. It's no surprise, then, that many districts have zeroed in on the tests. A 2006 national survey by the Center on Education Policy , an independent advocacy organization in Washington, DC, found that in the five years after enactment of NCLB, 44 percent of districts had increased instruction time in elementary school English language arts and math while decreasing time spent on other subjects. A follow-up analysis, released in February 2008, showed that 16 percent of districts had reduced elementary school class time for music and art -- and had done so by an average of 35 percent, or fifty-seven minutes a week.

Some states report even bleaker numbers. In California, for example, participation in music courses dropped 46 percent from 1999-2000 through 2000-04, while total school enrollment grew nearly 6 percent, according to a study by the Music for All Foundation . The number of music teachers, meanwhile, declined 26.7 percent. In 2001, the California Board of Education set standards at each grade level for what students should know and be able to do in music, visual arts, theater, and dance, but a statewide study in 2006, by SRI International , found that 89 percent of K-12 schools failed to offer a standards-based course of study in all four disciplines. Sixty-one percent of schools didn't even have a full-time arts specialist.

Nor does support for the arts by top administrators necessarily translate into instruction for kids. For example, a 2005 report in Illinois found almost no opposition to arts education among principals and district superintendents, yet there were large disparities in school offerings around the state.

Reviving Arts Education

In many districts, the arts have suffered so long that it will take years, and massive investment, to turn things around. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has made arts education a priority in his school reform plans, and the city has launched sweeping initiatives to connect more students with the city's vast cultural resources. Nearly every school now offers at least some arts instruction and cultural programming, yet in 2007-08, only 45 percent of elementary schools and 33 percent of middle schools provided education in all four required art forms, according to an analysis by the New York City Department of Education , and only 34 percent of high schools offered students the opportunity to exceed the minimum graduation requirement.

Yet some districts have made great strides toward not only revitalizing the arts but also using them to reinvent schools. The work takes leadership, innovation, broad partnerships, and a dogged insistence that the arts are central to what we want students to learn.

In Dallas, for example, a coalition of arts advocates, philanthropists, educators, and business leaders have worked for years to get arts into all schools, and to get students out into the city's thriving arts community. Today, for the first time in thirty years, every elementary student in the Dallas Independent School District receives forty-five minutes a week of art and music instruction. In a February 2007 op-ed piece in the Dallas Morning News , Gigi Antoni, president and CEO of Big Thought , the nonprofit partnership working with the district, the Wallace Foundation , and more than sixty local arts and cultural institutions, explained the rationale behind what was then called the Dallas Arts Learning Initiative : "DALI was created on one unabashedly idealistic, yet meticulously researched, premise -- that students flourish when creativity drives learning."

The Minneapolis and Chicago communities, too, are forging partnerships with their vibrant arts and cultural resources to infuse the schools with rich comprehensive, sustainable programs -- not add-ons that come and go with this year's budget or administrator.

In Arizona, Tom Horne, the state superintendant of public instruction, made it his goal to provide high-quality, comprehensive arts education to all K-12 students. Horne, a classically trained pianist and founder of the Phoenix Baroque Ensemble, hasn't yet achieved his objective, but he has made progress: He pushed through higher standards for arts education, appointed an arts specialist in the state Department of Education, and steered $4 million in federal funds under NCLB to support arts integration in schools throughout the state. Some have restored art and music after a decade without them.

"When you think about the purposes of education, there are three," Horne says. "We're preparing kids for jobs. We're preparing them to be citizens. And we're teaching them to be human beings who can enjoy the deeper forms of beauty. The third is as important as the other two."

Fran Smith is a contributing editor for Edutopia .

The Mind-Expanding Value of Arts Education

As funding for arts education declines worldwide, experts ponder what students — and the world at large — are losing in the process.

By Ginanne Brownell

This article is part of our special report on the Art for Tomorrow conference that was held in Florence, Italy.

Awuor Onguru says that if it were not for her continued exposure to arts education as a child, she never would have gotten into Yale University.

Growing up in a lower-middle-class family in Nairobi, Kenya, Ms. Onguru, now a 20-year-old junior majoring in English and French, started taking music lessons at the age of four. By 12, she was playing violin in the string quartet at her primary school, where every student was required to play an instrument. As a high school student on scholarship at the International School of Kenya, she was not only being taught Bach concertos, she also became part of Nairobi’s music scene, playing first violin in a number of local orchestras.

During her high school summer breaks, Ms. Onguru — who also has a strong interest in creative writing and poetry — went to the United States, attending the Interlochen Center for the Arts ’ creative writing camp, in Michigan, and the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio . Ms. Onguru, who recently returned to campus after helping organize Yale Glee Club’s spring tour in Kenya, hopes to become a journalist after graduation. She has already made progress toward that goal, serving as the opinion editor for the Yale Daily News, and getting her work published in Teen Vogue and the literary journal Menacing Hedge.

“Whether you’re in sports, whether you end up in STEM, whether you end up in government, seeing my peers — who had different interests in arts — not everyone wanted to be an artist,” she said in a video interview. “But they found places to express themselves, found places to be creative, found places to say things that they didn’t know how else to say them.”

Ms. Onguru’s path shows what a pivotal role arts education can play in a young person’s development. Yet, while the arts and culture space accounts for a significant amount of gross domestic product across the globe — in the United Kingdom in 2021, the arts contributed £109 billion to the economy , while in the U.S., it brought in over $1 trillion that year — arts education budgets in schools continue to get slashed. (In 2021, for instance, the spending on arts education in the U.K. came to an average of just £9.40 per pupil for the year .)

While experts have long espoused the idea that exposure to the arts plays a critical role in primary and secondary schooling, education systems globally have continually failed to hold it in high regard. As Eric Booth, a U.S.-based arts educator and a co-author of “Playing for Their Lives: The Global El Sistema Movement for Social Change Through Music,” said: “There are a whole lot of countries in the world that don’t have the arts in the school, it just isn’t a thing, and it never has been.”

That has led to the arts education trajectory heading in a “dark downward spiral,” said Jelena Trkulja, senior adviser for academic and cultural affairs at Qatar Museums , who moderated a panel entitled “When Arts Education is a Luxury: New Ecosystems” at the Art for Tomorrow conference in Florence, Italy, organized by the Democracy & Culture Foundation, with panels moderated by New York Times journalists.

Part of why that is happening, she said, is that societies still don’t have a sufficient and nuanced understanding of the benefits arts education can bring, in terms of young people’s development. “Arts education is still perceived as an add-on, rather than an essential field creating essential 21st-century skills that are defined as the four C’s of collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking,” Dr. Trkulja said in a video interview, “and those skills are being developed in arts education.”

Dennie Palmer Wolf, principal researcher at the U.S.-based arts research consultancy WolfBrown , agreed. “We have to learn to make a much broader argument about arts education,” she said. “It isn’t only playing the cello.”

It is largely through the arts that we as humans understand our own history, from a cave painting in Indonesia thought to be 45,000 years old to “The Tale of Genji,” a book that’s often called the world’s first novel , written by an 11th-century Japanese woman, Murasaki Shikibu; from the art of Michelangelo and Picasso to the music of Mozart and Miriam Makeba and Taylor Swift.

“The arts are one of the fundamental ways that we try to make sense of the world,” said Brian Kisida, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri’s Truman School of Public Affairs and a co-director of the National Endowment for the Arts-sponsored Arts, Humanities & Civic Engagement Lab . “People use the arts to offer a critical perspective of their exploration of the human condition, and that’s what the root of education is in some ways.”

And yet, the arts don’t lend themselves well to hard data, something educators and policymakers need to justify classes in those disciplines in their budgets. “Arts is this visceral thing, this thing inside you, the collective moment of a crescendo,” said Heddy Lahmann , an assistant professor of international education at New York University, who is conducting a global study examining arts education in public schools for the Community Arts Network. “But it’s really hard to qualify what that is.”

Dr. Lahmann’s early research into the decrease in spending by public schools in arts education points to everything from the lack of trained teachers in the arts — partly because those educators are worried about their own job security — to the challenges of teaching arts remotely in the early days of the Covid pandemic. And, of course, standardized tests like the Program for International Student Assessment, which covers reading, math and science, where countries compete on outcomes. “There’s a race to get those indicators,” Dr. Lahmann said, “and arts don’t readily fit into that.” In part, that is because standardized tests don’t cover arts education .

“It’s that unattractive truth that what gets measured gets attended to,” said Mr. Booth, the arts educator who co-authored “Playing for Their Lives.”

While studies over the years have underscored the ways that arts education can lead to better student achievement — in the way that musical skills support literacy, say, and arts activities lead to improved vocabulary, what have traditionally been lacking are large-scale randomized control studies. But a recent research project done in 42 elementary and middle schools in Houston, which was co-directed by Dr. Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen, a professor who teaches education policy at Texas A&M, is the first of its kind to do just that. Their research found that students who had increased arts education experiences saw improvements in writing achievement, emotional and cognitive empathy, school engagement and higher education aspirations, while they had a lower incidence of disciplinary infractions.

As young people are now, more than ever, inundated with images on social media and businesses are increasingly using A.I., it has become even more relevant for students these days to learn how to think more critically and creatively. “Because what is required of us in this coming century is an imaginative capacity that goes far beyond what we have deliberately cultivated in the schooling environment over the last 25 years,” said Mariko Silver, the chief executive of the Henry Luce Foundation, “and that requires truly deep arts education for everyone.”

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The Importance of Performing Arts in Education

November 28, 2023
Education Insights , News from St Peter's

We believe in the transformative power of performing arts . Beyond the academic syllabus, the arts are at the heart of our curriculum, as we understand that there’s more to this storytelling tapestry than what meets the eye.

At our independent school in Devon , our devotion to the performing arts extends back to the roots of our school, where we recognised that these disciplines offer more than just entertainment. The arts are a gateway to unlocking creativity, nurturing self-expression, and cultivating a well-rounded individual.

While it’s easy to perceive performing arts as just singing, dancing, or acting, they go beyond the surface, revealing an excellent opportunity for students to develop a network of skills. In this guide, we’ll uncover why performing arts is so important in education, as well as the plethora of unique benefits this creative subject offers our students.

1. Improved Confidence and Self-esteem

Self-expression is encouraged and embraced in performing arts. There’s no right or wrong answer, and all opinions and ideas are considered. This differs from other subjects, such as Maths or Science, where there’s usually a particular method or strategy to follow strictly.

