From ESEA to CPS: Arts are at the Core
It has been 20 years since Americans for the Arts and others worked diligently to ensure that the arts were included as core subjects in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). As we...
View ArticleHow do we get the arts to young people?
The essential question that needs to be asked as Congress moves to complete the first substantive reauthorization of federal education legislation since 2001 is different than the one we may...
View ArticleEvery Child Achieves: It’s Time for the Second Act
Anyone who has ever watched a play or a musical knows that there are two acts. This summer, legislation moved forward to transform the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) for the...
View ArticleLife without the U.S. Department of Education!
Just imagine how our lives in the arts would really be impacted if we didn’t have a U.S Department of Education (USDOE). This does not necessarily mean we would not have an ESEA, as the ESEA predates...
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Words... Words... Wonderful Words
To me, words are quite wonderful. Some are even paintings in the sense that you look at the words and get an immediate visual. So the sadness and unintended consequences conveyed by the words "No Child...
View ArticleArts Education is Essential to Cultivating the Creative Economy
Creative Many is headquartered in TechTown, Detroit’s self-styled “business innovation hub.” Our office in Michigan’s capital city is co-located with The Runway, an incubator helping startup fashion...
View ArticleKRIS Pinot Grigio “Art of Education” program returns
All across the country, students are back in school and this month, and Americans for the Arts and KRIS Wine are teaming up again to support arts education. The arts can positively impact the entire...
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Winning the Talent War
Every empty seat in a theatre isn't simply lost revenue; it's a lost opportunity to tackle one of the biggest challenges we can expect to face in the arts and culture business today - talent...
View ArticleTeaching Arts Education Advocates
How many of us have had the conversation around Arts Integration and Arts for Arts sake? Value in both right? We know from countless examples and research studies that the best benefit to a child is to...
View ArticleEmpower your conversations with new data: What executives really think about...
Does business have any skin in the arts education game? And if they do, can we rally business support to help ensure that all students have access to arts education? After all, business has been in the...
View ArticleInclusion and Refinement Serving a Common Goal
The purpose of these words are not to debate a right or wrong musical pedagogy however to promote the convergence of musicians, music, and students approaching music from different places. For the...
View ArticleWhere Would I Be Without My Mentor?
As I reflect on my nearly twenty years spent in the arts integration field, I feel blessed to have had a trio of amazing mentors in my life. Without these three women I certainly would not have had the...
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My life’s not busy, it’s full. Except today.
I first met Jessica Wilt 5 years ago. She and I were both new to Americans for the Arts...I was a new staff member and liaison to the arts education advisory council, and Jessica was a newly minted...
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Utilizing Your Community as a Classroom
Arts educators and advocates are a resourceful bunch. Despite enormous odds over many years against making arts education a priority, more school districts and policy makers are working to find ways to...
View ArticleIt’s Not About What Happens in Ten Years: It’s About Right Now
It is past time to put the arts into action for every child in this country. If we are serious about equipping our kids with the tools they need to be successful in the future, let’s prove it by...
View ArticleTransforming Lives Through Music – Even Among Seniors!
“The Academy has strongly shaped my present life and my plans. I am retiring next week and I will immediately become a full-time violin major at college.” BSO Academy Violinist, 65 years oldA senior...
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The season of Thanksgiving in Arts Education
It's the season of thanksgiving, and we have so much to be thankful for in a world that may, at times, seem less than hospitable.This week, we celebrated Giving Tuesday – a reminder that while the...
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“Waiving” Goodbye to No Child Left Behind
Over the last few years, Americans for the Arts has been covering each attempt by Congress to reauthorize the Elementary & Secondary Education Act, most recently recognized as No Child Left...
View ArticleThese 5 Tips Will Help You Become a Championed Arts Advocate
In the arts, it seems as though we always have something on our advocacy schedule. We’re advocating for funding. We’re advocating for support. We’re advocating to be included in education and strategic...
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3 Reasons Theatre Summer Camp is the Perfect Holiday Gift
Did I say perfect?Yes. Yes, I did. And here are just three (of many more*) reasons I believe that's true.1) The gift of experience doesn’t clutter your kids’ bedrooms.Okay, this is a big one for me...
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