Professional Development / Regional Workshops — November 2008–June 2009

As part of the work funded by the Kennedy Center for 2009, the MAAE is hosting twelve full-day professional development workshops for teachers and administrators in partnership with five Regional Education Service Centers across the state and with the Mississippi Department of Education. These free workshops highlight the importance of learning 21st Century skills in Mississippi’s K-12 schools. Each workshop features three presenters and a fast-paced agenda of interactive experiences. The training content is research-based, related to state frameworks, and includes lessons that model active learning in discipline-specific arts education and arts integration. To begin the project, the MAAE hosted a Train the Trainer session in November to prepare individuals to facilitate the workshops and equip artists/performers/educators to offer arts experiences for teachers and administrators. Fourteen artists participated and are among those engaged as presenters for the twelve workshops. Twelve workshops have been completed: Cleveland (2), Gulf Coast (2), Hattiesburg (2), Meridian (2), Tupelo (2), Jackson (1) and Petal (1).

Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Leadership Meeting — February 2009

The Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education is a member of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, a national organization of state alliances dedicated to a common purpose: promoting arts education. Once a year representatives of the MAAE attend the conference of the KCAAEN in Washington, D.C. Four members of the MAAE attended the conference in February 2009. Since 2003, an MAAE member has served on the KCAAEN’s Network Leadership Committee, the administrative component of the national group. In addition, two other members serve on committees at the national level. Such representation is a significant accomplishment for the MAAE. Mississippi has benefited immeasurably from its partnership with the Kennedy Center.

Day at the Capitol — March 2009

The MAAE annually joins the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) and other arts advocates to sponsor a Day at the Capitol, a time set aside for visiting with state legislators, held this year March 24, 2009, in Jackson. Significant budget cuts statewide in recent years have stimulated the need for a special response in support of arts programs. In preparation, the MAAE and others joined with the MAC to encourage public awareness and a positive legislative response by direct contact, and/or e-mail and letter-writing.

Arts Front & Center Forum — April 2009

The “Arts Front and Center Forum,” convened by the MAAE April 2, 2009, at the MSU Riley Center in Meridian, brought together a large and diverse audience from across the state. The purpose of the Forum was to challenge participants to recognize that a new economy based upon creativity and innovation is emerging and to consider what is needed in schools and in communities to meet the challenges such shifts are bringing about. Ron Fine, Executive Director, Partners for Pearl River County, was keynote speaker for the event. Forum discussions sought to help (1) raise awareness and appreciation of the connections among cognition, 21st Century skills, creativity and the arts; (2) gain new insights and understanding about how schools can prepare students for the 21st Century world; and (3) identify support networks in the business sector and instructional strategies for classrooms that will assist educators to raise the graduation rate through expanded skills and career paths. The day’s activity also included a student vocal performance and a young artists’ exhibit of visual art that showcased pieces by students from across the state and that were sponsored by MAAE members. A new addition to the schedule was an arts raffle, organized by MAAE Board members.

MAAE Arts Education Awards — April 2009

Each year, the MAAE honors schools, cultural institutions, programs, and individuals for their positive contributions to arts education in the state. The ninth annual Arts Education Awards Recognition program was held during the Arts Front and Center Forum, April 2, 2009, at the MSU Riley Center in Meridian. Blake A. Wilson, President and CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council, was keynote speaker during the luncheon program. Awards presented: School of Excellence Award; Thad Cochran Distinguished Arts Educator Award (three individuals honored); Outstanding Administrator of the Year Award; Higher Education Award; and Exemplary Arts Service Award. The MAAE believes this awards program will not only continue to grow, but will also increase public awareness of high quality arts education programs across the state and the accomplishments of students who are the beneficiaries of them.

Kennedy Center / National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute — July 2009

Three outstanding young musicians have been selected to participate in the 2009 Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute to be held in Washington, D.C. June 29-July 27. In addition, a young musician enrolled at Alcorn State University, will also attend the institute. She applied under the international program and was selected. Students who are juniors/seniors in high school or freshmen/sophomores in college may submit applications and audition tapes for consideration. Applications are reviewed and up to five students from the state may be nominated, though only one is usually selected. The MAAE sponsors student participation in the institute with the assistance of arts patrons. This program has stimulated communication among musicians across the state about opportunities available to students at the national level.

DANA Foundation Artists’ Training Workshops — July 2007-July 2008 . . . renewed 2009

In 2007 the MAAE received a large-scale Rural Initiatives Grant from the DANA Foundation. The award supported a project designed to increase student access to arts education. The MAAE offered a series of six professional development training sessions for teaching artists who wish to work with teachers in K-12 classrooms. These were held in north, central and south Mississippi. Four workshops were conducted in partnership with the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Whole Schools Initiative. The remaining two were offered in partnership with museums in the state. Performing and visual artists were selected for the workshops through an application process. The goal of the series of workshops was to increase the number of artists included in the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Arts in Education Roster.

Follow-up: The MAAE has been awarded a grant in the amount of $25,000 over one year by the Dana Foundation to continue the professional development work initiated two years ago. The format of this new funding will allow the MAAE to implement three workshops in 2009. One of the workshops will provide advanced training for artists who participated in the first series. Other workshops will replicate the sessions previously offered at the introductory level.

Mississippi Arts Commission Whole Schools Initiative — July 2009

The MAAE works closely with the Whole Schools Initiative (WSI) and its host institution, the Mississippi Arts Commission, by providing speakers, Field Advisors, presenters, and by promoting partner events. MAAE publicizes accomplishments of the initiative, provides technical assistance at statewide and local venues, and facilitates the involvement of higher education in the ongoing work of the initiative. The WSI provides a venue for MAAE advocacy and membership activities at its annual Whole Schools Institute, a week-long gathering for over 300 teachers, administrators, and stakeholders. The 2009 WSI will be held at the University of Mississippi, July 12-16. This federally recognized arts education model continues to bring favorable attention to the state, and has inspired school districts outside the program to seek ways to implement the model in their own districts.

Ongoing — Network for Arts Education in Mississippi

The MAAE is among those invited by the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) to participate, on a regular basis, in discussions with other arts education leaders from across the state. The purpose of these meetings is to seek a better understanding of the status of arts education in the state and to explore how the major players might work together to raise awareness and impact of the arts, particularly in the legislature.

Ongoing — MSArtsAlliance.com

This well maintained website provides up-to-date advocacy tools and information at <http://www.msartsalliance.com>. A photo gallery celebrates accomplishments in MAAE programming. In addition, links to state arts organizations and institutions as well as to arts education resources are available. Individuals who wish to attend various MAAE-sponsored programs may also register online through access to the website. The website has become a major means of disseminating information for the MAAE..

Home