TCG Bulletin

May 2008, Volume 31, Issue 5

ARTS EDUCATION

Survey for Teaching Artists
Recommendations Released from the 2007 National Arts Policy Roundtable

Survey for Teaching Artists

Teaching artists planning to attend the National Performing Arts Convention (NPAC), to be held in Denver this June, are encouraged to fill out a one-page survey that will serve as a jumping off place for a three hour NPAC session on teaching artists. This survey will result in a statement of beliefs from teaching artists to jump start the session toward agreed upon actions. The survey was developed by the NPAC workshop leaders: Barbara Shepherd (The Kennedy Center); David O'Fallon (MacPhail School of Music); Daniel Renner (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); Kimberli Boyd (independent dance teaching artist); Eric Booth (teaching artist/consultant). Please note that this survey is intended for teaching artists, not their administrators.

Action: The survey deadline is May 10. Click here to access the survey online. Please circulate this story to teaching artists. Visit the National Performing Arts Convention website for more information on NPAC.

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Recommendations Released from the 2007 National Arts Policy Roundtable

The 2007 National Arts Policy Roundtable participants focused on the challenge of preparing students to enter the workforce with the creativity and innovation skills needed to compete successfully in the new economy. They agreed that the arts are an indispensable tool for building the creative thinking skills essential to ensuring that American business and culture will prosper. The members acknowledged that if the arts are to play a role in helping to build the 21st century workforce, then leaders in the public, private, education and culture sectors must recognize three fundamental principles:

literacy in the arts is an essential educational goal for the 21st century;
the arts both nurture and enhance creative inquiry and innovation, complementing other fields that depend on these applied skills such as math, science and engineering; and
to foster and develop creativity and innovation skills that can be applied in life and work, opportunities for arts learning must begin before kindergarten and continue throughout higher education, as well as in the community and the workplace itself.

To achieve the recognition and understanding of the role of the arts in building a creative workforce, Roundtable participants made recommendations in three key areas:

Research: build a body of compelling evidence that demonstrates how the arts foster creativity and innovation wherever learning occurs, including pre-K and K-12 schools, higher education, the workplace and the community
Messaging: promote the arts as an effective vehicle for cultivating the creativity, innovation and inquiry skills of all Americans. Emphasize that arts education not only prepares students for entry into the workforce, but also fosters excellence among workers at every career stage
Strategic alliances: develop strategic alliances with individuals and organizations that are concerned about America’s competitiveness in the 21st century global economy and that understand the need for developing creativity and innovation skills in the workforce