It is often this lack of creative boundary that encourages confidence and boosts self-esteem, as student suggestions give them a chance to explore alternative ideas, encouraging them to share their gut feelings and emotions freely, which, in turn, gives them the space they need to openly express who they are.

2. Teaches Students to Value Critical Feedback

Another benefit of performing arts education is that students learn to value critical feedback – an essential part of growing up. Children can be negatively impacted by being told something is wrong or that their suggestion isn’t the correct way of doing something, discouraging them from sharing their thoughts again due to the fear of being wrong.

However, performing arts promote an open and comfortable environment where positive feedback is necessary for improvement. Instead of something being wrong, there are multiple alternatives they can explore and try.

3. Develops New Skills

Within this open learning environment is the opportunity to develop and nurture new skills. As constructive feedback is gained and ideas are tried and tested, children discover their strengths and weaknesses and develop ways to overcome new challenges. Performing arts encourages students to develop these skills:

Creativity and innovation
Communication skills
Teamwork and collaboration
Discipline and time management
Critical thinking and problem-solving
Emotional intelligence
Self-confidence

Incorporating performing arts into education not only cultivates these skills but also makes the learning process engaging and enjoyable. It provides students with a well-rounded education beyond textbooks, empowering them with a diverse skill set that can serve them well in their academic pursuits and throughout their lives.

4. Communication and Presentation

Performing arts requires children to read and memorise scripts and present them to their peers or an audience. This helps to develop a child’s vocabulary and allows them to explore voice tones and express themselves through movement. Children also learn to listen to their peers through performance pieces, as well as share different thoughts and ideas. In turn, this will help them become more confident with their communication and improve how they present themselves in the future.

5. Encourages Creativity

Creativity is an essential skill in both childhood and adult life. As we age, we’re required to problem-solve, create plans and adapt to emerging or difficult situations. One way to exercise this skill is through performing arts. During a class, children are encouraged to consider alternative perspectives and explore new ideas. While doing this, they’re creating solutions and developing different ways of thinking. For more on creativity, read our blog on the importance of creativity for a pupil’s development.

Exploring and acting as other characters encourages children to consider the emotions of the other person they are portraying. This immersion and discovery of someone new will present to them the challenges and successes of the character. Through this, they will better understand their own emotions, as well as other people’s. Empathy can be difficult to teach, but through performing arts, your child will be encouraged to understand and share the feelings of others.

7. Creates a Sense of Community

In performing arts, almost all ideas are considered. This inclusion creates a unique sense of community amongst pupils. Strong relationships are built as peers develop an understanding of each other and learn to work together. The cooperation required results in members feeling included and accepted in a safe and comfortable environment that allows children to flourish.

The sense of community isn’t limited to children, either. As school plays and musical events are put on throughout the term, parents and other close relatives can enjoy the hard work of the children. These shows are the chance for the children to feel connected to the broader community of their school, as well as enjoy the opportunity to show their loved ones their recent efforts.

We value the importance of performing arts, which is why it is an essential part of our teaching. At our private school, we offer several ensembles, wind bands, flute groups, choirs, and a clarinet trio, as well as frequent concerts. We also hold performances and assemblies where your child can take to the stage!

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National Arts Education Status Report 2019

The Arts Education Data Project (AEDP) provides the first-ever look at the status and condition of arts education in the U.S. using actual student participation data reported by school districts to their state education departments. The AEDP created the National Arts Education Status Report 2019 as a comprehensive look at access to and participation in arts education in the United States.

Citation: Morrison, R. B., McCormick, P., Shepherd, J. L., Cirillo, P (2022). National Arts Education Status Report 2019. Arts Education Data Project, Quadrant Research, State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education.

National funding for the Arts Education Data Project has been provided by: CMA Foundation, The Music Man Foundation, NAMM Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council. Individual state funding has been provided by various state agencies and state-based philanthropic organizations.

The Arts Education Data Project is a partnership between the State Education Agencies Directors of Arts Education and Quadrant Research. The nationwide project coordinates with participating state departments of education to collect and report arts education data from State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) and other state department of education datasets on an annual basis.

Arts Education Data Project

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The performing arts support student achievement

Federal funding for arts education expands student access to the arts.

The performing arts boost local economies.

The NEA plays a key role in America’s arts infrastructure and economy.

Performing arts organizations serve public needs.

Charitable giving to the arts is an investment in their public value.

The Performing Arts Alliance advocates for America’s professional nonprofit arts sector before Congress and key policy makers ( Learn More ).

Alliance of Artists Communities

Alternate ROOTS

American Composers Forum

Association of Performing Arts Professionals

Chamber Music America

Chorus America

Folk Alliance International

The International Association of Blacks in Dance

League of American Orchestras

National Alliance for Musical Theatre

National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures

National Performance Network

Network of Ensemble Theaters

OPERA America

Theatre Communications Group

Advocacy Priorities

The NEA provides strategic leadership and investment in the arts.

US Dept. of Education grants aid model arts education programs.

News Updates

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FAQs Frequently Asked Questions

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New Jersey Student Learning Standards

Practice brief: information literacy in visual and performing arts.

Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) disciplines provide students the opportunity to analyze their worlds and create personal responses reflective of their knowledge and experiences. This can be enhanced through explicit information literacy skill instruction. Information literacy is a set of skills that enables an individual to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and effectively use information. Information literacy in VPA engages students with resources from other cultures, periods, artists, and current events, creating connections to gain a greater understanding of the human experience. Additionally, students’ abilities to assess their need for information about a piece of art, locate that information, evaluate its credibility, and use it effectively can be a source of creative inspiration while strengthening discipline-specific skills and literacy. This practice brief focuses on how educators can leverage information literacy skill instruction in the VPA classroom to enhance students’ arts education.

Why Does It Matter to You?

Educators: The artistic processes of responding and connecting provide students with avenues to develop information literacy skills in conjunction with discipline-specific artistic literacy. A learning environment that supports and promotes the research, evaluation, and critical thinking skills necessary for effective inquiry develops students’ curiosity, creativity, and innovative thinking. The skills used in analyzing and critiquing works of art, as well as reflecting on their own work, evolve when educators incorporate information literacy practices in instruction.

School Leaders: In arts education, information literacy skills are crucial for enabling students to gain clarity, process information, critique the creative works of other artists, and self-reflect. Recognizing and elevating these skills in artistic disciplines will help deepen students’ knowledge and strengthen their creative problem-solving abilities. High-quality, discipline-specific information literacy resources and materials are essential tools for in-depth arts study and critical analysis in the arts.

Things to Consider

An artist uses a variety of resources (e.g., text, visuals, audio, and objects) to inform and inspire the creation of personal works of art that are both meaningful and impactful. The skills of the school library media specialist are necessary for sourcing the varied media and resources to create curated collections for student investigation.
Knowledge of the legal and ethical use of copyrighted material is necessary when artists use and manipulate the work of others to use in their own creative work.
Communicating through the arts requires the opportunity to learn new techniques in arts creation through research and experimentation.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

When students’ culture, identity, and abilities are elevated in instruction, the arts provide students with space to explore and express their identities, acquire knowledge of various cultures and perspectives, build empathy, and strengthen community.
Information literacy skills develop students’ abilities to critically examine artists’ lived experiences and explore the social contexts of their work, creating opportunities for human connection and understanding both locally and globally.

Recommended Actions You Can Take

Collaborate with school library media specialists on intentional integration and availability of current discipline-specific information literacy instructional resources for the arts.
Develop a common set of questions that can be implemented across all arts disciplines for students to use when analyzing resources.
Design lessons focused on student choice and inquiry-based arts instruction that will guide students in developing new knowledge and producing work with artistic intent.
Provide opportunities for students to experience and engage with curriculum-aligned primary sources by attending live performances, productions, and museum and gallery exhibits.

Reflection Questions

What research methods or resources do visual and performing artists use to inform and create works of art, and how can information literacy connect to and support that creative process?
How can arts students use the school library as a source of inspiration?

Resources for Additional Professional Learning

Students with Disabilities and the Core Arts Standards: Guiding Principles for Teachers was created by the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts to assist arts teachers in developing and incorporating inclusive practices to support students with disabilities.
The Digital Art History Directory created through the Art Libraries Society of North America is an open-access publication with a database of digital art history projects, for use as a research tool by educators and students.
The Library of Congress has digital collections of historical information related to visual and performing arts.

The resources provided on this webpage are for informational purposes only. All resources must meet the New Jersey Department of Education’s (NJDOE) accessibility guidelines. Currently, the NJDOE aims to conform to Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). However, the NJDOE does not guarantee that linked external sites conform to Level AA of the WCAG 2.1. Neither the NJDOE nor its officers, employees or agents specifically endorse, recommend or favor these resources or the organizations that created them. Please note that the NJDOE has not reviewed or approved the materials related to the programs.

Wake Forest News

How the performing arts can teach kids concepts in science, wake forest partners with speas elementary for innovative program.

Wake Forest partners with Speas Elementary for program that blends performing arts with science education.
Wake students design the lessons for second graders using body movements to teach science.
Teachers gain new instructional ideas.

It’s a Tuesday afternoon at Speas Elementary in Winston-Salem. Second grade students are returning from recess and the energy level inside classrooms is running high.

“I’m a little nervous,” said Wake Forest junior Kate Leffler, who is majoring in psychology and minoring in education and neuroscience. “ You can prepare as much as possible, but it’s really about adapting your lesson and trying to meet kids where they are.”

Environmental studies and theatre student Jane Ivey Johnson also steps to the front of the classroom and they are ready to get started.

Today’s lesson: liquids and solids.

Acting out science concepts

“I’m the sun and you are a snowman,” Leffler said. “I’m moving closer to you. Show me what happens next.”

Wake Forest University is collaborating with Speas Elementary and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools for the initiative.

Sixteen WFU education and theater students are working with seven classes of Speas second graders this spring using the performing arts to teach lessons on weather patterns, the properties of liquids and solids and other science topics.

“We know kids learn in different ways,” said Brook Davis, a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance.

“Overwhelming research points to the success in learning outcomes when students are creatively engaged in class content.” Brook Davis, program co-leader

Davis leads the program with Associate Professor of Education Alan Brown. Their students are paired in teams and become content creators and teachers during weekly visits in Speas classrooms.

