In Today’s News

Students urge Maine lawmakers

Christopher Cousins wrote this article for the Bangor Daily News, March 24, 2016.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Students and arts educators from across Maine crowded the State House on Thursday to try to convince lawmakers that art education in public schools is important.

The students and teachers started the day with the Lake Region High School band and chorus performing the National Anthem in the House and continued with a concerted lobbying effort in the Hall of Flags.

Maeve Porter Holliday and Maggie Ruff, both seniors at Casco Bay High School in Portland, spent the morning standing outside the House of Representatives with signs that read “Erik Jorgensen.”

Jorgensen, a Democrat from Portland, is their state representative. They said they wanted to urge him to support art education as a “fundamental right,” not an elective.

The article is located at https://bangordailynews.com/2016/03/24/living/students-urge-maine-lawmakers-to-support-art-education/.

Great Day for Arts Education

Arts Ed Advocacy Day a success
On Thursday, March 24 the State House in Augusta was mobbed with students articulating what the arts mean to them, individually and collectively. Their messages were clear and legislators from all regions of Maine were listening.

Biddeford Intermediate School Select Chorus under the direction of music educator and MALI Teacher Leader, Andrea Wollstadt

Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) directed by Susan Potters accompanied by many hands to organize the day. CONGRATULATIONS Susan! About 200 students representing elementary, middle, and high school were scheduled to meet with the representatives and senators from their regions.

Following the meetings students gathered in the Hall of Flags where there were performances and many were engaged in singing, dancing, poetry reciting, and visiting county tables with arts education information.

 

In Susan’s words, from MAAE website:

After the legislators themselves came downstairs a formal program included remarks by Acting Commissioner of the Department of Education, William Beardsley; Maine Arts Commission Arts Education Director, Argy Nestor; Farnsworth Museum Education Director, Roger Dell; Maine Resilience Building Network Co-facilitator, Sue Mackey Andrews; and Arts Education Program Manager at Americans for the Arts, Jeff Poulin. There were also student performances by the Biddeford Intermediate School Select Chorus, conducted by Andrea Wollstadt, by a Bangor High School English class working with teaching artist Katenia Keller, that had choreographed a piece collaboratively, and an art advocacy group speaking piece performed by SLAM! from SAD 33 in Aroostook County, directed by Theresa Cerceo.

It was a full day! But this Advocacy Day’s significance as a day of firsts was in the students themselves… not only in their sheer number (a first for the State House), but also as a statewide gathering of students involved in all art forms – visual art, music, dance, theater and poetry – meeting each other and feeling empowered. So this day was a first, but it wasn’t the last!

Makayla and Cayden, students from Marshwood High School with music educator and MALI Leadership Team member Kate Smith are all smiles at Arts Ed Advocacy Day!

Student Leaders in the Arts Movement (SLAM) presenting during the program.

Senator Brian Langly, co-chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee speaks to students in the Hall of Flags.

Maine Department of Education Visual and Performing Arts Specialist Beth Lambert, music educator at Central Elementary School Kate Smith, and art educator from Dr. Levesque Elem, Wisdom Middle/High School, MSAD #33, Theresa Cerceo. Both Kate and Theresa are members of the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative Leadership Team.

MAAI at the State House

What a day!

Friday was a great opportunity for the Teacher Leaders from the Maine Arts Assessment Initiative (MAAI) to present their workshops as a “dry run” to critical friends. Fifty-eight educators traveled from all parts of Maine to participate in the day. Eighteen workshops were presented in 6 different groups to the critical friends, held in the State House and the Cross Office Building. Teachers bring students on field trips to the State House but it is not often that a group of teachers attend an all-day event there. As compared to when the legislature is in session, it was fairly quiet but that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the Capitol. The first session of the Maine Legislature was held in Maine’s State Capitol on January 4, 1832. As many of you know the dome is presently undergoing renovations and the new copper is gleaming and a site to behold with the changing of the leaves.

We gathered in the beautiful space used by the Council Chamber which I am certain never held that many educators. The Chamber is a segment of State Government of the leadership, a small group that is led by the President of the Senate rotating with the Speaker of the House, to make decisions that impact the entire body of the legislature. Each of the six groups participated in two morning workshops that were held where some of the Maine State Government does their daily business, the Burton Cross Office building. The groups gathered for lunch back in the State House and USMs faculty member and MAAI leadership team member Jeff Beaudry shared the findings of the survey that many of you participated in during the last week on Proficiency and  Teacher Effectiveness. (I will post the info in another blog post).

Molly Ockett Middle School Visual Art teacher Samantha Davis presents her workshop to critical friends

 

Marshwood Middle School art teacher and Teacher Leader Amy Cousins participating in Teaching Artist Randy Fein’s workshop using clay.

 

Raymond Elementary School music teacher and veteran MAAI Teacher Leader Patti Gordan assists Ellsworth Elementary Middle School music teacher and new Teacher Leader Frances Kellogg with her workshop.

In the afternoon the groups participated in one more workshop and gathered for the wrap-up where the group facilitators provided an overview of what took place in their groups. Phase 4 music Teacher Leaders Kate Smith and Cynthia Keating lead us in song called “We Are One” and adapted for MAAI. It was a worthwhile day for all involved. The Teacher Leaders will tweak their workshops to ready them for the Mega-regional workshops being presented in five locations this year (listed below). Registration will be available soon if you are interested and able to attend please mark your calendars!

USM faculty and MAAI Leadership team member Jeff Beaudry shares the data recently collected from the survey all Maine arts educators were invited to participate in.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to the critical friends who participated in the day!

