Apply For One of SIX $1,000 Arts Celebration Project Grants For Your School! (Application Now Open- Closes Feb 5)

Up to six Wisconsin schools/districts will be selected to each receive $1,000 grants. The funds are to be used to help support the implementation of cross-curricular work using the materials from one of the three current Wisconsin Arts Celebration Projects prior to May 15, 2026. 

For example, a school (or multiple classrooms) would do a brief unit on creativity by examing the poem by Dasha Kelly Hamilton entitled, "Like The Wind." Beyond content, students would also explore how the poem was used to inspire the music by Erika Svanoe and motion graphic by Matt Wigdahl. Students would showcase what they learned during an evening concert featuring "Like The Wind" by Erika Svanoe. 

A successful project needs to include the following in order to be considered for the grant:

1. Utilize the materials from one of the three completed Wisconsin Arts Celebration Projects. 
2. Be cross disciplinary in nature involving no fewer than two disciplines but one discipline must include the arts.  
3. Create opportunities for students to demonstrate learning through projects and other demonstrations of learning that is shared publically. 
4. The submission of a final report to DPI detailing steps taken and the results. This report will be published on DPI's WISELearn platform so that others can replicate the project.

Payment of the $1,000 will be made to the school or district once the project has been completed and the report submitted to DPI by the May 15, 2026 deadline.

APPLY HERE (APPLICATION CLOSES FEB 5)

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!

Wisconsin Music Academic Standards Revision Process Begins

Based on the feedback provided during this fall's music standards survey as well as input from music educators across the state, the Wisconsin Music Standards have been approved to be revised. 

The revision process will begin with the selection of a writing team that brings together a diverse group of individuals from across the state who represent a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and specialities. Once approved, the group will meet multiple times each month discussing, studying, and writing. The process will follow the department's review and revision process allowing for public input and feedback. Look for opportunities to weigh-in during the summer and fall after the initial work has been done. 

The new music standards will be presented for approval in October 2026. 

"Like The Wind" in Madagascar!

"Like The Wind" by Erika Svanoe was commissioned by the Wisconsin Arts Board and DPI three years ago to commenorate the 50th Anniversary of the WI Arts Board. Recently a choir from Madagascar performed the work! Watch Here

Learn more about past projects on our website here. 

Hugh Jackman Visits Milwaukee High School of the Arts

The actor known for playing Wolverine in superhero movies made a visit to a Milwaukee high school this week. Hugh Jackman surprised students Dec. 2 at Milwaukee High School of the Arts as part of his visit to Milwaukee for the premiere of his newest movie "Song Sung Blue."

To make the surprise visit happen, Milwaukee High School of the Arts choral director Raymond Roberts said he told his students they were going to be recording a song for a Milwaukee Public Schools' commercial. He thought that would be plausible enough for the students to believe since they had recorded a song for a commercial earlier in the fall. . .To set up Jackman's entrance, Roberts said the movie's director Craig Brewer spoke before students watched a video of Jackman sharing a message of support and encouragement to them and that there would be new instruments. Jackman donated $10,000 to allow the school to purchase new instruments and another $5,000 to help the school make upgrades to its auditorium, Roberts said.  Read More Here

The Greendale High School marching band performs in the 2026 Rose Parade in Pasadena

Greendale High School was again selected as one of the 20 marching bands that participated in the 2026 Rose Parade. This will be their second time at the New Year's Day event, having first attended in 2020.Watch Them Perform Here

Mount Horeb music students depart to perform in London after yearlong prep

More than 200 Mount Horeb High School students are heading overseas to perform in London’s New Year’s Day Parade, marking months of preparation and a long-standing tradition within the district’s music programs.