“For years, Brook Davis [Theatre], Christina Soriano [Dance], and I have collaborated on various interdisciplinary projects that connect education and the arts with a focus on movement, performance, and literacy. We find that bringing together Wake Forest students from across majors and minors and putting them in front of elementary school students using these teaching methods offers unparalleled opportunities for student growth on both sides of the age spectrum.”

“This is so fun,” said 8-year-old Lucia Haymes. “I can’t wait for Tuesdays because that’s when Wake Forest students are here in my class . “I love science and the games that we are doing make it easier.”

Extending learning beyond the classroom

“We are excited about this collaboration that helps support our teachers in the classroom,” said Katryna Jacober, the International Baccalaureate Coordinator (IB) at Speas. “Our school system’s big buzz word this year is deeper learning, so by them actually focusing on it and figuring out how the body would move to represent weather measuring equipment or a science concept is going to help them carry that knowledge forward when they get to another grade level.”

For Keilah Reeves, a second-grade educator at Speas, the collaboration is making a big difference in her first year of teaching.

“It’s been a really great experience working with Wake students and getting multiple perspectives,” said Reeves.

“It’s given me ideas to be creative and implement these types of activities into my own lessons.” Keilah Reeves - Speas Elementary teacher

Blanca Basurto, a second-grade dual language immersion teacher at Speas, says the program not only helps kids grow their vocabulary, but it also encourages all students to participate.

“I hope this partnership continues because I have seen so many benefits at Speas,” said Basurto. “They get to incorporate more movement and this is a chance for the children to get out of their seats and touch back on what we have learned, but in a different way through art, so that’s wonderful.”

Creating lasting impact

A lot of advance preparation goes into each 45-minute class. Wake Forest students meet every Thursday to reflect on their previous lesson, plan for the following week, and practice their science-related activities.

The program has reinforced Wake Forest senior Kristen O’Sullivan’s career decision. The psychology major and education minor plans to become an elementary teacher after she graduates.

“I think it really speaks to how strong the education department is here and how willing they are to be innovative.”

As this week’s class at Speas comes to an end, education student Sidney Paris also reflects on the day.

“I’m learning just as much if not more from these kids, and I think it’s awesome to be able to do something in the community,” Paris said. “The most gratifying thing for me is when we get there and all the students are so happy to see us and they come up and give us hugs, a big group hug at the end.”

The Theatre in Education collaboration will serve as a model for the new Wake Forest Center for Literacy Education that will be launched later this year.

Program leaders have also partnered with other public schools in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to infuse performing arts into math, social studies, literacy, and other curriculum.

The Wake Forest Theatre in Education program was featured in news coverage by WFDD , WXII and Spectrum News.

Categories: Top Stories

Media Contact Keri Brown [email protected] | 336.758.4442

Wake Forest in the News

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ABOUT WAKE FOREST NEWS

We are Wake Forest University’s primary news source and first point of contact for reporters. We help media by facilitating interviews, connecting with faculty experts or providing interesting story ideas. A staff member is on call 24/7 for media requests at 336.758.5237 . Our team also offers a variety of communications resources for Wake Forest students, faculty and staff.

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5 Benefits of a Performing Arts Education

Written by: kayla colbert | february 14, 2020.

performing arts curriculum has on lifelong development!

Once you’ve been bitten by the performing arts bug, there’s not much quite like it. The frets on a guitar’s neck make a melody, the stories and jokes that you crafted culminate with an eruption of laughter and applause, and the individual steps of each person in a group creates a singular, rhythmic wave of inspired imagination.

An ensemble becomes a family. It’s art in motion.

If your child has developed a passion for the arts, it is probably difficult to put into exact words the magic that they experience while on stage, and it keeps them coming back time after time. The joy of show day will surely make powerful, lifetime memories, but the effects on your child’s mental, physical, social, and emotional development will stay with them for years to come, both on and off the stage.

If you are still on the fence about whether performing arts are right for your child, then these undeniable benefits will place you firmly on the side of stagecraft.

Self-Expression

Through the performing arts, children can examine and channel their emotions through narrative, music, and movement. Some people find certain feelings more difficult to express and participating in performing arts programs provides children the opportunity to express a range of emotions in a healthy, controlled environment. Learning how to express themselves through art will make it easy for them to creatively express themselves in other situations, be it in school, social gatherings, or future job interviews. Performing arts engage children’s imaginations and lead them to develop their own, distinct voices.

A performing arts education provides children the opportunity to practice stepping outside of their comfort zone in a safe setting. Even after weeks of rehearsal, it takes courage to go out on a limb and accept whatever response comes from being vulnerable on stage. However, once your child lets go of those inhibiting expectations of what is “right” or “wrong,” they’ll relax and let their inner joy shine—they’ll simply just “be.” The confidence that grows when your child performs will translate to every corner of their lives, from educational accomplishments to social ease. Putting yourself out there can be intimidating, but once you’ve been bold enough to sing, dance, and rock out on stage, small talk becomes a cake walk.

Collaboration

Academic achievement.

PAW’s award-winning camps for kids ages 5-14 include Musical Theater , Filmmaking , Guitar , Magic , Photography , Rock The Mic , Stage F/X Makeup , Debate Camp & Camp LOL !

Trusted for over 30 years, PAW has 10 camp locations to choose from including; Brentwood, West LA, Manhattan Beach, RPV, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, East Pasadena, Old Town Pasadena, Northridge, and Studio City. For camp information call us at (310) 827-8827 or check out our website at www.PerformingArtsWorkshops.com .

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May 7 - Jun. 2, 2024

Dixie Longate is the fast-talking, gum-chewing, ginger-haired Alabama gal who is bringing your grandma’s Tupperware party into the 21st century. Filled with outrageously funny tales, heartfelt accounts, audience participation, and a little bit of empowerment and homespun wisdom, Dixie’s Tupperware Party leaves your heart a little bigger and your food a little fresher.

Washington National Opera Christopher Tin Sing-In with the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra

Tue. May 7, 2024

Calling all singers and gamers! Washington National Opera, in partnership with composer Christopher Tin and the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra, invites you to participate in this free “sing-in”!

National Symphony Orchestra Benjamin Grosvenor plays Liszt | Anja Bihlmaier conducts Berlioz

May 9 - 11, 2024

Strap in for the psychedelic rollercoaster of Symphonie fantastique , Berlioz’s epic fever dream of obsession, ecstasy, tantrums, and wild ambition. The NSO also performs Bryce Dessner’s Mari and Liszt’s scintillating Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by the “one in a million giant of solo piano” Benjamin Grosvenor ( The Independen t).

George Lopez

May 10 - 11, 2024

George Lopez’s illustrious and multi-faceted career encompasses television, film, stand-up comedy, and late-night television. Lopez has broken ground for Latino comics by embracing his ethnicity, confronting racial stereotypes, and fighting for his community on and off the stage.

Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival 2024

Join us in honoring the life and work of the “first lady of jazz,” legendary pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams. Hosted by the incomparable Dee Dee Bridgewater, this year’s two-day festival features performances by Eliane Elias, Endea Owens, Ingrid Jensen and the Center Song Project, Julia Keefe’s Indigenous Big Band, and more phenomenal women leading today’s jazz scene.

Washington National Opera Turandot

May 11 - 25, 2024

Love makes a princess stronger in this glorious production by Francesca Zambello, offering a Turandot for our times.

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Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy

Free Admission 10 a.m. to Midnight

This major permanent exhibit in the massive roof-level Atrium will explore Kennedy’s appreciation and promotion of the arts and why the Kennedy Center came to be the living memorial to him and his ideals.

Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy

Millennium Stage (In-Person and Livestream) National Symphony Orchestra

Fri. May 3, 2024 6p.m.

Members of the National Symphony Orchestra play an assortment of chamber music.

Millennium Stage (In-Person and Livestream) Pokey LaFarge

Sat. May 4, 2024 6p.m.

Pokey LaFarge returns with In The Blossom of Their Shade , out now via New West Records. The collection is the follow up to LaFarge’s critically acclaimed 2020 studio LP Rock Bottom Rhapsody which NPR’s Fresh Air named a “Best of 2020” and an “Album that made an art of escapism.”

Millennium Stage Films Extraordinary Cinema: Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story

Sun. May 5, 2024 3p.m.

Join us for FREE film screenings in the Justice Forum at the REACH. Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story is an intimate, career-spanning portrait of Ukrainian immigrant and punk legend Eugene Hütz. Featuring a post-show film Q&A with directors Nate Pommer and Eric Weinrib, producer Beverly Chase, and Eugene Hütz.

Millennium Stage (In-Person and Livestream) Mateusz Krzy ż owski

Wed. May 8, 2024 6p.m.

Mateusz Krzyżowski is the winner of the International Competition for Young Pianists Arthur Rubinstein in memoriam (2021) and the International Piano Competition Ignacy Jan Paderewski (2022). In 2021, he reached the semi-finals of the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition. In 2024, Mateusz Krzyżowski returns to the USA with a second concert tour (the previous one took place in 2023).

Millennium Stage (In-Person and Livestream) Royal Wood

Thu. May 9, 2024 6p.m.

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Royal Wood has established himself as a true musical talent. Since being proclaimed “Songwriter of the Year” by iTunes (2010), Wood has continued to evolve and hone his musical craft while maintaining a unique identity.

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The Cartography Project Release, Heal, Transform and Repeat

Release, Heal, Transform, Repeat is an enlightening workshop that offers a unique opportunity for participants to delve into the transformative power of poetry while learning more about the process of writing “Arms, Legs, Hips and Thighs”, a book of poetry that reflects on one’s healing and personal growth. Walk-Ins Encouraged; Tickets Not Required.

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Be Ready When the Luck Happens : An Evening Conversation with Ina Garten

Tue. Nov. 26, 2024

In a live moderated conversation at the Kennedy Center, Garten will discuss and elaborate on the themes of her memoir—from childhood to becoming an author of bestselling cookbooks and a celebrated television host.

Digital Program Cover - Improvised Shakespeare Company

Aug. 2 - 11, 2024

Based on the groundbreaking Italian film 8 ½ , Nine follows famed director Guido Contini, suffering from “director’s block” on his latest film and from a strained marriage to the neglected Luisa, as he retreats into his mind, where a parade of women—lovers past and present—bombards his senses and throws reality into question.

