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 In This Issue
- New Webinar Series - Humans First: Teaching Ethical Creativity and Artistic Decision-Making in the Age of AI
- US Presidential Scholars Announced
- Aviation Visual Arts Competition
- All-in-One Modern Band Lesson Planning Template
AELC Updates
- NCTAE Winter Focus
- NCTAE NCYPF Play Submission
- Register for the NCMEA Professional Development Conference Nov. 7-10
- NCTC College Day
- Central Carolina AOSA Chapter Share (Virtual Workshop)
NC Arts Council Corner
 Join NCDPI Office of Digital Learning Consultant Brian Whitson for a two-part webinar series on human judgment, artistic voice, and ethical decision-making in the age of AI. Examine how artists make intentional decisions that technology cannot replicate: interpreting meaning, expressing identity, evaluating impact, and responding ethically and explore strategies to help students think critically about originality, attribution, ownership, and responsible use of AI and digital tools in creative work.
Tuesday, December 8, Part I: The Human First Framework
Tuesday, December 15, Part II: Copyright and Practical Strategies when using AI
4pm-5pm
Targeted audience: 6-12 Music, Theatre, & Visual Arts Educators
*This webinar supports Arts Education Standard CR.2.2 - Explain how artistic works are protected, shared, and used fairly by audiences and other artists.
Free to attend! CEU’s provided.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.
Congratulations to the NC Arts Finalists!
- William Li Chen, Cary - Cary Academy
- Yul Choi, Cary - Cary Academy
- Clare Lee, Cary - Cary Academy
- Audrey Song, Cary - University of North Carolina School of the Arts
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 The N.C. Department of Transportation's Division of Aviation hosts the North Carolina Aviation Art Contest each year to inspire and engage young people in aviation.
Entries for the 2027 North Carolina Aviation Art Contest must be received by Friday, Feb. 19, 2027.
The contest offers children ages 6-17 who live or attend school in North Carolina the chance to explore different aspects of aviation. The North Carolina Airports Association sponsors the art contest each year.
2027 Aviation Art Contest Theme: ‘Forever First in Flight’
On Dec. 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright piloted the first sustained, powered and controlled flight for 12 seconds, traveling 120 feet in Kill Devil Hills, N.C. This milestone earned the state the title “First in Flight.”
Since then, North Carolina has continued to pave the way for aviation innovation through the integration of electric aircraft, autonomous technology and unmanned aircraft systems (drones).
When you look to the future, what do you see? How do you imagine our skies will look as cutting-edge technology emerges? Let your creativity soar to the future of aviation and capture the next generation of flight through your art.
Contest Rules
 Connecting broad curricular goals with day-to-day instruction can be one of the most time-consuming parts of teaching. To help educators streamline their workflow, Music Will has developed a comprehensive, spreadsheet-based Lesson Planning Template designed to bring long-term planning, milestones, standards, “I Can” statements, skills, terminology, and weekly lessons together in one cohesive workspace available in the Music Will Academy.
Here are some of the features of the Lesson Plan Template.
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Connects Long-Term & Weekly Mapping: Map out overarching course goals, knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The info automatically populates across connected tabs to support day-to-day lesson delivery.
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Integrates Milestones & Objectives: Link state standards, learning targets, vocabulary, and major performance milestones directly to each lesson from dropdown menus that auto-fill from the setup tabs.
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Flexible Lesson Models & Classroom Strategies: Access built-in guidance outlining clear teacher and learner roles alongside collaborative student grouping that support dynamic, learner-centered music making.
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Expandable, Multi-Class Architecture: Manage eight classes with up to 58 lessons within a single term. Grouped rows and columns let teachers collapse detail for a high-level overview or expand individual lessons for detailed planning. (Teachers with more than eight preps can easily duplicate the template to stay organized by quarter, semester, or ensemble rotation.)
This template makes it easy for music educators to spend less time managing spreadsheets and more time making music with students. Access the Lesson Planning Template in the Music Will Academy.
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 AELC Updates Section! This section is a monthly feature spotlighting the work of the Arts Education Leadership Coalition Members. For more information about the coalition, visit artsednc.org.
