ARTS (CSA) - Cleveland.com

Transcription

CREATING THE MODEL
CLEVELAND SCHOOL OF THE
ARTS (CSA):
A SYSTEMIC REDESIGN PLAN
TO CREATE AN ARTS SCHOOL
OF ACADEMIC AND ARTISTIC
EXCELLENCE
MAY 2014
Contributors: Mitchell Korn, Dr. Robert Horowitz,
Yolande Spears, Dr. Dan Serig, Susan Stauter, and Dr.
Rekha Rajan.
Table of contents
Forward and Executive Summary
1
Inventory and Findings
5
Recommendations
15
Implementation Plan
23
Budget
44
Appendix
46
A. CSA History Brief
B. Technology Outfitting
C. Ballet Class Observation
D. Creative Writing Class Observation
E. English Class Observation
F. Playwriting/Theater Class Observation
G. Theater Performance Observation
H. CSA Observation Report
I. Summary of Main Points from Interviews
J. Music and Visual Arts Standards for Curriculum Development
K. An Analysis of the Scope and Sequence document, State Standards for Fine
Arts and the Department of Arts Education Strategic Plan
L. Design Team Members
M. Best Practices of Schools of the Arts
N. An Overview of Arts-Integrated Education
O. Project-Based Learning
P. Performing Arts Trends, Implications and Careers
Q. Emerging Trends in the Visual Arts, Media, and Design Fields and Careers
R. Trends in College Preparation, Admissions and College-Going Culture at
Four-Year Colleges and Universities
S. Schools of the Arts
T. AAC&U VALUE Rubrics
U. Data Collection Instruments
V. Interview list
W. Arts School Network Conference
X. Bios
Forward and Executive Summary
This study was contracted by Friends of Cleveland School of the Arts (FCSA). This
was a stakeholder-driven research process with an articulated goal: to redesign CSA
into a model and nationally noteworthy school of the arts that embodies the ideals
of The Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools. More specifically, this design
process had the following goals in mind:
1. Providing a pre-professional arts experience for students interested in
arts-related careers, and an educational home for students who are
artistically-minded and who might engage in the arts as a lifetime interest;
2. Raising student academic and artistic performance measures to that of
superior arts schools around the country and to college ready standards; and
3. Taking full advantage of the school’s prime real estate in the rich and
vibrant cultural center of University Circle in both the design process and the
ongoing pedagogy and operations of the school.
“Creating The Model Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA): A Systemic Redesign
Plan to Create an Arts School of Academic and Artistic Excellence” is a result of
a yearlong stakeholder research process (April 2013 to April 2014). The
methodology included school visits; design team meetings; a review of best
practices focused on model schools of the arts, particularly those implementing artsintegrated education; an examination of district documents, including both forwardlooking strategic plans and others detailing arts education facilities and budgets
over the past five years; interviews and focus groups with CSA and Cleveland
Metropolitan School District (CMSD) administrators, arts and cultural organizations,
parents, students and CSA teachers (see Appendix V for details); and surveys with
CSA teachers (19), CSA students (11), CSA parents (22) and staff members of arts
and cultural organizations that have partnerships with CSA (19).
This was a process of listening, observing, creating primary data, studying recent
and relevant secondary research, sharing ideas and soliciting feedback from
numerous community members. A special group — entitled the Design Team and
consisting of CSA faculty, arts organization leaders, educators, philanthropy and
other CSA stakeholders — convened numerous times to provide our process with a
wealth of guidance and ideas. For the time and valued experience of the
Design Team, we are especially grateful.
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This process was one of abundant research that has undeniable findings,
common sense recommendations to redesign the current CSA, and capacitybuilding and accountabilities to sustain the recommendations:
• CSA has numerous students whose dedication, talent, and love of the arts is
awesome and breathtaking to behold. But most of them come to CSA
unprepared in the basic fundamentals of their arts discipline to truly benefit
from a superior arts education.
• The audition process and pathways to CSA are skewed and lacking in
transparency and fairness. Sometimes, highly motivated arts students are
denied entry because of lower test scores and others are admitted who have
no interest in the arts. Furthermore, 93 percent of all CSA students come
from one school, “The Lower Campus,” proving CSA fails to function as a
genuine school of choice for all CMSD students.
• The faculty has a good number of teachers and counselors of excellence
who are provided with little to no support from CSA and CMSD leadership.
There are no “differentiation of skills” classes (except in Dance), and
beginners and more advanced students sit side-by-side, slowing each other’s
growth and progress. The faculty, likewise, feels abandoned and largely
denied support and resources from CMSD, challenging their everyday efforts
to provide their students with the superior arts and academic education they
so fully deserve.
• CSA students, faculty and parents complain about a lack of policy
consistency and an absence of understanding of what an arts education
requires.
• Arts and higher education organizations have repeatedly attempted to
work with CSA on comprehensive and sustainable programming, but are
often denied the appropriate support and access.
• CSA, except this past year, has shown little interest in how it compares to
other national schools of the arts, and it remains one of the only arts schools
in America that does not belong to the Arts Schools Network, a national
organization of schools of the arts. This is demonstrative of the isolation of
the school culture.
• Despite the challenges of system support and leadership, CSA faculty,
artistic leadership and students create and perform with commitment and
motivation. The faculty works largely without the abundant resources that
surround it within the arts and higher-education communities. Teachers,
often through their own sheer will, create ad hoc opportunities with arts
providers that are meaningful to their students.
As CSA moves into a new building, this redesign plan recommends the following:
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• CSA becomes a grades 9-12 high school consistent with The Cleveland Plan
for Transforming Schools, furthering a choice system and array of high
schools of excellence.
• The new CSA will have an independent governing body, based on the High
School of Medicine and Science, that incorporates FCSA board members into
the governance structure. This will bring the historic commitment of the
Cleveland community to the new CSA board, further the FCSA’s fundraising
mission, and add expert knowledge from the arts, higher-education and
business communities.
• The leadership structure will change to reflect model school of the arts
practices that support both academic and arts excellence. A head of school
(with arts and school management experience), supported by both an
academic and art dean, will create a superior leadership design.
• A transparent, authentic and expert-driven audition and admissions
process will replace the current approach and reach into every school and
campus in CMSD.
• Faculty will be selected from current faculty as well as from a pool of the
best instructors, i.e., those with a deep knowledge of current arts practices
and instruction and a commitment to team-building and the creation of a
superior curriculum in partnership with the rich cultural and arts education
resources and institutions that make Cleveland one of the great arts centers
of the world.
• Professional development (PD) will become a mainstay for faculty and
partners. PD will maintain and grow professional standards, learning and
instructional approaches, and technologies consistent with arts trends,
careers and outcomes.
• Curriculum outcomes will be consistent with and exceed Ohio and Common
Core standards and be developed collaboratively with arts faculty and arts
partners. The learning outcomes will stress experiential, pre-professional,
higher education and/or career competencies. They will maintain the rigor
and excellence that CSA students, parents, faculty, and the arts and highereducation communities expect and will support. Curriculum also will include
integrated and project-based models that help the arts and academics
support each other’s disciplines and concepts.
• A Partnership System, created for both CMSD-wide efforts and CSA, will
bring standards, accountabilities, organization and structure to the
abundance of Cleveland art resources.
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• University Circle will become part of the CSA campus, where students can
explore, experience and build skill sets that build genuine pathways to
careers and higher education. This plan also supports the FCSA efforts to
build the Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC) as a valid and needed
extension of its curriculum. A flexibly constructed VPAC will add
immeasurably to the students’ authentic experiences. This will be strongly
complemented by student and faculty work with arts and higher education
organization venues, facilities, staff, experts, performances and exhibitions.
The move into CSA’s new building in the fall of 2015 offers the opportunity to move
forward with the systemic and systematic recommendations in this report. Support
from CMSD leadership and high expectations for CSA faculty and leaders are critical.
The following “Creating The Model Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA): A Systemic
Redesign Plan to Create an Arts School of Academic and Artistic Excellence” includes
research findings concerning the current CSA, recommendations, an
implementation plan, timelines, budget estimates, and an appendix of numerous
pieces of background reporting. Here, this reporting includes important
recommendations about technologies, best practices in integrated and projectbased curriculum, comparative studies of schools of the arts, and more. There is
some redundancy between this plan and our simultaneous “The Right of Every
Cleveland Student to a Comprehensive and Authentic Arts Education: A Systemic
Plan of Equitable Arts Education for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.”
This is necessary and also a reminder that this is one ecosystem of arts education.
Both plans need each other in order for CMSD to have a complete system of arts
education equity for all, with a model school of the arts for those with particular
interest, motivation and talents.
Acknowledgments: The contributors to this report want to thank the numerous
respondents and interviewees during the yearlong process for their exceptional
thinking, commitment, expressions and ideas. We appreciate the intelligent and
passionate guidance of numerous stakeholders, particularly philanthropic, school, arts
organization and arts education leaders. We also would like to express our gratitude
to Katia Schwarz and Lori Joffe for successfully implementing the herculean task of
creating meeting schedules and for bringing order to this complex process. We
especially express our gratitude to members of FCSA, including Christine Bluso Kane
and the FCSA board. And particular thanks goes to CSA students and teachers who so
strongly expressed their needs and commitment. We also are grateful to The Gund
Foundation’s Deena Epstein and Ann Mullin; The Cleveland Foundation’s Paul Putman
and Helen Williams; CMSD CEO Eric Gordon and the district’s senior staff; and the
resilient and faithful arts and arts education community of Cleveland.
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Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA), Summary of Findings
April 10, 2014
My only advice is to just remember to keep the students first in your planning, and design CSA to
be a place where the students have the opportunity to learn the most they possibly can. I would
imagine in large redesigns like this that there are competing interests that spring up from time to
time. Just consciously keep the students’ needs in the front of your minds and you can't go
wrong.
— CSA parent
I’m learning about myself, and not being judged, because everyone here is passionate about
their art.
— CSA student
This summary of findings was obtained from surveys of 19 CSA teachers, 11 CSA students, 22 CSA
parents and 19 staff members of arts and cultural organization staff that have partnerships with CSA;
interviews and focus groups with CSA and Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD)
administrators, arts and cultural organizations, parents, students and CSA teachers; and observations of
CSA classrooms.
Leadership
CSA needs stronger and more consistent internal leadership and more evident district leadership and
support in order to become an exemplary school of the arts. There is a perception among CSA teachers
that the district does not adequately support the school:
There is no positive support. The “support” that exists is in the form of directives that do not take
into account the character of the school and its particular needs. They are burdensome,
inappropriate, and do more harm than good.
— CSA teacher
CMSD appears to be unaware of the potential of CSA if enough resources and staffing were
provided. We are not a traditional school and cannot be staffed as if we are. We are not given
the resources to be in a position to attract students and families with our academic programs, as
we do with our arts opportunities. Families are drawn to us for the arts training, but leave our
school because of the lack of academic resources, opportunities and course offerings.
— CSA teacher
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What support? The district keeps taking away teachers so that our jobs are increasingly more
difficult, especially with class sizes.
— CSA teacher
Governance
There is a clear need for better coordination among arts organizations, CSA and CMSD in order to
provide more effective partnerships:
We need a better connection between the district and CSA. Sometimes it seems as though they
are operating independent of one another or not communicating with each other.
— Arts organization staff
[There should be a] centralized office that works with outside parties to help coordinate and
communicate with the schools, teachers and classrooms.
Faculty*
There are many excellent and committed teachers at CSA who care deeply about the school and its
students. However, there are some significant gaps in the availability and quality of arts and academic
offerings:
The greatest strength in the curriculum is the staff. Teachers bring knowledge of their subjects
and from that they craft learning experiences for students. This is true in all subject areas but
especially true in the arts.
— CSA teacher
There are not an adequate number of arts teachers at CSA to provide the kind of instruction expected by
an effective high school of the arts. There also are gaps in some key academic areas.
* For a deeper look, please see the appendices, which include classroom observations, a historic overview
of the school, summaries of interviews with past and present CSA officials, and more.
Admissions and Auditions
A disproportionate share of CSA students come from CSA Lower School. There is a need to broaden the
application process while also making CSA more enticing to Cleveland families by building stronger
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relationships with CMSD K-8 schools, strengthening CSA academic offerings, improving the college
preparation and application process, and ensuring a transparent and consistent audition and admissions
process. There is a lack of transparency and consistent standards in the audition and admissions process:
A healthy, scrutinized audition process with representation from all of our Cleveland
neighborhoods will provide the great example of the diversity that exists in our city.
CMSD K-8 schools are not developing sufficient skills in the arts to position themselves for admission to
an exemplary high school of the arts:
[We need to] get students at the elementary and middle school levels in a better position to
prepare and be ready for a school of the arts.
CMSD students are not developing the necessary skills in the arts in K-8 schools. Resources and
programs are unevenly implemented, underfinanced in the arts and disconnected from the CSA
admission process:
If the district would like the schools to ready young people for a performing arts school, then we
need to put some resources in the schools, K-8 or K-5, to get those students ready, to prepare
them, to feed their love [for the arts], instead of not feeding them at all.
— CMSD principal
Overall, schools do not have adequate arts staffing, funding and systemic support. With some
exceptions, students are not developing the foundational skills needed to succeed at CSA or continue to
study the arts at other schools:
It’s a hard pill to swallow when you’re being considered as a PASS (Premier Arts Specialty
System) school, as an arts program school, and you don’t have the human resources in your
building that are aligned to introduce the students to arts.
— Principal
Students in CMSD K-8 schools need more instruction from arts specialist teachers and arts partners, so
that they have the requisite skills needed to attend a redesigned CSA:
CMSD could connect arts and cultural organizations with elementary schools to have students
exposed to a broad range of arts before they get to high school, so that they would be more
prepared for CSA.
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CSA Lower School does not provide a good foundation in various art forms and can’t maintain a
successful relationship as a CSA feeder school. However, the admission process must be broadened
beyond CSA Lower School to truly represent opportunities for all CMSD students. Some current CSA
students felt well-prepared to attend a school of the arts:
I was brought up on classical music. Trumpet. Piano.
— CSA student
But many other students did not feel adequately prepared:
I had no music in elementary. Learning how to read now.
— CSA Student
I think when I came here I was not prepared at all. ... At my old school there was no art
education.
— CSA student
I didn’t feel prepared, but I was confident.
— CSA student
Curriculum
Keep tying curricula to passion. It leads to the excellent engagement between students, teachers,
administrators, staff and families.
— CSA parent
We observed CSA classes, spoke with students and asked them to respond to surveys. The students are
wonderful. They want to work hard. They appreciate their school and the opportunity they have:
Every CSA student who has come to work with us has been passionate and disciplined. They are
inspired to become artists.
But students need much more time in their art disciplines if CSA is to become a national exemplar of a
high school of the arts. There is also a need and desire for pre-professional and professional training,
private lessons and arts business skills. CSA is resource poor. That is impacting the curriculum, limiting
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students’ opportunities to explore and excel, and limiting teachers’ options for the kinds of learning that
should be available in a leading school of the arts:
CSA should have a rigorous and creative environment where students receive the highest level of
training in the arts and in academic subjects so as to be college-ready … and a curriculum that
takes full advantage of Cleveland's arts organizations in a coordinated, focused way.
Arts classes at CSA are seen as stronger than academic classes:
The arts courses definitely have the greatest strength. There are more resources for the arts
curriculum.
— CSA teacher
In the years I’ve been at CSA, the arts staff has been relatively stable while the academic staff
has changed over. The arts staff functions as a team that works very well together. We have
institutional knowledge of CSA, CMSD, local arts organizational partners and colleges, and have
a deep understanding of our students, their families and community.
— CSA teacher
My vision is to provide our students with an outstanding academic education as well as their arts
education. At this time, our academic program lags far behind the arts curriculum. Our students
must be prepared to enter top undergraduate institutions, whether in the conservatory or an
academic program.
— CSA teacher
CSA teachers, administrators, parents, students and partners would like to strengthen the CSA academic
curriculum and increase high-quality offerings in the arts:
We should offer students an excellent arts and academic experience. We should fully utilize the
facilities and artists of Cleveland’s finest arts institutions. Likewise, we should utilize the
academic community [to create] partnerships with local businesses, hospitals and universities.
Presently we have some partnerships, but not enough. The curriculum should be highly
demanding [and] designed to create a learning community that engenders deep, critical
thinking; creativity; responsibility and accountability; mutual respect and support; a profound
work ethic; and artistic excellence.
— CSA teacher
CSA parents consider the current CSA to be deficient in math, science, and foreign languages. Unless
these subjects and other academic areas are strengthened, CSA students will not be sufficiently
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competitive as college applicants, and CSA will be limited in its ability to attract top Cleveland students
and their families:
There needs to be a strong math and science emphasis and teachers need to be well trained and
consistent. There also needs to be a stronger emphasis on foreign languages. My daughter
should not have to rely on [Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C)] to complete her language
requirements for colleges.
— CSA parent
I would recommend a complete overhaul in the areas of math, science and foreign language.
— CSA parent
CSA students also viewed the academic offerings as weaker than the arts instruction:
Thought it would be different. Thought if I slipped academically I would be kicked out. I don't
think there are any academic standards.
— CSA student
There are a lot of students on academic probation but nothing happens to them.
— CSA student
We raise our standards and we get better students. The extra load won’t hold us down. It will
raise us up.
— CSA student
There should be more foreign languages. Like Spanish, Latin, French. And different levels of a
language.
— CSA student
Parents told us that they want more instructional coordination, higher quality teaching and better
supervision in academic areas:
[There should be] more individualized instruction focused on addressing each student’s
educational strengths, weaknesses and needs; peer-to-peer mentoring that pairs outstanding
teachers with less capable ones; [and] frequent opportunities for peer-to-peer mentoring and
group collaboration among students. Allow teachers to only teach subjects [in] which they
themselves have attained a high level of mastery. Immediately address poor teaching in
whatever ways are necessary and effective to ensure that every student receives an outstanding
education.
— CSA parent
