|
Do you know someone who doesn't get our emails?
Share this email with them and encourage them to sign up for the Arts Education listserv!
 In This Issue
- Governor's Arts In Our Schools Month Proclamation
- NCDPI AISOM Performances
- Be part of North Carolina's collective performance: 🌟 One State, One Score 🌟
- NCAS Announces Standards Process Updates for the Field
- Statewide Microcredentials
- PNCC Orff Upcoming Sessions
- Voices of Freedom: Exploring History Through Place and Performance at Historic Stagville
- What's Behind the Numbers?
NC Arts Council Corner
- Invigorate Your Classroom with Music and Visual Arts Integration
- 2026 North Carolina Poetry Out Loud Winners
 Access a PDF of the above image here
 Please join the NCDPI Office of Teaching and Learning Arts Education Team for in-person throughout downtown Raleigh and live-streamed performances and virtual visual arts galleries in celebration of Arts in Our Schools Month this March! All viewings are from 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. and are free to attend or watch on YouTube.
We are looking forward to celebrating the excellence in public education and recognizing the importance of arts programming in our K-12 schools as we showcase the artistic talents of these North Carolina Students!
And don’t forget to check out the amazing work of our student artists in upcoming virtual art galleries premiering on Wednesdays in March on the NCDPI YouTube Channel.
|
Premiering July 4th, 2026, Submissions due April 30th, 2026
|
|
|
|
This year, the North Carolina Symphony invites you to take part in One State, One Score of "America the Beautiful," a virtual performance video celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. We welcome North Carolinians of all ages and backgrounds to connect through music and art as part of the America 250 celebration.
This collaborative performance video brings people together virtually in a collective arts experience. Participants select a score that matches their instrument and experience level, learn their part, record a video, and upload their submission though our website. Materials for multiple instruments and skill levels, as well as vocal lines and guidance for nonmusical submissions, are available to download.
|
|
|
|
All art forms are welcome. We want to see and hear what inspires you - from violins, flutes, synthesizers, electric guitars, and banjos to original choreography, visual art, and poetry. If "America the Beautiful" sparks your creativity, we invite you to share it.
The Symphony will compile submissions into a special commemorative video premiering July 4, 2026, as part of North Carolina's America 250 celebrations.
Submission deadline: April 30, 2026
Melody recordings and a lyric sheet are available here to help you get started.
(To see what North Carolinians submitted in 2021, check out the "Ode to Joy" collaboration here.)
If you have any questions, please contact education@ncsymphony.org.
|
|
|
Last year, the National Coalition for Arts Standards (NCAS) announced its intent to review the national standards in dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts.
As we celebrate Arts in Our Schools Month, we are pleased to share an update on the review process, including highlights from our national survey, our goals for the work ahead, and ways for the field to get involved.
Public Input Survey
From February through May 2025, NCAS conducted a national public input survey to gather feedback on the 2014 National Arts Standards. The survey received 3,490 responses and generated 5,632 comments from educators and stakeholders across all arts disciplines and U.S. states and territories.
Overall, respondents expressed strong appreciation for the standards’ structure, flexibility, and value for advocacy and reflective practice. At the same time, many called for clearer language, stronger alignment across grade levels, and additional support materials such as professional development, exemplars, and guidance for emerging topics like technology and AI.
The feedback suggests that the field values the current standards and is seeking thoughtful refinement rather than a complete rewrite.
Infographic: Selected Survey Findings
A Report on Selected Preliminary Survey Findings
Goals for the Review
Based on the survey findings, NCAS has established five key goals for the review process:
1) Arts Learning for All: Design standards with universal accessibility in mind so that students from all cultural backgrounds and all types of learners can benefit.
2) Concise Language: Use clear, straightforward language so the standards are accessible, practical, and easy for educators to implement.
3) Student Voice & Choice: Position students as active creators and decision-makers to foster motivation, agency, and deep artistic learning.
4) Technology & Artificial Intelligence (AI): Update the standards to reflect the growing role of digital tools and AI, integrating technical and artistic literacy.
5) Postsecondary Readiness: Prepare students for college and careers by building artistic foundations and transferable skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and resilience.
Opportunities to Get Involved
NCAS is committed to a collaborative review process and invites members the field to participate.
Thank you to everyone who contributed feedback and continues to support this important work.
Full announcement: NCAS Standards Review Process Updates for the field (March 2026)
Contact: contact@nationalartsstandards.org
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Digital Learning and School Connectivity is opening an interest application for upcoming state-wide professional learning micro-credential pathways for educators. These pathways support job-embedded professional learning aligned to statewide priorities in artificial intelligence, data privacy, digital citizenship, and student knowledge construction.
Seats are limited, and this form is intended to gauge interest only; completion does not guarantee enrollment. To ensure equitable access, each Public School Unit (PSU) will be prioritized for one seat per pathway before additional participants from the same PSU are considered, based on availability. Educators will be asked to rank their pathway preferences to support placement if a first-choice pathway reaches capacity.
All cohorts will run from March 1 through May 31.