Dates: February 19-21, 2027
Location: Trinity Center, 618 Salter Path Rd, Pine Knoll Shores, NC
Topic: Moment Work with KoKo Thornton and Pete Comperatore
Moment Work is Tectonic Theatre’s (The Laramie Project, Here There Are Blueberries) method of devising, directing and designing theatre that takes the emphasis off of the text and empowers all of the other elements of theatre such as movement, props, costumes, lights and sound to take the lead in storytelling. This master class, taught by Tectonic trained presenters, will inspire actors, directors and technicians alike to think about making theatre in a whole new way!
REGISTRATION & PAYMENT
Must be a paid member to participate
Registration includes room, meals, and event fees.
- Early Registration Double Occupancy: $250 (through Nov. 30)
- Early Registration Single Occupancy: $300 (through Nov. 30)
- Late Registration: Add $50 (starting Dec. 1)
- Teacher Membership Dues: $20
- Retired Teacher & Student Membership Dues: $15
SCHOLARSHIPS
Two Scholarships are available for members who:
- Have never attended Winter Focus
- Attended the previous Fall Sharing
- Paid full event fees for Fall Sharing (no waivers)
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Submit the scholarship application by November 1.
The first step in becoming involved in NC Young Playwrights Festival is to submit your students work to NC Young Playwrights. Many teacher have playwriting units that end in a written play. By submitting the students play you have provided a perfect opportunity to expand the student's understanding of playwriting and celebrating their hard work. Submissions don't just come from playwriting units. NC Theatre Teachers have found that a passionate playwright is always ready to be encouraged to participate in this event. Each NCTAE member can submit up to five entries from their school. Submitted plays will be read by qualified theatre professionals who will adjudicate based on a common score sheet. The plays that receive the highest communal score will be asked to participate in the NC Young Playwrights Showcase and they will receive an award:
Qualifications for Submitted Plays:
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The teacher must be a current member of NCTAE (JOIN HERE)
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NCTAE member may only submit 2 entries from a school
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Entries must be 20 pages or less
- Entries must be able to be performed by 5 actors or fewer
- Plays can be written by an individual, a small group, or a class
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Teachers who submit must read 4 entries from another grade level to help with scoring
- Submissions are DUE by Friday, January 15, 2027
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.
Join Central Carolina AOSA for our upcoming virtual Chapter Share on January 30, 2027, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM!
This online workshop is your chance to virtually connect with fellow Orff educators across the region and share favorite lessons, creative ideas, and practical classroom tips. Whether you are presenting a tried-and-true activity or simply looking for fresh inspiration to bring back to your music room, this workshop is a fantastic way to learn, grow, and strengthen our teaching community—all from the comfort of your home.
Visit cccaosa.com for pricing information and to register today!
 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 the spotlight
This fall, the North Carolina Arts Council is launching Spotlight Arts Learning Workshops to bring high-quality arts learning professional development directly to schools. These on-site 90-minute sessions offer your staff an opportunity to learn from exceptional arts learning practitioners. Educators gain a deeper understanding of a specific arts learning topic, strategy, activity, or resource to use immediately with their students across all subject areas.
Each session blends hands‑on exploration with guided planning time, helping educators adapt what they’ve learned to their own learning environments. Through joyful and collaborative experiential modeling, educators reap the benefits of an arts-rich learning environment first-hand, building confidence and capacity for their own practice.
Schools can choose a Spotlight workshop from our menu of options based on their interests and needs.
Learn more and see the Spotlight workshops available in your region.
Workshop details
- Thanks to generous donor support, the North Carolina Arts Council is able to subsidize a portion of the workshop fees, reducing the cost for schools, districts, and organizations to $800 per session.
- Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis from Monday, November 9, 2026, through Wednesday, March 31, 2027.
- We review requests when they arrive and send confirmation of receipt within two weeks.
- Workshops will be scheduled between December 2026 and May 2027, allowing at least four weeks for coordination between our receipt of requests and holding a workshop.
- If you are looking for a specific topic, format, or content that is not currently offered, let us know. The NCAC arts learning team can design a workshop that fits your school’s interests and needs. Contact Lori Cozzi, senior program director for arts learning, at cozzi@dncr.nc.gov to set up a time to brainstorm together.
- Questions? Contact the arts learning team at artslearning@dncr.nc.gov.
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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