Don’t Tell Seth! An Evening with Seth Meyers Writers

Jun. 14 - 15, 2024

Don’t Tell Seth! is a variety show featuring members of the writing staff of Late Night with Seth Meyers . Unshackled from the confines of network censors and what Seth thinks is “appropriate” for his show, they are finally free to let loose!

From the writing desks of late night, catch John Lutz, Peter Grosz, Matt Goldich, Jenny Hagel, Jeff Wright, Allison Hord, Ben Warheit, and Ian Morgan at the Kennedy Center.

BeBe Winans

Fri. Jul. 26, 2024

ONE NIGHT ONLY! The renowned gospel and R&B singer, songwriter, and producer captivates the Concert Hall.

Sat. Jun. 1, 2024

Daybreaker returns with its PEACE TOUR! The event begins with an outdoor morning yoga class and then transitions into a dance party emphasizing self-expression and unity with others.

National Symphony Orchestra Angélique Kidjo

Wed. Jun. 12, 2024

Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo entrances audiences with her striking voice, stage presence, and visionary fusion of West African culture, American R&B, Latin music, funk, dancehall, and jazz. A once-in-a-lifetime performance!

National Symphony Orchestra DECLASSIFIED ® : Ben Folds Presents BANKS & Julien Baker

Fri. Jun. 14, 2024

BANKS and Julien Baker join NSO Artistic Advisor Ben Folds at his next late-night DECLASSIFIED ® concert! This Kennedy Center-exclusive “part concert, part party” event defies the traditional symphony presentation by offering great live music—both classical and contemporary—in a laid-back, casual setting. Come early and stay late for drink specials, live shows, and more!

National Symphony Orchestra A Gospel Symphony Celebration

Jun. 18 - 19, 2024

In celebration of Juneteenth, witness the fusion of two extraordinary musical worlds! Grammy Award–winning producer Dr. Henry Panion III leads the NSO, local gospel choirs, and special guests at this unforgettable evening of soulful celebration. Get ready to be moved, uplifted, and inspired by classic and contemporary Gospel hits in a symphonic spectacle that will get you on your feet and singing along with joy!

Jun. 25 - Jul. 14, 2024

Featuring one of the greatest musical scores of all time, including classic songs “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People,” this bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.

Aug. 13 - Sep. 1, 2024

A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget! Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship, and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago. MAMMA MIA! is the ultimate feel-good show.

MC Lyte presents PJ Morton and MAJOR.! An R&B Mother’s Day Celebration

Sun. May 12, 2024

Hip hop icon and founding Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture Council Member MC Lyte presents an evening with five-time Grammy®-winning soul singer, songwriter, performer, and producer PJ Morton and Grammy Award®–, Soul Train Music Award–, and NAACP Image Award–nominated soul singer and multi-hyphenate MAJOR.! These two legendary artists will host a one-night-only performance in the Concert Hall honoring mothers and mother figures.

Aparna Nancherla

Sat. May 18, 2024

Aparna Nancherla is an acclaimed comedian, writer, and actor. Praised by critics and fans alike for her distinctive dry, existential, and whimsical sense of humor, Aparna has toured her stand-up comedy extensively around the U.S. and the world. Now catch her new stand-up set in the Terrace Theater!

National Symphony Orchestra Killer Mike & The Mighty Midnight Revival

Tue. May 21, 2024

A never-before-seen concert experience! Killer Mike is more than just a rapper—he’s a cultural icon. From his groundbreaking collaborations with Run the Jewels to his solo endeavors, Killer Mike’s music resonates with authenticity, raw energy, and a fearless commitment to speaking truth to power. Hear tracks from his newest, three-time Grammy-winning album Michael , and more, accompanied by the epic sounds of the Mighty Midnight Revival and the National Symphony Orchestra live.

Back to the Future: The Musical

Jul. 23 - Aug. 11, 2024

Great Scott! Back to the Future , the beloved, cinematic classic is now a Broadway musical with its destination set for Washington, D.C., in 2024. When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself... back to the future.

Broadcast & Streaming

The mark twain prize for american humor.

Premieres May 11 on NETFLIX

The Kennedy Center presents the 25th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Kevin Hart. Meet the new recipient and watch performances, interviews, and other highlights from past events.

NEXT at the Kennedy Center on PBS Joshua Redman

Available Now

Renowned jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman performs songs from his new album, where are we , as he explores the myths and realities of life in America. Accompanied by soulful vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa and an all-star ensemble featuring Aaron Parks (piano), Joe Sanders (bass), and Brian Blade (drums), the group explores the duality of differing jazz standards interpreted with the improvisational brilliance and melodic invention that is a hallmark of Redman’s artistry.

NEXT at the Kennedy Center on PBS An Evening with Jacob Collier, Laufey, and dodie

AVAILABLE NOW

Ben Folds invites the virtuosic Jacob Collier, rising jazz superstar Laufey, and chart-topping English singer-songwriter dodie to perform with the National Symphony Orchestra and challenge them to reimagine their music through an orchestral lens.

National Symphony Orchestra William Shatner: So Fragile, So Blue

“This album is about something we all have in common; this beautiful planet Earth that we all call home.”

—William Shatner

2024 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert

Celebrate the esteemed recipients of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship: virtuoso vocalist/pianist Amina Claudine Myers, prolific saxophonist Gary Bartz, Grammy-winning trumpet player Terence Blanchard, and Artistic Director of the DC Jazz Festival Willard Jenkins. This concert event features performances by 2024 recipients, powerful tributes, special guest artists, and more.

The Kennedy Center Honors

Full Show Now Streaming

Celebrate the 46th Honorees: actor and comedian Billy Crystal; acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming; British singer-songwriter producer, and member of the Bee Gees, Barry Gibb; rapper, singer, and actress Queen Latifah; and singer Dionne Warwick.

View the Full Show with a free account.

Image of Kennedy Center Honorees including actor and comedian Billy Crystal; acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming; British singer-songwriter producer, and member of the Bee Gees, Barry Gibb; rapper, singer, and actress Queen Latifah; and singer Dionne Warwick.

Kennedy Center Stories

Center magazine.

Explore our new, reimagined patron magazine with more stories, more inspiration, and more fun from our arts community. The May–June issue includes features on Kris Andersson’s drag persona Dixie Longate, trailblazing choreographer Choo San Goh, and this summer’s lineup of free Millennium Stage events.

CENTER Magazine The Riddle of Turandot

Washington National Opera’s new production of Puccini’s Turandot seeks to reclaim the dignity of opera’s icy queen. With her commission of a new finale from playwright Susan Soon He Stanton and composer Christopher Tin, director Francesca Zambello is bringing a Turandot for our times, exploding past cultural appropriation and gender dynamics to reveal deeper, lasting truths about these incomplete characters.

CENTER blog 10 Reasons to Join Us for the 24-25 Dance Season

April 23, 2024

In the words of David Bowie: “Let’s Dance”

Two dancers - a man holds hands with a woman who is standing on his knees as they both gesture outward on a blue background.

CENTER blog How Artistic Sign Language Works

April 17, 2024

Two of our Directors of Artistic Sign Language, or DASLs (pronounced “Dazzles”) share how they bring performances to life in American Sign Language (ASL).

Two photos - one of a man looking into the camera and smiling and another of two women and a man looking at a presentation board.

CENTER blog Questions with...Conductor José Luis Gomez

April 11, 2024

The guest conductor with the NSO and music director of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra shares his story, approach to music, and advice to young artists.

Conductor Jose Luis Gomez laughs and looks away from the camera

CENTER blog Nina Simone’s Songs of the Civil Rights Movement Inspire Project ChArma To Move

April 9, 2024

Nina Simone’s incomparable voice sounds like whiskey and honey, or as the incomparable vocalist and musician once said, “Sometimes I sound like gravel, and sometimes I sound like coffee and cream.”

CENTER blog 25 years of the Mark Twain Prize...in caricature!

March 22, 2024

How do you take some of the funniest people on the planet and distill all the joy they bring us into one drawing?

On Our Digital Stage

Jacob collier and dodie perform “summer rain” with the nso | next at the kennedy center.

The virtuosic Jacob Collier and chart-topping dodie perform “Summer Rain” with the National Symphony Orchestra as part of Ben Folds' DECLASSIFIED series which challenges artists to re-imagine their work through an orchestral lens.

National Symphony Orchestra

Popular Music

Laufey, dodie, and Jacob Collier perform 'Wild Mountain Thyme' with NSO | Next at the Kennedy Center

Laufey, dodie, and Jacob Collier sing the ode, "Wild Mountain Thyme," combining their talents in a fascinating musicality blend. The artists stun in their solos as well as their melodic intertwining, with Collier encouraging the audience to engage in a fun twist of events.

Laufey Performs Amazing Version of 'From the Start' with the NSO | Next at the Kennedy Center | PBS

Jazz artist, @laufey joins the National Symphony Orchestra to perform a refreshing rendition of her piece "From the Start." Laufey’s vocal and instrumental skills take over the stage while the orchestra kicks off the contemporary jazz tone that provides a new sentiment and meaning for listeners.

Contemporary Music

Why Kevin Hart Deserves the Mark Twain Prize | 2024 Mark Twain Prize

Hear what some of comedy's bright stars had to say about this year's recipient of the prestigious award.

Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” | The Kennedy Center at 50

Christian McBride, Dianne Reeves, Ray Chen, LaTasha Barnes and the Manzari Brothers perform Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” with the National Symphony Orchestra during the Kennedy Center's 50th Anniversary concert.

Two swing dancers perform in front of a jazz band

Sequoia "REDWOOD" Snyder and Liany Mateo perform "Feed the Fire" | NEXT at the Kennedy Center

Liany Mateo and Sequoia “REDWOOD” Snyder perform “Feed the Fire” by the late Geri Allen, a renowned American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. Featured in NEXT at the Kennedy Center on PBS.

Video Gallery Mark Twain Prize Acceptance Speeches

Take a look back and laugh along with over 20 years of acceptance speeches from legends of comedy.

Leyla McCalla - “Mèsi Bondye” w/ National Symphony Orchestra | DECLASSIFIED

Acclaimed multi-hyphenate Leyla McCalla (formerly of the Grammy®-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops) performs "Mèsi Bondye" with the National Symphony Orchestra on July 20th, 2022 as part of the “Declassified: Ben Folds Presents” concert series

Ben Platt and Cynthia Erivo Perform 'You're All I Need to Get By' | NEXT at the Kennedy Center

Tony Award winners Cynthia Erivo and Ben Platt fill the stage with joy as they perform this classic Soul hit. Watch the whole concert on PBS.

