Open Forum

Hello all,

            My name is Troy Taylor and I am the current Chapter Director for Alabama.  This February, I will complete my second festival as Chapter Director.  This organization has meant so much to me personally since I was a scrawny teenage boy living out in the country.  I have worked very hard to give back to my state and its students.  In regards to attending Arts Advocacy Day and its possible benefits. 

            I start with the fact that the arts in Alabama doesn’t have a strong support system.  Almost 70% of the state doesn’t receive arts education of any kind.  That is appalling to me and something I am working hard to fight.  I am a teacher first though, with that comes responsibilities to my underfunded program.  Opportunities for professional development can be scarce almost all the time and the only reason I have been able to help Alabama is because of the Educational Theatre Association.

          There aren’t many people in this state who would put the time, energy and effort into helping this state fight the good fight.  The biggest example of this would be the fact that I am the Chapter Director at only 28 years old.  My experience in teaching the arts and advocating for the arts is minimal.  I’ve only been at this for five years, meaning I have a long road ahead of me.  I want to be equipped with more experiences and knowledge so that I can bring it back home.  I love what I get to do more than anything else in the world and I love to serve people. 

            I’m not always an eloquent person when it comes to writing and I believe being in front of someone has more impact than anything else.  I want to be at this event because I can prove to anyone why Alabama deserves the arts and support.  I can speak to you about the examples of positive change it has on students’ lives.  I can share examples of how even veteran teachers are being slowly transformed by the power of support in the arts.  I would like to attend Arts Advocacy Day because it is my life’s work to grow the arts in my state so that as many students as possible are changed for the better and teachers have an opportunity to serve our population.

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Troy Taylor
Alabama Educational Theatre Association/Hueytown High School
Chapter Director/Theatre Director
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There are two things that can help in your efforts. 

1. Preach the good word. Arts benefit students, socially, emotionally and academically. For more insight into this go to the EdTA website click the "Advocacy" button on the blue banner across the top and then National -> Research and reports. We need to educate other teachers, school and district administrators, and the community as a whole about the positive benefits of the arts and that they are more than mere fluff, entertainment, or a hobby.
2. Add to this that theatre (tech and acting in theatre, film, television and voice over work in gaming) is a $90 billion industry in the United States, comparable to the auto repair industry. I discovered this when I was working with a local community college that built a new auto-repair training facility, but did not want to support the theatre program. Educators, legislators and the public need to understand what artist contribute to our society, not just culturally but economically as well. Check out this report from the NEA: https://www.arts.gov/news/2015/surprising-findings-three-new-nea-reports-arts

I hope this helps.

James

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James Van Leishout
Olympia WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-19-2017 14:12
From: Troy Taylor
Subject: Hawkins Award Essay Submission

Hello all,

            My name is Troy Taylor and I am the current Chapter Director for Alabama.  This February, I will complete my second festival as Chapter Director.  This organization has meant so much to me personally since I was a scrawny teenage boy living out in the country.  I have worked very hard to give back to my state and its students.  In regards to attending Arts Advocacy Day and its possible benefits. 

            I start with the fact that the arts in Alabama doesn’t have a strong support system.  Almost 70% of the state doesn’t receive arts education of any kind.  That is appalling to me and something I am working hard to fight.  I am a teacher first though, with that comes responsibilities to my underfunded program.  Opportunities for professional development can be scarce almost all the time and the only reason I have been able to help Alabama is because of the Educational Theatre Association.

          There aren’t many people in this state who would put the time, energy and effort into helping this state fight the good fight.  The biggest example of this would be the fact that I am the Chapter Director at only 28 years old.  My experience in teaching the arts and advocating for the arts is minimal.  I’ve only been at this for five years, meaning I have a long road ahead of me.  I want to be equipped with more experiences and knowledge so that I can bring it back home.  I love what I get to do more than anything else in the world and I love to serve people. 

            I’m not always an eloquent person when it comes to writing and I believe being in front of someone has more impact than anything else.  I want to be at this event because I can prove to anyone why Alabama deserves the arts and support.  I can speak to you about the examples of positive change it has on students’ lives.  I can share examples of how even veteran teachers are being slowly transformed by the power of support in the arts.  I would like to attend Arts Advocacy Day because it is my life’s work to grow the arts in my state so that as many students as possible are changed for the better and teachers have an opportunity to serve our population.

------------------------------
Troy Taylor
Alabama Educational Theatre Association/Hueytown High School
Chapter Director/Theatre Director
------------------------------