NCDPI ARTS EDUCATION UPDATE May 29, 2009
“The guiding mission of the North Carolina State Board of Education is that every public school student will graduate from high school globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the 21st century.”
GOOD NEWS - we want to celebrate the many successes occurring in arts education in North Carolina! If you have a “good news” item that you feel is appropriate to share with stakeholders throughout the state, please email the item to [email protected] or [email protected]. Submissions should be focused on arts education accomplishments (examples would include teacher of the year designation – system or regional; innovative programs; regional, state or national recognition, awards, honors; etc) and should be limited to 100 words or less. The Arts Education consultants have the editorial privilege to screen and/or edit items before publication.
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY NAMES MAXINE SWALIN 2009 OUTSTANDING MUSIC EDUCATOR AND JACKSON PARKHURST RECIPIENT
The North Carolina Symphony will present the 2009 Maxine Swalin Outstanding Music Educator Award to Buies Creek resident Daniel W. Hester on May 30 during a 6pm reception at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Regency Park.
The award is presented annually to a North Carolina music teacher who serves the community as a role model in music education, instills a love for music in children and inspires students to reach appropriately high musical standards.
“Teachers like Danny Hester,” says one of Dr. Hester’s nominators, “are devoted to sharing [music experiences] with students, an audience so often neglected…his love of an appreciation for music is a seed eagerly implanted in his pupils, patiently and lovingly nurtured, and then brought to full flower in the many children he has taught…It is a shame you cannot see him working with his children. It would put a permanent song in your heart, just like the one he has in the hearts of his students.”
Dr. Hester has taught music to students from pre-kindergarten to college. He is currently the music specialist at J. Glenn Edwards Elementary School (K-5) for Lee Country Schools in Sanford, NC, where he has twice been honored as Teacher of the Year. He has also served as a lead teacher for Lee County’s Kaleidoscope, a summer program for gifted rising sixth-grade students. His elementary school chorus performed in the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
Also an adjunct professor of organ at Campbell University, Dr. Hester has been a contributing writer for the North Carolina Symphony Teacher Handbook. Other accomplishments include Orff-Schulwerk Certification and a research project to determine relationships among grade level, gender, ethnicity, rhythmic aptitude and English-language reading skills of early elementary students.
James Brown of Southern Pines, NC, is the recipient of a new prize created this year by the Symphony’s Education Committee. The Jackson Parkhurst Award for Special Achievement is to be granted in those years in which there is a particularly strong 1 second candidate for the Swalin Award. Jackson Parkhurst is the Symphony’s former Director of Education whose longstanding service helped shape and perfect the orchestra’s education program.
The Outstanding Music Educator Award honors Maxine Swalin, who together with her husband Dr. Benjamin Swalin, North Carolina Symphony Music Director from 1939- 1972, established the children’s concert division of the Symphony in 1945. Largely because of the Swalins’s efforts, Senate Bill No. 248 (also known as The Horn Tootin’ Bill) passed, providing state fiscal support for the Symphony’s education program. Sixty- one years later, the program still brings live symphonic music to children throughout North Carolina.
NEW THIS WEEK (Be sure to visit the links following this section to access previously posted items which are now posted on the web):
MUSIC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES: LEVEL I AND II ORFF COURSES AND PRE-COURSE WORKSHOP Level I and Level II Orff Courses are offered this summer at UNC-Chapel Hill: June 22 - July 3, 2009. The instructors are Judy Lasko, a NYC-based dance teacher and movement educator; Marilyn Humphreys, a retired Orff specialist who studied at the Orff-Institute; and Dan Johnson, a UNCW professor, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher educator.
The second pre-course workshop, "Novice and Experienced Alike," is being offered on on Saturday, May 30, 2009, in Chapel Hill. The workshop will be designed for two groups: for experienced Orff teachers and for teachers new to the Orff approach. The workshop registration fee is deductible from the course registration; the workshop is FREE when with either Level I or Level II registration. Further information is available at http://people.uncw.edu/johnsond/orffprogram.htm or via email: [email protected]
THE SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE EDUCATION (SITE) 2009 June 25 – July 17, 2009 This summer celebrates fifteen years of the Summer Institute for Theatre Education (SITE) serving North Carolina K-12 theatre arts teachers. During the past fifteen years SITE has helped build a network for K-12 Theatre Arts teachers across the state. The SITE venue of graduate level theatre courses was created to allow these extraordinary educators to pursue an advanced degree, professional development, and personal enrichment as theatre artists without having to resign their jobs. SITE happens within the same general time frame each year, beginning on the first day of the second UNCG Summer Session and running into the second or third week of July. This schedule allows hard-working, exhausted theatre teachers to have a short break after the public schools close and to have some vacation time left after the SITE session ends.
To qualify for admission to the M.Ed. degree program, candidates must apply directly to the Graduate School. This is a separate process from applying to take courses through 2 SITE. Signing up to take classes in SITE does not automatically place someone in the M.Ed. degree program. Course enrollment for SITE classes happens through Continual Learning, Summer Session.
To qualify for application to the M.Ed. in Theatre Education degree program, a candidate must hold a North Carolina SP1 teaching license in K-12 Theatre Arts or its equivalent from another state, preferably a state that is part of the reciprocal agreement among states. However, a state’s inclusion on the Reciprocal Agreement list of participating states does not insure that one state’s licensure will be honored automatically in another state. It may be true in some states, while others may require an additional test score or course, etc.
