Welcome to November! Many thanks to all of the arts associations who recently completed their annual state conferences. Thank you for continuing to showcase the amazing teaching and learning taking place in our schools as well as providing timely and impactful professional development. I know many educators are returning to their classrooms energized and inspired!

The 2025 Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project is now LIVE!

The 2025 Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project is now LIVE!! This year's project centers on the theme of connection:

 "Connection is why we're here. We are hardwired to connect with others, it's what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it there is suffering." – Brene Brown

This year’s project includes a rich array of commissioned works and resources:

• A poem by former Wisconsin Poet Laureate Nicholas Gulig, titled Yellow Birds of Morning relates how words and music connect us to each other and the world. 
• A musical composition by Marie Douglas., premiered by the UW-Madison Concert Choir, Symphony Orchestra, and Wind Ensemble, with recordings available for schools to use as inspiration.
• Additional commissioned works, including a painting by Wisconsin Artist Scott Terry, a recorded original dance by Madison’s AJ Juarez, a theatre production by the Wauwatosa East HS Players and teacher Colleen Jaskulski, as well as an original electronic motion graphic by media artist and UWEC professor, Matt Wigdahl. 
• Comprehensive lesson plans for K-12 students in every arts discipline, crafted by five veteran Wisconsin arts educators: Darlayne Coughlin, Middleton-Cross Plains SD; Devon Calvert, Milton SD; Dannielle Arneson, Sheboygan SD; Lucie Wrona Sullivan, Freelance Dancer; Amanda Leurquin, Marshfield SD.

This year’s project also includes video interviews with participating teachers and artists. These videos highlight pedagogical approaches, artistic processes, and creative intent, providing valuable insights for educators and students alike.

FREE For One Year!

The 2025 Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project officially launched on November 1, on the DPI website. All music, lesson plans, and resources will be available for free for one year.

Important Links:

• WACP Landing Page
• WACP 2025 Overview Video (4:40)

Attention Visual Art Educators! 

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is proud to celebrate the work of our young visual and media art students. Up to 50 Images of student artwork will be selected by a panel each year to be displayed on the Arts & Creativity page of the DPI Website. 

NEW IN 2026: SPECIAL ADDITIONAL CATEGORY

April is designated as the Month of the Military Child, underscoring the important role military children play in the armed forces community. This year Art educators can submit two additional student pieces that are specifically created to honor military families and their children for the daily sacrifices and challenges they overcome.

Deadline to Submit is March 23, 2026

Click here to read more and learn how to participate!

‘A depth and a richness’: Wisconsin students play Holocaust-era instruments

Wisconsin Public Radio

For the next several months, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra will feature a collection of 70 historical instruments in concerts and exhibitions. Read more here.

Band director continues family legacy at Oshkosh North High School

The Oshkosh North High School Band Program brings school spirit to high school football games, continuing on a tradition that dates back generations. It’s a history that’s significant to current band director Gloria Dorschner-Mackie. Read More Here

Origins of MPS drum beat unclear, but new viral video brings back memories for MPS alumni

Milwaukee Public Schools created a viral video featuring a popular drum beat to promote high school enrollment. The video shows dancer Christopher Gilbert, his mother, and students dancing to the "MPS beat" at various schools. The beat's exact origin is unknown but is believed to have been started by MPS students and popularized in the 1990s. Read more here

Pardeeville senior takes on the Star-Spangled Banner

A senior football player and band member at Pardeeville High School played his own rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner before the school took on Cambridge for their homecoming game.

In the video posted by the Pardeeville Area School District, senior Joe Waydick is shown suited up for the football game with an electric guitar in hand.  Read more here

CIVIC MUSIC MKE hosts KIDS MUSICFEST NOVEMBER 9

Kids and families are invited to a celebration of music at KIDS MUSICFEST set for Sunday, Nov. 9 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center where they can get creative, make music, listen to great music, soak up some knowledge and meet Milwaukee area organizations offering youth music programming.

KIDS MUSICFEST is a passion project whose presentation is being funded in part by a grant from Bader Philanthropies and Presenting Sponsor Landmark Credit Union.  It was developed to provide an opportunity for kids and families to “DREAM! DISCOVER! DO!”  There were so many great youth music organizations and organizations providing youth music programming in the greater Milwaukee area.  This event will highlight over 20 organizations who have answered the call as well as offer fun sessions like drumming, instrument making, music reading fun, and a tech lab, as well as performances from two stages and an Instrument Petting Zoo provided by White House of Music. 

