Quality Arts Education Takes Time and Effort

Last month, I had the good fortune to attend two conferences in Portland, OR, the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) Annual Convening, and the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) Symposium. It was invigorating to meet with colleagues in-person for the first time since the onset of COVID. And, it was a good reminder that being together in the same physical space accelerates collaboration and learning. Here are my top five takeaways:

1. See, hear and value each student (we heard from students who didn’t experience this in school).
2. Identify the key arts education stories to tell and retell.
3. Find people in leadership roles that can speak to the value of arts education (preferably because they have experienced it themselves).
4. Have an arts education plan. It takes time and effort, but if you want to get somewhere, you need a plan to get there.
5. Realize that this is a long game. Many success stories have been working at it for 20+ years.

Thank you for all that you do to support arts education,

Janet Hayakawa, Associate Director 
The Arts - Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Janet.Hayakawa@k12.wa.us
Cell/Text: 360-764-6157

Photo— “Suffocation” by Morrill McKaye, Superintendent’s High School Art Show

Make Holiday Ornaments for the Governor’s Mansion

Washington students are invited to make ornaments for this year’s holiday tree at the Governor’s Mansion. First Lady, Mrs. Inslee has selected the theme of “favorite sports” – to watch or play, any and all sports-- for this year’s tree. Many will visit the Governor’s mansion this holiday season and will see the display of ornaments created by K-12 students.

Teachers interested in having their students make ornaments for the 2023 holiday tree can apply here by noon on Friday, October 13, 2023. Selected classes will be notified by Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Ornaments must be completed and sent to OSPI by November 10, 2023. Student participants will receive a certificate of appreciation from the Governor’s Office. Questions? Email Indigo.Brown@k12.wa.us.

Photos – Governor’s Mansion holiday ornaments, “holiday toys” theme, 2022.

Peace Through Music Award

Quincy Jones (Garfield High School, Seattle Public Schools) is the first recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s Peace Through Music Award. The award honors the 28-time Grammy award winning producer, musician and arranger for his “invaluable role in cross-cultural exhanges and whose music work advances peace and mutual understanding globally,” according to a press release. This award is part of the launch of the State Department’s new Global Music Diplomacy Initiative. Read more here.

Photo—by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File

 Academic Learning is Social and Emotional

This self-paced, interactive course with supporting resources will help educators build knowledge and skills to use equity focused Social Emotional Learning (SEL) practices in their classroom instruction. Free clock hours available. This program was developed by OSPI with the American Institutes for Research.

Got questions? Ask OSPI!

OSPI has launched a new publication that invites all Washington residents to ask OSPI questions directly and get answers publicly. Called The Study Session, this publication is an opportunity for families and community members to engage with OSPI on all things public education. It is published once per month on the OSPI Blog. Click to learn more about The Study Session, including how to submit questions.

Power of Maker-Centered Learning

Agency by Design is an ongoing research initiative at Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. The focus of this work is on maker-centered learning with a sensitivity to design. The goal of this type of learning is to help students “feel empowered to build and shape their worlds.” Learn about the thinking routines, tools and practices here.

PS Dance! The Next Generation

This 55-minute documentary features a project out of the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) program in New York City. Ann Biddle, one of the founding members of DEL adapted a teacher training model for her middle and high school students which prepared them to teach dance in the elementary classroom. See how dance can inspire and change the world.

Join the Kennedy Center, AMC Theatres, and Academy Award-winning actor, singer, and dancer Ariana DeBose to thank an art teacher who made a difference in your life. Share your story, read the gratitude wall and watch stories of others.

Lesson: Building Ensemble

This lesson from the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) includes exercises and games that strengthen interpersonal and teambuilding skills. Assessment tools are also provided.

Artwork—“Summer Days” by Yuki Kondo, watercolor and pen, Superintendent’s High School Art Show, 2021.

 Essential Hip-Hop Artists of Latin Descent

The team at All Arts (WNET) have curated a playlist of essential hip-hop artists of Latin descent. Hip-hop was born at a 1973 back-to-school party in the Bronx, New York. At that time, the Bronx was the first borough in New York City to be made up predominately of Black and Puerto Rican residents. Listen to the playlist here.

“Speaking Our Truths” Youth Speak Out

Stage & Studio on ArtsWatch presents the debut of the Speaking Our Truths: The –Ism Youth Files (IYF) podcast. This five-part series focuses on writings and interviews centered on mental health and wellness of BIPOC youth and youth with disabilities (ages 12 -21). Listen to episode 2, World on Fire here. This project is from the Peabody award-winning multicultural production organization, MediaRites.