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CSA needs to increase the number of Advance Placement courses and other rigorous academic
offerings:
I feel confident that the academic teachers recognize that there are lacking areas, and the one
that comes up repeatedly from the arts faculty as well as the academic faculty is the lack of
Advanced Placement courses.
— CSA staff
I would really like to see our students have access to AP English classes, have access to some
more advanced math courses. I would like to see our students have integrated lessons where
everybody is teaching something around the same topics at the same time.
— CSA staff
There is little integration between academic subjects and artistic disciplines. CSA has a unique
opportunity to develop true interdisciplinary and integrated instruction with the help of partnerships
with arts and cultural organizations:
Maybe not everybody, but there’s talk of project-based learning that happens school-wide,
where everyone in the school building is working towards the same goal, regardless of what the
academic subject is, and regardless of what their arts discipline is.
— CSA staff
The length of the school day and scheduling restrictions present obstacles to providing sufficient arts
and academic offerings:
Scheduling is not conducive to sequential instruction in the arts. There are not enough hours in
the current school day to give the students everything that they need in order to be successful in
the arts.
— CSA staff
CSA students are ready for the challenges of a world-class art school. That’s not to say they have
developed all of the requisite skills they need to succeed, but that they demonstrate a willingness to
work hard, to ask questions, and to genuinely care about their education. However, the uneven quality
of pedagogy at CSA restricts — even negates — the positive energy and urgent sense of purpose
displayed by the students.
CSA students need more time working within their art from, more arts course offerings, and more
substantial connections to the exceptional arts and cultural resources that are in such close physical
proximity, but so far away in influence. Students need to learn skills in a variety of media with relevant
subject matter that challenges them to contextualize their work within the past and present. They need
to see artists at work. They also need to be exposed to a wide variety of works — in-person whenever
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possible — and to engage in critical discussions about the works. They need to listen to professionals
discuss works, and they need to read criticism.
Students need to feel they are part-owners of the cultural institutions and agents in making culture in
Cleveland. Being a part-owner carries responsibilities, as well, and from what we have observed, the
students are quite ready and willing for this level of participation. When asked, students could be quite
critical about the need for more arts opportunities:
Music theory should be a necessary class for both instrumental and vocal. ... And music history.
— CSA student
We need full-time private teachers for private lessons.
— CSA student
This is not an arts school. Does it feel like it?
— CSA student
According to survey data, parents have more confidence in the arts programming than in the academic
programming at CSA. It is striking that less than 5 percent of parents “strongly agree” that their children
are getting a strong and effective academic education:
ARTS AND ACADEMIC SKILLS
SA
A
N
D
SD
63.6%
22.7%
4.5%
4.5%
4.5%
Arts education at CSA is strong and effective.
50%
36.4%
4.5%
4.5%
4.5%
My child developed strong academic skills at CSA.
4.8%
57.1%
9.5%
19%
9.5%
50%
13.6%
18.2%
13.6%
My child developed strong skills in his/her art form at CSA.
Academic education is strong and effective at CSA.
SA = strongly agree
A = agree
N = not sure
4.5%
D = disagree
SD = strongly disagree
Career and Higher Education Preparedness
College, university, conservatory and career preparation is seen as weak and ineffective. Parents and
students want more course offerings, a stronger curriculum and more support for college applications:
I am of the opinion that both the arts and the academic offerings are very weak, and that many
of our students have no idea how much they're missing until they graduate and attempt to be
successful at university, whether it’s an attempt to get in, or get scholarships, or any of the
remedial work that needs to be done to get them up to speed academically or artistically. I just
don’t think that the students even know.
— CSA staff
One of the things we are missing academically is a lack of electives and honors classes. My
daughter is going to Tri-C to help make her a stronger candidate.
— CSA parent
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Parents and students also want more opportunities for partnerships, internships, mentorships or other
authentic work experiences to prepare for careers in the arts, arts-related industries, or other fields
where they could draw upon the personal skills developed through intensive arts study:
We want to make sure students have options and entrepreneurship and we don't have them
here. Other schools have career components but we don't have them here. How do you get a
job? How do you find your way?
— CSA parent
Survey results clearly indicate that few parents “strongly agree” that their children are receiving
adequate preparation for college application and study:
COLLEGE PREPARATION
CSA has helped my child effectively prepare for college
applications.
CSA has helped my child develop skills necessary for success
in college.
SA = strongly agree
A = agree
N = not sure
SA
A
N
D
SD
9.5%
23.8%
38.1%
14.3%
14.3%
5%
30%
30%
15%
20%
D = disagree
Resources and Facilities
The resources and facilities are inadequate for a successful and exemplary high school of the arts. Very
few parents “strongly agree” that resources, materials and facilities were adequate for their children’s
education:
SA
A
N
D
SD
CSA resources and materials were adequate for my child’s
education.
RESOURCES AND FACILITIES
9.5%
47.6%
4.8%
23.8%
14.3%
CSA facilities were adequate for my child’s education.
4.5%
36.4%
13.6%
31.8%
13.6%
SA = strongly agree
A = agree
N = not sure
D = disagree
Partnerships
There is a need and opportunity for much stronger partnerships with Cleveland’s arts and cultural
organizations. There is also a strong desire by arts organizations to initiate partnerships or strengthen
their current collaborations with CSA:
The one program we did was extremely well supported and received by students and faculty.
They want more — give us the opportunity!
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Arts organizations want to learn how to best serve a redesigned CSA:
Frankly, our greatest challenge is of our own making: inertia. We are looking to re-evaluate all
aspects of our support so that we really are aligned with the arts and education mission of the
school and the needs of the students.
Currently, there are no clear guidelines for creating and sustaining collaborations and partnerships with
CSA:
We have not found the right path to communicate the potential relevance of our programs to
CSA.
Cleveland’s arts and cultural community believes that they have the ability, and the responsibility, to be
partners in the development of a national model for a highly successful high school of the arts:
We must focus the arts and academically related institutions in the community to using CSA as
an example of what can be done when the community gets behind a single school and
transforms it into the fully dynamic educational instruction that it has the potential to be.
[We can have] a nationally-recognized school that matches the level and quality of the arts
organizations in Cleveland. We have some of the world's best orchestras, museums and artsrelated universities. Why shouldn't our arts school match that?
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OVERVIEW
The development of the new Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA) follows recommendations
from Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools (Cleveland Plan) and the Cleveland
Metropolitan School District’s (CMSD) “portfolio school” strategy. The Cleveland Plan seeks
“to ensure every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has
a multitude of schools from which families can choose.” The new CSA responds to the Plan’s
call to grow the number of high-performing district and charter schools and seeks to take
advantage of the transfer of more authority and resources to schools. Within the portfolio
system and in concert with Cleveland’s Plan, an arts high school will be attractive to parents
and students because it’s a proven means of preparing students for higher education and
careers inside and outside the arts.
Furthermore, at the core of Cleveland’s Plan is a “fierce sense of urgency” as “global
competition demands that students in Cleveland build the knowledge, skills and attributes
that position them to be successful and competitive in the 21st century global economy.” Arts
education’s proven benefits of critical thinking and problem solving; oral communication and
teamwork; literacy and language development; creating comfort and familiarity with global
diversity; and leadership and entrepreneurial development are the very skills sought in the
global marketplace.
This plan for the new CSA and the CMSD Arts Education Blueprint are in synergy. In order to
have a great arts high school, Cleveland has to have arts for all across the district. The
blueprint gives every child the opportunity and ability to apply to CSA and all the benefits
that a top-notch school of the arts will provide. As such — while we are calling for the
redesigned CSA to be a high school versus the current 6-12 configuration — that can only
happen when CMSD becomes a committed arts education district as outlined in our companion
report for the district as a whole, to ensure that more students obtain the skill set needed to
be admitted.
Note: Please see Appendix A for a brief historical overview of CSA.
1. MISSION AND OBJECTIVES
CSA’s mission and objectives should reflect a desire for unparalleled excellence in both arts
and academics. A primary objective should be to create authentic pathways to careers and/or
higher education. The school must ensure equitable access opportunities for all Cleveland
students by using a transparent, rubric-based admission and audition process. The school’s
culture should be one of compassion, support, high expectations, remediation and
acceleration.
2. LEADERSHIP
A pyramid-like structure, featuring a head of school, executive director or president with an
academic dean and an arts dean, is recommended. The head of school, executive director or
president should have a strong artistic background, ideally both professional experience and a
post-graduate degree; should have school leadership experience; should be charismatic and
comfortable in a “face of the school” role; and be a successful fundraiser and public speaker.
The head of school position needs to be filled first and foremost. Only then should the arts
and academic deans be phased in.
CSA Redesign Executive Summary
May 2014 ◆ Page 16
The quality of a school of the arts is inexorably linked to the quality of its faculty. The arts
faculty should be selected by the head of school and consist of licensed teachers supervising a
staff of professional artists and arts partners. The academic faculty also should be selected by
the head of school, and most often are certified teachers.
Nearly all schools of the arts report that the pyramid-like organizational and leadership
structure creates balance between the arts and academics, and high levels of accountability.
The resulting organizational structure appears as follows:
Note: An effective dean of the arts cannot also be responsible for other district initiatives,
such as the All-City Arts program. For an extensive overview and analysis of All-City Arts,
please see our companion report on CMSD arts education as a whole.
3. GOVERNANCE
The new CSA should be guided by an independent governing authority — replicating the John
Hay School of Science and Medicine model — with representation from stakeholders drawn
from business, arts-related businesses, arts organizations, higher education, government,
philanthropy, students, parents and faculty. The notable history, determination and ongoing
support of Friends of the Cleveland School of the Arts (FCSA) are keys to the CSA’s
May 2014 ◆ Page 17
sustainability. This new governance model calls for an integrated “friends” committee within
the new governing authority, with FCSA representation transferring to the new board of
directors. The FCSA board should be the backbone of the new CSA board. The committee
should continue and expand FCSA’s investment, fundraising and focus on students’ needs for
technology, private lessons, pre-professional experiences, summer arts camps scholarships,
mentorships, scholarships for higher education and more.
4. FACULTY
CSA should identify specific faculty who have ensured a mutual respect and acceptance of all
students for a continued role in the new CSA to ease the plan’s transition while being mindful
of the importance of change, the plan’s desired outcomes, and their ability to adapt and
grow. Fully staffed faculties of academic teachers who exhibit interest and have experience
with the arts, and licensed arts educators with strong professional credentials, should be at
the core of the new CSA. Faculty qualifications should also include knowledge and passion for
student engagement and up-to-date experience in professional standards and trends. CSA
licensed staff members are augmented with a substantial number of teaching-artist faculty
members with up-to-date professional and production knowledge with demonstrated
pedagogic/teaching/learning skills.
5. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD)
Effective and ongoing PD is a critical success factor for arts-integrated education initiatives,
and should be implemented at the CSA. Successful PD is marked by enjoyable, hands-on
experiential training during which teachers become students and see for themselves how
what they’re learning works, and how they can implement it with their students the very next
day. PD should focus on creating familiarity and comfort with the arts; direct participation
with art forms and their materials; and artistic expression where participants actively create
art in various forms, styles and periods. Ongoing PD strategies engage teachers in aesthetic
studies; and, most importantly, reveal the relationship between arts processes, content and
materials and classroom instructional priorities.
Artist training provides PD for artists working in schools and communities. Artists learn how to
present their art forms within the context of childhood developmental needs and multiple
learning styles. Artists learn skills in repertoire selection, classroom management and
participatory and presentational approaches. Artists also learn about the relationship
between their art form and its elements and the most important instructional needs of
students and teachers.
6. ADMISSIONS AND AUDITIONS
CSA’s student body should reflect the rich diversity of Cleveland students in terms of
geography, race, ethnicity, sex, income, special education and English Language Learners.
Admissions to CSA must be based on a transparent admissions process that largely aligns with
CMSD’s high school enrollment processes and timing, including seventh and eighth grade
shadowing opportunities, parent/student open houses, participation in the high school fair, an
initial interest form, a pre-screening online application, and a rubric-based, arts-specific
May 2014 ◆ Page 18
audition process. Designated CSA teachers and teaching artists should provide preparation for
auditions and admittance procedures in advance of yearly auditions through extended-day
arts academies. CSA should hold at least two audition sets, per arts major, per year. This
permits students to re-audition and reapply. Students’ demonstrated motivation, dedication
and potential should be strong considerations in admissions. There should be a dedication in
the admissions process to find “diamonds in the rough” and a risk-management consensus to
give motivated students with dedication an authentic chance to find themselves at the new
CSA.
7. CURRICULUM AND STUDIES
CSA curriculum and course of study should be balanced across arts and academics, and all
coursework (arts and academic) should be based in pre-professional and professional
standards and meet college and career readiness goals. Academics should stress engagement,
interpretative and comparative studies, project-based learning and arts concepts integration
as a bridge to excelling in sciences, math, history and all other academic areas. Integrated
curriculum, formalized as part of seminars and academic and arts subjects, should be built
upon repertoire/art works and their authentic interpretative, historical, social, economic,
literary and technological intersections.
8. ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY/ENCOURAGING, SUPPORTING AND SUSTAINING
CHANGE
Accountabilities and assessment must be structured for every component and reviewed at
regular intervals, with yearly reporting and adaptions. CSA should be a transparent lab
where parents and stakeholders can see the effectiveness of arts education. CSA will lead
by example for the inclusion of arts education throughout the school system. The goal is to
have parents pressing principals and other district officials for the inclusion of arts education
for their children. An advocacy campaign linked to the CSA redesign and CMSD Arts
Education Plan that uses student works and accomplishments; independent assessment
results; multimedia; web; and corporate partners will all help maintain momentum and
interest. The new CSA governing board should consider the creation of additional endowment
funds for growth and operating costs in the case of economic hard times. Effective
communication between partners and CSA governance will create a school of excellence.
Leadership, compassion, stakeholder transparency and the willingness to continue to adapt
and change will make for a new CSA that Cleveland and its youth so justly deserve.
9. SCHOOL DAY/SCHEDULING/SUMMER
School day schedule recommendations are: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or, preferably, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This schedule should be accomplished to the extent possible using the new flexibility in
staffing schedules as well as creative partnerships with arts organizations. CSA should use a
“bell schedule” that starts and ends each day with arts majors. Academics should encompass
the later morning to middle afternoon hours. Bell schedules provide dedicated and deep
learning time for students’ study of an art form, and encourage full-day attendance. This
schedule affords AP courses, electives, study halls, college-credited courses off-site and a
standard of four hours of study per day with students’ individual art forms.
May 2014 ◆ Page 19
Summer should be viewed as part of the school year. Otherwise, economic challenges
preclude numerous students from continuing their study, which is a critical part of career and
higher-education readiness. Paid apprenticeships and internships with arts and business
organizations connected to their arts discipline and scheduled with project-based work and
private/group lessons can comprise summer curricula. Internships/apprenticeships may also
be effective on weekends. Summer camps that send scholarship students to other locales
maintain and improve student skill sets, interpersonal abilities, repertoires and technological
skills, and expand the students’ interest in higher education and/or careers. These are
important to raise CSA’s and its students’ profile.
10. SCHOOL CULTURE
Compassion, empathy and cultural diversity must be central to CSA’s school culture. The
welcoming and loving student-centered CSA culture is something to preserve and protect
during the transition from the old to new CSA. Watchful care will be required to ensure active
discussion among governance, stakeholders and partners to support changes to personnel,
systems, faculty, leadership and students. Communications by administration with parents,
students, partners and stakeholders is an essential feature of school culture and should be
strongly supported and instituted using technologies, productions, community meetings and
media. CSA’s school community should be one in which no student can fail, where everyone
shares a deep commitment to one another’s success, where faculty motivates and inspires
students, and where student voice is embraced in shaping the design and direction of the
school.
11. THE FACILITY AND UNIVERSITY CIRCLE AS THE CAMPUS
The new School of the Arts facility and surrounding property should be an extension of its
curriculum, with the building used in the evenings, on weekends and over the summer for
and by CSA students and the surrounding community for community service and
performances. Students should perform/show original works and important repertoire on
the stages and galleries of University Circle (UC) and the greater community. The design
for the new CSA shared in December 2013 (because of state funding requirements) lacks
appropriate pre-professional/professional resources for authentic arts training. As such, the
school should work with neighborhood partners. The proximity of UC institutions and facilities
will become essential to the new CSA’s success.
The proposed Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC), a project of the Friends of Cleveland
School of the Arts (FCSA), is an important response to lack of authentic performing and visual
arts facilities in the CSA architectural design. Because of the limitations of state funding, the
new CSA will lack important facilities for rigorous student training in the pre-professional
arts. The facility of a school of the arts is an important extension of its curriculum. While
students will benefit from working in the professional facilities of partner UC and city-wide
institutions, it also is important to seriously look at travel times, weather factors, liabilities
and student productivity as part of the facility question. The new CSA will require, during the
capitalization and building of the VPAC, the generosity and cooperation of nearby institutions
where students can mount, rehearse, produce and learn. And these same facilities can remain
as sustainable opportunities for students to develop pre-professional skills once the VPAC is
constructed.
May 2014 ◆ Page 20
The design and involvement of the new Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC),
currently in planning by FCSA, will benefit greatly by the close consultation and
involvement of arts facility expertise at UC. The current design requires significant initial
capital expenses. The sustainability of the building, its purpose and its mission is at the
center of CSA’s future success and we without hesitation support its construction and
ongoing lasting support. We believe the concept and practicality of the building are fully
sustainable.
Technologies and Resources: There are inadequate plans to provide students with individual
as well as classroom resources (instruments, art supplies) and technologies consistent with
pre-professional and professional standards. Tablets for students and classroom hardware and
software (desktop computers, soundboards, video and image editing software, light boards,