Mega-regional workshops 2014-15 school year

• Tuesday, November 25 Mount Desert Island High School

• Friday, March 6 Aroostook county

• Friday, March 13 Oxford Hills Middle School South Campus

• Thursday, April 2 UMaine, Orono

• Friday, April 3 University of Southern Maine, Portland

Critical Friends participate in movement workshop led by Teaching Artist John Morris in the rotunda in the State House while former Governor John Baldacci looks on.

MAAI Leadership Team member Catherine Ring provides an overview from her groups workshops.

Wrap up on Critical Friend Day at the State House.

New teacher leaders and music teachers Kate Smith, Central Elementary School and Cynthia Keating, Village Elementary School lead the group in song.

 

Julie Richard Remarks

ARTS EDUCATION DAY 2014

These are the remarks that Executive Director of the Maine Arts Commission, Julie Richard presented at Arts Education Day at the State House, Augusta, April 2, 2014.

I have been in Maine for about a year and a half and I feel like I am finally getting settled in. Even though this winter has been endless… Having moved here from Arizona, the transition has been quite something!

Arts education has always been a passion of mine. I am a product of a strong school music program which guided my desire to study voice in college and later arts administration. Without band and chorus every day, I would not have made it through high school. Yes, I had both every day – all through junior high and high school. That is not something most of our schools anywhere in this country can boast.

When I was interviewing for this job, I was asked to provide my vision for the future of the arts in Maine. Providing strong arts education programs in ALL of our schools was at the core of my message. Without the arts in our schools, our students will not have the critical thinking skills, creativity, problem solving abilities or poise to lead the creative economy of the future. Let alone developing musicians that can lead our orchestras, artists that can fill our galleries or dancers that can stretch our imaginations.

When our leaders talk about creating jobs and investing in science and technology – without including the arts – they are leaving out the most critical component – the creativity that drives the ideas and inventions that have built our country.

It is critical that we make STEAM – part of our vernacular. Let’s take STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – and add the A for arts – to ensure that our students are developing all parts of their brains so that Maine’s future economy can thrive.

When I hired Argy Nestor – our new Director of Arts Education – from the Department of Education to lead our arts education initiatives, I made a conscious decision that arts education would be a key and critical component of our future and that we would do whatever we can to strengthen arts education in our schools. From providing professional development for arts educators to make them the best they can be to conducting research like the Arts Education Census to know exactly who the haves and the have nots are in our state. We need to make sure that we work together to be successful.

Last summer, the Maine Arts Commission and the Maine Department of Education finalized a Memorandum of Understanding that ensures that our two departments will work together to achieve our goals. We are committed to doing the best we can for our State’s students and our educators. Thanks for coming today and supporting arts education in our state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Playing at the State House

Laken Region Middle School band goes to the State House

On Thursday morning, January 26, 20012, thirty-seven students from Lake Region Middle School, under the direction of band instructor Paul Greenstone, loaded their instruments onto a yellow school bus and headed up the Maine Turnpike to our state capital building in Augusta.  There they were scheduled to perform a short concert in the rotunda and then to open that day’s House session by playing the National Anthem from the house gallery.  They were invited to perform by their local representative,  Paul Waterhouse.

The ride to Augusta was fairly quiet. The students were nervous.  All previous concerts had definitely been much more low key – holiday concerts for parents, playing at the quarterly honors assemblies – this day registered much higher on the status bar for the group!  Add the fact that no sheet music would be in front of them during the National Anthem, and  it is easy to understand why there was none of the typical middle school high jinks on that morning’s bus ride.

Upon arriving at the State House, quickly unloading gear, and  smoothly passing through the new security system, band members found their positions, took up their instruments, and when Director Paul Greenstone raised his baton, the lilting strains of Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Flowers” resonated through the building!  That was followed by several patriotic selections and the finale was a splendid rendition of the theme from “Harry Potter”.

How different and wonderful their musical selections sounded in this auspicious venue!  Sound bounced everywhere!  The music was heard all over the building, and enjoyed by everyone.

Moving into the House Chamber, nerves calmed and pride swelled as the Star Spangled Banner was performed flawlessly for the assembled state lawmakers and invited guests.  After being recognized by the House Speaker, band members watched the legislature’s proceedings for a short time before breaking down their instruments and loading back in the bus for the trip home.

Spirits were pretty high on that ride back to the Lakes Region, and why not?  They had played well, represented their school admirably, and most importantly, had shared their joy in making music with others.  The arts programs in our schools make us all part of a better community.

Music students being recognized by the House

Thank you to parent and community member from Naples, Maine who traveled with the students to the State House and who kindly wrote this blog post.

Falmouth MS Jazz at the State House

Jazz band performs in Augusta

Famouth Middle School jazz band

Last week I stood to stretch from sitting for a time in my cubby and gazed out at the State House dome. I looked down and there I saw a group of students in the parking lot with musical instruments. I grabbed my camera and ran down the 5 flights of steps with hopes of learning who they were.

I got there in time to speak to the three adults standing by the open van with instruments in the back. The students were all gone but the band director, Jerry Barry from Falmouth Middle School told me that the jazz band had just been in to perform at the opening of the House session.

Jerry’s excitement helped me to imagine the students playing and the pride in all of them. Luckily Jerry had photos of them he had taken earlier and he was kind enough to include in this post. The one of the three adults is Jerry and two parent volunteers.

Performing in the Rotunda

Jerry in the center w/ two parent volunteers