Cynthia Erivo Performs 'I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know' | NEXT at the Kennedy Center

Cynthia Erivo, enchanting star of the stage and screen, performs “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”, a song about unwavering love.

Cynthia Erivo performs "Alfie" for Dionne Warwick | 46th Kennedy Center Honors

Cynthia Erivo brings down the house with her soulful rendition of "Alfie" in a heartfelt tribute to 2023 Honoree Dionne Warwick.

Watch the Full Kennedy Center Honors

Available for a Limited time

Celebrate the 46th Honorees for lifetime artistic achievements: actor and comedian Billy Crystal ; acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming ; British singer-songwriter producer, and member of the Bee Gees, Barry Gibb ; rapper, singer, and actress Queen Latifah ; and singer Dionne Warwick .

See More On Digital Stage

Explore a treasure trove of videos featuring performance and stories across all our genres.

New Seasons Announced!

Fortas chamber music concerts.

Artistic Director Jennifer Koh introduces her inaugural season of Fortas Chamber Music Concerts exploring the theme of evolution.

Jennifer Koh ins white dress, holding her violin. She is standing in front of dark teal background.

NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda leads a remarkable season of bold new music, timeless masterworks, world-class guests, and much more.

Gianadrea Noseda conducting the National Symphony Orchestra

Washington National Opera

Led by General Director Timothy O’Leary and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, WNO brings a captivating season featuring Fidelio , Macbeth , The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs , Porgy and Bess , and more!

chorus at picnic dancing in celebration clothes in Porgy and Bess

Arts Education Highlights

At kennedy center education, we strive to engage and uplift all learners through quality arts education in ways that spark curiosity, build empathy, and embolden citizen artistry. explore digital education resources, free classroom lesson plans and activities, virtual “field trips” and much more , virtual performance peter and friends.

Inspired by Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf , this immersive show, presented in collaboration with Teller Productions, will have audience members playing like cats, flying like birds, and engaging with live music all along the way.

Virtual Performance SLOPERA!

SLOPERA! A Bite-Sized Opera is based on Mo Willems ’ book I Really Like Slop! that brings Elephant and Piggie to a place they’ve always belonged: the opera! Elephant and Piggie are best friends, but what happens to besties when they find out they might not be able to share everything together? Do friends have to like all the same things? Free registration required.

cartoon image reading SLOPERA! A bite-sized opera with an elephant gasping at a pig serving a bowl of liquid.

Collection Hip Hop Culture

Hip hop embraces these artistic elements, most definitely. But it also has blended and transcended them to become a means for seeing, celebrating, experiencing, understanding, confronting, and commenting on life and the world. Hip hop, in other words, is a way of living—a culture.

Woman dancer has one hand on the ground and one on her leg as she performs a move on the Brooklyn Bridge with bicyclist noticing.

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NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda conducting and gazing up and off camera.

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JFK Memorial

See how the living memorial explores, challenges, and reflects the contemporary spirit of America.

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As the Nation’s Cultural Center, the Kennedy Center’s objective is to invite art into the lives of all Americans and ensure it represents the cultural diversity of America.

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Dr. Phillips Center to host 2024 Disney Musical in Schools Celebration

Nearly 350 students & teachers to participate in the 7th annual Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share Celebration

Orlando, Fla. – At the 2024 Disney Musical in Schools Student Share Celebration on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, local elementary schools will showcase the magic they’ve been working on for the past four months.

Disney Musicals in Schools is a 17-week musical theater residency provided at no cost to local schools and facilitated by a team of Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts teaching artists.

The Dr. Phillips Center and Disney Theatrical Group first partnered to bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to the Orlando area in 2015, with the mission of developing sustainable musical theater programs in Orange, Osceola and Seminole county. The program was created by Disney Theatrical Group in 2009 and has expanded to a national network of affiliate organizations.

"This initiative is about igniting parents, administrators and students to imagine and foster a sense of possibility-- all while building sustainable musical theater programs across Central Florida,” says Ryan Simpson , education director of Dr. Phillips Center.

Since its inception at the Dr. Phillips Center, more than 4,000 students have participated in the program, across 28 Title I elementary schools and spanning three counties.

Lisa Mitchell , Disney Theatrical Group’s Director of Education and Audience engagement says “the team at the Dr. Phillips Center is providing a joyful experience to students, they are building arts education programs in under resourced schools through partnerships. It’s thrilling to see school theater seeded by Disney Musicals in Schools blossoming into quality.”

Five schools including Idyllwilde Elementary, Lake Silver Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Oak Hill Elementary and Riverside Elementary, will perform a scene from their selected Disney KIDS musical at the Walt Disney Theater at the Student Share Celebration , happening May 7, 2024.

This program is supported by Walt Disney World and also supported by AdventHealth.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the show will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Media assets can be viewed here.

The performance is free for all friends and family to attend. No reservations are required.

About Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in downtown Orlando supported by the City of Orlando, Orange County, the City of Winter Park, the State of Florida and generous donors and sponsors. The 698,312-square-foot venue includes performance spaces like the Walt Disney Theater , the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater , the Steinmetz Hall and Judson's Live ; and event spaces like the DeVos Family Room , the Rooftop Terrace and the Seneff Arts Plaza . In addition, the arts center's AdventHealth School of Arts offers performing arts education year-round. For more information, visit drphillipscenter.org . Follow on YouTube , Instagram , Facebook and X .

DISNEY THEATRICAL GROUP , a division of The Walt Disney Studios, operates under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher. The group produces and licenses Broadway productions around the world, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida, TARZAN®, Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, The Little Mermaid, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies, Aladdin, and Frozen, winning 20 Tony® Awards and 62 nominations for their Broadway productions. Other stage ventures include the Olivier-nominated London hit Shakespeare in Love, stage productions of Disney’s High School Musical, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin and King David in concert on Broadway. Disney Theatrical Group has collaborated with the nation’s preeminent theatres to develop new stage musicals including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Freaky Friday and Hercules. As a part of the recent acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney Theatrical Group also heads the Buena Vista Theatrical banner, which licenses Fox titles for stage adaptations including Anastasia, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Mrs. Doubtfire. Next on the Disney Theatrical schedule: the world-premiere of Hercules in Hamburg, Germany and the North American tour of a reimagined production of Beauty and The Beast in 2025.

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Performing arts camp provides an opportunity for Ketchikan students to embrace Indigenous identities

Posted by Michael Fanelli | May 1, 2024

On the Friday afternoon of Ketchikan students’ spring break, 12-year-old Dominic Blair stood at a podium in the back of the Discovery Center performance hall. He was one of four narrators of the play “The Origin of Sun, Moon, and Fog.”

“It was in the beginning before anything that lives in our world was created,” Blair read from a binder on the podium. “There was only the chief in heaven. There was no light in the sky, there was only darkness…”

The play came from a traditional Tsimshian story. While others were on vacation or at home playing video games, about two dozen students spent their spring break rehearsing a theater production. Over the course of five days, the pre-teens learned lines, cues, song and dance. Friday was the last day of rehearsal before their big performance that evening.

After they finished practicing, Blair was feeling excited but a little apprehensive.

“I just hope it goes well,” he sighed.

Blair proudly explained he’s Tsimshian and Tlingit, and an Eagle. He said he enjoyed the process of learning a traditional story, but that live production isn’t without its challenges.

“Sometimes I would get done narrating my part, and then Narrator Two would come up, and then I was going to try to get some water but then it’d be my turn, my part already,” he explained.

The spring break camp is part of a program called Voices on the Land , put on by the Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI). SHI’s mission is to perpetuate and enhance the Native cultures of Southeast Alaska, and this educational program does that by immersing students in visual and performing arts, all through an Indigenous lens.

Mansyndoga da Gyet Nancy Barnes has been working for SHI for eight years, coordinating their education projects.

“I’ve watched these camps over the years, and it makes a difference,” Barnes said. “I’ve seen it myself. It’s made a difference in young people’s, our children’s lives. And it gives them confidence, knowing who they are. They have a camaraderie, the group, even later.”

Dominic Blair seemed to agree, calling the week of working with his peers, “amazing.”

“I’m just really happy to meet all these new people and to work with these people,” Blair said. “To know that they worked so hard, as well as I did.”

Blair said he’s glad it came together because he initially questioned whether he should even take part. Once his cousin said she would do it with him, he was sold.

“It has been a whole ride,” he said. “And I’ve been really happy I was able to do this play.”

Torah Zamora was the person behind the scenes making it all happen. Born and raised in Ketchikan, she said her great-grandmother was part of the migration to Metlakatla from Tsimshian territory.

“And then she moved here to Ketchikan, my great grandma Selena Eaton,” Zamora explained. “And raised her kids [in the] Creek Street area.”

Zamora started an apprenticeship with SHI last year, focused on education through performing arts. As part of that, she put together this spring break camp, teaching 4th, 5th, and 6th graders how to act out a play.

She said the story was documented by a Tsimshian man named Henry Tate, who worked with anthropologist Franz Boas to translate it into English in the early 1900s.

Zamora, in turn, took that antiquated English story and adapted it into a performance that would make sense to kids. She also added a personal touch to it.

“At the very end of the play, when they go ‘gawdy!’ that’s more my own little plug in there, because it’s a word my grandma would still speak throughout life,” Zamora said. “But it was mostly like after she fed her dogs treats, she would say, ‘gawdy!’ which means like ‘all gone, all done!’ And so it’s just a tribute to my grandmother.”

Zamora said her grandmother’s first language was Sm’algyax, the Tsimshian language. But because she was forcefully, often violently, punished for speaking it, she didn’t teach it to her children.

“Just two generations ago, my grandmother wasn’t allowed to speak Sm’algyax,” Zamora said. “Which implies she was not allowed to be her Native self, she wasn’t allowed to celebrate her Tsimshian identity, and all that knowledge that comes with it.”

Zamora said even her own Tsimshian identity wasn’t celebrated when she was in school less than 10 years ago. It still wasn’t “cool” to be Native, as she puts it. In recent years though, she’s noticed things have started to change.