video cameras, audio recording equipment/software, and more) should be a part of the
everyday practice of a student of the arts. The CMSD will need to allocate appropriate startup expenses to ensure the successful launch and continuation of the new school.
Please see Appendix B for more detailed technological recommendations.
12. PARTNERSHIPS
The purpose of varying partnerships is to help CSA build arts education capacity and
infrastructure; and enhance arts and academic opportunities and experiences for students.
Partnerships for CSA will closely reflect the much larger CMSD Arts Education Blueprint
partner strategies. The partnerships will be small and discrete reflecting a school population
of approximately 775. CSA partnerships will need significant and compensated planning,
mutually articulated services and responsibilities, facilitation in their formulation and design,
and careful evaluation for alteration and adaptability. We recommend a number of different
kinds of partnerships:
1. Separate and coordinated arts-specific partnerships for vocal music,
instrumental music, visual arts, dance, theatre, literary arts, multi-arts production
and technology, media arts, world music and jazz, and business and
entrepreneurship of arts to create “pipelines” to skill sets, artistic development
and higher education/career opportunities.
2. Multidisciplinary partnerships that comparatively use their
repertoire/collections/artistic practices as a means of study. Ethnographic
approaches, interpretation, history, criticism, thinking and creating are all possible
components.
3. Career academy partnerships where institutions with high-level artistic practice,
curatorial expertise and established pathways to higher education and careers
establish after-school services of skill-level differentiated lessons, projects,
performances/shows and mentorships.
4. Professional development partnerships built around higher education institutions
and arts partners’ education expertise provide professional development to CSA
teachers, teaching artists, school leadership and arts partners.
5. CSA project-based arts partnerships built upon neighborhood/community needs,
creation of productions, serving community constituents, and other worthy servicelearning goals.
6. Special needs partnerships bring together arts, social, medical and community
resources to assist special needs learners in and through the arts.
May 2014 ◆ Page 21
7. Medical community partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic and University
Hospitals, which have significant arts resource programs and devotion to the
community. The hospitals are very unique in that they have art collections, shows,
performances and even arts staff. There are no other school arts programs that
have such partnerships with the medical community, so this presents a unique
opportunity to learn from their expertise in the arts, commitment to arts in
healing and to involve their resources in an effort to turn STEM (science,
technology, engineering and mathematics) into STEAM (adding arts).
CSA partnerships require a transitional training/development facilitation to develop current
resources from largely transactional programs to ongoing, engagement-based and
transformational relationships. All partnerships should be dedicated to providing authentic
“pipelines” to arts industry pre-professional and professional experiences and opportunities.
Arts providers will participate in PD concerning arts pedagogy; varying learning styles and the
developmental needs of CSA students; best practices in inquiry; and interpretation-based
interaction of CSA students with arts and arts processes.
May 2014 ◆ Page 22
23
OVERVIEW
The development of the new Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA) follows recommendations
from Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools (Cleveland Plan) and the Cleveland
Metropolitan School District’s (CMSD) “portfolio school” strategy. The Cleveland Plan seeks
“to ensure every child in Cleveland attends a high-quality school and every neighborhood has
a multitude of schools from which families can choose.” The new CSA responds to the Plan’s
call to grow the number of high-performing district and charter schools and seeks to take
advantage of the transfer of more authority and resources to schools. Within the portfolio
system and in concert with Cleveland’s Plan, an arts high school will be attractive to parents
and students because it’s a proven means of preparing students for higher education and
careers inside and outside the arts.
Furthermore, at the core of Cleveland’s Plan is a “fierce sense of urgency” as “global
competition demands that students in Cleveland build the knowledge, skills and attributes
that position them to be successful and competitive in the 21st century global economy.” Arts
education’s proven benefits of critical thinking and problem solving; oral communication and
teamwork; literacy and language development; creating comfort and familiarity with global
diversity; and leadership and entrepreneurial development are the very skills sought in the
global marketplace.
This plan for the new CSA and the CMSD Arts Education Blueprint are in synergy. In order to
have a great arts high school, Cleveland has to have arts for all across the district. The
blueprint gives every child the opportunity and ability to apply to CSA and all the benefits
that a top-notch school of the arts will provide. As such — while we are calling for the
redesigned CSA to be a high school versus the current 6-12 configuration — that can only
happen when CMSD becomes a committed arts education district as outlined in our companion
report for the district as a whole, to ensure that more students obtain the skill set needed to
be admitted.
Note: Please see Appendix A for a brief historical overview of CSA.
1. MISSION AND OBJECTIVES
•
Unparalleled excellence in both arts and academics:
- Arts education is primarily applied learning that is sequential, comprehensive
and taught by trained and pedagogically-prepared and experienced teachers. It
significantly furthers the development of cognitive, sensory, literacy and thinking
skills. Pre-professional and professional standards serve as a baseline for applied
arts studies.
- Arts education is secondarily based in aesthetics, motivation-centered project
experiences and Ohio and Common Core standards. It integrates arts content and
processes with reading, math, science, social studies, computer science, etc.
with the goal of significantly furthering cognitive, sensory, literacy and thinking
skills development.
- Combination of classical, contemporary, and global repertoire/styles/collections
with a strong emphasis on fundamentals, history, interpretation, criticism and
production.
CSA Redesign Implementation Plan
May 2014 ◆ Page 24
-
•
•
•
Academics are based on a rigorous, standards-based curriculum that holds all
students to high expectations. All graduates are ready to be successful in college
and career.
Authentic pathways to career and/or higher education through “real world”
curriculum; opportunities and partnerships with Cleveland’s arts institutions and
leaders; skill development; and production in pre-professional and professional
methods, trends, practices and facilities.
Assurances of equity through transparent and rubric-based admission and audition
processes as well as preparation of students in applied arts through CMSD’s
commitment to baseline arts and music instruction in all K-8 schools; access to
enhanced arts experiences at K-8 schools that meet certain criteria in excellence in
arts; and extended-day arts academies (all formative elements of the CMSD Arts
Education Plan).
Culture of compassion, support, high expectations, remediation and acceleration.
2. LEADERSHIP
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Head of school with proven arts, administrative and fundraising experience and vision.
Builder of relationships, “face of the school” and authoritative voice and advocate for
arts and excellence.
Dean of arts and dean of academics with passion for content and dedication to
mission and students. Abilities to lead content-specific faculty.
Dean of students who enforces arts and academic performance and personal conduct
standards transparently and consistently.
Arts department and academic subject leaders who report to respective deans.
These arts and academic leaders supervise teaching artists, partnership interaction
with classrooms and curriculum and support subject area instructors.
College and career counselors are essential to creating pathways to career and/or
higher education, in curriculum planning, and in the implementation of this plan.
Adequate administrative and office assistants.
Facilitator of CSA redesign (Years One and Two), an effective change agent trusted
by stakeholders and highly experienced in partnership and plan implementation. This
individual works for all parties and is a builder of best practices, accountabilities and
relationships that can stand the test of change in leadership, partners and personnel.
Options not recommended: A traditional principal and assistant principal structure. This
model fails to provide appropriate visibility of school and balance between arts and
academics and their requisite and respective high standards.
3. GOVERNANCE
•
Independent governing authority, replicating the John Hay School of Science and
Medicine model, with representation from stakeholders drawn from business, artsrelated businesses, arts organizations, higher education, government, philanthropy,
students, parents and faculty.
- CMSD CEO representation will ensure leadership awareness and support of the
CSA transition and implementation.
- The board holds all parties accountable to the implementation of the CSA
redesign plan, builds financial and government relationships, and helps guide and
May 2014 ◆ Page 25
•
•
maintain standards of arts education and professional/pre-professional
excellence.
- Governance representatives should consider that the more influential the
individuals, the more authoritative the board will become.
- The actual appointment of specific individuals can come through a nomination
process among each stakeholder sector.
The notable history, determination and ongoing support of Friends of the Cleveland
School of the Arts (FCSA) are keys to the CSA’s sustainability. This new governance
model calls for an integrated “friends” committee within the new governing authority,
with some FCSA representation transferring to the new board of directors. The
committee should continue and expand FCSA’s investment, fundraising and focus on
students’ needs for technology, private lessons, pre-professional experiences, summer
arts camps scholarships, mentorships, scholarships for higher education and more.
Active student and parent councils have representation on governing board and
provide important advice on program, school and school culture issues.
Options not recommended: Traditional district oversight is inconsistent with the Cleveland
Plan and portfolio strategy. Multiple, redundant governing/friends roles also are
discouraged.
4. HIGH SCHOOL DESIGN
•
•
•
•
A prominent expected outcome of this CSA redesign process is the creation of a
high-performing school of the arts employing best practices. CSA should ultimately
become the Cleveland High School for the Arts, consistent with the Cleveland Plan
and the present and future array of high-performing, portfolio high schools. While this
change should be made as soon as possible, it must be preceded by a broader CMSD
initiative to become a committed arts education district (as outlined in our companion
report for the district) so that more students will have the skill set needed to win
admittance.
- More than 90 percent of the high-performing urban schools of the arts are high
schools, grades nine to 12, and provide numerous means of preparation and
access to all its community’s students and families. Currently, there are only
three grades six to 12 arts schools: Denver, Oakland (a charter), and CSA.
- The Cleveland Plan inherently eliminates K-8 “feeder” schools, and instead
creates city-wide choices for parent and students.
The refocusing of CSA as a grades nine to 12 high school will allow for higher
standards, more concentrated and differentiated instruction, and a more
appropriate and effective faculty and administration.
The CMSD Arts Education Plan will provide city-wide equity for K-8 arts education
and, for the first time in many years, allow students from across the district equal and
transparent access to the new CSA for any student who is motivated to develop the
skill sets and prepare for a best practices secondary school of the arts.
The CMSD’s commitment to baseline arts and music instruction in all K-8 schools;
access to enhanced arts experiences at K-8 schools that meet certain criteria in
excellence in arts; and extended-day arts academies (all formative elements of the
CMSD Arts Education Plan) will form the infrastructure of pathways and preparation to
interested and promising K-8 students.
May 2014 ◆ Page 26
Options not recommended: Continuing the singular pipeline from the Dike campus
elementary school (aka, CSA Lower Campus, where 94 percent of CSA students originate).
This sometimes results in largely unprepared and sometimes unmotivated students in their
given art forms progressing to CSA more or less automatically, and also effectively locks out
eighth grade students from other Cleveland K-8 schools. This high school design, instead,
opens the school to all of CMSD’s students.
5. FACULTY
•
•
•
•
•
All staff members are interviewed to determine if they have the skills, knowledge,
attributes and values to fulfill the school mission of excellence in arts and academics,
with an explicit understanding of and commitment to the requirements, expectations,
supports, demands and rewards of the job as a pre-condition of employment.
Identify specific faculty who have ensured a mutual respect and acceptance of all
students for a continued role in the new CSA to ease the plan’s transition while being
mindful of the importance of change, the plan’s desired outcomes, and their ability to
adapt and grow.
Fully staffed faculties of academic teachers who exhibit interest and have
experience with the arts, and licensed arts educators with strong professional
credentials, are at the core of the new CSA.
Faculty qualifications should also include knowledge and passion for student
engagement and up-to-date experience in professional standards and trends.
CSA licensed staff members are augmented with a substantial number of teachingartist faculty members with up-to-date professional and production knowledge with
demonstrated pedagogic/teaching/learning skills. This furthers the depth of
instruction and availability of private and small group lessons during the extended
day. Models: Best practices high schools of the arts have dozens, in some cases
over 100, professional and qualified teaching artists as part of their faculty.
Appropriate compensation for teaching artists is essential to sustainability and quality
of instruction.
Options not recommended: A faculty that is based entirely in licensed educators with some
interaction with outside professionals does not meet the standards of model schools, either
in the arts, sciences, or technologies.
6. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
•
•
As pedagogy and technology are advancing with great speed, CSA faculty, its partners
and teaching artists maintain professional-level standards as demands change.
Professional development (PD) is the foundation for supporting and sustaining these
changes. As such, mandatory PD for CSA arts and academic faculty on subject area
trends, professional standards and teaching models are integrated into the school day
and year.
PD is a key component of the relationship between CSA and its partners. This PD
partnership should include the artistic core and expertise of arts organizations, and
balance arts institutions’ artistic, interpretive, curatorial, repertoire and pedagogic
resources with those of higher education. Planning time and collaboration for
classroom/arts faculty and arts/higher education partners are essential keys to
success.
May 2014 ◆ Page 27
•
•
Arts integration, project-based learning and service-based learning PD are essential for
CSA teachers/artists/participants:
- Arts integration PD for participating CSA teachers should become part of official
PD offerings.
- The implementation of PD and partnership service “models” are essential and
scalable. This allows for budgetary, administrative and organizational flexibility.
- Credentials, as outcomes of PD, create a level of accountability and motivation
currently lacking in school and external organization relationships.
PD should be credentialed and award credits consistent with higher education and
CMSD/Ohio standards.
7. ADMISSIONS AND AUDITIONS
•
•
•
•
•
•
Admissions to CSA must be based on a transparent admissions process that largely
aligns with CMSD’s high school enrollment processes and timing, including seventh and
eighth grade shadowing opportunities, parent/student open houses, participation in
the high school fair, an initial interest form, a pre-screening online application, and a
rubric-based, arts-specific audition process.
Designated teachers and teaching artists provide preparation for auditions and
admittance in advance of yearly auditions through extended-day arts academies.
CSA will hold at least two audition sets, per arts major, per year. This permits
students to re-audition and reapply. Auditions include submission/performance of
specific works or styles, interview, essay and parent interview.
Audition/application standards should be raised each year of the five-year plan,
though attention must be paid to fully enrolling the school with Cleveland students.
Audition panels must be arts-specific, drawing from faculty and arts professionals.
Students’ demonstrated motivation, dedication and potential are strong
considerations in admissions. There is a dedication in the admissions process to
find “diamonds in the rough” and a risk-management consensus to give motivated
students with dedication an authentic chance to find themselves at the new CSA.
Students’ attendance records and baseline grade point averages are established.
Students must maintain minimum performance standards in arts, academics and
personal conduct or otherwise face transferring to other, more appropriate
schools/settings.
- New audition and reapplication processes should allow for readmission.
- Systems are transparent and enforced by administration and student council.
The student body should reflect the diversity of Cleveland students in terms of
geography, race, ethnicity, sex, income, special needs and English language learners.
Options not recommended: In initial years of plan, high GPA standards should not preclude
those with motivation and potential. While numerous schools of the arts demand a minimum
of high academic performance, this plan is designed to create a school with an open
environment for dedicated students. Over the five-year plan, academic standards will rise
and so should academic expectations.
May 2014 ◆ Page 28
8. CURRICULUM AND STUDIES
•
•
CSA curriculum and course of study are balanced across arts and academics. All
coursework (arts and academic) is based in pre-professional and professional standards
and meets college and career readiness goals.
Academics stress engagement, interpretative and comparative studies, project-based
learning and arts concepts integration as a bridge to excelling in sciences, math,
history and all other academic areas. Integrated curriculum is built upon
repertoire/art works and their authentic interpretative, historical, social, economic,
literary and technological intersections.
Developing an Integrated and Project-Based Curriculum
(Also, see Appendix O for Best Practices in Arts Integration and Project-Based Curriculum)
The best process for creating an effective and engaging integrated and project-based
curriculum is, again, a collaborative one between the arts and academic teachers.
Integration and project-based outcomes can originate from both academic and arts subject
areas. History, literacy and science can be taught through the arts, and vice versa. The
following process is a proven means of using the student’s entire experience to learn:
• Representative arts and academic teachers meet and identify, through a process
of prioritization, over several sessions, those concepts in their subject areas that
are formative, difficult to teach, and/or difficult for students to learn.
• These prioritized concepts are then sequenced in importance and detailed in
related topics and experiences.
• In a facilitated discussion, teachers identify elements of their own curriculum
that effectively teach the same idea or concept from another subject area. For
instance, the subject may be patterns in math or science. Musical, dance, media,
art and song patterns, a basic element or these art forms, are discussed, detailed
and listed.
• The artistic patterns that best exemplify patterns in math or science are then
developed into experiential lessons and long-term projects that fulfill the desired
learning outcome(s).
• Interested teachers volunteer to “test” integrated and project-based approaches
in their classrooms.
• Careful assessment of these lessons and projects is implemented, including preand post-lesson attitudinal questions to students about their learning of the
concept; teacher experiences; and actual outcomes as demonstrated in final
projects, tests, essays and other cumulative and concluding evaluations.
• Successful integration and project-based strategies are shared among teachers for
inclusion in all classes.
• School leadership oversees their broad implementation and encourages continued
development of similar strategies.
• Over the five-year plan, all classes should have integrated and project-based
experiences.
• Student learning and motivation should increase and further faculty collaboration
and collegiality will be demonstrated.
May 2014 ◆ Page 29
•
CSA students engage in career and/or higher-education preparedness including
mentorships, professional guidance and job shadowing, all of which are furthered by
CSA students working within the professional environments of CSA partners. A
practical internship program is created as part of a summer institute that enables
students to experiment in various professional paths.
Career and Higher Education Preparedness in Action
Course work, experience, internships and summer institutes directed at valuable and
employable skills are detailed in various trend reports (see Appendix R).
In partnership with arts and higher education experts, these experiences, as well as
mutually selected repertoire, technologies and arts skill techniques will be prioritized as
“pathway skills” for student success. The process, as described in other sections, is one of
collaboration:
• Arts and higher education partners and same area arts faculty review trends and
employable skills.
• A listing of priorities is developed through this collaborative discussion.
• Arts/higher education partners and faculty determine within the prioritized
outcomes the means (e.g., productions, work processes, lessons, mentorships and
specially designed experiences) that will provide students with prioritized
experiences and skill sets.
Note: All-City Arts (see CMSD report) does offer CSA students pre-professional, career and
higher education pathway opportunities in production, direction, rehearsal and technical
areas. Whether or not All-City proceeds, we strongly recommend that CSA students be