Other requirements for applicants to the M.Ed. program include:
· A candidate must have completed at least one year of teaching at the K-12 level. · If a candidate is currently working towards SP1 licensure, either as a licensure- only or as a lateral entry candidate, and has no more than 6 semester hours left before completion of the licensure requirements, admission is possible. However, all requirements for SP1 licensure must be met and SP1 licensure awarded to the M.Ed. candidate before the M.Ed. and the associated “M” (Advanced Masters) level licensure will be awarded. · The Graduate School requires a 3.0 minimum GPA in the undergraduate degree program; however, many people may not have done as well in college as they would do now. However, there are alternative ways of evaluating/supplementing for the GPA requirement if it is an issue. (See below.) · Candidates must take the PRAXIS II: Theatre Specialty Area test, not required or even scored by North Carolina, but the test score serves in lieu of the GRE score as the testing requirement for admission to the program. Candidates must earn a minimum score of 610 to qualify for admission. · An admission interview with the Director of Theatre Education is also required. That may sometimes be done during the first summer of taking SITE classes, prior to applying for admission to the program the following fall.
Regarding GPA issues: It is possible to take up to 9 semester hours (all three SITE courses) without being admitted to the M.Ed. After taking the SITE courses, if people decide to pursue the M.Ed., it is suggested they apply to the Graduate School for admission to the M.Ed. in Theatre Education in the fall semester that immediately follows their SITE experience. Upon acceptance to the M.Ed. program, the Department will ask the Graduate School allow the three courses grades to be applied towards the M.Ed. degree. This will start the “clock” that demands graduate degrees be completed in a five year period, beginning from the date of the first class applied to the degree. In addition, If someone has less than a 3.0 undergraduate GPA, good grades in nine hours of post undergraduate study may be accepted in lieu of the 3.0 GPA requirement. Graduate students may not earn less than a “B” in course work. A “B-“ is not acceptable to the Graduate School.
3 The summer of 2009. What a summer it will be! Once again, SITE begins on June 25th, 2009 and runs through July 17th, 2009. The curriculum SITE’s fifteenth session will be:
THR 570 Advanced Stage Lighting Design (3 semester hours) Professor John Wolf 9:00 to 11:30 A.M., Monday – Friday A hands on exploration of lighting design designed specifically to meet the needs of K- 12 teachers. The abilities and backgrounds of students will vary widely, so the class is designed to challenge individual students and enhance their own teaching and production experiences. Discussions and projects will include the most basic and simplest of lighting fixtures (homemade and purchased) to the LED lighting fixtures of today.
THR 631 Studies in Acting (3 semester hours) Professor John Gulley 12:30 to 3:00 P.M., Monday – Friday A review of basic Stanislavski acting technique, with a special emphasis on the exercises of Sanford Meisner. The focus will be on techniques and exercises useful to K-12 acting students. Whether the play is The Ugly Duckling or Hamlet, the challenge for all actors is this: how to live truthfully within a set of imaginary circumstances while still honoring the theatrical demands of the play.
THR 682 Seminar in Teaching Methods in Theatre Education (3 semester hours) Professor Lorraine Shackelford 3:30 to 6:00 P.M., Monday – Friday An exploration of various trends and issues facing K-12 Theatre Arts programs today, especially in the midst of the economic crisis. How do we hold onto theatre in our schools? How can we represent our discipline and earn its rightful place in schools as a distinct, respected subject? What can we do to increase our professional credibility and our value in the eyes of the community, administrators, and colleagues? The course also includes a review of foundational teaching pedagogy and opportunity to experiment with new ideas. The classroom environment will provide a venue in which lesson plans, exercises, projects, and other ideas can be processed and shared.
Interested? Please contact Neil Shepherd at [email protected] or 336-2=334-4032. If he cannot answer a question, he will forward your email or information to Lorraine Shackelford, on summer break until SITE begins. Please include a phone number and times at which you may be reached in case she needs to call you. Come join our summer ensemble of theatre educators. The networking and friendships formed are invaluable in themselves. Don’t miss this opportunity. It is a once in a lifetime experience.
4 To access archived editions of the update, legislative updates, employment opportunities, teacher and student opportunities, funding opportunities, websites and other resources and the arts education exchange (ALL updated on a weekly basis), please visit the following links:
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: updates on policy and law from the State Board of Education and the NC General Assembly http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2007/10/arts_education_5.php
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2007/10/arts_education_7.php
CALENDAR OF TEACHER AND STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2007/10/student_opportu.php
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2008/11/arts_education.php
WEBSITES AND OTHER RESOURCES http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2005/08/online_resource.php
FYI – ARTICLES OF INTEREST FROM THE NCDPI UPDATE http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2009/01/fyi_articles_of.php
ARTS EDUCATION EXCHANGE: http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2008/11/arts_education_8.php
“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” - Those with items to give away or in need of materials should describe these materials as specifically as possible and provide contact information for how they may be reached (name, email, phone number) and send their request to: [email protected] or [email protected]. Please remember to notify us when your request has been fulfilled so that we may remove the item from the list.
ARCHIVED EDITIONS OF THE NCDPI UPDATE http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2007/10/ncdpi_arts_educ_3.php
NEW! ARTS EDUCATION AND 21ST CENTURY SKILLS IN NORTH CAROLINA http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2009/03/arts_education_9.php To order, please call (800) 663-1250 or visit Publication Sales on the Web at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/publications/. View the online version (free) at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/artsed/resources/
WE STAY INFORMED SO YOU STAY INFORMED! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! TOGETHER WE ARE POWERFUL! To receive the arts education listserv Friday Update send an email to join- [email protected] or email [email protected] or [email protected] and request membership. The Update is also attached (in MS Word) and archived on-line at: http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/music/archives/2007/10/ncdpi_arts_educ_3.php.
The Arts Education Consultants at the NC Department of Public Instruction make every effort to provide relevant, timely information to stakeholders collected from numerous state and national sources and listservs. The inclusion of items in this update does not imply the endorsement or verification of accuracy by this agency.
5