January Newsletter
January is a busy month with honor groups, contests, and conferences across the state. Best of luck as you begin the spring semester!
The Fine Arts Standards will be presented to the State Board of Education in February. Thank you for participating in public comment! Some feedback included concerns that the new standards seem to be less comprehensive when compared to the 2014 art and music standards. Keep in mind that we will have curriculum frameworks built in the summer of 2020. The frameworks will unpack the standards and give teachers more resources for standards success in the classroom.
Kodály Grant
The goal of this project is to support PK-8th grade music educators by offering grants to attend the Kodály (KHO-dye) Certification Program at the University of Oklahoma from June 15-26, 2020. The program at OU is the only Oklahoma certification program endorsed by the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE). The workshop grant will provide 10 music educators financial support for completing Level I.
The grant will pay for workshop fees ($795.00) and housing only—textbooks and transportation will be the educator’s responsibility. Housing ($32/room/night) will be covered from the night of June 14th-18th and June 21st-25th (10 nights total). Educators will be expected to return home on both Fridays after classes have ended for the day. Recipients of the grant are not required to stay in OU Housing and may choose to commute to class or stay elsewhere at their own cost.
After successful completion of the Program, grant recipients will lead the creation of the PK-2nd grade elementary music frameworks. The frameworks are a guide to the new music standards and will include resources, sample lesson plans, curriculum plans, etc. Grant recipients will work virtually on the frameworks throughout the 2020-21 school year. Other elementary music educators will also help with the process. Educators will be compensated ($25/hour) for any time dedicated to frameworks creation/writing.
The grant application will be available online and more information about the grant will be coming soon. If you are interested in applying, please watch for more information in GovDelivery communications and on social media.
State Superintendent Awards for Arts Excellence
The 2020 State Superintendent Awards for Arts Excellence applications will open soon! The application deadline is March 2nd, 2020. The student application process will be very different this year, so please watch for more information in GovDelivery communications and on the OSDE Fine Arts website.
Good Reads
2019 Research Education Highlights
The School Beating the Odds with Music
Why Music Education is More than just Learning how to Play
Hitting a Drum Helps Preschoolers Gain Control
 The video above was created in the fall of 2019 with the help of Ardmore City Schools. A press release is below:
Ardmore City Schools’ emphasis on fine arts is helping its students achieve a well-rounded education. From better test scores to more creativity and teamwork, school leaders are seeing a positive change.
“The fine arts program is vital to our young people,” said Ardmore Superintendent Kim Holland. “It’s vital to our community, and if you want to make your school a well-rounded school and you want to raise test scores, you need to have a strong, vibrant fine arts program.”
The fine arts program in Ardmore offers music classes including band, vocal, orchestra, guitar, piano, marching band, and music theory. In addition, students may participate in drama, theater, speech and debate. Art is also offered to middle and high school students. In the elementary schools, art is taught by volunteers.
“The immediate gratification that students get through so many things in their lives doesn’t happen through fine arts classes,” said Chauvin Aaron, Ardmore’s associate director of fine arts. “It is something they have to continue to work toward to build and develop. Just the idea of creating this process – of starting something, continuing to improve it and then finishing it – is something they need to do with everything in their lives.”
Ardmore’s next goal is to add a dance program. The district will soon break ground on a new performing arts facility at the high school.
"Schools with the most fine arts opportunities are typically within the two metro areas, but Ardmore’s art program is on par with some of the state’s largest districts – districts with many more students and resources,” said Elizabeth Maughan, director of fine arts at the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). “Ardmore has been able to hold onto programs through budget cuts and create an incredible, well-rounded learning environment for their students. Ardmore is a model for other districts to follow as they work to restore classes and experiences for all Oklahoma students."
The Oklahoma State Music Educators Conference will be held in Tulsa January 15-18, 2020. The conference includes tracks for elementary music, vocal music, band, and orchestra. There are many vendors to visit between sessions and all-state honor ensemble performances to attend. We will also be able to hear from Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser during the Friday luncheon! More information is available on the OkMEA website. See you there!
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Choosing a college or university can be one of the most important decisions made by a student during their senior year of high school. The OAEA and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art are proud to host Portfolio Day, a gathering of colleges and universities from across the United States who wish to showcase their visual arts programs, and will meet students to review their portfolios on a one-on-one basis. A comprehensive list of the attending institutions will be available in January. All high schools in Oklahoma are invited to bring, primarily Seniors, interested in pursuing visual arts training at the college level. Juniors are allowed, but please restrict as much as possible due to time and space constraints.
The OKCMOA is hosting this event on Friday, January 17, 2020 from 8:30-2:30. In order to attend, all teachers/schools must pre-register for a specific time. RSVP is required. More information is available on the OAEA website or contact Jacquelyn Knapp (jknapp@usao.edu).
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Audition registration for the 2020 Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute is now open! High school students can choose from eight artistic disciplines: acting, chorus, creative writing, dance, drawing & painting, film & video, orchestra, and photography. Students may audition in up to four disciplines per year, but may only be accepted in one. All students accepted to OSAI attend on full scholarship.
Auditions run from January 18-February 10 at locations across the state. Find the full audition schedule here, and find audition requirements and the online application here. Contact the Oklahoma Arts Institute with questions via email at oai@oaiquartz.org, or call (405) 605-7500.
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Contest Rules
Applicants must be in the fifth grade. Artwork should reflect the theme “Bringing Our Missing Children Home”. This phrase must appear somewhere on the poster and the finished poster must measure 8½ x 14 inches. The poster must be submitted with a completed application, which includes a description of the poster and a brief biography of the artist, either typed or written legibly.
Submit your poster, completed application and signed consent and release form to
your State Contest Manager by February 7, 2020.
Questions? Contact the Oklahoma State Contest Manager:
Brook Arbeitman, Public Information Officer (OSBI)
(405) 879-2591
brook.arbeitman@osbi.ok.gov
For full rules and contest application, visit the OSDE website.
 
January 6-31 - Putnam City Public Schools, Brandy Sitts
February 3-28 - Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain
March 2-31 - Youth Arts Month, OAEA
A virtual art gallery is available on the SDE Fine Arts website for students and families who would like to see pictures of their work in the OSDE (Oliver Hodge) Building.
January 9, 2020 - Sutton Scholarship Award Submissions Due
January 15-18, 2020 - Oklahoma Music Educators State Conference
January 17, 2020 - Oklahoma Statewide Portfolio Day
January 18, 2020 - Auditions begin for 2020 OSAI
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