Teaching artists are at the core of the Music Center's work with our partner schools. We devote significant resources to the recruitment, training, and support of outstanding teaching artists. Below we present an overview of our approach and some of the specific strategies we use to support teaching artists. To learn more about the national field of teaching artists, you might visit the Association of Teaching Artists, based in New York.
The Artist Chronicles is a publication featuring articles by the performing artists, teaching artists, and the education staff of the Music Center. As a leading international performing arts center, the Music Center is home to world-class artists in dance, theatre, music and visual art who serve children and young adults across Southern California. The Artist Chronicles is a forum to share and celebrate extraordinary artistic and educational work. It is a place to learn, grow, discuss and be inspired, as well as a resource to connect with other arts organizations – both nationally and globally – in order to share the excellence and skill that the outstanding artists and staff of the Music Center have to offer. Download The Artist Chronicles (1805K PDF)
The Artist Chronicles is edited by Music Center Master Teaching Artist, Madeleine Dahm, with technical support from Mike deHilster. For more information, please contact Mike at mdehilster@musiccenter.org.
Video: Learn about our Teaching Artist Training and see excerpts from the classes.
Download the Teaching Artists Study Group Report (PDF)
Testimonials from Music Center Artists
Storyteller David Prather Sees the Artist
Training Light
Dancer Madeleine Dahm Reflects on
Artist Training
This exemplary workshop series of ten four-hour sessions focuses on training artists in all art forms to create and implement high quality, integrated lessons in the arts. Subjects covered during this course include the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools, Best Practices as well as meaningful tasks and culminating projects, criteria, rubrics and assessment strategies. There will be model lessons presented by seasoned Music Center Master Teaching Artists that capture the power of the arts within Standards-Based lessons. The participating artists will be guided as they design a six lesson series for elementary grades, culminating with a meaningful project. The six series outline and the complete first lesson will be presented to the group by each artist for constructive critique.
Each participating artist will be assigned a mentor who will be available to work with them on their lesson plan development.
An Overview of Each Week:
Session 1: "Grounding participants in the big picture and key components of arts education based on the California Visual and Performing Arts Standards"
- Overview of the course
- Overview of Visual and Performing Arts Standards
- Participation in a Sample Lesson illuminating the VAPA Standards
- Small Group discussion, questions and processing
Session 2: "Setting the foundations of good lesson planning based on the Four Wheel Learning Cycle"
- Setting the foundation of good lesson planning based on the Four Wheel Learning Cycle
- Participation in and deconstruction of a Sample Lesson in Dance/Theatre using the Four Wheel Learning Cycle
- Participation in and deconstruction of a Sample Lesson in Music using Four Wheel Learning Cycle
- Small Group discussion, questions and processing
Session 3: "Using backward mapping, scaffolding, and layering to construct lessons that are clear and well-focused"
- Tasks, Criteria and Rubrics
- Backward Mapping
- Small group discussion and introduction of lesson templates
Session 4: "Opening the doors for insightful discussion with students and inviting new ways of seeing, reflecting, and processing"
- Demonstrations on Task and Criteria
- Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Aesthetic Valuing experience
- Understanding personal meaning through reflections and inquiry
- Small group discussion, questions and processing
Session 5: "Integrating the arts with the curriculum while creating different entry points into the arts for student"
- Making connections through arts integration
- Multiple Intelligences
- Coaching on lesson plan development
Session 6: "Creating a structure for creativity though classroom management, child development, and the role of the teaching artist"
- Creative Classroom Management
- Overview of developmental issues of children
- Setting achievable goals for students and yourself
- Small group discussion
Sessions 7-10: Workshop participants individually present an overview of the six lesson series and one prepared lesson (#1 of a series of six student workshop sessions) followed by a group discussion and a meaningful and constructive critique.
This course is required for teaching artists on the Music Center's Artist Roster and is open to teaching artists from the community by application, as space allows (fee may apply). Music Center performing artists interested in becoming teaching artists and creating workshop programs can also participate. In addition, other institutions have contracted with the Music Center to adapt this program to train artists in other communities, including the Louisiana Institute for Education in the Arts and the City of Glendale Arts and Culture Commission. The Music Center also partners with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, The Armory Center for the Arts, and Culver City Unified School District to conduct a 22 week "Arts for All" artist training course for artists throughout Los Angeles County. The participants of this program engage in 6 weeks of classroom instruction, 6 weeks of observation of a Music Center Master Teaching Artist teaching in a CCUSD elementary or middle school, and 6 weeks of teaching their newly developed lessons at a CCUSD school site. In another program, with a special grant from the Ahmanson Foundation (and additional funding from the California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Annenberg Foundation, and Washington Mutual), the Music Center created a pilot program of professional development seminars for artists, based on feedback from artists. Over the past few years the Music Center has continued to develop and refine its artist training program, growing the course from six, 3-hour sessions to ten, 4-hour sessions.
The Teaching Artist Seminars are developed by the Music Center and key Music Center Master Teaching Artists. These seminars help to support the range of services that teaching artists provide to students and teachers. With many years of experience in bringing professional artists into the community's schools, the Music Center recognizes the importance of quality artist training.
Please join us for any or all of the upcoming Teaching Artist Seminars. All seminars are scheduled from 4:45-7:45pm at the education offices of the Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles. RSVP is required.
The following is a partial list of the upcoming schedule for the Fall/Winter. (Dates, times and topics are subject to change) An RSVP is required for attendance at these seminars. Space is limited.
Monday, October 13, 2008 : National Trends, Research and Projects
Monday, November 17, 2008 : Artistic Partnerships and Collaborations
Monday, December 8, 2008 : Culminations: What to Plan, How to Plan and What Narration is Effective
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 : Inquiry, Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings.
February 24 or 26 (TBD) : Integrated Learning
March 24 or 26 (TBD) : Evidence of Student Learning and Creation and Implementation of Rubrics.
April 28 or 30 (TBD) : Becoming a Master Teaching Artist – A Job Description and Criteria.
These seminars are facilitated by Madeleine Dahm and select Music Center Teaching Artists on a variety of helpful and inspirational topics.
| Teaching Artist Apprentice Program | |
Learn more about the Teaching Artist Apprentice Program, a multi-faceted teaching artist training opportunity with six major components. The Music Center, with the support of The Dana Foundation, is proud to present this premier teaching artist training opportunity to support the field of arts education.
For more information, contact Sandy Seufert at sseufert@musiccenter.org.
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