Teaching artists are at the core of the Music Center's work with our partner schools. We devote significant resources to the recruitment, training, and support of outstanding teaching artists. Below we present an overview of our approach and some of the specific strategies we use to support teaching artists. To learn more about the national field of teaching artists, you might visit the Association of Teaching Artists, based in New York.
Video: Learn about our Teaching Artist Training and see excerpts from the classes.
Download the Teaching Artists Study Group Report (PDF)
Testimonials from Music Center Artists
Storyteller David Prather Sees the Artist
Training Light
Dancer Madeleine Dahm Reflects on
Artist Training
This series of eight seminars will focus on the educational aspects
of arts education. The Visual and Performing Arts Framework, Standards,
meaningful tasks and culminating projects, criteria, rubrics and assessment
strategies will be covered. There will be model lessons presented by seasoned
Music Center workshop artists that present the standards embedded
within the lessons. The participating artists will be directed to design
a model lesson demonstrating the concepts presented, as part of a unit
of 6 lessons, culminating with a meaningful project. Lesson one will be
presented by each artists to the group for constructive critique.
Each participating artist will be assigned a mentor who will be available
to work with them. Each mentor will also make one or more site visits
to assist and coach the artist in student workshops or in staff development
sessions.
An Overview of Each Week:
Session 1:
- Assess Prior Knowledge about Teaching and Learning
- KWL Strategy
- Overview of Visual and Performing Arts Standards
- Participation in a Sample Lesson based on the 4-Wheel Learning Cycle
Session 2:
- Establishing Ground Rules
- Backward Mapping for Curriculum Design
- Overview of Criteria and Rubrics
- Blooms Taxonomy
- Small group sessions discuss homework assignment
- Music Center site visit assessment
Session 3:
- Music Center Criteria for Assessment
- Overview of Artsource Curriculum:
The Music Center's Study Guide to the Performing Arts
- Small group sessions to discuss individual design of 6 lessons
Session 4:
- Introduce different ways of processing information, and making connections
to literacy
- Multiple intelligences
- Classroom management
- Constructive critique
Sessions 5 through 8:
Workshop participants each present one prepared lesson (#1 of a series
of six student workshop sessions) followed by a group discussion
The Artist Training Seminar Series, developed by the Music Center, supports
the range of services that teaching artists provide to students and teachers.
With more than 22 years of experience in bringing professional artists into
the community's schools, the Music Center recognizes the importance of quality artist
training.
The Federal Education Act passed by Congress in 2002, and signed by
President Bush, has named the Arts as core curriculum. In addition, all
federal, state and local arts agencies and commissions are now requiring
that artists involved in projects sponsored by these funds have a working
knowledge of educational components and the ability to implement these
in their teaching.
Through the Artist Training Seminar Series, artists are introduced to
the following educational components that can be modeled and incorporated
into lessons:
- Culminating Tasks and Criteria
- Visual and Performing Content Standards
- Creative Process
- Clear Student Outcomes
- Connections to literacy and other curricular areas
- Assessment and rubrics
The Music Center's Artist Training Seminar Series supports artists in
all four disciplines, incorporating individual styles. Through this program,
teaching artists:
- strengthen teaching ability
- design meaningful tasks and projects
- develop classroom management skills
- create age-appropriate lesson plans for different grade levels
- envision student outcomes
- address assessment and content standards, including the California
Visual and Performing Arts Framework (VAPA) as well as the VAPA
Content Standards.
This course is required for all new teaching artists on Music Center's Artist Roster.
All other artists are strongly encouraged to enroll. Music Center performing artists
interested in becoming teaching artists and creating workshop programs can
also participate. In addition, other institutions have contracted with the Music Center
to adapt this program to train artists in other communities, including the
Louisiana Institute for Education in the Arts and the City of Glendale Arts
and Culture Commission. More than six years ago, with a special grant from
the Ahmanson Foundation, the Music center created a pilot program of professional
development seminars for artists. Based on feedback from the artists and
with additional funding from other sources - including the California Arts
Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Annenberg Foundation,
and Washington Mutual - the Music Center has continued to develop and refine its
artist training program. The course now consists of the eight-session series.
For more information, contact Mike deHilster at mdehilster@musiccenter.org.
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