Available Professional Learning Pathways include:
- Basic AI for Educators
- Basic AI for K–2 Classrooms
- Basic AI for 3–5 Classrooms
- Basic AI for 6–8 Classrooms
- Basic AI for 9–12 Classrooms
- Data Privacy for Educators
- Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum
- Student Knowledge Construction in the Curriculum
Please share this opportunity with educators in your PSU who may be interested and encourage them to complete the interest form by February 20th.
Link to Interest Form
Additional details, including selection notifications and next steps, will be shared after interest submissions have been reviewed.
Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting high-quality, flexible professional learning opportunities across North Carolina.
 “Dare to Create” with Rob Delgaudio
Greensboro College
Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Have you ever written your own songs or created original music? As educators, we often encourage creativity in our students — but how often do we explore that creative space ourselves? In this hands-on workshop, Rob Delgaudio will share systems and tools he uses to help spark imagination, originality, and joyful music-making in your own creative work.
Fee: $40 PNCC members | $50 non-members | $0 undergraduate students
Registration link:
https://sites.google.com/view/pnccorff/workshops#h.v9pru5eensgw
 Looking Ahead
PNCC Orff Level I Teacher Education Course
UNC Charlotte | July 20-31, 2026
Join us this summer for the PNCC Level I Orff Teacher Education Course at UNC Charlotte. This course offers a dynamic and immersive learning experience designed to support music educators in developing musicianship, pedagogy, and creative teaching practices.
Applications are due May 15, 2026, and a $100 deposit reserves your spot.
More information and registration:
https://sites.google.com/view/pnccorff/summer-2026-course
APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON MARCH 25
EVENT OVERVIEW
The NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources (DNCR), it’s Historic Stagville site, and Biscuits & Banjos invites K–12 teachers (grades 8–12) to join us for a meaningful day of learning at Stagville as we explore the interconnected themes of resistance, resilience, and enduring culture.
Historic Stagville, a 165‑acre State Historic Site managed by DNCR, is dedicated to teaching about the lives, culture, and labor of enslaved people. During this place-based program (April 26), attendees will experience the landscape, stories, and histories of a site where more than 900 people were enslaved. The day’s learning will center on how enslaved people carved out freedom for themselves and created and sustained cultural traditions that endure today.
Designed for 8th – 12th grade educators new to Stagville who teach about the history of enslavement in North Carolina, the program will include a private guided tour, collaborative work with primary sources and teaching materials, and a special performance by Mary D. Williams, “From Slavery to Freedom.” By day’s end, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how enslaved communities persevered, created, and resisted in the face of profound injustice.
The following evening (April 27), teachers will have the incredible opportunity to attend “Biscuits & Banjos presents: Rhiannon Giddens’ Beloved Community,” a concert featuring African American musical traditions and performances by Rhiannon Giddens, Mavis Staples, Blind Boys of Alabama, Rissi Palmer, and Toshi Reagon. This powerful blend of traditional and contemporary voices highlights Black history and resilience while demonstrating culture’s enduring role in community life today.
ATTENDING EDUCATORS WILL RECEIVE:
The chance to network with other educators, as well as the opportunity to engage with DNCR/Historic Sites staff ready to serve as a source of support for your important work in the classroom!
Details and application available here. (Applications close on March 25.)
|
 This new feature in the arts ed newsletter highlights data from the National Arts Education Data Project and how others are using the data to shape conversations around the nation.
To start conversations about NC Arts Education data, visit the dashboard at:
artsednc.org/resources/arts-education-data-project/
On its own, a number like 8.9% does not actually tell us very much.
Is it low because students are not interested? Is it limited by access? Or is it masking demand that exists where programs are offered? Without context, it is just a statistic. Numbers only become powerful when we understand how participation relates to availability and student demand.
In this case, context changes everything.
In New York, 8.9% represents the overall dance participation rate for the 2023 school year. While the rate is only slightly lower than the previous year, it sits well below participation levels from before 2021, suggesting that the system has only partially recovered from earlier disruptions.
According to the data:
-
The dance participation rate reached 8.9% in 2023
-
This represents a 1 percentage-point decline from 2022 (9.0%)
- Participation trends over time:
- 2019: 10.9%
- 2020: 10.4%
- 2021: 6.7% (lowest point)
- 2022: 9.0%
- 2023: 8.9%
- 213,154 students were enrolled in dance-related arts courses in 2023
-
Total arts enrollment declined 2% from 2022
Uptake provides additional context (participation rate based only on schools where programs are present):
- Dance Uptake Rate (2023): 49.8%
- Uptake trends:
- 2019: 52.9%
- 2020: 50.9%
- 2021: 45.5%
- 2022: 52.2%
- 2023: 49.8%
Enrollment varies significantly by school poverty level:
-
Low (≤25% FRPM): 2%
-
Mid-Low (≤50%): 3%
-
Mid-High (≤75%): 9%
-
High (>75%): 17%
This number reflects a combination of partial recovery and uneven program availability.
