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 In This Issue
- CAEC Registration Is Open!
- Get Your CAE Swag in the ArtsNC Store
- Honors Implementation Support Webinars this August!
- Fall Theatre Teacher Conference (Fall Sharing)
- NCMEA Conference Registration Is Open
- NC Symphony 2026 Educator Award Honorees Spotlight
- Music Will's Student Centered Learning Resources
- ML/Title III Webinar Series Begins September 2nd!
NC Arts Council Corner
- Introducing the North Carolina Arts Council’s arts learning hub for services and resources
- Bring a teaching artist to your school
- A+ Schools of North Carolina
 Register to attend the Fall Comprehensive Arts Education Conference, Saturday, September 26th at PECK Expeditionary Learning School, in Greensboro, NC!
This day-long conference serves as a statewide professional development opportunity for dance, music, theatre, and visual arts educators, district arts education leaders, teaching artists, arts integration specialists, and pre-service teachers from across North Carolina working in K-12 programs, independent studios, performing arts organizations, and higher education institutions.
The mission of this conference is to support the three essential components of the North Carolina Comprehensive Arts Education Model: Arts Education, Arts Integration, and Arts Exposure. Sessions will be centered on the four K-12 Arts Education Standards core strands of Connect, Create, Present, and Respond and aid to reinforce the 2024 standard course of study.
This event is proudly supported by the North Carolina Music Educators Association. All conference participants will receive a boxed lunch and a NC CAEC T-shirt with registration. Stay tuned for future posts about this event on Facebook and Instagram!
Register today!
https://go.ncdpi.gov/26CAEC-Reg
 Show your support for Comprehensive Arts Education everywhere you go!
 This three-part webinar series will support schools in preparing for the launch of Honors-level Arts Education courses at the Novice, Developing, Beginning, and Intermediate levels in 2027–28. Participants will explore state expectations for Honors coursework to begin developing locally aligned honors tasks, assessments, and instructional approaches that reflect authentic arts rigor. These sessions are for High School Arts Educators, District Arts Education Leaders, and Honors Implementation Coordinators. Registration is required.
All webinars are scheduled from 4pm - 5pm and will be archived in the Arts Education PD Catalog for future access.
- August 5: Understanding the Honors Framework
- August 12: Understanding the Advanced Learning Indicators
- August 19: Examining Depth & Complexity
WHAT? The annual Fall Sharing for NC Theatre Arts Educators
Come experience the incredible network of theatre educators from across our state. Earn CEUs that help specifically in your classroom/department.
Get more information: FALL SHARING | nctae
WHERE? Asheville High School in Asheville, NC
WHEN? Friday and Saturday, September 18 and 19.
Come for both days or just Saturday.
HERE IS THE REGISTRATION TO SIGN UP
HOW CAN I BE A PART OF THIS? We are currently seeking teachers to lead workshops on Saturday, to share a favorite lesson, teach a workshop, explain techniques you find useful in your productions or classes.
HERE IS THE FORM TO SIGN UP TO LEAD A WORKSHOP
WHERE CAN I STAY? HOTEL INFORMATION: This is a very busy and high demand weekend in Asheville. Unfortunately due to this, we currently do not have a block of rooms.
For more information and questions reach out to Lori Hilliard at Asheville High
OTHER NCTAE BUSINESS (Must be/become a member to nominate and the nominee must be/become a member)
 Join us November 7-10 in Winston-Salem for more than 200 sessions and clinics in all teaching areas! Highlights include a keynote by Jazzmone Sutton, Honors ensembles, the NC Collegiate Festival Choir, Young Professionals programming, and all the great workshops, performances, and exhibitors you're accustomed to!
Click Here to Register
For more than 80 years, the North Carolina Symphony has collaborated with statewide music educators to deliver our curriculum-aligned music education program into the classroom. Today, the program engages more than 150,000 elementary school students across North Carolina and beyond. Each year, we recognize three educators that are helping us reach and inspire the future musicians and audiences that are in their classrooms.
Maxine Swalin Award for Outstanding Music Educator
2026 Honoree: Emma Rainoff
Lumberton Junior High School and Lumberton High School, Robeson County
Emma Rainoff is a string musician and music teacher in Lumberton, NC, serving as orchestra director for Lumberton High School and Lumberton Junior High School and orchestra department chair for the Public Schools of Robeson County. She has worked to build an inclusive program accessible to students of all backgrounds. Her teaching spans across multiple techniques and genres while also focusing on classical music, rock music, and jazz improvisation. In addition to teaching, Miss Rainoff plays viola for the Florence Symphony Orchestra.
