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 In This Issue
- CAEC A Massive Success!
- Updated Copyright & Creativity Professional Development Course
- Exploring the Elements of Music: Terminology Resource for Listening, Performing, Remixing, and Creating
AELC Updates
- NCTAE Updates
- Register for the NCMEA Professional Development Conference Nov. 7-10
- NCTC College Day
NC Arts Council Corner
- Bring arts learning into focus
- NC high-school teachers: Registration for Poetry Out Loud is open
 In Case You Missed It...
The 3rd NC Comprehensive Arts Education Conference brought arts educators, presenters, partners, and advocates from across North Carolina together in Greensboro for an incredible day of learning, connection, and celebration.
The conference opened with a message from State Superintendent Mo Green and Guilford County Leadership continuing with engaging sessions led by educators and leaders who generously shared their ideas, expertise, and outstanding work with students. Our Arts Education Leadership Coalition partners connected attendees with even more resources and opportunities, while conversations throughout the day sparked new ideas and relationships across disciplines and communities.
More than anything, CAEC reminded us what happens when North Carolina’s arts education community gets into the same building: conversations spill into the hallways, new partnerships begin to take shape, and everyone leaves with fresh energy for the work ahead.
We are incredibly grateful to the presenters, partners, volunteers, hosts, and participants who made our third conference such a success.
If you missed it: When next year’s save-the-date appears, put it on your calendar. You will want to be in the room!
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C&C’s updated PD course is free and available on-demand. Designed to give educators greater familiarity with copyright concepts covered in our K-12 curriculum, the self-paced course takes about 2-3 hours to complete. It consists of a short introductory video plus five learning modules:
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- Copyright Basics
- Fair Use Basics
- Acquiring & Sharing Copyrighted Works Legally and Ethically
- Student Activity
- FAQ
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 Exploring the Elements: Flexible Lenses for Modern Band Classrooms is a new Music Will resource offering a thoughtful, practical approach to music terminology by turning vocabulary into active tools for deep listening and musical connection. Designed especially for modern band and popular music classrooms, but useful in all music classrooms, these flexible concept cards move beyond rote definitions, helping students notice, name, and apply terms like flow and sampling directly to real musical experiences. Rather than serving as a fixed glossary, the cards establish a "living word wall" that grows alongside the music, cultures, and traditions students encounter every day.
The framework shines during listening and discussion, equipping teachers with purposeful prompts that invite students to respond authentically to what they hear. By connecting musical vocabulary directly to their own observations, learners learn to articulate subtle nuances, share insights, and make intentional artistic choices during performance, remixing, and songwriting. Discover how this resource can enrich classroom dialogue and deepen student engagement. Exploring the Elements is freely available in the Music Will Academy. It is the final section of the Back-to-School Resources (Look for “Downloadable Elements of Music Terminology Posters and Resources.”)
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.
 Welcome to the NEW AELC Updates Section! This section is a new monthly feature spotlighting the work of the Arts Education Leadership Coalition Members. For more information about the coalition, visit artsednc.org.
Upcoming Events:
- NC Young Playwrights Festival Submissions due on Jan. 15th (Link)
- Sue Scarborough Scholarship Applications due Feb. 18th (Link)
- Winter Focus at Trinity Center in Salter Path, NC on Feb. 19-21st (Link)
- NC Young Playwrights Festival on May 15th at Playmakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill (Link)
Congrats to our Educator of the Year for 2026 - Tim Domack!
And our newly elected President Elect - Heather Achter!
Join 1,500 music educators 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! View the schedule.
 NCTC College Day (Saturday, November 21) brings students in grades 9-12 and recent graduates together with 20+ college theatre departments from around the state at Greensboro College. Students can attend the state’s largest theatre-only College Fair, plus audition or present a design portfolio. Student financial aid is available! K12 teachers can attend for FREE and support their students while getting insider info from college theatre programs.
 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.
Bring arts learning into focus
This fall, engage with two new arts learning opportunities: Big Picture Arts Learning Sessions and Spotlight Arts Learning Workshops. Together, they invite educators to consider the larger role the arts play in teaching and learning, and then dive into specific strategies, activities, and resources for practical use.
First, join us for the virtual Big Picture Arts Learning Session—a free, 60-minute introduction to North Carolina’s Comprehensive Arts Education (CAE) framework. We’ll explore the three components of a comprehensive arts education: arts education, arts integration, and arts exposure. You’ll see how each one can appear across different art forms and how they work together to create rich and engaging learning experiences for students.
Big Picture Arts Learning Sessions (Zoom):
Monday, November 2, 4–5 p.m.
Thursday, November 5, 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Learn more and register
Next, go deeper with Spotlight Arts Learning Workshops. These workshops bring arts learning practitioners to your school for in-person professional learning focused on a specific topic, strategy, activity, or resource. Each session blends hands‑on exploration with guided planning time, so educators can consider how they can adapt what they’ve learned for their own learning environments. Schools can select a Spotlight workshop from our list of available options based on their interests and needs.
Spotlight Arts Learning Workshop: Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis Monday, November 9, 2026, through Wednesday, March 31, 2027.
We will schedule workshops between December 2026 and May 2027, allowing at least four weeks for coordination between our receipt of requests and holding a workshop.
Learn more and request workshops
NC high-school teachers: Registration for Poetry Out Loud is open
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Out Loud gives students the opportunity to discover great poetry through memorization and recitation. Along the way, students build public speaking skills, confidence, and a deeper connection to poetry and literary history. Registration closes October 30, 2026.
Learn more about important dates, rules, eligibility, and how to register.
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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