“We’re seeing this shift in our generation, in young people now, where it is something to value and we can speak it in school now,” she said. “We can learn it and teach it. And it’s this shift to reclaiming it and bringing it back into our daily lives.”

Opportunities like this performing arts camp, she said, are a rare chance for kids to embrace their true Indigenous selves, uplifting the language and storytelling tied to that identity.

The camp was open to the public, with priority given to Alaska Native students. Zamora said a few participants were non-Native, but they did great learning all the songs and dances. She said these cultural traditions are something the entire community should be familiar with.

“Because if you’re living here in Ketchikan, Kichx̱áan, or anywhere in Southeast Alaska, you should have knowledge of the Indigenous history of this land and the people who still live here and reside,” Zamora said. “It enriches all of our lives.”

The performers were expecting a full house at the Discovery Center for their Friday night showcase, with a livestream provided by the U.S. Forest Service for viewers checking in from as far away as Mexico.

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GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS: Arts Education

The NEA envisions a nation where every student is engaged and empowered through an excellent arts education, which is vital to developing America's next generation of creative and innovative thinkers. The field of Arts Education is a complex, interconnected ecosystem that supports arts learning at the federal, state, and local levels. This includes national service organizations, state departments of education, state arts agencies, and local school districts, as well as arts organizations, youth service organizations, health and human services organizations, juvenile justice systems, local businesses, and philanthropic organizations. Elected officials, education policy makers, creative industry professionals, artists, educators, teaching artists, and families also play vital roles in this multifaceted ecosystem.

The NEA strengthens this ecosystem by supporting projects for pre-K-12 students ( Direct Learning ), the educators and teaching artists who support them ( Professional Development ), and the schools and communities that serve them ( Collective Impact ). Learning may take place in school, after school, and out of school in rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities. Funding is focused on closing the opportunity gap for students for whom a high-quality arts education is so often out of reach. We encourage collaborative projects from arts education and non-arts education organizations.

Projects submitted to Arts Education may include activities in any artistic discipline and should incorporate robust measures to assess learning aligned with state or national core arts standards . Projects for short-term arts exposure, arts appreciation, or intergenerational activity should not be submitted under Arts Education; rather, they should be submitted to one of the other artistic disciplines . If you have questions about whether you should apply under Arts Education or another discipline, read Choosing the Right Discipline for Educational Projects .

Competitive Arts Education proposals will address elements as stated in the application review criteria , and:

Align with the NEA’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility;
Engage students over an extended period of time to deepen the arts learning experience for students by offering fresh insights and adding new value to the field. Short-term projects will not be competitive;
Increase student participation in arts education through the use of innovative strategies or scaled up proven methodologies;
Incorporate robust measures to assess student and/or teacher learning in arts education;
Reflect the cultural experiences of the participants;
Demonstrate national, regional, or field-wide significance. This includes local projects that can have significant impact within communities or are likely to demonstrate best practices for the field;
Use data to inform programmatic decision making;
Include effective community partnerships or working within a larger system or community effort to benefit students in that system;
For ongoing programs, describe how the project is evolving or expanding existing arts education services.

Applicants may request cost share/matching grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.

For information on how to submit an application, see “How to Apply” on the left.

Project Types

Direct learning grants.

Projects support arts instruction for students, generally pre-K through 12th grade, that result in increased knowledge and skills in the arts and may occur in-person or online. Activities may be offered during or outside the regular school day schedule by school districts, arts organizations, or non-arts organizations or agencies in partnership with artists and/or arts groups. Projects may take place in locations such as schools (including charter schools), arts organizations, community centers, faith-based organizations, makerspaces, public housing, tribal community centers, and/or juvenile justice facilities.

Direct Learning projects should address each of the following elements:

Experience: Participants experience exemplary works of art—in live form where possible—to gain increased knowledge and skills in the art form;
Create: Informed by their experience in an art form, participants will create or perform art;
Assess: Student learning is measured and assessed in alignment with either national core arts standards or state arts education standards. Explain how you plan to measure increased knowledge and skills in the arts. Where appropriate, describe how you use the arts to address other student outcomes, such as creative youth development, college and career readiness, student well-being and resilience, or other outcomes that affect change in school or community culture. Before applying, review the reporting requirements for Arts Education .

Professional Development Grants

Projects equip classroom teachers, arts specialists, teaching artists, school/district administrators, other educators, and community leaders with the knowledge, skills and confidence to effectively engage students in high quality, curriculum-based arts learning, and improve instruction.

Professional Development projects should include each of the following elements:

Experience: Participants have an experience in or through the arts;
Study: Participants are engaged in a sustained, in-depth course of study;
Evaluate: Participant learning is evaluated and the impact of the professional development on practice is measured. Before applying, review the reporting requirements for Arts Education .

Collective Impact Grants

Projects transform schools and communities by providing access and engagement in the arts for all students through collective, systemic approaches. Projects aim to ensure that all students across entire neighborhoods, schools, school districts, and/or states—in communities of all sizes—participate in the arts over time. Collective Impact grants are higher award amounts for longer term, large-scale projects that create lasting systems change tailored to community needs, fundamentally altering the ways in which the components and structures of a system behave and interact over time. Projects should have significant potential to be shared and customized in communities across the country.

See further details about this project type . Applicants considering submission of a Collective Impact application are strongly encouraged to contact Arts Education Specialist Denise Brandenburg at [email protected] .

In some cases, a project that involves arts education may be better suited for review in another discipline. Review the Artistic Disciplines page for more information, including guidance on educational projects.

For questions, including help choosing the right discipline, contact NEA staff:

Direct Learning Projects: Music, Opera: Denise Brandenburg, [email protected] or 202-682-5044 Dance, Literary Arts, Musical Theater, Theater: Nancy Daugherty, [email protected] or 202-682-5521 Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Media Arts, Museums, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Visual Arts: Lakita Edwards, [email protected] or 202-682-5704

Professional Development Projects: Nancy Daugherty, [email protected] or 202-682-5521

Collective Impact Projects: Denise Brandenburg, [email protected] or 202-682-5044

Compliance Reminders:

The NEA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and fostering mutual respect for the diverse beliefs and values of all individuals and groups. Please note the following:

Civil Rights Laws and Policies : As a reminder, in the federal-funding context, a focus on a particular group or demographic may be permissible, but exclusion is not. This extends to hiring practices, artist selection processes, and audience engagement. Your application should make it clear that project activities are not exclusionary. Please review the Assurance of Compliance , as well as NEA Civil Rights guidance on our website, including this archived webinar: Things to Know Before You Apply: Federal Civil Rights and Your Grants Application .
Accessibility: Federal regulations require that all NEA-funded projects be accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities may be audiences, visitors, artists, performers, teaching artists, students, staff, and volunteers. Funded activities should be held in a physically accessible venue, and program access and effective communication should be provided for participants and audience members with disabilities. If your project is recommended for funding, you will be asked to provide detailed information describing how you will make your project physically and programmatically accessible to people with disabilities.
National Historic Preservation Act and/or the National Environmental Policy Act Review: Recommended projects may be subject to the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and/or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance review. See more information about NHPA/NEPA review under Award Administration .

Grants for Arts Projects applications will be accepted at two deadlines. All project types (described above) are accepted at both deadlines. Apply at the deadline that most closely fits the schedule of activities or timeline of your proposed project. Generally, an organization is limited to one application per year in the Grants for Arts Projects category.

First Grants for Arts Projects Deadline:

Second grants for arts projects deadline:, stay connected to the national endowment for the arts.

Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Arts, Design and Contemporary Education

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Moscow Festival Ballet Swan Lake

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Since its premier at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre in 1877, Swan Lake has engaged generations of ballet dancers and captivated audiences around the world. Moscow Festival Ballet brings the most popular of all classical ballets to Eisenhower Auditorium in a production based on the seminal 1895 choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's heralded score serves as the foundation for the love story of Prince Siegfried, his beloved Swan Queen Odette, and the evil Baron Von Rothbart, a sorcerer who attempts through deception to keep the couple apart and Odette entrapped in his spell. Moscow Festival Ballet, created in 1989 by Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer Sergei Radchenko, utilizes the talents of leading dancers from throughout Russia. The company, with Radchenko as artistic director, has toured extensively in Europe and the Far East. This tour of Swan Lake marks the troupe's sixth visit to the United States.

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Thursday, March 20, 2014 - 7:30pm

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Russian Federation

Secondary education.

Prior to the Revolution of 1917, the prototypes of modern secondary schools were gymnasiums and lyceums. The first gymnasiums opened in the early 1700s, with Russian as the language of instruction. These were followed by other secondary schools, which were affiliated with the Moscow (1755) and Kazan (1758) Universities. The lyceums introduced at the beginning of the nineteenth century were a combination of primary and secondary schools. The legislation of 1864 established two types of gymnasiums: classical and real. The curricula of the former included ancient history and classical languages, whereas the latter gave preference to sciences. The Charter of 1871 declared classical gymnasiums the only type of educational institutions representing complete secondary education. Only in 1912 did the graduates of real gymnasiums acquire the right to apply to universities.

The October Revolution (1917) declared the schools to be unified, labor, and polytechnic. As a result, general education in secondary schools was combined with vocational training. Strong emphasis was also made on the indoctrination courses expected to propagate Communist ideology. The regulation of 1934 established two types of secondary general education: incomplete seven-year and complete ten-year education. The law of 1959 extended the length of study in complete secondary schools to eleven years, but in 1966 it was cut back to ten years.

The socioeconomic crisis of the 1980s endangered the state of Russian secondary education: its uniformity, lack of educational choice, and social apathy alienated students from the school. The reform of 1984 declared a number of goals to enhance the quality of education, but the state failed to realize most of them. The decision to lower the school age from seven to six years once again extended complete education to a total of eleven years. In the early 1990s, schools acquired the right to choose curricula and textbooks, to diversify the teaching process and introduce different profiles of education.

Primary and secondary level grades are usually located in the same building and are regarded as one school. Nevertheless, there is a major difference between the levels: if in primary grades most of the classes are taught by the same teacher, on the secondary level there is a different teacher for each subject. Students are transferred from primary to secondary school as a class of about thirty, who continue on together as a group. One of the subject teachers is appointed their klassny rukovoditel (academic director) in order to give them guidance, watch their progress, provide leadership for extracurricular and recreational activities, and keep in touch with the parents. Parent-teacher conferences called "parents meetings" are devoted to the students' achievements, discipline, and organizational issues. They also elect representatives to the school parent committee, which assists the teachers and administration.