Several structural patterns are evident:
- Participation dropped dramatically in 2021 and has not fully returned to pre-2020 levels
-
Uptake remains very high relative to participation, suggesting students enroll when dance is available
-
Schools serving higher concentrations of economically disadvantaged students show substantially higher dance enrollment rates
-
Participation is constrained not by lack of interest but by limited program availability across the system
The difference between 8.9% participation and 49.8% uptake indicates that access—not demand—is the primary limiting factor.
A relatively small statewide participation rate can still reveal meaningful system dynamics.
What it confirms:
- Dance participation has partially recovered since the 2021 decline
- Student demand remains strong where dance programs exist
- Higher-poverty schools often sustain stronger dance participation
What it does not yet reveal:
- Whether staffing and scheduling limit expansion
- Whether participation will continue to recover toward pre-2020 levels
Low participation alongside strong uptake often signals an access constraint rather than a demand problem.
Use 8.9% together with the uptake and equity context.
Talking points:
- “Nearly half of students enroll in dance when it is available.”
- “Statewide participation remains below pre-2020 levels.”
- “Dance enrollment is significantly higher in schools serving higher-poverty communities.”
- Key advocacy question:
If uptake remains near 50%, how much higher could participation rise if dance were offered more consistently across schools?
The data suggest that the next gains in dance participation will come not from generating interest, but from expanding access.
 Welcome to the North Carolina Arts Council Arts Education Corner! The North Carolina Arts Council Arts Education Corner is a new monthly newsletter feature supporting arts educators statewide. Each month, we'll share valuable resources, highlight opportunities for teachers and students, and showcase the incredible work of schools, organizations and teaching artists who are making an impact in their communities.
Free hands-on and standards-based professional development for ANY PK–8 educator!
Join the North Carolina Arts Council and A+ Schools of North Carolina to discover arts integration strategies through music and visual arts. Walk away with resources and practical ideas you can use immediately.
Monday, April 13: 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. ArtSpace Charter School 2020 U.S. Hwy. 70, Swannanoa, N.C. 28778
Thursday, April 16: 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Wilson Arts Center 204 Nash St. S., Wilson, N.C. 27893
Free to attend & lunch provided Limited scholarships to cover substitute costs are available.
Register by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, at tinyurl.com/IntegrateK-8.
If you have questions, contact Tom Nevels at tom.nevels@dncr.nc.gov.
 |
|
Congratulations to the 2026 North Carolina Poetry Out Loud champion, Caliyah McCall, of Knightdale High School, and to the runner‑up, Giada Martucci, of Eugene Ashley High School. Poetry Out Loud—a program of the National Endowment for the Arts administered by Mid Atlantic Arts—is a national poetry recitation competition for high-school students. The program aims to build public speaking skills, boost confidence, and introduce students to literary history.
More than 30 students from 15 high schools and organizations across the state competed in this year’s regional and state finals, held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, at ImaginOn. Competitors recited memorized works from a poetry anthology that celebrates historic American voices, in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary.
|
|
Caliyah earned the state title with her recitations of “Militants to Certain Other Women,” by Katharine Rolston Fisher; “Memorial Wreath,” by Dudley Randall; and “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” by Julia Ward Howe. She will advance to the National Poetry Out Loud finals, in April.
We’re proud to celebrate Caliyah, Giada, and all the students who competed this year, including the state finalists: Rachael Husak and Chakrahamsini Karanam, of Lake Norman Charter High School; Madison Mintegui, of Eugene Ashley High School; and Han Nguyen, of Union County Early College.
Image caption: Image 1: The 2026 North Carolina Poetry Out Loud State champion, Caliyah McCall, poses with her award. Image 2: Caliyah McCall and runner-up Giada Martucci pose together. Photos by John Merrick, courtesy of the Children's Theatre of Charlotte
|
|
 |
North Carolina's Vision for Comprehensive Arts Education
In today's globally competitive world, innovative thinking and creativity are essential for all school children. High quality, standards-based instruction in the arts develops these skills and effectively engages, retains, and prepares future-ready students for graduation and success in an entrepreneurial economy. Dance, music, theatre arts, and visual arts, taught by licensed arts educators and integrated throughout the curriculum, are critical to North Carolina's 21st century education. (Senate Bill 66: Comprehensive Arts Education Task Force, 2010)
Learn More about Comprehensive Arts Education
NCDPI Arts Education - NCDPI Arts Education Website
@ncartsed - NCDPI Arts Education Instagram
@nck12artsed - NCDPI Facebook
Contact Us!
Laura Stauderman: K-12 Dance and Visual Arts Consultant
Brandon Roeder: K-12 Music and Theatre Arts Consultant
|
Disclaimer Statement
The links on this page will bring you to third-party websites, owned and operated by independent parties over which NCDPI has no control. Any link you make to or from these 3rd Party Websites will be at your own risk. Any use of these 3rd Party Websites and any information you provide will be subject to and governed by the terms of the 3rd Party Website, including those relating to confidentiality, data privacy, and security.
Unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing, NCDPI is not in any way associated with the owner or operator of any of the 3rd Party Websites or responsible or liable for the goods and services offered by them or for anything in connection with such 3rd Party Websites. NCDPI does not endorse and makes no warranties, representations or undertakings relating to the content of any 3rd Party Website.
|