Learn more here.

WEDC seeks fab lab grant applicants

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation seeks applicants applications for its Fabrication Laboratories Grant Program, which provides funding to help public schools build or expand fab labs.  Read more here.

The 2026 Best Communities for Music Education Application is Now open. Apply Now!

Applications Close on January 31, 2026

Honorees Announced in April 2026

The Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) Award program celebrates school districts and schools that show a strong and ongoing commitment to music education and equitable access for all students. Winning this award not only highlights your dedication to music education but also strengthens community pride and advocacy for music programs. Read More Here

Happy National STEAM Day!

Did you know that Wisconsin was selected as one of five states to receive a technical assistance grant from the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) and Education Commission of the States (ECS) to transform STEM to STEAM? Iowa, California, Oregon, Minnesota, and Wisconsin recently concluded working individually and collectively to advance STEAM education in our states through programming and policy actions. What was the result?

Check out "Lessons In Advancing STEAM Education" recently released by Education Commission of the States. 

While you are there be sure to check out their STEAM resources as well as our new DPI STEAM website!

2025-26 Wisconsin STEAM Sleuth Society (Application Due Nov. 7)

The Wisconsin STEAM Sleuth Society (WSSS) is a statewide professional learning opportunity for educators and librarians to explore the intersection of storytelling, data, design, and inquiry-based STEAM education. Through monthly virtual sessions, curated book bundles, and collaborative resource development, participants will engage in creative problem-solving, cross-curricular integration, and equity-centered instructional design.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, library media specialist, or instructional coach, the Sleuth Society invites you to join a vibrant community of educators committed to curiosity, collaboration, and innovation.

Apply and Learn More Here

'Curious Conversations' podcast: Julia Basso talks about mind-body movement

Julia Basso joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about her research at the intersection of mind-body movement and neuroscience, particularly through the lens of dance. She explained how the Embodied Brain Lab explores the effects of dance on brain function, mental health, and social connections. She also shared the unique aspects of dance that make it an ideal activity for these studies. 

Cultivating Creativity and Connection Through Youth Arts

The debate over the value of arts education may be as old as art itself. But when you talk to young people, they have no trouble articulating that value. A student from Detroit gets to the core, pinning it on a sense of achievement gained from producing art.

"Everything else is evolving around that," the student says. "Like the feeling good, and the learning the skill, and the building relationships. But at the end of the day, it’s just you and your dance, and you and your art, and your painting that you made. And you did it."

That student was quoted in a recent, Wallace-commissioned report, one of two that point to the benefits young people could derive from youth arts programs. Both reports suggest that high-quality arts programs could help young people build the confidence and the relationships they may need to thrive as adults. Employers are increasingly seeking "soft" skills, such as creative thinking, self-awareness, and social influence, to guide them as technology, demography, and geopolitical upheaval transform the country's society and economy. The two reports suggest that youth arts programs could help young people develop such skills. Read More Here

Why creativity is the most employable skill of the next decade—and how to inspire it

Here’s the truth: Imagination and play aren’t just for kids. They’re fundamental to human creativity. The problem isn’t that we lost our creativity, but rather that we were taught to stop using it. To reclaim it, we have to re-learn how to play, how to be curious, and how to nurture ideas without judgment. That’s where the real breakthroughs happen.  Read More Here

Young Audiences Arts for Learning: Request for Proposals

Young Audiences Arts for Learning is currently accepting proposals for workshop sessions for its 2026 National Arts in Education Conference. The theme of the conference, Telling Our Story, will focus on the power of narrative; how we craft it, share it, and use it to deepen and expand the impact of arts learning. Practitioners from the field are invited to share their work and insights related to the theme. Learn more about the proposal process here. Proposals are due Dec.1.

The DeLong Foundation Announces First Round of 2025–2026 Technical Theatre Training Programs Through The DeLong Academy

The DeLong Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality training for live event technicians worldwide, proudly unveils the first wave of courses in its 2025–2026 educational series through The DeLong Academy, the Foundation’s flagship training initiative.The DeLong Academy is committed to advancing education in technical theatre and live event production, offering hands-on and online training, workshops, and masterclasses for students, professors, K–12 educators, and industry professionals. These programs serve as a hub for safety, innovation, and professional development across the entertainment and events industry.

For registration and more information, visit:

https://www.delongriggingsolutions.com/delong-academy/