The academic year in all the schools begins on September 1, which is celebrated as the Day of Knowledge, and continued until the end of May, exclusive of the examination period. The year is divided into quarters. Students go to school five or six days a week (depending on the decision of the school administration) and have up to 36 lessons per week. Classes last 40 to 45 minutes. The intervals between them are from 5 to 25 minutes long, and there is no additional lunch break. Since most of the school buildings cannot accommodate all the students at once, schools usually operate on a shift schedule.

The subjects in the curricula are grouped into seven areas of knowledge: languages and literature (includes Russian, as well as other native and foreign languages; the number of hours allotted for the Russian language can be different and depends on the linguistic situation in the area, as well as peculiarities of a particular school); mathematics (includes algebra, geometry, logic, statistics); sciences (includes physics, chemistry, biology); society (includes Russian and world history, law, foundations of modern civilization, world economics, international relations, and sociology); art (includes fine arts, music, world culture, and courses reflecting the cultural peculiarities of the region where the school is located); labor (includes labor education, professional training, and technical drawing); and physical training.

The number of hours in each area is subdivided into the federal, regional, and school components. The curricula comprise an invariable part, which is mandatory for all the schools, and a variable part, within which schools are free to make decisions of their own. The programs also provide for individual consultations, electives and optional courses, which are often taught by invited university professors, actors, artists, or people of other professions. For the last thirty years the number of subjects at schools have doubled. It can be as high as seventeen to twenty, therefore the schedule of classes is different every day of the week.

Though computer literacy instruction is part of the programs, it is ineffective because in most of the schools the equipment is outdated or nonexistent. The lessons of physical training take place in the gym or on the sports grounds. Due to the lack of adequate equipment and poor organization, sports activities are not very popular with Russian students. Insufficient state financing compels schools to look for sponsors and seek additional funds to improve their facilities. Some innovative schools also work in close conjunction with universities, local libraries, museums, and industrial enterprises.

Students in grades five to eight are evaluated at the end of each quarter, and students in grades ten to eleven twice a year (after the second and the fourth quarter). All secondary school students receive a cumulative grade in each subject at the end of the academic year. Officially the grading is based on a four-point scale: five, excellent; four, good; three, fair; and two, poor (failure). Grade one (very poor) is usually an emotional response to unsatisfactory performance and is used as a disciplinary measure. Students are promoted to the next grade on the basis of academic achievement during the year and the results of the annual examinations (oral or written) in Russian and mathematics (obligatory for all) and one or more subjects of their own choice. Those who fail in two or more disciplines either repeat the year or are transferred to a class of compensatory education. Students with a failing grade in one subject are allowed to go on to the next grade, but they have to complete their work on the subject. People who are unable to cope with a particular level cannot go on to the next one. Excellent students of grades five to eight are exempt from examinations. However, everybody is required to take exams after grade nine, because it is the final year of basic (incomplete) secondary school. After it some students go on to secondary professional schools; others continue with grades ten and eleven.

The examinations for the Certificate of Secondary Education, also called a "maturity certificate," conclude the eleventh grade. They are prepared by the federal authorities and strictly monitored. The school can offer five or seven exams, which always include an essay on Russian literature and a written test in mathematics. Other subjects can be chosen by the student. Those who get all excellent grades for the last four semesters and the final examinations are awarded a gold medal. Students with a maximum of two good grades (all the others being excellent) receive a silver medal. The medals significantly improve their chances to be admitted to a competitive higher educational institution.

The democratization of the school system, greater flexibility in curricula development, and encouragement of innovations have opened up the way for numerous experiments at the secondary school level. In 1998-1999, alongside with regular secondary schools, the network included 2,547 lyceums and gymnasiums with 1,700,000 students. The old terms have acquired a new meaning. The word "lyceum" has come to denote an innovative secondary school with a specialization in a particular area (e.g., mathematics, law, ecology, pedagogy), which is attached to a higher educational institution. "Gymnasium" is a nontraditional humanitarian school with a comprehensive program and the study of at least two foreign languages. To be granted the status of a lyceum or gymnasium, schools are expected to prove that they have highly qualified teachers, advanced programs, and adequate facilities. Among the first institutions to receive this status were the schools with intensive foreign language programs, which had been established under Khrushchev (the 1960s) and had gained popularity for producing nearly bilingual graduates. Though officially these schools are expected to enroll all the children of eligible age from the local community, the entry there is becoming more and more competitive.

The schools for the gifted and talented, which work in conjunction with theaters and conservatories, provide advanced training in ballet, music, and performing arts. Children with outstanding abilities for mathematics, biology, physics, and other sciences selected during nationwide competitions ( Olympiads ) are enrolled in specialized educational establishments, which are affiliated with universities and serve as laboratory schools or experimental grounds.

Those who decide to combine work with parallel secondary education can study at part-time evening schools. Due to the low quality of instruction and the inability to compete with daytime institutions, enrollment in such schools is steadily decreasing. Boarding schools, which in the late 1950s were seen as the Communist school of the future, now predominantly accommodate orphans, children deprived of proper parental care, and students from remote rural areas, who do not have a regular private school in their locality. In 1998-1999 the number of children in boarding schools and orphanages was more than 96,000. Most of such schools, as well as children's homes, are poorly financed and maintained. Their existence is a struggle for survival, rather than a strive for innovation.

The state also operates special facilities, which provide secondary education for the blind or partially sighted, deaf or partially hearing students, individuals with speech defects, and other health problems. The educational process in such schools is adjusted to the students' special needs and trains them in skills, which can be useful in their adult life. Alcoholism, crime and other social problems account for the growing number of institutions for mentally retarded and physically handicapped children, as well as closed correctional establishments for juvenile delinquents.

A school is headed by the Director who is personally responsible for the general management of the school life. As the main administrator, the Director deals with the educational process, staffing, the financial state of the school, the maintenance of its facilities, as well as food and security. Deputy directors ( zavuchi ) take care of particular areas of work (curricula, schedules, extracurricular activities, etc.). The highest organ of school self-government is the pedsovet (pedagogical council), which deals with fundamental aspects of the school life. It is chaired by the Director and includes all the deputy directors and educational staff. The Pedsovet adopts the school Charter ( Ustav ), defines the organizational structure of the school administration, makes decisions about educational programs, choice of curricula, forms and methods of teaching, approves the students' final grades, cooperates with the parents committee, educational institutions, and NGOs.

In the situation when schools have to deal with numerous economic difficulties, it has become vitally important to preserve and support the educational network, especially in the Far North, Siberia, and the Far East. Due to insufficient financing, only 46.3 percent of schools have the necessary facilities; and one third of the buildings need repairs. There is no construction of new educational establishments occurring in rural areas. Many schools are overcrowded, 32 percent of them have to work in two or three shifts.

Due to low social and territorial mobility of students and teachers, people living in different parts of the country do not have equal access to high-quality programs. It is necessary to improve and diversify the content of education, develop new methods, technologies, curricula, and textbooks. Another aim is to make various forms of education accessible for the gifted and talented students living in remote areas. The transition to a market economy requires paying more attention to professional orientation and programs for individuals who combine their education with work.

The principle of continuity between different stages of schooling is declared, but not truly implemented. The number of secondary school graduates, who can enter higher educational institutions without additional training (private tutoring), is steadily decreasing. Serious efforts have to be made to bridge the gap between the content of secondary and higher education. In order to support students from rural schools (68.9 percent of the total number), it is essential to intensify professional guidance, organize specialized classes, and search for other forms of cooperation between VUZs and rural schools. The introduction of unified state examinations is expected to make the admission to higher educational institutions more objective.

One of the long-term goals is a gradual transmission to a 12-year secondary education (4-6-2 model), which involves the development of new curricula, alleviates the students' work load, and allows for the individual choice of subjects according to the students interests and abilities. The reform is preceded by a period of experimentation: beginning in 2001, five educational institutions in every region are working along the lines of the new program. By 2015 the reform will embrace ninety percent of all the students.

The development of specialized professional education in Russia was strongly encouraged by Peter the Great and started with the opening of the Artillery School (1701), Medical School (1707), Engineering School (1709), Navy Academy (1715), and other institutions. By 1914-1915 there were more than 400 professional schools with 54,000 students, who were trained to work in construction, industry, transportation, medicine, and agriculture. During the first years after the October Revolution the Soviet government, which made special emphasis on vocational training, established 450 new institutions called technicums.

In the 1930s the network continued to grow; the night and correspondence departments were opened for those who combined studies with work. During the Second World War the vocational training system prepared 340,000 workers and specialists. When adults were recruited into the Army, teenage graduates replaced them in factory shops. By the late 1940s there were 4,000 vocational schools and technicums with 1,007,700 students. After three more decades of steady growth, the enrollment figures became stabilized and in the 1990s started decreasing (4,611,000 students in 1980, 4,231,000 in 1990).

Vocational institutions were subordinated to the republic, regional, and local administrative organs in order to meet the needs of particular territories. New types of schools (professional colleges and lyceums) combined general and vocational training with the purpose to improve the students' economic, legal, and industrial competence. By 1998-1999 there were 2,649 state and municipal secondary professional schools with 2,052,000 students.

The system encompasses two levels of education. The initial level comprises professional technical schools (PTU) and centers of continuing professional education, which train skilled workers and paraprofessionals for blue-collar jobs. The course lasts from one to two years for professional training only, and three to four years if it is combined with general secondary education.

The types of schools at the secondary professional level include: technicums (or polytechnicums ) (independent institutions, which predominantly train middle-level technicians, lower managers, shop foremen for industry, transport, construction, and agriculture); uchilishcha (schools, which prepare specialists for non-production spheres, including preprimary and primary school teachers, nurses, circus performers, and librarians); and colleges (secondary specialized institutions, which can be either independent or function as structural divisions of a university, institute, or academy).

Other types of vocational institutions are farmers' schools, commercial schools, and specialized schools aimed at the social rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents. Organizationally, all the schools are subdivided into state, municipal, and non-state institutions. In order to acquire a legal status, they have to be accredited by the state. The prerequisite for admission is basic (nine-year) or complete (eleven-year) secondary education. Prospective students have to take entrance examinations, which in some cases can be substituted by an interview. Preference in admission to free education is given to applicants who are getting professional training for the first time, as well as those who are referred to the institution by employment agencies.