given these kinds of opportunities that benefit both their résumé and real-world
experience.
•
AP courses, seminars in humanities and other subjects, and college-credited
courses are introduced and upgraded every year over the five-year plan.
- Seminar-structured classes and electives prepare students for careers and/or
higher education and encourage student participation with subject matter,
interpersonal skill set development, inquiry, and independent thinking.
-
•
Cleveland’s higher education institutions can provide these classes and credits, in
addition to expanded foreign languages (Spanish, Italian, German, etc.).
Earnest development of these pipelines by CSA leadership will exponentially
expand these opportunities.
- Arts and higher education institutions/partners consult with CSA staff to best
reflect current and ongoing career needs, skills and trends.
Arts subject areas to include: 1) vocal music, 2) instrumental music, 3) visual arts,
4) dance, 5) theatre, 6) literary arts, 7) multi-arts production and technology, 8)
media arts: design-film-video-photography-web, 9) world music and jazz and 10)
business and entrepreneurship of arts. These course areas and depth should be
phased in over time. Specific curriculum outcomes for each arts discipline will be
incorporated in following drafts.
May 2014 ◆ Page 30
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In addition, arts fundamentals, art history, introduction to business of arts, and
introduction to technologies in arts and production tools are important components
of arts studies and aid students’ arts skill progress and competitiveness.
Classical, contemporary, and global repertoire/art styles are offered. Authentic
repertoire is taught by experienced instructors, whether licensed teachers,
professionals or working artists.
Arts/repertoire/study/creation/performance/production/interpretation/inquiry/critic
ism approaches are included in all arts studies. Students are especially prepared for
auditions, interviews, writing essays, public speaking, resume writing and other
professional measurement standards.
Double majors and cross-disciplinary work is encouraged. For example, combine
vocal music/dance with instruction in the business side of the arts or videography. The
provision of a double-major opportunity is time-consuming and complicated and should
be pursued by and offered to only those students who have the ability to maintain
discipline in more than one arts area.
Private lessons: This supplemental area of instruction is the norm for best practices in
schools of the arts for the development and furthering of arts and career skills. This is
a matter of both equity and necessity. The board’s “friends” committee and arts
partnerships will be primary providers of these opportunities.
Remedial, special needs instruction and tutoring assistance are offered through
partnerships with higher education, social organizations, and the medical and arts
community. The presence and availability of a tutorial system that helps creative and
promising students to overcome academic challenges is essential to CSA’s success.
The instructional approach includes recognition of learning styles, special needs
and differentiated learning modalities.
Options not recommended: The traditional conservatory approach and pedagogy is often
teacher-centered and limited in both array of arts studies and practicality of career and/or
higher-education preparedness.
May 2014 ◆ Page 31
Curriculum Development Implementation Process
• The creation of an inflexible or adopted curriculum is not suitable under the current CSA
circumstances. The present conditions, created by years of systemic arts education
neglect, have been well established by the research of this project. Also, the significant
and ready resources of repertoire and collections within walking distance of the new
school beg that curriculum is developed around those resources (both artistic works and
artists). As a result, it is especially important that the course of studies in all the art forms
be student-centered.
• The principle operating mission for curriculum development at the new CSA is based
upon student need, their current artistic development, available resources and creating
authentic, pre-professional and higher education pathways for their futures.
• Students, the greatest asset at the current CSA, have been cheated out of a preparatory
arts education. As noted in the findings, many students come unprepared to CSA in the
fundamental elements and theoretical cornerstones of their art forms.
• The development of the course of studies in all of the identified arts areas should be
directed by the following sequence:
1.) Student Development Assessment: Rubrics that authentically assess student
ability and potential are developed by CSA arts faculty in consultation with arts
partners whose instructional expertise in individual art forms will enhance and
inform the process. The rubrics are grounded in the cornerstone theory, elements,
goals and progress evaluation basic to arts instruction.
• Students are then individually assessed in their fundamental
understanding, application and performance of their art form by CSA arts
faculty and arts partners. Based upon this assessment, a determination of
differentiated skill levels and the potential of individual students are
charted, and the creation of appropriate learning and instructional levels is
proposed.
• After the determination of the spectrum of fundamentals, abilities and
potential, differentiated classes, where required, must be created to
properly serve students of all levels.
2.) Curriculum Outcome Development: The current arts curriculum does not
provide the time and resources for faculty to create a well-rounded arts instruction
that includes in each art form its history, theoretical underpinnings, aesthetics and
exploration of and experimentation with masterworks and their creation. The
expanded day, this curriculum process and the readiness of arts partners will
benefit this approach geometrically.
•The basic tenets of theory, in each art form, become a CSA requirement to
be fulfilled during the freshman and sophomore years. Those students who
already possess a working knowledge of theory will be provided with further
private lessons or alternative course work.
• Within each art form, the art’s history, aesthetics and global masterworks
are key elements of a new CSA education. The presence of these resources
within the great cultural treasures and arts institutions of Cleveland offer
ready engagement for students with primary experiences, interpretation
and relevance not available to most young students in the arts. But they are
uniquely available and accessible in Cleveland.
• CSA arts faculty and arts partners explore this abundance of resources and
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find those works, repertoire, collections, artists and archives that will bring
CSA students to be within the center of their art study’s historical, creative
and artistic development. These resources become central parts of the
curricular focus, and student’s artistic vernacular and experience becomes
filled with art from the ancients to current expression. Their knowledge and
direct interpretation of these resources become articulated outcomes of
their course of studies.
• CSA arts faculty and arts partners also create a map of sequential
outcomes in artistic production. Because the elements in the arts remain
relatively constant, it is the mastery and rigor of these elements that are
the constructs of any studio education, whatever the art form. These
elements and reaching their accelerated development are the framework of
a superior CSA arts curriculum. Steady advancement in these elements
becomes the architecture of assessment and critique, advice and
individualized instruction and support.
• While arts elements remain largely constant, technologies do not. An
authentic arts education today must be built within the advancing hardware
and software of each art form. String players are better because they have a
working knowledge of laptop-based sound recording and the proper
positioning of microphones. Choreographers’ advanced video editing skills
are the standard of “notating,” teaching and performing dance.
Photographers, graphic designers and media artists work on large Macs with
superior Epson large-form printers. Basic technologies for the new CSA are
recommended as part of this reporting (see Appendix B). Partnerships with
technology-rich higher education institutions will help immeasurably.
Technology-based outcomes, hence, are requisite of the new CSA
curriculum. Consulting with arts businesses, Tri-C, CIM, Case and Cleveland
State, among others, and finding the means to share resources, is another
strategy that should be employed in specifying technology experiences,
outcomes and working knowledge for CSA students.
3.) Arts Business Skills Outcomes: The success of working artists and many other
professions is one of skill development, but is it also one of business acumen.
Imaging, branding, capitalization, contracts, copyright, intellectual property,
marketing and individualization are core to artist and business success.
• Arts faculty work with arts professionals and partners to identify business
and real-world outcomes. Direct experience of working with professionals in
professional facilities is elemental to student growth. Special guests,
internships, mentorships and paid working experiences add authentic
learning to the skill set.
• Adaptability, the dialectics of failure and success, and the zig-zag of the
career paths are often learned by experiencing it directly. But here, the
presence of artists and arts partners telling their stories adds immeasurably
to the student experience and the breadth of learning outcomes.
•Finally, self-assessment and awareness of technique and personal progress
are among the most difficult skill sets to learn. Portfolios and authentic
assessment, described in the following section, help the young artist find
the best means of personal and professional advance. Tied with stated and
articulated outcomes established by this curriculum process, they create a
transparent relationship of student to expectations.
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9. ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
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Portfolio-based assessment — a cumulative, multimedia, demonstration of student
work — is a highly effective process. They also facilitate students’ self-assessment of
their arts and academic performance. Portfolio rubrics are created, made transparent,
and teachers/faculty are involved in shaping and improving students’ critiques and
development. Portfolio methods and other means of authentic assessment are
developed and improved over the five-year plan.
End of year recitals/showings/performances for all students. Rubrics are created
that are developmentally, skills- and differentiation-based, with student selfevaluation and faculty inclusion as important factors.
The assessment of student progress will align with standards of high academic
achievement and college-bound culture through the application of AAC&U rubrics and
by working closely with arts and higher education partners on higher education and
career outcomes specific to their art forms.
The CSA plan will establish specific leadership, governance, course work/curricular,
faculty, admissions, partnership and school culture objectives, which CMSD and CSA
board and staff leadership will use to evaluate school progress.
CSA joins Arts Schools Network (ASN) to better appraise its status and growth and to
advance its overall professional development.
American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) VALUE Rubrics are woven
into all courses through class work, assignments and outcomes. The VALUE Rubrics
include written communication, civic engagement, creative thinking, critical thinking,
ethical reasoning, global learning, information literacy, inquiry and analysis,
integrative learning, intercultural knowledge, lifelong learning, oral communication,
problem-solving, quantitative literacy, reading, and teamwork. (See Appendix T for a
graphic illustration of the AAC&U VALUE Rubrics.)
Options not recommended: Typical forms of standardized student assessment (e.g.,
multiple choice, grading on curves, and papers without use of other media) are counterproductive in an arts-centered school. Writing is an essential skill, but can be accompanied
by visual, musical and interpersonal literacies. Certainly, high standards are expected, but
the means by which their outcomes are assessed should reflect arts making and pedagogy, as
well as the career/higher-education AAC&U VALUE Rubrics.
10. SCHOOL DAY/SCHEDULING/SUMMER
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School day schedule recommendations are: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or, preferably, 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m. This schedule should be accomplished to the extent possible using the new
flexibility in staffing schedules as well as creative partnerships with arts organizations.
CSA begins using a “bell schedule” that starts and ends each day with arts majors.
Academics encompass the later morning to middle afternoon hours. Bell schedules
provide dedicated and deep learning time for students’ study of an art form, and
encourage full-day attendance. This schedule affords AP courses, electives, study
halls, college-credited courses off-site and a standard of four hours of study per day
with students’ individual art forms. Bell schedule models from other schools of the
arts will be provided as examples.
Summer should be viewed as part of the school year. Otherwise, economic challenges
preclude numerous students from continuing their study, which is a critical part of
career and higher-education readiness. Paid apprenticeships and internships with
May 2014 ◆ Page 34
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arts and business organizations connected to their arts discipline and scheduled with
project-based work and private/group lessons can comprise summer curricula.
Internships/apprenticeships may also be effective on weekends.
Summer camps that send scholarship students to other locales maintain and improve
student skill sets, interpersonal abilities, repertoires and technological skills, and
expand the students’ interest in higher education and/or careers. These are important
to raise CSA’s and its students’ profile.
Models: Nearly every successful school of the arts has an extended-day, bell
structures, summertime continued learning, AP classes, college-credited courses and
ample private instruction.
Options not recommended: Current historic/agrarian-era school-day scheduling does not
provide adequate time for the appropriate study of the arts and academics. The extendedday and a dedication to four hours of arts study also expand academic offerings and the
possibility of pathways to career and higher education.
11. SCHOOL CULTURE
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Compassion, empathy and cultural diversity are central to CSA’s school culture. The
welcoming and loving student-centered CSA culture is something to preserve and
protect during the transition from the old to new CSA. Watchful care will be required
to ensure active discussion among governance, stakeholders and partners to support
changes to personnel, systems, faculty, leadership and students.
Communications by administration with parents, students, partners and stakeholders
is an essential feature of school culture and should be strongly supported and
instituted using technologies, productions, community meetings and media.
- Parent, student, arts and higher education partner representation on
governance groups, and a genuine commitment to talking and listening
between faculty, administration, CMSD leadership, parents, students and
partners will grow the student culture to be all encompassing.
CSA’s school community should be one in which no student can fail, where everyone
shares a deep commitment to one another’s success, where faculty motivates and
inspires students, and where student voice is embraced in shaping the design and
direction of the school.
12. THE FACILITY AND UNIVERSITY CIRCLE AS THE CAMPUS
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The new School of the Arts facility and surrounding property should be an
extension of its curriculum, with the building used in the evenings, on weekends
and over the summer for and by CSA students and the surrounding community for
community service and performances. Students should perform/show original
works and important repertoire on the stages and galleries of University Circle (UC)
and the greater community.
The current design for the new CSA (because of state funding requirements) lacks
appropriate pre-professional/professional resources for authentic arts training. As
such, the school should work with neighborhood partners. The proximity of UC
institutions and facilities becomes essential to the new CSA’s success. Evaluations of
unused UC spaces including the old Playhouse Square, as well as UC facilities, will be
May 2014 ◆ Page 35
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seminal, as will the designation of CMSD or RTA shuttle buses to move students
between CSA and UC facilities. Time, safety and liability concerns must be addressed.
The design and involvement of the new Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC),
currently in planning by FCSA, will benefit greatly by the close consultation and
involvement of arts facility expertise at UC. The current design requires significant
initial capital expenses. The sustainability of the building, its purpose and its
mission is at the center of CSA’s future success and we without hesitation support
its construction and ongoing lasting support. We believe the concept and
practicality of the building are fully sustainable.
Technologies and Resources: There are inadequate plans to provide students with
individual as well as classroom resources (instruments, art supplies) and technologies
consistent with pre-professional and professional standards. Tablets for students and
classroom hardware and software (desktop computers, soundboards, video and image
editing software, light boards, video cameras, audio recording equipment/software,
and more) should be a part of the everyday practice of a student of the arts. The
CMSD will need to allocate appropriate start-up expenses to ensure the successful
launch and continuation of the new school. Please see Appendix B for more detailed
technological recommendations.
Models: Most best practices schools of the arts have partnership facilities (D.C.
Duke Ellington and Kennedy Center) where transportation and mutual benefits
are the basis of effective and sustaining working relationships.
13. PARTNERSHIPS
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The varying partnerships’ (options discussed below) essential purpose is to help CSA
build arts education capacity and infrastructure; and enhance arts and academic
opportunities and experiences for students. Partnerships for CSA will closely reflect
the much larger CMSD Arts Education Blueprint partner strategies. The partnerships
below will be small and discrete reflecting a school population of approximately 775.
CSA partnerships will need significant and compensated planning, mutually articulated
services and responsibilities, facilitation in their formulation and design, and careful
evaluation for alteration and adaptability.
We recommend a number of different kinds of partnerships:
1. Separate and coordinated arts-specific partnerships for vocal music,
instrumental music, visual arts, dance, theatre, literary arts, multi-arts production
and technology, media arts, world music and jazz, and business and
entrepreneurship of arts to create “pipelines” to skill sets, artistic development
and higher education/career opportunities.
2. Multidisciplinary partnerships that use their repertoire/collections/artistic
practices as a means of study. Ethnographic approaches, interpretation, history,
criticism, thinking and creating are all possible components.
- For instance, an archive, interpretation and art-making partnership combining
the significant resources of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and
the Cleveland Museum of Art.
3. Career academy partnerships where institutions with high-level artistic practice,
curatorial expertise and established pathways to higher education and careers
establish after-school services of skill-level differentiated lessons, projects,
performances/shows and mentorships.
- A music academy of The Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Music Settlement,
Cleveland Institute of Music, El Sistema models and others would supply world-
May 2014 ◆ Page 36
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class music instruction. The same is true for theatre (Playhouse Square and
theatre companies), dance, museum, literary arts, media arts, arts
technologies and more. Each has remarkable potential to shape the careers
and higher education preparedness of CSA students.
4. Professional development partnerships built around higher education institutions
and arts partners’ education expertise provide professional development to CSA
teachers, teaching artists, school leadership and arts partners.
- The arts pedagogy leaders of city and regional higher education institutions
with arts expertise, curriculum integration practices, project- and servicebased learning and more bring their best instructors, most passionate artists
and education leaders to inspire and give teachers and artists practical and
visionary skills they can apply the very next day.
5. CSA project-based arts partnerships built upon neighborhood/community needs,
creation of productions, serving community constituents, and other worthy servicelearning goals.
- Active neighborhoods, competitively selected and looking for renewal, would
welcome professional artists and arts students in the creation of a block-long
mural that unifies a street with an artistic idea and narrative.
6. Special needs partnerships bring together arts, social, medical and community
resources to assist special needs learners in and through the arts.
- CSA needs specifically designed resources and instruction to assist typical and
special needs instructors in using the arts to bring forth the talents,
motivation and career/higher-education preparedness of students with
learning and other disabilities.
7. Medical community partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic and University
Hospitals, which have significant arts resource programs and devotion to the
community. The hospitals are very unique in that they have art collections, shows,
performances and even arts staff. There are no other school arts programs that
have such partnerships with the medical community, so this presents a unique
opportunity to learn from their expertise in the arts, commitment to arts in
healing and to involve their resources in an effort to turn STEM (science,
technology, engineering and mathematics) into STEAM (adding arts).
CSA partnerships require a transitional training/development facilitation to develop
current resources from largely transactional programs to ongoing, engagement-based
and transformational relationships.
- CSA could avail itself of the proposed CMSD arts education “free-market”
approach to build partnerships where like values, mutual benefits, and
