Teachers Need Other Teachers

Reach out to your colleagues – happpppy last day of July!

What Happens in Your Brain

Making art and your brain

This is an interesting article from MindShift called What Happens in Your Brain When You Make Art. There is a lot going on and this article helps put it in perspective and provides information for communicating with administrators, school leaders and/or community members to help them better understand the value of visual art.

“Anything that engages your creative mind — the ability to make connections between unrelated things and imagine new ways to communicate — is good for you,” says Girija Kaimal. She is a professor at Drexel University and a researcher in art therapy, leading art sessions with members of the military suffering from traumatic brain injury and caregivers of cancer patients.

But she’s a big believer that art is for everybody — and no matter what your skill level, it’s something you should try to do on a regular basis. Here’s why:

It helps you imagine a more hopeful future. 

READ the entire article!

World Alliance for Arts Education Summit

Seeking workshop proposals

World Alliance for Arts Education Summit, being held this October in Gainesville, Florida, USA is seeking presenters.

ARTS IMPACT 2020: CONTEXT MATTERS

10TH WORLD SUMMIT

OCTOBER 26-29, 2020

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, REITZ UNION AND HOTEL, GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, USA

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 20, 2020

NOTIFICATIONS MADE BY: MAY 1, 2020

This summit will bring together a host of international experts to share and discuss evidence-based practices aimed at measuring impact of arts learning and arts programming. Artist-educators and arts program directors strive to ensure that arts assessment and program evaluation is intentional, well designed, and yields quality information that is analyzed and translated effectively into practices that improve arts learning and impact on students, audiences, and communities.

You can find out more and read all of the submission guidelines by CLICKING HERE. 

MLTI Student Conference

Call for proposals

Each year, over one thousand students and educators gather for the MLTI Student Conference to engage in learning related to technology. The conference will be held at the University of Maine in Orono. The day begins in the Collins Center for the Arts with a welcome from a student speaker who has found ways to use his/her MLTI technology to develop a passion or solve a community issue. The day continues with a number of student/educator led sessions that participants can learn a discrete skill and then create something to take back to their schools. The day concludes with what most describe as the most exciting part – an “UBER Session” where all students will gather in the Collins Center once again for a session that is largely kept secret until the day of the event!

The MLTI Student Conference Committee has issued a call for student and educator team proposals for the 17^th Annual MLTI Student Conference being held on Thursday May 21, 2020 at the University of Maine in Orono. The proposal submission form and additional details can be found at THIS LINK.

CONFERENCE DETAILS

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2020
Time: 8:00am-3:00pm
Location: University of Maine, Orono
Cost: $18

Conference registration opens 2 March 2020.

Rosetta Tharpe

Didn’t it Rain

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is often referred to as “The Godmother of Rock and Roll” or “The Original Soul Sister”. Here she is performing “Didn’t it Rain, Sister?”

Piano Battle

Bay Chambers

These two will be battling it out at the Camden Opera House coming up in February. There is a student matinee for school groups as well as evening performances. Amazing opportunity! Thank you Bay Chamber for continuing your work bringing inspirational performances to the mid-coast.

Creative Generation

Arts & Cultural Education

Announcing the Campaign for a Creative Generation theme for 2020:

Arts & Cultural Education is a Fundamental, Civil, and Human Right.

The Campaign for a Creative Generation is a global campaign working to ensure that the next generation reaches their full potential to solve society’s greatest challenges. With intergenerational leaders from around the world, the Campaign is dedicated to inspiring, connecting, and amplifying the work of individuals and organizations committed to cultivating the creative capacities of young people.

“We are experiencing a new kind of revolution in our time.This revolution is not centered solely in politics, technology, or the increasing globalization of our planet—but rather, it features the voices of the next generation, centered in the discourses of all elements of our collective, global future.”

You can learn more by CLICKING HERE and consider participating.

Aroostook County

Band Festival 

On Saturday, January 18 community members from across Aroostook County gathered for the annual All-Aroostook Band Festival held at Ashland Community School. The middle school was conducted by the Reverend Kevin Kinsey who taught many years in the Presque Isle Schools and the high high school was conducted by veteran music educator Steven Orlofsky from George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill.

CONGRATLUTIONS to all the students who participated and the many teachers who supported students. You can access the recording of both WONDERFUL performances at THIS LINK. 

Middle School Band

 

High School Band

Social and Emotional Learning

Maine Teacher of the Year Association

The Maine State Teachers of the Year Association will be kicking off our 2020 Webinar Series with a one-hour online interactive professional development opportunity surrounding Social and Emotional Learning in the Classroom! Join us on Sunday, January 26th from 7:15-8:15 pm via the online Zoom platform.

Karen MacDonald, MTOY 2014, and Talya Edlund, MTOY 16, will present a session where participants will explore an overview of the critical elements of a systematic Social and Emotional program in your school or district. At least two of the elements of a systematic approach will be examined more closely, including student voice. The intended audience for this webinar includes teachers and education technicians serving students grades K-8.

Please complete the Google Form below to participate. The meeting will be held via the Zoom platform and the live link will be shared with participants emails collected in the form. Participants will earn one contact hour for the webinar.

Sign up here:
https://forms.gle/btzqg339r2C1rYyA6

State of the State Address

Celebrating at the Blaine House

Look who was at the Blaine House last night celebrating with the Governor! Heather Whitaker, Maine’s 2020 Teacher of the Year from Gorham Middle School and her colleague and ours and Maine Arts Leadership Initiative Teacher Leader and Art Teacher of the Year Amy Cousins! Wonderful to know that educators are celebrating with Governor Janet T. Mills.

Amy, Governor, Heather