The group includes students from band, choir and orchestra, with rehearsals and logistics beginning more than a year ago. Read More Here

Medical Sciences Orchestra at University of Wisconsin-Madison Finds the Art in Science

Musicians in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health perform classical music with surgical precision as part of the Medical Sciences Orchestra. Founded in 2018 by fourth-year medical student Joohee Son, the orchestra provides a chance for new operations for students, faculty and alumni in the medical field…. Read More Here

Student Composition Project

The WSMA Student Composition Project encourages and recognizes the efforts of Wisconsin’s student composers. The program provides student composers in grades 4-12 the opportunity to receive written feedback from a Wisconsin composer regarding the positive qualities of their piece as well as provide ways to improve as a composer in the future. 

Spring submissions will be open from February 2 to April 17, 2026. Feedback will be returned within 4-6 weeks of submission. Each participating student will receive a certificate from WSMA recognizing their achievement. 

Visioneer Design Challenge

The Visioneer Design Challenge​ is a statewide  competition for middle and high school students interested in design arts and connecting with  professionals from each of the challenge fields. Date: Friday, April 24, 2026 Learn More Here

2026 NDEO National Conference Call for Conference Sessions

The National Dance Education Organization invites dance educators in all sectors, genres, and career stages to apply to present sessions centered around this year’s theme: SYNERGY: Uniting to Progress the Field of Dance Education. 

Share your visions, successes, challenges, and works in progress. In a period of turbulence for our country and our field, we need each other  more than ever. Now is the time to join forces and buoy each other up with support and collaboration. Join us next September as we convene in Albuquerque, New Mexico to progress the field of dance education.

Learn More and Submit a Session Here by February 3, 2026.

Deadline Extended: Share How Your Schools Funded Arts Education in 2024–2025!

The Arts Education Alliance and NAMM’s SupportMusic Coalition have extended the deadline for the 2024–25 Federal Funds Survey to January 16. K–12 arts educators and leaders: we want to hear how your school or district used federal funds (Titles I, II, IV-A) to support music, dance, theatre, media arts, and visual arts last year—or how your program was funded if you received little or no federal support. Regardless, your input helps us track impact, identify needs, and strengthen advocacy for arts education nationwide. The survey takes about 20 minutes; for some questions, you’ll need to consult with district staff familiar with federal funding data to ensure accuracy. Take the survey today!

Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students

The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), in collaboration with Concord Theatricals, Disney Theatrical Group, NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation and the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, is a unique educational and professional development opportunity for high school students all across the country to write and showcase musical compositions that could be part of a musical theater production. A submission is one song.

The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is open to High School Students from all 50 states, Washington D.C. and U.S. Territories. Learn more about Eligibility & Guidelines. 

Submissions are currently open for the 2025-2026 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge and will close on February 2, 2026. Learn more about Submitting to the Songwriting Challenge for High School Students!

Wisconsin First Nations Education Resources

The resources included on this webpage have been selected to illustrate ways in which teachers can integrate and infuse American Indian Studies (Wisconsin Act 31) content into their instruction and practice. The information from each of these resources can be woven into a school district’s curriculum through a balanced, comprehensive, and aligned framework adaptable to local circumstances. Learn More Here!

Chloe Flower fuses classical and contemporary music in a style coined 'popsical'

American pianist and composer Chloe Flower is on a mission to get young people into classical music. She’s doing it by collaborating with rap, house and pop stars, and creating her own genre of music, a style she’s coined “Popsical.”  Read More Here

In his final book, Imagine If... Sir Ken Robinson writes, "We live not in one world, but in two. The first is the world around us: the exterior world of the cities and lands we live in, the people around us, material objects, events, and circumstances. The second world is the world within you: the interior world of your personal consciousness. The world around you exists whether or not you do. It was there when you came into it and it will be there when you have gone. At least we hope. The world within you exists only because you do. It came into being when you did and as far as we know it will cease when you do. Our lives are formed by the constant interactions between these two worlds" (Robinson 35). 

It is imperative that our children understand both of the worlds. I believe that the role of education should be to expand our consousness, skills, capacities, and understandings. The arts, by there very nature, create a bridge allowing learners to understand both worlds. The key is to design instruction that not only reflects this understanding, but cultivates, protects and inspires it. 

As we begin 2026, let's embrace the opportunities we have to explore new worlds. 

Chris