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Jackson Parkhurst Award for Special Achievement
2026 Honoree: Dr. Amanda Hoke
Codington Elementary School, New Hanover County
Dr. Amanda M. Hoke is a National Board-certified elementary music educator who serves as the Lead Elementary Music Educator for General Music K–5 in New Hanover County Schools in Wilmington, NC. She currently serves at Codington Elementary School. Dr. Hoke holds full Kodály certification and Feierabend Conversational Solfege training in Early to Middle Childhood Music. Committed to accessible and creative music instruction, her work has been recognized with multiple local, state, and national teaching awards.
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North Carolina Symphony Musicians Award
2026 Honoree: Nicki Garner
North Moore High School, Moore County
Nicki Nall Garner serves as the Director of Bands at North Moore High School, making her the first female high school band director in Moore County. As director, her mission is to continue the North Moore Band’s legacy—in the very place and program that shaped her. She is in her ninth year of public education and brings over eighteen years of instructional dedication. Garner is honored to be a member of Band of America’s Few, a non-profit veteran organization composed of Marine musicians reaching audiences across the nation into Canada.
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 Dive into strategies for making your classroom more student-centered. Explore repertoire selection, performance design, and unit planning grounded in student voice and choice. Music Will’s Student Centered Learning and Instruction course is a free course (log-in required) that includes lesson plan units and templates, as well a padlet where teachers from across the country can share ideas and get feedback. This course is a great way to gear up for the upcoming school year!
If you’re new to Music Will, check out the Getting Started with Music Will page for information on professional learning, special events, resources, and more.
The ML/Title III team is offering a PD Series Unpacking Language Demands in Content Standards to deepen understanding of language development and its role in content-area instruction for multilingual learners (MLs). Participants will explore connections between language and academic standards, analyze language demands in classroom tasks, and develop collaborative planning and instructional strategies. This series supports Principle #2: Strengthen Core Instruction, Priority 1 Key Action for the Classroom in the ML/Title III Strategic Framework.
The first webinar in the series will take place on September 2 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm, Understanding Second Language Acquisition. Build your foundational knowledge of second language acquisition and examine how multilingual learners develop language across listening, speaking, reading, and writing domains. The session will explore factors that influence language development and implications for classroom instruction. Participants will engage in learning that advances Principle 2: Strengthen Core Instruction Priority 1 - Key Action for the Classroom identified in the ML/Title III Framework.
Register for upcoming webinars:
 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.
Introducing the North Carolina Arts Council’s arts learning hub for services and resources
The North Carolina Arts Council’s arts learning team is excited to introduce a central hub to connect educators with arts learning opportunities, resources, and services available across the state. Decades of research show that increased exposure to the arts helps students deepen curricular connections and develop critical thinking skills. The arts also strengthen collaborative relationships and help build community. For these reasons, the Arts Council upholds arts learning as one of the ways we achieve our mission: arts for all people.
Using the hub, schools can access such established programs as A+ Schools of North Carolina and Poetry Out Loud alongside new offerings, such as the NCAC roster of teaching artists. All the offerings are designed to support educators, strengthen arts experiences for students, and expand access to creative learning opportunities in North Carolina schools.
Explore the offerings and resources available through the new arts learning hub:
Bring a teaching artist to your school
The NCAC has made it easier for schools to access professional teaching artists, shifting from a grant-based model to a streamlined request process. The new teaching artist program connects schools with accomplished artist-educators who provide meaningful, arts experiences that inspire creativity, connection, and learning. In its inaugural year, the NCAC is pleased to offer these teaching artist engagements at no cost to participating schools. Requests for the 2026–27 school year will be accepted August 3–September 15, 2026.
Learn more and meet the 2026 cohort of teaching artists.
A+ Schools of North Carolina
A signature program of the NCAC, A+ Schools works with schools to develop and sustain a campus-wide approach to creative learning. Participating A+ schools center the arts as the foundation for collaboration, innovation, and meaningful student engagement across the curriculum.
Interested in becoming an A+ School? Contact A+ Schools Network Director Tom Nevels at tom.nevels@dncr.nc.gov.
Read more about the arts learning hub for services and resources.
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
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