professional respect and collegiality are baselines to partnership formation.
CSA partnerships will develop a letter of mutual understanding between partners
and CSA that outlines contract terms (including compensation), responsibilities,
expectations, setting, scheduling, and communications that are key in planning, PD,
artistic projects and other partnership activities, as well as to provide actual, realtime accountability and means for resolving problems or conflicts. Arts providers will
be accountable to mutually agreed upon outcomes and goals, using multiple forms
of authentic assessment and evaluation. CSA will be held equally accountable to the
same outcomes.
Partnership-provided goods and services will/can include facilities; private instruction;
CSA faculty; production services; summer and weekend apprenticeships and
internships; mentorships; college-credited courses; applied arts instruction teaching
artists; integrated and project-based hands-on learning that use the repertoire,
May 2014 ◆ Page 37
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collections and artistic processes as means of inquiry and interpretation; neighborhood
project-based curriculum; “University Circle and city as campus;” and more.
All partnerships will be dedicated to providing authentic “pipelines” to arts industry
pre-professional and professional experiences and opportunities.
Arts providers will participate in PD concerning arts pedagogy; varying learning
styles and the developmental needs of CSA students; best practices in inquiry; and
interpretation-based interaction of CSA students with arts and arts processes.
Models: Ruth Azawa (San Francisco), Duke Ellington (Washington, D.C), and the
Baltimore, Houston and Oakland schools of the arts all demonstrate deep and abiding
relationships with arts and community partners that are strongly reflective of the
above recommendations.
SUGGESTED PARTNERSHIP IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
• Designated CMSD leadership, Arts Education Advisory Council and Cleveland Arts
Education Consortium (CAEC) hold a series of meetings to set partnership policies.
We strongly recommend that the Boston Public Schools Arts Guide to Effective
Partnerships be used as a model.
• Once policies have been developed, a partnership subcommittee begins
recruitment of potential partners driven by the developed policy and the “free
market” culture of the Arts Education Marketplace.
• Two arts partnership “application” formats are drafted and created.
• An arts partnership application form is created by the subcommittee (with the
assistance of CAEC and guidance from the Arts Education Advisory Council). The
application enumerates: the prioritization and kinds of partnerships an arts
education provider is most interested in; specific arts partners and schools they
may be interested in working with; the listing of relevant resources they may be
able to provide; the staffing and expertise that will be most relevant to potential
partnership success; the kinds of time and allocation of resources that are possible;
and the interests the organization has in providing administrative and fiscal
leadership to partnerships they may participate in.
• A school’s application format is drafted and created that details: a school’s
current arts programs, faculty and resources; desired art forms; desired arts
partners; areas of academic and arts needs; a listing of potential partnership
categories and preferred interests/choices; a scale in which school leadership
express their level of interest in participation; and a clear introduction of how the
partnerships will be designed to serve the school’s most important needs and will
be planned collaboratively with school leadership and faculty.
• Suitable time is planned in order to distribute and receive completed
applications. This application data is then used by the Coordinator of the Arts
Education Marketplace and subcommittee to most effectively plan and convene the
first Arts Education Marketplace meeting. Preliminary “matchmaking” of arts
partners and schools is “triangulated” and applied at first Marketplace Meeting.
• Planning the first Arts Education Marketplace: This is planned around modeling
authentic collaborations between schools and arts partners that is focused upon
articulated and individualized school and student needs and desired outcomes.
Some existing programs already in place in Cleveland as well as proven models from
San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C., are used as active and handson foundations for partnership methodologies, problem-solving and partnership
components. The actual kinds of conversations and problem-solving that have
resulted in success are planned for modeling as a central focus of the meeting and
May 2014 ◆ Page 38
guided to create questions and discussions. Adequate time is then planned to provide for
facilitating conversations between potential partners and schools. Also, thorny discussion
issues of scheduling, compensation, expectations and articulated outcomes are planned.
Potential partnerships are then planned to be gathered as a concluding part of the day
with assigned facilitators recruited with strategic consideration from CAEC and others.
• An Arts Partnership Fair is convened where interested arts, higher education, and afterschool program providers, with school representatives (School Arts Coordinators and school
leadership) are attendees. The Fair introduces the modeling, matchmaking and facilitated
conversation as described in the above bullet.
• Once partnerships have some preliminary development, the Coordinator of the Arts
Education Marketplace and CAEC meet with individual potential partnerships (arts, higher
education, after-school and school partners) to advance their discussions. Next step
architectures are explored including: selection of potential fiscal and administrative
agents for each partnership (compensated partners who are responsible for planning,
scheduling, coordinating, managing and distributing funds, etc.); specific educational
outcomes and the means of assessing them; organizational, personnel and material
resources to meet those outcomes; deadlines for implementing initial student experiences;
and the implementation of initial experiences.
• Interested philanthropies create a fund to support partnership activities. Granting
criteria is developed transparently and potential partners have opportunities to explore
how they can best shape their educational goals, resources, budgets and timelines.
• Based upon available funds, partnerships apply using simple proposals that include
partners, letters of partnership commitment, roles and responsibilities, program activities
and expected outcomes, budgets and timelines.
• Partners make commitments to work together. Letters of mutual understanding of
partner responsibilities are developed and agreed upon.
• Initial partnerships’ program experiences are carefully assessed, discussed and adapted
based upon collaborative discussions. Partnership activities are expanded exponentially
based upon proven success and adaptability to challenges.
ALL-CITY ARTS RECOMMENDATIONS
As noted in our review of All-City Arts (see CMSD report), it cannot serve as a substitute for
an equitable, comprehensive and sequential arts education. However, it has had many
positive benefits for the children and youth involved. Linked to the systemic approach
articulated in this plan and a dynamic partnership of expert creative and production
resources from arts and higher education collaborators, All-City Arts would grow in both
quality and equitable opportunity. We believe it should continue, based upon the faithful,
talented and hard-working construct that has been created over the years.
We recommend that the planning of All-City Arts commences as a partnership program as
outlined above, furthering its current leadership, staffing and experience. It must be
planned as a culminating event of skills and learning development participating children
are studying in arts classes during school time, at after-school academies and through the
above articulated partnership initiatives. We strongly suggest that the yearly repertoire be
selected with such strategic thinking in mind. The piece or pieces should have projectbased and integrated curriculum value so they help advance outcomes in literacy,
numeracy, social studies and sciences. All-City can become an enhanced STEAM event that
shows off the dynamic impact arts has as a standalone area of rigor and study, as well as
its benefits to building learning capacity in multiple curricular areas.
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14. FUNDING
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Federal, state and local funds are designated in accordance with the CMSD’s per-pupil
funding formula based on student characteristics and model requirements to
adequately fund operating expenses of the school.
Local and regional funders, with a noteworthy, world-class, multigenerational
commitment to providing arts education to all children, should be encouraged to
provide sustained funding for projects and capacity-building initiatives with proven
outcomes and efficiencies.
FCSA, with a significant commitment to the brick-and-mortar VPAC project, will need
to transition to the new governance structure and find ways also to remain steadfast
in their historic commitment to CSA student resources, lessons, scholarships and more.
15. ENCOURAGING, SUPPORTING AND SUSTAINING CHANGE
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Accountabilities and assessment are structured for every component and reviewed at
regular intervals, with yearly reporting and adaptions.
CSA should be a transparent lab where parents and stakeholders can see the
effectiveness of arts education. CSA will lead by example for the inclusion of arts
education throughout the school system. The goal is to have parents pressing
principals and other district officials for the inclusion of arts education for their
children.
Plan implementation facilitator/facilitation independent of stakeholders will help
create strong architectures in initial years. Independent assessment will have parallel
purpose and success.
An advocacy campaign linked to the CSA redesign and CMSD Arts Education Plan
that uses student works and accomplishments; independent assessment results;
multimedia; web; and corporate partners will all help maintain momentum and
interest.
The new CSA governing board should consider the creation of additional endowment
funds for growth and operating costs in the case of economic hard times.
Effective communication between partners and CSA governance will create a school
of excellence. Leadership, compassion, stakeholder transparency and the willingness
to continue to adapt and change will make for a new CSA that Cleveland and its youth
so justly deserve.
16. TIMELINE (YEARS ONE TO FIVE)
YEAR ONE — The Planning Year (June 2014 - June 2015):
• Confirm and communicate decision to transition CSA to a high-school model.
• Initiate search and hire CSA head of school.
- Use new CMSD principal hiring practices adapted to these special circumstances.
- Pay nominal fee required to post opening with Arts Schools Network (ASN) and
other arts professional listings.
- Current leadership personnel should be encouraged to apply for positions.
• Recruit governance board. Create bylaws and accountabilities.
• New head of school, with select stakeholders, develops new comprehensive mission
statement based upon this plan and its findings, and the expertise of the new CSA
leader with input from CMSD leadership and stakeholders.
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Mission statement should be a two-part narrative with a short statement
containing essential values and principles.
- These overarching ideas can/should include career and/or higher-education
preparedness, excellence in arts and academics, pathways and pipelines to “real
world” skills and thinking, service to community, and more.
Dean of arts and dean of academics are recruited and selected by head of school.
- Discipline and motivation systems are developed and communicated school- and
community-wide.
- Transparent and adaptable means of helping students meet requirements are
established.
New CSA faculty job descriptions and application processes are planned for
implementation in Year One. There are clearly individuals in the current CSA that
bring and encourage the culture of welcoming differences and support. These
individuals should be identified and given special consideration for the new CSA to
help continue this highly positive environment.
New audition and application processes are planned and calendared to begin (in part)
during this upcoming school year for full implementation in winter 2014 and spring
2015.
Governance board and head of school plan and recruit/appoint CSA student and parent
councils.
- Current parent and student organizations should serve as basis for “councils.”
UC facility exploration/utilization is initiated.
- Trial sites are experimented with, and partnerships for facility resource
“sharing” are established.
- Shuttle bus program and liability solutions are explored and piloted.
Arts curriculum outcomes are fully planned and private lessons, skills-differentiated
classes and arts major areas are planned and piloted.
- Arts curriculum is informed by arts professionals/CSA partnerships to best align
with specific pre-professional standards and trends. Cross-discipline and doublemajor guidelines are discussed and established.
- Arts integration and project- and service-based curricula are outlined and initial
areas for modeling are selected.
- Portfolio and authentic assessment methods are discussed, planned and piloted.
- PD sessions that allow current faculty to increase their skill sets for immediate
impact and help examine individual faculty commitment to plan are initiated and
assessed.
- Overall school assessment is coordinated with CMSD portfolio schools leadership.
CSA partnership facilitation is initiated.
Specific partnership deemed to be the most essential to curricular goals and outcomes
are prioritized for planning and facilitation.
CSA partnerships are small and specifically geared to CSA emerging curriculum and
pre-professional standards/trends.
Fundraising planning is initiated in coordination with the new governing board and
discrete areas of the plan are prioritized including PD, partnerships, private
lessons/skills differentiation and after-school/summer internships/career academy.
The question remains whether the planning of a new curriculum and extended-day
with partners and faculty is best accomplished as a “transitional process” or is done
with a new faculty and partners. This may be best suited for Year Two, when all new
personnel are in place.
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FCSA continues planning the VPAC and shifting its roles as the new CSA begins planning
its transformation.
YEAR TWO — Piloting Year (June 2015 - June 2016):
• Head of school and leadership staff are fully installed and begin the piloting and
assessment of planned curriculum, partnerships, PD, and the UC for campus/facility
sharing.
• After a year of observations and PD for current CSA faculty, head of school and school
leadership determine subject area teachers/ individuals for retention and change.
New CSA faculty job descriptions and application process, where appropriate and
considered as priorities, are planned for implementation in Year Two.
• Leadership team and governance board assess plan progress and make necessary
adaptions for continued success.
- Faculty, leadership and partnerships — the human resources — are evaluated on
goals.
- PD, assessment, and overall school performance are reviewed for adaption or
change.
• Curriculum outcomes and methods development, planned in Year One with faculty and
partners, is implemented in sequence.
- Differentiation of arts and academic skills and promoting this essential curricular
facet does not break down to grade or age distinction, but to those students with
motivation and developing talent. Options here include making the grade-bygrade implementation process flexible, while simultaneously building classes and
services for higher performing students. For example: college-credit courses are
significantly expanded through partnerships and discussions with higher
education leadership and admissions departments.
• Teaching artist faculty is similarly retained and significantly increased through
partnerships and identification of individual artists.
- The balance between pedagogy expertise and artistic and professional/realworld experience should be a guiding compass at the new CSA for both the arts
and academic faculty.
• Audition and application process fully installed.
• Governance and advisory councils fully operational.
• Partnerships begin operations in their specific subject and project areas. They pilot
work, instruction and projects with small groups and expand numbers each of the
remaining three years of plan.
• Assessment vehicles, such as portfolios and other authentic methods, are installed as
part of coursework.
- Student work in process (in various mediums) is kept and self-reviewed/assessed
by students and faculty.
- The prioritization of partnership services should likely be based upon specific
opportunities for students to receive private lessons, mentorships, scholarships
and college-credited courses.
• Assessment vehicles, such as portfolios and other authentic methods, are installed as
part of coursework.
- Student work in process (in various mediums) is kept and self-reviewed/assessed
by students and faculty.
YEAR THREE:
May 2014 ◆ Page 42
•
•
•
•
Leadership team and governance board assess plan progress and make necessary
meeting goals.
change.
Curriculum expansion to more grades/skill levels is implemented.
- Partnership resources and personnel grow in step with curricular expansion.
- Facilities, teaching artists, assessments and accountability grow in same timing.
Audition and admittance requirements rise incrementally as the CMSD Arts Education
Plan begins to create more highly prepared students and the academic standards of
the new CSA rise.
Add dean of students to provide consistency in student academic and personal
accountability.
YEARS FOUR and FIVE:
• Leadership team and governance board assess plan progress and make necessary
meeting goals.
change.
• Curriculum expansion to all grades/skill levels is completed.
- Partnership resources and personnel grow in step with curricular expansion.
- Facilities, teaching artists, assessments and accountability grow in same timing.
• Audition and admittance requirements rise incrementally as the CMSD Arts Education
Blueprint begins to create more highly prepared students and the academic standards
of the new CSA rise.
May 2014 ◆ Page 43
CSA REDESIGN BUDGET PARAMETERS*
Year One
14-15
Year Two
15-16
Year Three
16-17
Year Four
17-18
Year Five
18-19
Staffing /Resources1 for CSA REDESIGN
Head of School
Dean of Arts
Dean of Academics
Dean of Students
Increased Arts Faculty
Technologies (See Technology/Appendices)
Transportation to Arts Facilities/Venues
Non-CMSD Costs Raised Independently2
Governance and Advisory Council
Development/Training/Recruitment
Documentation and Assessment
Program Facilitator
PD for Artists, Partners
ARTS RESOURCES3 Music Instruments, Music
Music Instrument and Music
Maintenance/Insurance
Arts Supplies
Dance, Theatre and Media Supplies
Perishable Arts Supplies4
Partnership Model Development
Fees for Artists, Arts Organizations, Partners and Internship
Salaries for Students5
Design/Implementation PD Partnership
Design/Implementation Discipline Specific
Design/Implementation Academy
Design/ Implementation Integrated/Project-Based
Design/Implementation Special Needs
Design/Implementation Integrated and All-City
Design/Implementation Medical Community Partnerships
Planning Honorariums for Teachers
Hospitality
Public Relations/Media Launching
Total for CMSD
Total for Independently Raised Fund
Total Combined CMSD and Raised
44
Budget Key
* This is a template with footnotes for consideration. A specific, monetized budget will have to be
developed by the district in consultation with the principal parties.
1
Salary costs for these CMSD CSA positions are yet to be established. Technology costs are
based upon our technology design recommendations. Transportation costs can be budgeted
internally using re-allocation of CMSD transportation resources.
2
In the past 30 years, where philanthropy has supported direct school supply costs as well as
partnership, assessment and resource expenses, it has been hoped that school systems would pick
up these expenses as they proved their value. However, this has proven to not be true. School
systems have consistently reneged on such arrangements because of leadership changes, lack of
commitment, economic challenges and other reasons.
3
Admittedly, school supplies are normative costs in school budgets. Combining the significant
capital expenditures of hiring and maintaining a system-wide arts faculty and staffing for
partnerships, these budget items have been placed in the “raised money” category to better
balance responsibilities.
4
Perishable art supplies refer to the normative requirements of students working in various arts
mediums. The work of young artists in schools of the arts requires pre-professional and
professional materials and resources.
5
These partnership estimates are based on numerous partnership models and the flexibility that
will be required to mount and implement them. Also, the total number of funds for partnerships
should be viewed as adaptable, as some partnerships will grow and be more expansive than
others.
45
APPENDICES
Editor’s note: What follows is a collection of various documents created or used over the
course of developing the preceding plan. These supplements are intended as a reference
for readers who desire to dig deeper into the research that informed our final product.
They are not intended to be considered a continuation of the plan itself or its
recommendations. They are presented “as is” and, while they were edited along the way,
no attempt was made to make them uniform in presentation or format, either with each
other or the preceding formal document itself.
46
Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA)
Looking back, and preparing for the future
History and introduction
CSA, which describes itself as “a specialty school of choice in the Cleveland
Metropolitan School District (CMSD) that incorporates all aspects of the arts into its
teaching approach,” was established in 1981 and enrolls over 700 students in grades six
to 12. The public school is split between two buildings (the “upper” and “lower”
campuses) in Cleveland’s St. Clair neighborhood, but aspires for a new facility in
Cleveland’s University Circle. In addition to CMSD, the school is supported by Friends
of the CSA, a nonprofit booster organization.
CSA provides students with an academic curriculum aimed at college preparation,
as well as a pre-professional arts curriculum of their choice in the disciplines of creative
writing, dance, digital design and multimedia, instrumental and vocal music, theater or
visual arts. CSA successes include its 201 receipt of a $1.25 million grant from the
Talented Students in the Arts Initiative. In 2005, the Friends organization successfully
completed a matching campaigned that created a $1.5 million endowment to support
CSA programs.
Appendix A, Page 1
As CSA eyes the opening of its new University Circle facility, school officials
have articulated the following goals:

Leverage University Circle resources/assets and take advantage of easy access to
the city’s major cultural institutions to develop the strong artistic linkages
necessary for success.

Become a national leader among public schools that offer specialized training in
the arts

Achieve an award-winning teaching and learning design model

Utilize state-of-the art technology

Become one of the top five specialty public arts and design schools in the U.S.
But before looking forward, it is instructive to look back, so that CSA can build
on its institutional strengths and learn from its past mistakes. The following observations
were obtained from interview with CSA administrators, past and present; former
students; and third-party experts.
Former students
Interviews with several former students reveal several characteristics that CSA
should ensure it preserves as it embarks on the most important overhaul of its history. At
the top of this list is the “sense of family” that former students unanimously cited as one
of the most positive aspects of their CSA education.
Michael Robinson (1984, theater) said his teachers were phenomenal and that
CSA faculty and students considered themselves to be one great, big family. Some
teachers were even affectionately referred to as “aunt” or “uncle so-and-so, rather than
Appendix A, Page 2
“Mr.” or “Mrs.” Paul Sadler Jr. (1984, dance) said small class sizes contributed to the
intimate feel of the school. And Rhonda Harrell (1991, theater and vocal music) said she
has maintained the same friends for almost 30 years. Conya Doss (1988, vocal music)
said the teachers even “were obviously spending their own money,” to make up for
CSA’s own lack of resources. Doss and other former CSA students recently repaid such
kindnesses when they sponsored all of their teachers so that they could attend a reunion.
Former students’ generosity and fondness for CSA underscores the need for CSA
to view its alumni as resources and take advantage of their interest in and willingness to
serve the school. Multiple former students expressed a willingness to mentor current CSA
students, for example, and Harrell said she recruits students from the school.
These sorts of networking and career opportunities would be a good place to start
identifying opportunities for former CSA students to give back, but CSA should not stop
there in an effort to ensure students have an opportunity to learn outside the four walls of
the school building. Former students uniformly cited off-site experiences (and visits from
outside artists and professional organization’s) as a highlight of their CSA tenure. Dr.
Noreena Aberkaier’s name was mentioned by several students who valued the former
artistic director’s commitment to finding networking and performance opportunities
throughout the city for students.
Robinson said faculty connections created opportunities for students to be cast in
community plays, and Fred Graves (1987, vocal music) said the “best part of CSA was
having the opportunity to travel, the opportunity to go out into the city and sing in some
places that I knew I would not have otherwise had the chance” to. Doss said every artist
that visits town should make a stop at CSA for students to meet and network with them.
Appendix A, Page 3
Many former students expressed frustration with CSA’s lack of attention to their
academic, as well as artistic well-being. Colleen Scott (1985, orchestra) said she did not
feel prepared for college academically. Worse, it sounds like Scott even was ignored
when she articulated her desire to take more college-prep courses. For example, she was
taken out of a trigonometry class she wanted to be in and placed in a music theory class.
Sadler claims his desire to apply to Juilliard was stymied by a guidance counselor who
was unfamiliar with the school and pushed him toward others.
“When we got to college, in some areas, we were not prepared,” Doss said. In
English, we did not have the foundation that we needed. Math and Sciences were a plus,
but English was not conducive. I wish they had enough support staff to support students
struggling academically — often some of the most talented ones.”
Administrators
Academic deficiency was one of several problems former principal Dr. Barbara
Walton tackled while leading CSA. With every stakeholder involved, the school’s
mission statement was rewritten to focus not only on providing a rigorous curriculum for
students, but also on getting students into college and ensuring they stayed there. The
goal was that all students would enter and graduate from a four-year college or college of
the performing arts.
Walton addressed discipline problems by instituting a zero-tolerance policy; being
firm, fair and consistent; and explaining to students that they were in the school by
invitation and needed to respect the rules. Walton also endeavored to break up cliques
and feuds that saw not only students, but also teachers, insulating themselves within their
Appendix A, Page 4
disciplines. Faculty members were placed into groups to work together in an effort to
break up the cliques. Faculty and staff also met before, during and after school and on
weekends to participate in school reform.
Walton said some of the greatest support (supplies, books, artistic resources,
teacher grants, student scholarships, etc.) that CSA received was from the Friends
organization. Walton said she hopes the new CSA will be more “district-driven.” This
contrasts with the views of the current principal, Andrew Koonce, who believes CSA
needs more autonomy from the district. This likely has more to do with the different
circumstances under which the two principals led the school than the wisdom of either
approach. While Walton felt neglected by the district, Koonce has been “force-fed” a
number of undesirable mandates from the district due to budget and staffing challenges.
Even in the immediate aftermath of the $1.5 million endowment being
established, Koonce said CSA was criticized as not really being an arts school since its
staffing and course offerings did not stack up well against other model schools of the arts
such as Duke Ellington School of the Arts and New World School of Arts. This situation
did not improve when district cuts resulted in CSA losing not only funding, but also have
of its arts staff and 25 percent of its academic faculty. From 2005-2010, Koonce said he
was not able to hire his own teachers and was stuck with “necessary transfers.”
“I had a group of people who were burned out transfers who were there because it
was close to home — not necessarily for the arts, not interested in helping out with
auditions or staying late for performances,” Koonce said. “The small group that was
invested became burned out and they left.”
Appendix A, Page 5
Koonce said things have improved with the current CMSD administration, but
stressed that CSA needs “to have control of our staffing and recognition from the district
that we need different types of staffing.” He also said the school’s $4 million budget is
about $500,000 to small to meet needs.
From the interview with Koonce, it seems the struggles mentioned by students
when it comes to CSA’s preparation of students for life after high school continue.
Koonce said that even though 100 percent of students graduate and qualify for college,
only 80 percent go and only 30 percent go on to graduate. Only about 15 percent of
former students are pursuing careers in the arts, he said.
“Students come back and said that they were not prepared for the amount of
writing in college, needed more preparation for the ACT and SAT, and more support for
college preparation and admissions,” Koonce said.
Third-party experts
Interviews with third-party experts identified some recommendations for how the
new CSA should be structured.
Kristy Callaway, executive director of the Arts School Network (ASN), said the
best governance model includes a CEO/principal, separate deans for academics and the
arts, and a public relations professional.
“The most successful schools have a strong, charismatic leader who is not
involved in day-to-day operations,” Callaway said. “You need chairs of departments
under and academic and separate arts leader.”
Appendix A, Page 6
She also recommended a late-starting extended school day, e.g. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
with academics in the morning, arts in the afternoon and specialized ensembles later in
the afternoon. Communicating and partnering with Cleveland’s public transportation
providers would be key to allowing this type of schedule to succeed. Of course, Callaway
also recommended that CSA join ASN, which provides many benefits for a small annual
fee, such as access to a job-posting board, publicity, site visits and conferences.
Paul Hill and Shannon Murtaugh of the Center for Reinventing Public Education
did not mince words when they said it is “appalling” that CSA lacks connection and
exposure to Cleveland’s “amazing cultural resources.” They also said it is important that
a school like CSA have autonomy, specifically the ability to choose its own leaders.
Finally, Hill and Murtaugh recommend the creation of a “democratic means of
auditioning” that avoids perceptions of exclusivity by providing any student with interest
and commitment with opportunities, such as remedial lessons, to improve and meet CSA
standards.
— MitchellKornArts
Appendix A, Page 7
Technology Outfitting: Recommended Options for Cleveland
School of the Arts (CSA) Staff, Students and Classrooms
1. Teachers
It is recommended that each faculty member be assigned both a notebook computer for in-class needs
and a tablet computer both for mobile use and for instructing students on how to integrate tablets into
their daily work.
Recommended notebooks:
• The Apple MacBook Air ($1,049) offers the highest level of dependability, performance and
portability of any product currently on the market.
• The Asus Zenbook UX302LG ($1,149) is an excellent Windows alternative.
Recommended tablets:
• The Apple iPad Air or iPad Mini with Retina Screen ($499/$399) are best.
• The Microsoft Surface 2 Pro ($799) is an excellent alternative to the iPad.
2. Students
It is recommended that each student be assigned a tablet computer.
Tablet computers promote efficient workflows and allow users to complete tasks, assignments and
projects in any location with great ease. Most importantly, these tasks can be completed with higher
levels of enjoyment and satisfaction. Working with a networked tablet computer provides access to
necessary resources at all times. Empowering students to use mobile devices and integrate them into
their studies will increase their successes in the classroom.
It is recommended that students choose between the following options:
• iPad Air (10-inch screen; $499)
• iPad Mini with Retina Screen (7-inch screen; $399)
If possible, the iPad Air is recommended as the best overall model for learning, content consumption,
project/assignment management and device longevity.
A much more affordable and slightly underpowered option would be the original iPad Mini ($299).
Tablet protection is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. A case is essential for longevity of devices. When CSA
assigns devices to faculty or students, it also should require that the devices be kept in heavy-duty cases.
The Griffin Survivor is the best and most protective case on the market:
• Griffin Survivor for iPad Air ($79)
• Griffin Survivor for iPad Mini ($69)
Appendix B, Page 1
3. Classroom
It is recommended that each standard classroom be equipped with a 22-inch Apple iMac ($1249). Video
and film production classrooms should have models with upgraded processors and video processors
($1,399). Computers should be positioned in classrooms for optimal collaboration. The iMac combines
both a high-powered computer and an extremely high-quality display in one device.
Other recommended options:
 LCD television ($500-$700) for viewing for in-class viewing of videos, lesson content displays and
presentations. Size of 45 to 55 inches is optimal. The screen should be placed in easy view of all
students.
 An Apple TV ($99) can be connected to classroom televisions to allow for the playing of video
content from both classroom computers and student tablets. Apple TV wirelessly connects the
LCD television to all devices in a room. This makes it possible for students to show their
assignments and presentations on the LCD television from anywhere in the classroom using their
tablets.
4. Cloud Storage and Backup
Dropbox or other cloud-based document storage accounts are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED for students.
• Provides simple, easy-to-use sharing of files and assignments
• Provides access to data through mobile device apps and/or PC web browsers
• Provides a backup system for files in the event of device loss or destruction
Utilizing iCloud storage or a custom on-site backup system is another option. However, Dropbox provides
the most robust set of services, highest level of security, and seamlessly integrates with all computing
platforms.
5. Networking
It is recommended that wireless access points be installed in each classroom .
• Recommend wireless routers should be N-rated, at a minimum, for connectivity.
• Wireless AC-rated routers are preferable and advised.
• iPv6 technology is required in router specifications. It allows for a dramatically increased
number of IP addresses on a wireless network when compared to existing networking hardware
and also will insure longevity from a technical standpoint.
Appendix B, Page 2
6. Recommended Software
Music creation, recording and production:
 Pro Tools 11 ($699)
 Logic Pro X ($199)
 Ableton Live ($499)
Design and theater:
 Adobe Creative Suite 6 ($1,499)
Film and video production hardware:
 DSLR Camera for digital film recording ($800-$1,500 each)
 DSLR Camera Lens Budget ($500-$1,000)
Film and video production software:
 Final Cut Pro X ($299)
 Adobe Premier ($799)
7. Distance Learning
Video conferencing is an evolving medium. Top-notch, state-of-the-art video conferencing capabilities are
limited to corporations and foundations with enormous budgets. But video conferencing is necessary if
offering CSA instruction to those who cannot travel to campus is part of the school’s mission.
Network bandwidth is the chief concern. All of the most expensive equipment available cannot make up
for an internet service provider’s poor download and upload speeds. An optimal and recommended setup
would be to dedicate a room for video conferencing, but the systems appearing below could be set up on
a rolling cart and moved into any classroom with a large HD LCD screen for viewing.
Option No. 1 — high-end system
Hardware components:
 Polycom HDX 7000 720p ($9,754.99)
 Polycom HDX 7000 1080p ($12,686.99)
Both systems Include:
 Polycom EagleEyeTM III camera
 Polycom HDX Microphone Array
 Polycom People+Content
 Polycom People+Content IP
1
 Connectivity Cables and Remote Control
Option No. 2 — upper mid-range system
2
 Polycom HDX 4002 - $5,300 (includes all hardware and screen)
Option No. 3 — lower mid-range system
Appendix B, Page 3
3
 VidyoRoom HD 50 ($1,995)
 Logitech Pro 9000 Webcam ($130)
 Logitech P710e Conferencing Speakerphone ($175)
Option No. 4 — FaceTime or Skype
 Virtually any computing device including smartphones, tablets, notebooks and desktops, as well
as an Apple TV connected in-classroom television.
Software components:
 Device-appropriate Skype or FaceTime applications
Note: With Option No. 4, video and audio quality would suffer considerably in comparison to dedicated
conferencing equipment. However, the ubiquity of the devices, ease of setup and use, and free software
make this system incredibly viable for all situations. Option Nos. 1, 2 and 3 would include additional costs
for software licensing. These costs will depend on how many units are deployed at CSA. Those prices vary
and are not listed.
Citations:
1. Polycom, INC. "Polycom HDX 7000 Series Data Sheet" Polycom.com. February 26, 2014.
http://www.polycom.com/content/dam/polycom/common/documents/data-sheets/hdx-7000-dsenus.pdf
2. Video Conferencing Supply, LLC. “Polycom HDX 4000” March 5, 2014
http://www.videoconferencingsupply.com/Polycom-HDX-4000-s/307.htm
3. Fontel, Inc. “VidyoRoom HD 50 Appliance” March 1, 2014 http://www.fontel.com/detail.asp?ID=3530
Appendix B, Page 4
CSA CLASS OBSERVATIONS
DATE: Nov. 19, 2013
CLASS: Creative Expression and Ballet
TEACHER: Mr. Green, Ms. Kay and Antonio Brown (CSA Alum & guest instructor for modern
and ballet)
GRADES: 10-12
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: Nine in first workshop for fitness; Nine in second session for ballet
only
1. Note the overall sequence of instruction.
Creative expression in the first workshop for male and female students who are interested in
taking dance as well as staying fit (conducted by Mr. Green) and ballet in the second workshop
for nine ballerinas (conducted by Ms. Kay).
2. Are there evident instructional goals?
Yes: creative expression using what they are studying in class and connecting it to dance,
informal movement and fitness.
3. Do students demonstrate achievement of arts skills?
Yes, for those students who were in the ballet class. Six of the nine students in ballet had great
posture, strong technique, heels down, etc. Non-major students were very engaged and were
also decent dancers in the fitness class.
4. Do students have the opportunity to express themselves independently within the art
form?
Not really. The class was fairly structured and based on them improving their technique.
5. Do all students have a chance to participate?
Yes, and they all did in the ballet and fitness classes.
6. What is the level and quality of interaction between teacher and students? Peer-to-peer
among students?
Excellent! The fitness class was more informal and involved some team-building components
which provided a certain amount of camaraderie among the students. Mr. Green was fantastic
at coaching and mentoring these students. It is apparent that he truly does care about his
students and wants them to succeed in life regardless of their majors. Ms. Kay, a former
principal dancer with the Cleveland Ballet conducted the ballet class and was outstanding. I
Appendix C, Page 1
could see improvement in the students’ technique by the time she finished the class. She was
patient, professional and still a great dancer.
7. To the best of your knowledge, is the instruction connected to an overall sequential
curriculum in prior grades and higher grades?
Yes, there is a standard curriculum for each semester that was posted on the wall. Mr. Green
also tries to connect his classes to some of the literature that is being read as well as historical
events. The ballet class is also connected to the French language classes.
8. Are the facilities and resources adequate for successful instruction?
Yes, I was surprised based on other areas of the school that I had seen. There was a full dance
studio with decent floors, ballet bars, full wall mirrors, dressing rooms, lockers, etc.
9. Are there evident areas of need in curriculum, resources and materials, facilities or
administrative support?
I’m sure there is always room for improvement, but not to my knowledge.
10. Are there ways that external partnership programs could enhance the class?
Yes, by collaborating with other professional dance companies or individual artists who could
conduct master classes or lecture demonstrations as a part of the curriculum. An example
would be the Learning Lab at Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts in
Dallas.
11. How might the class be similar or different in the redesigned and relocated CSA?
Mr. Green helped design the new space for dance. He visited Alvin Ailey, NYC Ballet, Julliard and
other independent dance studios to become more informed about studio size, lighting, etc.
12. What are your overall thoughts on how the class observation informs our CSA plan?
This observation informs the plan regarding some of the better teachers and arts-integrated
instruction. This was by far one of the best classes I observed.
Appendix C, Page 2
DATE: Nov. 18, 2013
CLASS: Creative Writing
TEACHER: Daniel Grey-Kontar
GRADE: 11
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: Eight
Yes, to take a student’s written piece and interpret it using oral expression and movement.
Yes, as writers who explore ways to add meaning to or interpret their work as performance
artists.
form?
Yes. Students are coached by their teacher and have open and creative dialogue with their
peers on the use of lighting and sound design to describe emotion or set the mood for their
various pieces.
Yes. The teacher had written instructions on the blackboard with students’ names indicating
their roles and responsibilities. The class was engaged, organized, attentive, and had the
opportunity to perform and be critiqued on the small platform stage in the classroom. They
volunteered to be a part of the production crew and to work on the choreography together.
among students?
They were engaged, responsible and respectful with and to one another. It was apparent that
they wanted each person to improve and to succeed.
To my knowledge, it is an English elective that 11th grade drama students and others may take.
Appendix D, Page 1
The facilities are not. The teacher made the best of the space and encouraged his students to
stay focused, get into character, share their ideas, and collaborate. A writing lab that can also
be used as a small studio space would be helpful. The students and teacher could be as creative
as possible and not have to contend with all the noise in the common hallway.
Yes. Although I did not receive or review a piece of curriculum, the teacher was using what
appeared to be a textbook or book that was focused on creative writing and the basic principles
of strong writing. He referred to it during the class and made connections to the students’
individual writings and methods of interpretation.
Sure. Invite published writers to discuss their journeys and lead a lecture/demonstration on
topics such as the use of strong verbs, how to include the senses in one’s writing, authentic
research and the business of publishing.
As stated above, have new physical space for writing labs with studios and master classes for
writers.
The class observation is important to get a chance to see what is actually happening in the
classroom. If CSA wants to be taken seriously, it also will need to be in a position to graduate
strong serious writers that can get into college and grow.
Appendix D, Page 2
DATE: Nov. 18, 2013
CLASS: English /Honors
TEACHER: Mr. Alexander Hickson
GRADE: 10
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 12
When I came into the class, it already had started, but the instruction from Mr. Hicks was for
the students to break into groups and read specific passages from the play “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Yes: the reading of assigned passages and oral interpretation.
Not really in terms of oral interpretation. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest, I would rate
their reading and oral interpretation a 3. But this also is due to the teacher not being clear
enough about his expectations.
form?
Not really because this was an English class, and they were just reading to one another.
Yes, as a group they were given the opportunity to read out loud for the class
among students?
This was fine. The students rehearsed with one another in the classroom and the hallway, and
the teacher would listen to each group and make suggestions about how they might improve.
I did not have any information about the curriculum.
Appendix E, Page 1
No they were not. There were two groups of students in the classroom trying to read aloud and
three groups of students in the hallway reading to one another. It was distracting to say the
least. The students were standing in the hall trying to read as others were passing by. The
students in the classroom were distracted by the other group also trying to read. The teacher
would sit at his desk, then go into the hallway to listen to the students that were there, then
come back to the students in the classroom to offer a few suggestions, then go back to his desk.
For this to be an honors English class, it felt as if the instruction was more about keeping the
students busy for the class period rather than teaching or the students having a rich, quality
experience with such great literature.
Absolutely! After the students have read the literature, having Karamu House, Cleveland Public
Theater or others come in to work with students on oral interpretation would be valuable and
an enriching experience for the students and teachers.
See answer to No. 10 above. I also recommend having a partnership with a university to extend
the experience even further.
The quality of instruction in this class was average and disjointed. It seemed that the teacher
was more involved in being the actor showing his interpretation rather than instructing the
students about how oral interpretation is different than reading and why understanding what
motivates a character is key to how one will interpret them. The theater department should be
reevaluated as a part of the plan in order for students to be competitive with other students
from other arts schools.
Appendix E, Page 2
DATE: Nov. 18, 2013
CLASS: Playwriting/Theater
TEACHER: Dr. Miller
GRADES: 11 and 12
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: Eight playwrights and approximately 15-20 other students
There was no apparent sequence of instruction during my observation. This combined class of
playwrights, actors, dancers, and vocalists seemed unorganized and somewhat chaotic. For at
least the first 10 minutes of my observation, some students were on stage, others were milling
around waiting for class to start, and still others were having sideline conversations. Dr. Miller
then instructed the students who were working on their plays and who needed feedback to
meet him in the back of the auditorium. It took another five to 10 minutes for him to break the
other students into their respective groups. Some went behind stage to work on their songs, and
others started rehearsing lines from a play, while the remaining students sat in their seats
talking and observing what was happening on stage. Dr. Miller returned to the back of the
auditorium with the eight students needing feedback on their plays, and I was asked to join
them.
No, not that I could tell. The class was primarily a conversation about the emails Dr. Miller had
sent to students about their writing.
It was very hard to tell. Again, this was a noisy, chaotic environment with a lot of distractions —
from people walking in and out of doors, students on stage, students in the aisles and seats,
students standing and sitting on a table in the back — with everyone competing to be heard.
form?
Somewhat, but primarily from the standpoint that they could shape their stories and try to
develop their characters as playwrights.
Appendix F, Page 1
Somewhat. I was sitting with the students who were working on their writing and only three
really participated or got the chance to participate. Dr. Miller left the group once to go and
attend to something else happening at the front of the auditorium. This disruption broke the
momentum so when he returned a couple of students had wandered off.
among students?
Dr. Miller seemed to thoroughly enjoy his interaction with the students and exhibited positive
behavior in the sense that he wants them to succeed. And the students worked collaboratively
within the various groups.
No, not to my knowledge. It wasn’t evident from the way the class was introduced or discussions
within the smaller group that the activities were connected to an overall curriculum. It may have
been, but I didn’t hear or observe that it was.
No, not based on what I was observing with two to three groups in one auditorium.
Yes. It would have been helpful to have handout materials for the class with clear expectations
for the students as well as more administrative support to handle the organization of this
activity in the auditorium. I already have addressed the facility challenges.
Yes. A theater group could provide a lecturer on a subject such as playwriting, theater
performance or character development.
It could and should be very different in order to give the students every opportunity for quality
instruction. The class should have strong, skilled and professional teachers with an industrystandard background in playwriting and theater and who also have the necessary skills for
strong instruction and project-based learning.
Appendix F, Page 2
The instruction was inconsistent, seemed almost too casual and lacked organization. These
components would allow a teacher to give the students the benefit of all the class time allotted
in lieu of wasting 15-20 minutes settling everyone down and moving them around this large
open space for erratic or seemingly unplanned rehearsal and instruction time.
Appendix F, Page 3
CSA OBSERVATION: Theater Performance
DATE: Nov. 19, 2013
THEATER PERFORMANCE: “A Raisin in the Sun”
TEACHER: Dr. Miller
GRADES: 10-12
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: approximately 20-25
AUDIENCE MEMBERS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS: approximately 150-175
I believe this was a dress rehearsal for a show that was going to be open to the public and other
schools on Nov. 22 and 23. I had seen small segments of the play being rehearsed on Monday,
Nov 18.
Overall, this was a fairly decent show considering the content and the timeframe. The students
who played Walter and Mama were quite good considering their ages. The other students were
average in terms of character development. The lighting and sound needed more work because
they did not add much to the story with regard to setting a mood, evoking emotion or telling the
story in general. I don’t know how much time was allotted to get this show rehearsed and up
but it could have used at least another week or two. On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, I
would rank this show a 3.
I am not sure if is, but I did observe an honors English class reading “A Raisin in the Sun” at the
performance, so I am assuming that it may be required reading that the theater students, vocal
students and others perform.
I would say they are not based on my observation of the two classes run simultaneously by Dr.
Miller in the auditorium, as stated in my other observation report.
Absolutely. Better rehearsal space or even a black box theater would be helpful with at least the
minimum lighting and sound expertise.
Appendix G, Page 1
Yes. As stated in my class observation report, have professional theater companies visit the
schools and offer master classes to improve the students’ skill set beyond their standard
instruction.
N/A — This was an observation of a performance.
It informs our plan to suggest that students will need to be exposed to other professionals in
theater or technical design in order to develop and grow. It might be helpful to allow students to
audition and be cast in local theater companies’ productions as a component of project-based
learning, or to receive at least one credit in order to gain more experience at a higher level.
Appendix G, Page 2
CSA Observation Report:
November 21-22, 2013
Submitted by Dan Serig
November 21st
Mr. Carver — Visual Arts — ninth-10th grade — 9-9:50 a.m.
Mr. Carver uses this extended block primarily for students to work on various
projects from the assignment list, which is the curriculum. He begins the class
session by reminding students to get their work ready for the Scholastic Arts
competition. There are 24 students in the class evenly distributed between boys and
girls. I notice the room is double the size of a typical classroom with the addition of
two storage closets.
The Scholastic deadline appears to be driving the assignments. My experience with
Scholastic Arts competition is that the “winning” entries tend to be technically
superior because that is what judges can agree on, while the conceptual rigor and
innovation is often not addressed because it is more difficult to assess. I question the
reliance on this competition as the major motivation for student works.
Most students are engaged in their projects either alone or in small working groups.
One student works on a pencil drawing of a Lamborghini. This, along with the
subject matter of other student drawings, leads me to conclude that students are
welcomed to appropriate and use imagery that interests them for some projects.
Most students are doing drawings of some kind. Mr. Carver explains that the first
project of the semester was to draw their shoes from observation. Many are now
working on the “Surrealist Drawing” assignment. Most work appears to be between
9”x12” and 24”x36”, with most in the smaller size. The students do these drawings
at one of 12 long folding tables with two to three students per table.
The drawing skills of the students are very high. Mr. Carver often works with small
groups on particular drawing skills. The assignments and work I observe lead me to
infer that most projects are with drawing media, particularly pencil, and in a
representational style, even if exploring Surrealist notions. As Mr. Carver turns on
some old-school R&B music, I notice a couple of students working on two of the five
easels at one end of the room. I engage one in conversation, and she describes how
difficult painting is, especially in acrylics. She wishes she could do more painting
with various media.
Appendix H, Page 1
I talk with a couple of students about the curriculum. Students get a list of
assignments at the beginning of the year and they work independently to complete
all of them by the end of the year. Students are, in large measure, in charge of
managing their time. Mr. Carver provides demonstrations on skills and techniques.
A list of artists is provided for each assignment to give students access to exemplars.
Some of the assignments receive a historical context through a lecture by Mr.
Carver. These two students also comment on the proliferation of drawing media as
the means for executing the majority of projects. Mr. Carver provides the materials
for the students, as needed. Materials do not appear to be readily accessible by the
students without Mr. Carver’s mediation.
The emphasis on drawing and drawing from observation is well-founded in terms of
art and design schools asking for such work in application portfolios. However,
these students, for the most part, appear ready to explore more media, more
concepts, and more challenging problems. Some assignments offer a choice of media
while others dictate the choice.
I am impressed with the support and help students offer each other. The
interactions are friendly, sometimes in a competitive way: “My drawing is better
than yours [with a smile].” The support is often in the form of suggestions for the
work or in getting materials from Mr. Carver. This appears to follow Mr. Carver’s
lead. He often frames his instruction and refocusing comments in the form of
challenges. Emphasis of instruction is on creating representational form on a flat
surface. According to students, middle school instruction focused heavily on
building drawing skills. This appears to be an extension of that.
The students with whom I discuss curriculum reveal more insights: They would like
to explore photography or graphic design, but those areas are not options for their
track in the “fine arts.” Their present work is typical in terms of using source
imagery from Internet searches. Many students also work from printed photos
taken by the teacher or a friend. Some look at imagery on their smartphone screens.
One is sitting at one of the two computers in the classroom using Google to find an
image to use in his drawing. Mr. Carver reminds the students to change the image
somehow — adapt it for their use. Some students use tracing paper to do initial
drawings of complicated imagery. While none of these processes, in and of
themselves, are questionable in moderation, the overreliance on two-dimensional,
secondary sources does not adequately prepare students for colleges of art and
design. As I make note of this, two other female students show me their prints. They
worked from photographs that are not their own, but the photos were in black and
white and the students added color using water printing pencils. They are thrilled to
be doing art here.
Appendix H, Page 2
Mr. Carver — Visual Arts — 11th-12th grade — 10-10:50 a.m.
Mr. Carver and I have a chance to talk, and he explains that students must work
through the assignment sheet in order because it builds skills sequentially.
The next group of 11th and 12th grade students arrives. Shortly after, half of them
leave to go to a college presentation. The class is down to 12 students. While these
students get to work, Mr. Carver gives me a copy of the art exam he gives every year.
He changes it a bit each time, but it basically remains the same so that by students’
senior year, they know it well. I skim the exam, and it appears to cover basic content
vocabulary such as the elements and principles of design, color schemes, and
historical genres. Mr. Carver relates a story of how he felt out of place when he went
to art school because he did not know this information and it seemed like all of the
other students did. So, he does not want CSA students to be in the same position.
Da’ise shows me her portfolio. Her drawing skills are excellent, as well. She also
includes colored pencil and oil pastels. All work is based on representational
drawing with more abstract elements added. She explains the choices she made in
terms of media, but, more importantly, in terms of concept and how the imagery is
communicating the concept through composition, color, media, symbols, and
editing. She applied to several art schools.
She also explains how Mr. Carver does critiques. Students gather around a large
table and bring their work in progress. He points to one, and the student has to
present his or her work, then Mr. Carver offers feedback, then the other students do.
Da’ise wishes for more constructive criticism to help her get better. She also
mentions that she wishes she could have had more experiences with painting media.
She mentions only working with watercolors (the hardest painting medium to
control, by the way).
Another student is working on an acrylic painting, trying to determine how she will
proceed. She says she’s confused about how to achieve the color and texture she is
attempting. This brings up another point about material usage. Students are using
materials in a safe manner and there is no evidence of toxic materials. However, the
room is not ventilated to work with oil-based inks or pastels. There is no spray
booth in the room, either.
Some students work on their “civil rights” assignment. As with the other class, most
imagery is being appropriated from the Internet with little manipulation other than
“colorizing” them for printing. There is a lack of experimentation with scale and
materials. Students mainly stay within their comfort zone of representational
drawing of flat, printed imagery from photos or the Internet. This mastery should
not be taken away, but some divergence should be introduced.
Appendix H, Page 3
Mr. Carver also notes that seeing the students over multiple years is great for
developing their skills, but he also notes that some students get “burned out” and
switch to something else. The “dedicated” ones stay.
Postscript:
Some things I am questioning and concerned with after observing Mr. Carver’s
classes:





Lack of materials
Lack of student access to materials
Lack of access and exposure to contemporary artists and artworks
Lack of articulated learning goals and objectives associated with
assignments. The enacted curriculum seems narrowly focused on
representational drawing.
Could the drawing skills be preserved through a rigorous sketchbook or
journaling process that feeds a more varied curriculum?
The curriculum is narrowly focused on representational drawing. This focus does
well in Scholastic art competition and is still used as a “yardstick” by which many art
schools evaluate application portfolios. However, this narrow focus does not
represent contemporary art practices. The assignment list, with its few references to
named artists, continues to narrow the focus. This is further exacerbated by the lack
of materials and limited access to the few that are available. Critiques are repetitive,
teacher-driven, and focused primarily on drawing skills. There is no 3D/sculpture
strand.
The exam (given every year in similar format) sets the bar extremely low. This may
be an attempt to make up for little or no previous arts experiences for the students.
Mr. Carver has the best of intentions for doing this: He does not want them
embarrassed in college by not knowing “the basics,” as he was when he went.
This raises the conundrum: Is the new CSA curriculum based on a standard of
excellence representing the best high school of the arts, which entails moving
students from a deficient place to an advanced place in a relatively short time? Or is
it about mastering “the basics?” I assume it's the former, which means much more
time doing art — several hours a day, in school and out of school. This has to be an
intense, full-on push.
Miss Yan — Chinese I — high school students — 12:15-12:37 p.m.
I enter a Chinese I (Mandarin) class for a brief observation. The teacher stands at the
board and reviews vocabulary both orally and by pointing to characters. The unit is
on color names. The 14 students attend with varying levels of focus. Some shout out
Appendix H, Page 4
the answers. The student next to me is texting. The teacher then goes around the
room to make sure students have paper out to take notes.
As I look around the room, I notice that the desks and chairs are in three columns
facing the whiteboard. The bookshelves are empty. Four aging computers line the
back wall. A bulletin board does have a few images of traditional Chinese painting
and poetry. Hanging from the ceiling are paper lanterns cut from a template and
colored in with colored pencils.
Students are now writing the character that the teacher projects on the board as she
traces it. She moves around the room to check the students’ work.
Postscript:
The curricular expectations for students seem low. The environment is not
stimulating for cultural explorations.
Matt Higgins — Physics teacher
I speak with Matt for 20 minutes regarding his curriculum and his teaching at CSA
for the second year. Students are not present. He describes engaging students
through labs, but he works with limited equipment. This does not hold him back,
however. He does things like egg drops, pull carts with weights, measuring school
stairs and then computing the amount of work (energy) needed to go up the stairs.
He shares his concern, however, that the mandated curriculum is out of order in
terms of building sequential understanding of concepts. He also complains that he is
required to collect large amounts of data on students in relation to the curriculum
outcomes, which takes time away from his main job of preparing to teach and
motivating the students. He loves teaching at an art school, though. He describes the
students as goal-oriented and motivated. This is juxtaposed against the reality that
three of his four classroom computers don’t work.
Mr. Higgins would like more time to socialize with other faculty, learn from them,
and share with them. At present, he rarely has time to leave his classroom.
Postscript:
Mr. Higgins leads what appears to be a student-centered class with project-based
learning in which students discover concepts through hands-on projects. This
appears to be a good fit for CSA. If he had the opportunity to socialize with other
faculty, as he desires, he could help influence the other academic areas/teachers.
Appendix H, Page 5
Mr. Brown — guest dancer for ballet rehearsal in Mr. Greene's class — middle
school students — 1-2 p.m.
Mr. Brown is an alumnus who also is working as a professional dancer with the Bill
T. Jones and Arnie Zane Dance Company in Dallas. The regular teacher for the class
is Mr. Terrance Greene. Mr. Brown leads the 19, mostly female, middle school
students through a series of warm-ups followed by a routine they have been
learning. He focuses the instruction on timing, vocabulary for the moves and the
pace. Mr. Greene sits at the front of the dance studio, nodding and making gestures
to specific students. The students appear serious about their work. Mr. Greene asks,
“Is it burning yet?”
The students have a changing room off one corner of the dance studio. Balance bars
are on two sides of the room in front of full-length mirrors. The room is particularly
warm. The whole school seems warm. I feel for the student dancers.
The instruction is fast-paced and calls for students to draw on their memory, mindbody communication, and response. Students exhibit a wide variety of skill levels.
Some are quite tentative, which is not surprising given this developmental phase.
Mr. Greene tells me that, for some students, this is their first dance class while
others have been taking classes for years. As Mr. Brown takes the students through
another series of moves, I am struck by the structure of the instruction: 1. Watch
me; 2. Watch me, follow me; 3. Again, watch me, follow me; 4. You do it, I watch.
Then he gives the group general feedback. Then he shows them what he means. The
students follow. The feedback focuses on body control. Even if they are tired or off
balance, the students are reminded to “live up tall.”
At this point, Mr. Greene welcomes three older students who come in to mentor the
younger ones. He's proud that the dancers are typically the honors students at CSA.
Postscript:
The class is rigorous. It reminds me of other evaluations of dance programs (Utah,
National Dance Institute) and the amount of mind/body learning happening in
dance. There is a strong sense of etiquette, respect, and order. I wonder if the dance
program is as narrowly focused as the visual art program. Having alumni return to
help educate sends a strong message to the younger students. The exchanges
between Mr. Brown and Mr. Greene reinforce the professionalism and seemingly
high standards. This observation raises the issue, again, of differentiation within a
rigidly controlled curriculum. Additional time in focused, purposeful practice must
be put in place for students to achieve excellence.
Appendix H, Page 6
November 21st
Mr. “K” — AP American History — 8:50-9:20 a.m.
Mr. K typically has nine students in this class, but five of them are preparing for the
Friday arts show. The four students engage in a dialog about the movie “The Green
Berets” starring John Wayne. They are juxtaposing this propagandistic movie to the
text “Bloods” written about the African-American experience in Vietnam. Students
respond to open-ended questions from Mr. K. They infer, draw initial conclusions,
and reference the movie to support their views. Students will be writing a paper
regarding the text and movie, and answering the question: What does it mean to be
a man? This will then connect to the next unit on feminism.
Postscript:
Students should be having the same kind of discussions in their art classes. Perhaps
Mr. K should lead a professional development workshop on the Socratic method for
the art teachers.
Back to Mr. Carver’s visual arts class — same group as yesterday with some
seniors spending time at work in the room — 9:25-10 a.m.
I walk in on a critique led by Mr. Carver. Most of the students are standing around a
table looking at a particular student’s work. The feedback and comments from the
teacher and students all link back to technical drawing ability, particularly shading
and form. It’s all about drawing.
The old-school R&B is playing. As with yesterday, a student is doing a pencil
drawing based on an image on his smartphone. At this point I look out the window
and see Mr. Higgins physics students standing outside as they drop objects out the
second story window to test one of Newton’s laws of motion. Two students are at
the computer doing Google image searches for sources.
Postscript:
The new CSA visual arts curriculum needs to be sufficiently different. However, I
want to acknowledge Mr. Carver's focused intensity on making sure students
develop a recognized skill: drawing from observation. In many ways, he delivers
what many art faculty want from high-school graduates: skilled draftspeople who
are then, supposedly, ready to start thinking conceptually. This, however, is
shortsighted and does not represent a dynamic, 21st century visual arts curriculum
or thinking.
Appendix H, Page 7
The new CSA visual arts curriculum must include work in various media, various
scales, and with students learning to contextualize their work (much the same as in
Mr. K's AP history course discussion). Students must have multiple opportunities to
exhibit their work in professional-type spaces. They must also have access to
contemporary artists and artistic practices. The bar must be set much higher and
the resources available to get students with limited previous art experience through
a rigorous program in limited time. Resources include the time and expertise to get
them there.
Observation of the Friday arts assembly — 10 a.m.
Today is theatre arts day. Students are doing excerpts from this weekend’s
performances of “Fine Mirrors: Pieces form Five Classic Plays Laced Together with
Song.” Students are demonstrating high-quality performances, but there is a lack of
professional equipment and support. In addition, the audience of students was not
prepared for the excerpt from Hamlet. This leads me to question students’ access to
and awareness of knowledge and understanding across art forms. What is the level
of discourse and critique of each other’s work and high-quality professional works?
Postscript:
Developing student abilities to perceive closely, reflect deeply, and critique works of
art is an area that I see great opportunity with the Cleveland arts and cultural
community. Students need to be in close contact with quality art and artists to
develop these abilities. These experiences should be woven throughout the arts
disciplines.
Mr. Porter — American History — ninth grade — 12-12:37 p.m.
Mr. Porter is finishing a PowerPoint presentation lecture. The 23 students are
preparing for a test based on content in their textbooks. After the presentation,
students work at their desks, which are placed in rows facing the front of the room.
The assignment is to answer questions at the end of a chapter in the textbook.
Students try to talk to each other but end up doing one-to-one questions with the
teacher as they struggle with some of the questions such as, “Does Hawaii still have
a monarchy?” The test next week will be about how different places in the world
were impacted by U.S. involvement. Test questions will concern the what, how, and
why of the impacts — 21 questions in all. It appears the course has not changed
much since I was in American History in ninth grade. Evident from the interactions
of the teacher with individual students is that the students have difficulty analyzing
informational text for causes and effects of events.
Appendix H, Page 8
There are no computers in the room. Chalkboards are on two walls. Graded
worksheets are on the back wall: completed charts on the effects of
industrialization. I am surprised that students must turn in textbooks at the end of
class due to limited resources. They must also turn in the questions they’ve
completed. I wonder if you couldn’t teach history through the arts.
Mrs. Calamita — Photography and multimedia teacher — 12:45-2 p.m.
I speak with Mrs. Calamita at length about the photography and multimedia
programs as well as cross-disciplinary efforts. She also discusses getting ready for
Scholastic and selecting photographs. We look at several images on a board. The
work is amazing. The technical proficiency and composition is top-notch for the
high-school level. The photos are digital prints with Photoshop work. Mrs. Calamita
mentions one of the students with work on the wall will be going to Skidmore on a
full scholarship.
The work is assignment-based but includes such projects as ‘Feminist Discourse.’
She also does cross-disciplinary experiments like working with a creative writing
teacher to pair students for projects. Mrs. Calamita understands that it is quite
unique to get to spend four years with students in high school focusing on
photography. During each year she brings in a visiting artist. One is working with
the photo students now. Another graphic designer will be working with them later
in the semester.
The multimedia class for middle school students seems more like a general visual
arts class. The photo/multimedia room is outfitted with big screen Macs for
Photoshop work, but the middle school students use them, too. I notice three
students going to them. The middle-school curriculum seems more project-based
with less of a connection among the projects, whereas the photography curriculum
seems more purposefully sequential, but this is a very cursory read. I also notice two
large-scale printers (Epson 52” and Epson ~38”). There’s a side/storage room that
has few materials but a table with chairs that some students move to. Students on
the computers, now numbering seven, are using them like the high-school students
in Mr. Carver’s class: for Google image searches to work on the new assignment.
Postscript:
Mrs. Calamita blends technique with concept in her curriculum. Students go out and
have experiences, such as field trips in the neighborhood or by public transport,
from which they draw inspiration to create work. Her experimentation with crossdisciplinary projects should be encouraged and made more possible within new
structures/systems. There should be a system in the new CSA by which teachers are
encouraged and supported to work across or among disciplines either as electives
or part of the sequence of courses.
Appendix H, Page 9
Final Thoughts
The visual arts curriculum needs to be redesigned using the best of what Mr. Carver
has created with major revisions. This most likely includes many new courses.
Perhaps he has a drawing strand of courses, but they must not be the only strand.
Teachers must also be expected to engage in ongoing professional development that
engages them in the practices of artists and in pedagogical approaches that help
students build their conceptual capacities along with their technical skills. Academic
teachers must engage in professional development in the arts, as well. Academic
teachers should observe “best practices” in arts instruction and be supported to
incorporate project-based learning, critique, and portfolios. In addition, authentic
connections should be made among disciplines. For instance, history courses should
use the arts as content and motivators to learn the non-art material.
Most importantly from my observations, students need much more time in their arts
disciplines. In relationship to this, CSA is resource poor, and it is impacting the
curriculum, limiting the students' opportunities to explore and excel, and limiting
teachers' options for the kinds of learning that can happen.
In closing, the students are amazing. They want to work hard. They appreciate their
school and the opportunity they have. They deserve a nationally recognized arts
high school.
Appendix H, Page 10
Main Points from Interviews
November 2013
Dr. Rekha S. Rajan
The following is a summary of the main points from interviews conducted with the principal and pastprincipal of Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA), and six alumni who graduated from CSA nearly 20
years ago. The ideas and recommendations shared by those interviewed were almost identical. The main
points are organized by ideas for strengthening CSA admissions, faculty, student experience, curriculum
and school culture.
CSA Admissions