 What Works? Watch these Short Videos

The George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia has produced a series of 60-second videos that capture effective classroom strategies. See the collection here.

Illustration—by Katie Lukes

School Success Kit to Support Executive Functioning

This article by Rae Jacobson, Child Mind Institute, provides strategies to help students with executive functioning issues get organized and focused.

Rethinking the Way We Teach Music 

Sammy Miller, a Grammy nominated drummer and founder of Playbook, a music education company, wrote this op-ed published in The New York Times. He offers that music is its own language and should be taught as one, and that community is an important element in developing musical skills and retaining students in music programs.

Artwork—Courtesy of Playbook

OSPI Resources 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & The Arts – articles, lesson plans, videos and tools

Universal Design for Learning & The Arts – background information, videos, tips and tools

Arts Collection on the Washington Open Educational Resources (OER) Hub—standards-aligned lesson plans and resources.

National Town Hall for Arts Education Supervisors—Oct 12, 12 – 1:30 pm

This event is for arts education supervisors at the district level. Town hall attendees will share the work being done in communities and how national arts education service organizations can support and translate those needs into national policy conversations. Register here.

 Teacher In-Service & Student Leadership—Oct 13

Registration is open for a day of learning and collaboration, featuring workshops from local teaching artists and professional in the theatre arts industry. The schedule will include an adult track (educators, teaching artists) and a student track (ages 14 – 19). Registration includes lunch. Scholarships available. Free clock hours.

Broadway + Performing Arts Workshop Series

Workshops for aspiring dancers will feature local, national and Broadway guest artists. Students will work with an artist from a company that is performing in Seattle Theatre Group’s 2023-24 season. There will be two classes offered one Saturday a month, October – April. This program is in partnership with the University of Washington’s Department of Dance. Scholarships available. More information and register here.

Call for Applications—Deadline: Oct 16

Arts educators in visual/media arts, music, theatre, and dance from across the country are invited to apply to be part of a Connected Arts Networks (CAN) Professional Learning Community (PLC). These virtual PLCs will meet monthly (school year) January 2024 – June 2026. There will be a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion; social emotional learning; and teacher leadership through standards-based arts instruction.  See application questions here. Apply here. Learn and represent WA!

Art is Now Conference—Oct 20-21 

Join the WA Art Education Association (WAEA) for their Fall Conference in Everett, WA. Sessions will be held at Cascade High School and the Shack Arts Center. WAEA is a leader in visual arts education focused on visual literacy, creative problem solving and arts advocacy.

WA Arts Educator Collaborative--Oct 27, 4-5 pm

Meet with colleagues (arts educators, teaching artists, and administrators) to discuss current issues in arts education. Monthly, virtual convenings.  Earn one clock hour for each session. To get notifications and updates email TheArts@k12.wa.us. 

Registration Deadline: Nov 17

High school students in grades 9 – 12 are invited to participate in the 2023-2024 Washington State Poetry Out Loud (POL) program. Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, POL is a national poetry recitation competition. Participants develop self-confidence and public speaking skills while connecting with literature in new ways.

Photo—Matthew Valentine, 2023 Washington State Poetry Out Loud Champion from Olympia High School, by Pavel Verbovski.

Submit an Original Song—Deadline: Dec 4

The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre is accepting submissions for the Musical Theatre Songwriting Challenge. This year, there will be more opportunities for high school students to develop and showcase musical compositions that could be part of a musical theater production. Two WA students, Elsa Miller and Tyler Kinnaman were winners in the last competition in 2021.

Call for Student Performing Artists

The U.S. Department of Education is issuing a “call” across the United States and its territories for student performing artists who are currently enrolled in elementary, secondary, or post-secondary schools or accredited trade schools, who exemplify resilience, diversity, and excellence and are interested in showcasing their talent, virtually or in-person, at internal and external Department-hosted events.  Student performances can be, but are not limited to, bands/marching bands, color guards, soloists, choirs, dancers, poets/spoken word artists, and theatrical performers. Learn more and start a submission here.

Arts for All—Join the Movement!

OSPI, the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), Inspire Washington,  Arts Ed Washington and the Creative Advantage have formed the Arts for All (A4A) Coalition to ensure that all PreK-12 students in Washington State have access to quality arts learning.  A4A seeks to achieve this by developing statewide arts leadership, collecting and analyzing arts education data, and supporting educators and teaching artists through professional learning opportunities. Sign up to stay informed.

  Save these Dates!

• Migrant & Arts Education State Conference, Yakima Convention Center, August 15-16
• WA State Elementary Music Professional Development Calendar organized by the Washington Music Educators Association