Welcome to the EdTA Advocacy Update
January 30, 2018
The Advocacy Update is where you can find current national and state news concerning arts advocacy and arts education.
EdTA NEWS
Advocacy Leadership Network Adds Seven New State Representatives
The Educational Theatre Association has selected seven new members to represent their states in the organization’s Advocacy Leadership Network (ALN), an initiative designed to train and empower state adult members in grassroots advocacy efforts on behalf of theatre and other arts education.
10th Annual Democracyworks Essay Competition Deadline TOMORROW, February 1st
Students are asked to respond to this question: “How can theatre and other arts nurture dialogue and understanding between individuals with differing points of view?”
NBC’s R.I.S.E. America Project Application Deadline February 6th
R.I.S.E. (Recognizing and Inspiring Student Expression) America will award 50 high schools a $10,000 grant that will enable them to enhance or revitalize their theatre programs. The winning schools can use the grant money to cover various critical needs, including master classes and production expenses.
STATE NEWS
Got state theatre and other arts education news you want to share? Send it to Shea: shaney@schooltheatre.org
Arizona: Sedona Arts Festival Expands Board of Directors (Verde News)
California: Arts Education Strong in LA County and SCV, Per New Survey (The Signal)
Student Makes Concerted Effort to Support Music Education (Simi Valley Acorn)
Illinois: Multitalented Kayla Johnson Writes, Directs Her Own Play (Daily Journal)
Kansas: ARTSConnect Topeka Accepting Applications for Annual Grant Program Until Feb. 5 (CJ Online)
Maryland: Watch Camp Star Rap to Hamilton to Promote Arts Funding in Schools (Playbill)
Mississippi: Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child a Worthy Endeavor (The Meridian Star)
North Carolina: Creative Vision: Arts Leaders Aim to Share Education, Access, Funding, Identity (Journal Now)
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Arts Everywhere Initiative Launches Free App to Connect Community with the Arts on Campus (UNC News)
Nebraska: UNL Music Professor Fights to Keep Music Education in Nebraska Schools (The Daily Nebraskan)
New Mexico: New Mexico Adopts National Arts Standards for K-12 Education (Bristol Herald Courier)
New York: A Debate on Race Lights UP ICSD’s Theatre Program (Ithaca.com)
North Carolina: Performing Arts Academy Top Open in Yadkinville (The Yadkin Ripple)
Ohio: Akron Civic Theatre Leader, JM Smucker Co. Honored with Statewide Awards (Akron Beacon Journal)
Oregon: Over $30,000 Given to Local Non-Profit Organizations (KDRV)
Texas: No Sophomore Slump for Plaza at JTF (Cleburne Times Review)
Marfa Education Foundation Funding Several School Programs (Big Bend Now)
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings Gets National Arts Leadership Award in Washington, D.C. (Dallas Morning News)
Austin High School Teacher Recognized as Theatre Educator of the Year (KVUE)
Vermont: Arts Center Names First Director (Stowe Today)
Virginia: Richmond Public Schools, University of Richmond Team up to Integrate Arts into Classroom (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Washington: School Levies Fund Integral Activities for Students (Yakima Herald)
West Virginia: National Endowment for the Arts Leader Visits Cabell County, Huntington (Herald-Dispatch)
Wisconsin: Three New MMSD Schools Selected for ‘Disney Musicals in Schools’ (Broadway World)
Middleton Drama Puts National Topics on Stage (Wisconsin State Journal)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Canada: After Public Outcry Thanes Valley District School Bard Administrators Restore $15K Funding for ‘Prom Queen: The Musical’ (LFPress.com)
United Kingdom: Rob Halliday: Fingers Crossed the EU Sees the Light Over Theatre Tungsten Ban (The Stage)
WORTH READING
STEAM not STEM: Why Scientists Need Arts Training
I’m a computer scientist who studies digital culture. I try my best to bridge the divides, but constantly ask the question: How can universities train our scientists, technologists and engineers to engage with society, as Snow suggested, rather than perform as cogs in the engine of economic development? (The Conversation)
Encouraging Children to Explore Art, Music, and Poetry
I had the privilege of having at least one hour of music or art class each week. During that time, teachers would show us how to read sheet music and let us play bongos and tambourines. We would try our hands at recreating Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” and mush clay in our palms to make fantastical creatures and beasts. And in my 9-year-old head, I thought, “Sure, PE is fun, but this is the best part of the day.” (The Independent Florida Alligator)
Lecturer Calls for Universities to Tackle Abuse in the Theatre
An academic expert on theatre has called for ethical training to be introduced into drama education, just as it is in many medical, law and business schools. (Times Higher Education)