The length of study at schools, which offer an mixture of professional and general education, is from three to four years. The state standards, adopted in 1992 and 1996, introduced a completely new approach to the structuring of the permanent and variable parts of the curricula. They include the federal, national, and regional components. The federal component defines the obligatory minimum content of educational programs, maximum workload, and the required level of student training. In their turn, the national and regional components reflect the specific needs of a particular locality and ethnic group. The standards have to be reviewed at least once every ten years. The new arrangement allows for adjustments, which take into consideration the peculiarities of the natural environment, climate, and the demand for certain skills and occupations. It aims at training specialists of wider profiles, who would have more professional mobility and adaptability to the changing social conditions. The mandatory minimum in the curriculum provides for the equivalency of training on all the territory of Russia.

The curricula, built along the lines of the state standards, include practical and theoretical courses. The annual number of hours can be from 4,418 to 5,744. Approximately one-third of them are devoted to general education (710 to 800 hours for humanitarian subjects, 500 to 680 hours for sciences, and 263 to 435 hours for electives and optional courses). In technical schools special emphasis is made on the basics of technology, economics, law, organization of production, intensive work methods, and use of new equipment. In addition to traditional topics, students get acquainted with new trends in commerce, management, marketing, auditing, and computer science. The educational process consists of lectures, tutorials, laboratory work, consultations, tests, excursions, simulation games, and practical training. The weekly study load is 36 to 38 hours. Students are organized in groups of 25 to 30 students (12 to 15 students for complex specialties). An academic director or a master of production training, attached to each group, is responsible for developing the students' vocational skills. Practical training usually takes place at the school shops or corresponding enterprises. At some schools the course culminates in the defense of a final paper called a diploma project.

Vocational schools are administered by a council representing all categories of employees, students, and other interested parties (enterprises, organizations, or parents). The council is chaired by the Director, who is responsible for the educational process, the school's financial state, the students' health and security, and recreational activities. In 1998-1999 there were 123,200 teachers employed in the network of secondary professional education. Most of them were graduates of industrial pedagogical institutes, higher, and specialized secondary institutions.

Educators are trying to find a rational correlation of theoretical and practical knowledge—a calculated balance of creative thinking and professional skills. In order to intensify the professional, social, and territorial mobility of specialists and make them more competitive on the job market, it is necessary to extend and combine the existing specialties and advance the quality of education. The educational tendencies encompass competitive enrollment; diversified curricula; financial reform of the network; cooperation of the state, businesses, trade unions, and educational institutions; and attraction of investments into the sphere of vocational training.

Additional topics

Russian Federation - Higher Education
Russian Federation - Preprimary Primary Education

Education - Free Encyclopedia Search Engine Global Education Reference Russian Federation - History Background, Constitutional Legal Foundations, Educational System—overview, Preprimary Primary Education, Secondary Education

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Performing arts education
Performing arts education. Education in the performing arts is a key part of many primary and secondary education curricula and is also available as a specialisation at the tertiary level. [1] [citation needed] The performing arts, which include, but are not limited to dance, music and theatre, are key elements of culture and engage ...
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In addition to arts education professional development for school leaders and teachers, students at the 21 treatment schools received, on average, 10 enriching arts educational experiences across ...
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While arts programs often fall victim to budget cuts, they can be an important contributor to students' overall success at school. Arts education can help kids: Engage with school and reduce ...
What you need to know about culture and arts education
Culture and arts education engages learners with built and natural heritage, living expressions, and the cultural and creative industries, promoting intercultural dialogue and linguistic diversity, both online and offline. By incorporating indigenous knowledge and practices, arts education validates and enlivens diverse cultural perspectives.
New Report Makes the Case for Arts Education: Recommends Access for All
A new report from the Commission on the Arts - Art for Life's Sake: The Case for Arts Education - sets forth recommendations to reverse the persistent decline in access to arts education in America. The report offers local, state, and national elected leaders recommendations in six areas, including elevating the arts, ensuring equitable access, and supporting educators.
All Steps
Since the existing arts education framework was established, the world has changed, and with it new challenges and opportunities have emerged.In today's global context, marked by increased human mobility, social fracture, systemic inequalities, climate change, and accelerated digital transformation, there is a need to revisit and reshape guidance in culture and arts education that is both ...
Arts Education
Arts Education. The Arts Endowment's arts education program is focused on pre-K to 12th-grade students, the educators and civic leaders who support them, and the schools and communities that serve them. The agency's funding is focused on providing dance, music, theater, visual arts, literary arts and media arts education for all students ...
Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best
Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation about the visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasures and stimulation of the art experience do ...
The Mind-Expanding Value of Arts Education
Avion Pearce for The New York Times. While experts have long espoused the idea that exposure to the arts plays a critical role in primary and secondary schooling, education systems globally have ...
The Importance of Heading Back to School with Arts Education
As families and educators ready children for back to school, the National Endowment for the Arts recognizes the important role of the arts in educating, engaging, and empowering youth. NEA Arts Education Team Lead Nancy Daugherty writes about the crucial role arts education will play in supporting student success and well being as they head ...
Back to School with Arts Education
The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) is a national network of more than 100 organizations dedicated to advancing arts education. AEP has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education since 1995 and is administered by Education Commission of the States. AEP is the nation's hub for arts and education ...
The Importance of Performing Arts in Education
The Importance of Performing Arts in Education. November 28, 2023. 12:00 am. Education Insights. We believe in the transformative power of performing arts. Beyond the academic syllabus, the arts are at the heart of our curriculum, as we understand that there's more to this storytelling tapestry than what meets the eye.
National Arts Education Status Report 2019
The Arts Education Data Project (AEDP) provides the first-ever look at the status and condition of arts education in the U.S. using actual student participation data reported by school districts to their state education departments. The AEDP created the National Arts Education Status Report 2019 as a comprehensive look at access to and ...
Kennedy Center Education
Classroom lesson plans. Arts-focused digital media. Kennedy Center Education offers a wide array of resources and experiences that inspire, excite, and empower students and young artists, plus the tools and connections to help educators incorporate the arts into classrooms of all types. Our current teaching and learning priorities include:
Federal Funding for Arts Education
The Department's arts education programs have received consistent, annual, bipartisan support from Congress. In FY 2016, Congress approved $27 million for the Arts in Education program, a $2 million increase, making possible a new round of competitive grants. Over the past several years, Congress has continued to increase funding for Arts in ...
Performing Arts Alliance
The Performing Arts Alliance is the premiere advocate for America's professional nonprofit arts organizations, artists and the publics before Congress. ... Research evidence shows arts education is key to a complete education and academic success. Federal funding for arts education expands student access to the arts.
Integration of Performing Arts in Education: A Joyful, Retentive and
Integration of performing arts in education is a modern way of teaching various concepts and theories. The integration of various art forms like dance, drama, music, puppetry, etc. in the ...
Practice Brief: Information Literacy in Visual and Performing Arts
School Leaders: In arts education, information literacy skills are crucial for enabling students to gain clarity, process information, critique the creative works of other artists, and self-reflect. Recognizing and elevating these skills in artistic disciplines will help deepen students' knowledge and strengthen their creative problem-solving ...
How the performing arts can teach kids concepts in science
The Theatre in Education collaboration will serve as a model for the new Wake Forest Center for Literacy Education that will be launched later this year. Program leaders have also partnered with other public schools in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to infuse performing arts into math, social studies, literacy, and other curriculum.
5 Benefits of a Performing Arts Education
A performing arts education provides children the opportunity to practice stepping outside of their comfort zone in a safe setting. Even after weeks of rehearsal, it takes courage to go out on a limb and accept whatever response comes from being vulnerable on stage. However, once your child lets go of those inhibiting expectations of what is ...
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Presenting over 2,000 performing arts shows and events each year, The Kennedy Center is a vibrant campus of theaters and other artistic spaces, a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, and a must-see tourist stop in Washington, DC. ... we strive to engage and uplift all learners through quality arts education in ways that spark curiosity ...
Dr. Phillips Center to host 2024 Disney Musical in Schools Celebration
About Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in downtown Orlando supported by the City of Orlando, Orange County, the City of Winter Park, the State of Florida and generous donors and sponsors.The 698,312-square-foot venue includes performance spaces like the Walt Disney Theater, the Alexis & Jim ...
Performing arts camp provides an opportunity for Ketchikan students to
SHI's mission is to perpetuate and enhance the Native cultures of Southeast Alaska, and this educational program does that by immersing students in visual and performing arts, all through an Indigenous lens. Mansyndoga da Gyet Nancy Barnes has been working for SHI for eight years, coordinating their education projects.
GRANTS FOR ARTS PROJECTS: Arts Education
The field of Arts Education is a complex, interconnected ecosystem that supports arts learning at the federal, state, and local levels. This includes national service organizations, state departments of education, state arts agencies, and local school districts, as well as arts organizations, youth service organizations, health and human ...
Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Arts, Design and
The 2nd International Conference on Arts, Design and Contemporary Education (ICADCE 2016) was held on May 23-25, 2016 in Moscow, Russia. The aim of ICADCE is to provide a common platform for educators, artists, scholars, and students from different cultural backgrounds to present and discuss research, developments and innovations in the field of Art, Design and Education.
The Sharon Studio Theatre
The Sharon seats just over 1,000 guests in a multi-level theatre offering state-of-the-art audio, visual, and theatrical rigging systems to create an entertainment experience like no other! Performances spotlight a variety of artistic disciplines ranging from concerts and comedians to dance troupes, musicals, illusionists, and operas.
Moscow Festival Ballet Swan Lake
Since its premier at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre in 1877, Swan Lake has engaged generations of ballet dancers and captivated audiences around the world. Moscow Festival Ballet brings the most popular of all classical ballets to Eisenhower Auditorium in a production based on the seminal 1895 choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.
Louisville KY Real Estate
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Russian Federation
As a result, general education in secondary schools was combined with vocational training. Strong emphasis was also made on the indoctrination courses expected to propagate Communist ideology. The regulation of 1934 established two types of secondary general education: incomplete seven-year and complete ten-year education.
Union High School's Performing Arts Company Takes Home ...
UNION, NJ - Members of Union High School's Performing Arts Company (UHSPAC) took part in the annual World Strides Heritage Festival in Williamsburg, Virginia, last weekend and took home multiple...