Construct a team for auditions that includes academic and artistic faculty
Interview students to gauge both artistic and academic interest in attending CSA
Faculty

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Add opportunities for project-based learning and in-service training for faculty
Faculty members need to collaborate with one another and trust administration
Identify connections to professional opportunities
Need to work together across disciplines to strengthen both academics and arts
Need to prepare students for college – both through academic work and real-world mentoring and
marketing
Teach students to respect and appreciate all different forms of art
Students




Meet goals of preparing for college and ensuring graduation from college
Work with guidance counselors to address needs and interests
Maintain grades as requirement to participate in productions and other artistic experiences
Forge family-like friendships with students and faculty
Curriculum

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Need more focus on academics; strong focus on arts already in place
Attend workshops and performances in professional settings
Have the opportunity to participate in professional performances and productions
Offer college preparatory courses for students
Allow students to shadow professionals in their field
Need enough opportunities for private study for each student (i.e., enough teachers to give private
lessons to music students)
Create more opportunities to travel to perform, to attend performances and festivals, and to
observe other students and professionals
Add courses and seminars that focus on the business aspects of artistic industries
Appendix I, Page 1
School Culture

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
Need support from district and recognition of CSA as an important school both for arts and
academics
Principals need control of staffing and funds for hiring an appropriate number of employees to be
a premiere arts school
Need to have appropriate performance and exhibition space for each artistic discipline (e.g., a
stage for performing, a recording studio for singers and an exhibition hall for artists)
Procure the latest technology, equipment and instruments for students
Cast the school as a safe-place that fosters creativity and a sense of family for students
Find ways to involve and engage alumni who want to “give back” to the school
Continue to maintain a sense of community
Appendix I, Page 2
Visual Arts and Music Standards
for Curriculum Development
The purpose of this report is to create a baseline of standards for music and the visual arts within the
Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and its Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA).
These standards result from identifying consistencies in national, state and higher education music
curriculum outcomes, as well as identification of professional skill sets. CMSD and CSA music and visual
arts curricula must use national and career/professional standards that provide students the
preparation and rigor necessary to win admittance to and succeed in the highest quality conservatories
and programs at colleges and universities. To accomplish this, students should participate in a “realworld curriculum” inside Cleveland area institutions where professional-level practice, rehearsal,
performance and production become essential to the student vocabulary and experience. This includes
the opportunity to study with studio teachers, as well as the opportunity to gain college credits and
learning where possible. These efforts must be part of a directed and differentiated course of instruction
where the learner’s expected outcomes are systematic, transparent and carefully assessed.
These standards also result from an analysis and synthesis of the following documents:
-
-
Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools: Reinventing public education in our city and serving
as a model of innovation for the state of Ohio (2012)
A Premier Future: Unifying Students, Teachers and the Community for Success In and Through
the Arts – CMSD Department of Arts Education 2008-2013 Strategic Plan
CMSD Scope and Sequence for the Visual Arts (2012)
CMSD Scope and Sequence for Music (2012)
The Ohio Department of Education’s visual arts standards (2012)
The Ohio Department of Education’s music standards (2012)
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) frameworks:
o PARCC Model Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy for Grade 9, Version 2.0—August
2012
National Association for Music Education’s “National Standards for Music Education”
“Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st Century Art & Culture Curriculum” by Olivia
Gude
“Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education” by Lois Hetland, Ellen Winner,
Shirley Veenema, and Kimberly M. Sheridan
Context
CMSD must draw upon the high-quality resources available for designing and implementing music and
visual arts and design curricula in a district and nationally renowned school of the arts. Fortunately, as
stated in the CMSD Department of Arts Education 2008-2013 Strategic Plan:
Appendix J, Page 1
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is very fortunate to have many nationally known,
arts and cultural organizations that actively support CMSD arts education in the schools and at
their locations. These organizations design and deliver arts instruction and programs that
support student academic success, arts skill development and link to State of Ohio curriculum
standards and literacy instruction. (p. 7)
Ohio also has a contemporary set of rigorous music and visual arts standards that should be employed
as part of the CMSD/CSA programming and curriculum design. These visual arts and music standards
align well with and can be further adapted for the focus on college and career readiness described in
Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools:
Through its commitment to the Higher Education Compact of Greater Cleveland, the district and
its charter partners will invest in college readiness, access and persistence for all its students,
with the goal of improving Cleveland college enrollment and graduation rates. This will include
increasing the number of high school students enrolled in post-secondary coursework and
partnering with local employers to train and connect students with open positions that will
provide immediate and longterm employment opportunities. (p. 10)
CMSD/CSA music and visual arts and design programming must use curriculum standards to develop the
skills and understandings students need to succeed in colleges of the arts at the highest level. To
accomplish this, CMSD/CSA visual arts and design students should take part in internships in the creative
industries and cultural institutions of greater Cleveland and participate in college-level courses when
appropriate. Both internships and college-level courses must be part of a systematic, purposeful
curriculum that is acutely aware of the high standards and pathways to meeting them, as well as
ongoing, critical feedback, and assessment that tracks student progress and achievement.
Related Initiatives
Integral to college and career readiness is the achievement of the Common Core State Standards in
English and math. Ohio is one of 20 states helping to develop the PARCC assessments to determine
student readiness to take entry-level, college courses in those areas. In particular, the Ohio visual arts
standards emphasize many of the Common Core standards in English Language Arts/Literacy. For
example, one of the strands in ELA is the Speaking and Listening Standards. In ninth and 10th grade the
standards are characterized as follows:
Students speak (both in formal presentations and in informal discussions) with growing maturity
to convey ideas and information both clearly and persuasively. Students are simultaneously
developing listening skills that allow them to participate effectively and contribute to groups.
(p.9)
While in the Ohio visual arts standards, two “Progress Points” for high school students that directly
relate to the Common Core description above are the following:
Students will apply reasoning skills to communicate key ideas expressed in their artworks and
the works of others and use appropriate criteria and language to critique the works. [And]
Appendix J, Page 2
students will demonstrate respect for, and effectively work with, socially and culturally diverse
teams or content to increase innovation and quality.
Many other instances exist of overlap among the Common Core ELA standards and the Ohio visual arts
standards. Using the Ohio visual arts standards would mean additional emphasis and attention to the
Common Core standards, which are the basis for the PARCC assessments.
Visual Arts Standards
The CMSD standards for the visual arts recapitulate verbatim the Ohio visual arts standards. The only
difference being that the CMSD visual arts standards divide the state standards into quarters. They also
provide two additional categories for each quarter: Activities, Resources and Field Experiences and
Children’s Literature. Breaking the state standards into quarters seems counter to the school autonomy
and performance-based assessment characteristics highlighted in Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming
Schools. Visual arts and design teachers and departments should be allowed to develop their own
strategies for meeting the standards based on their specific contexts. The quarterly expectations are too
narrowly prescribed. Likewise, the Children’s Literature section, while valuable in its resourcefulness,
seems limiting. The listing of literature to consider connecting with the standards could easily exist as an
appendix, as could the Activities, Resources and Field Experiences, which are mostly redundant over
several quarters.
Another important difference in the CMSD and Ohio visual arts standards is the page layout of the
information. This may seem less significant than the content, but there is a crucial visual preference.
People raised in Western cultures read a page of text starting in the upper left-hand corner. On the
CMSD visual arts standards pages, this is where the heading and first quarter standards begin. The Ohio
state standards page locates the “Enduring Understandings” in this corner. These understandings are
the overarching, ongoing focal points for the entire visual arts programming. These ‘mission statements’
ground all of the subsequent standards on the page. The CMSD pages have these understandings in the
lower right-hand corner. Layout matters. It is part of the visual designing of information.
The Enduring Understandings set the stage for a dynamic, contextualized, relevant, and rigorous
education in the visual arts:




Personal Choice and Vision: Students construct and solve problems of personal relevance and
interest when expressing themselves through visual art.
Critical and Creative Thinking: Students combine and apply artistic and reasoning skills to
imagine, create, realize and refine artworks in conventional and innovative ways.
Authentic Application and Collaboration: Students work individually and in groups to focus
ideas and create artworks that address genuine local and global community needs.
Literacy: As consumers, critics and creators, students evaluate and understand artworks and
other texts produced in the media forms of the day.
These are further characterized within each grade grouping (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and high school) into Progress
Points. These developmentally appropriate markers identify aims, from historical and cultural contexts
Appendix J, Page 3
to skills and tools; career awareness and readiness to communication and collaboration; and more. They
are a model framework from which to build a high-quality visual arts curriculum at CSA.
Given these considerations and differences between the CMSD and Ohio visual arts standards,
CMSD/CSA should adopt the Ohio visual arts standards as their model for curriculum development. In
doing so, they include all recapitulated standards in the CMSD version but with additional flexibility and
emphasis on the Enduring Understandings. The Ohio visual arts standards also compliment and help
achieve the Common Core ELA standards and provide additional opportunities for students to prepare
for the PARCC assessments presently in development.
Frameworks for Curriculum Development
Implicated in the Ohio visual arts standards are Olivia Gude’s “Principles of Possibility: Considerations for
a 21st Century Art & Culture Curriculum” (2007).1 This seminal text in art education describes an
alternative to the modernist, formalist conception of visual arts education being anchored to elements
of art and principles of design. She argues that art educators focusing on contemporary art practices,
critical theory, and student empowerment do view the elements and principles as necessary or
sufficient for a high-quality art curriculum. Gude argues:
Contemplating the main topics of a curriculum ought to stimulate students' and teachers'
anticipation and participation. Modernist elements and principles, a menu of media, or lists of
domains, modes, and rationales are neither sufficient nor necessary to inspire a quality art
curriculum through which students come to see the arts as a significant contribution to their
lives. (p. 6)
Instead, Gude continues, visual arts curricula should be based upon new “Principles of Possibility”:










Playing
Forming self
Investigating community themes
Encountering difference
Attentive living
Empowered experiencing
Empowered making
Deconstructing culture
Reconstructing social spaces
Not knowing
These are not meant to be themes or units of instruction. Rather, they are a framework from which art
educators can create experiences and curricula that engage students and teachers in meaningful art
1
Gude derived the Principle of Possibility from her “understanding of the research and practice of colleagues in
the fields of art, media studies, art education, and community arts as well as from best practices of the Spiral
Workshop, the University of Illinois at Chicago's Saturday youth artist program for 13-19-year-olds and the
Contemporary Community Curriculum Initiative, UIC's programs with in-service art teachers. (p. 7)
Appendix J, Page 4
making. The CSA visual arts instructors should include Gude’s framework in their development of the
curriculum and programs.
Another curriculum framework focuses on the habits employed by successful art educators who are also
practicing artists. “Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education” by Lois Hetland, Ellen
Winner, Shirley Veenema, and Kimberly M. Sheridan offers categories of practice from which engaging,
rigorous, relevant, and thorough visual arts education may be framed.2 The studio habits observed in
high-quality, high school arts education were:
Develop Craft: Learning to use tools, materials, artistic conventions; and learning to care for
tools, materials, and space.
Engage & Persist: Learning to embrace problems of relevance within the art world and/or of
personal importance, to develop focus conducive to working and persevering at tasks.
Envision: Learning to picture mentally what cannot be directly observed and imagine possible
next steps in making a piece.
Express: Learning to create works that convey an idea, a feeling, or a personal meaning.
Observe: Learning to attend to visual contexts more closely than ordinary “looking” requires,
and thereby to see things that otherwise might not be seen.
Reflect: Learning to think and talk with others about an aspect of one’s work or working process,
and, learning to judge one’s own work and working process and the work of others.
Stretch & Explore: Learning to reach beyond one’s capacities, to explore playfully without a
preconceived plan, and to embrace the opportunity to learn from mistakes.
Understand Arts Community: Learning to interact as an artist with other artists, i.e., in
classrooms, in local arts organizations, and across the art field and within the broader society.
These “Studio Habits of Mind,” as with the Principles of Possibility, are reflected in the Ohio visual arts
standards. Taken as a union of standards and frameworks, these three, key texts hold potential for a
visual arts curriculum at CSA that is on the leading edge of high school programming in the nation.
Music Standards
The CMSD standards for music are restatements, like the visual arts, of Ohio and National standards.
The framework of these standards is based upon the following National Standards for Music outcomes:
1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2
Lois Hetland is professor and chair of art education at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and senior
research affiliate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ellen Winner is professor and chair of
psychology at Boston College and a senior research associate at Project Zero. Shirley Veenema is an instructor in
visual arts at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. Kimberly M. Sheridan is an assistant professor in the College of
Education and Human Development and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University.
Appendix J, Page 5
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
The revised CMSD Music Scope and Sequence (2013-14) restate Ohio categorical outcomes in “Progress
Points,” “Enduring Understandings,” “Social Emotional Learning,” and “Academic Connections (Multiple
Areas).” “Enduring Understandings” are the actual central focus of Ohio and CMSD music curriculum
learning. These frameworks for assessing student progress are helpful in measuring student music
success through the differing lenses of learning style and special needs. These additions are thoughtful
in that they reflect the challenges that music teachers face.
However, dividing the state music standards into quarters, like the visual arts standards, is contrary to
the nature of Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools and reduces school autonomy to best reflect
their student needs and the appropriate assessment of their learning. Music teachers should be
supported to develop the timing and articulation of these expectations based upon their student’s
actual skill sets, learning abilities and special needs, and in partnership with music and higher education
professional organizations.
Like the visual arts standards, the CMSD music standards graphic presentation fails to help the reader
identify the central “Enduring Understandings” section.
The Enduring Understandings in music are identical to the visual arts standards and help ground music
with other curricular areas and the creative and expressive outcomes of music studies:
Personal Choice and Vision: Students construct and solve problems of personal relevance and
interest when expressing themselves through visual art.
Critical and Creative Thinking: Students combine and apply artistic and reasoning skills to
imagine, create, realize and refine artworks in conventional and innovative ways.
Authentic Application and Collaboration: Students work individually and in groups to focus
ideas and create artworks that address genuine local and global community needs.
Literacy: As consumers, critics and creators, students evaluate and understand artworks and
other texts produced in the media forms of the day.
Appendix J, Page 6
These, like the visual arts, are further articulated through grade and developmentally targeted groupings
(K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and high school) into Progress Points. These groupings provide the kind of flexibility
central to Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools. Like the visual arts, the music standards should be
based upon the Enduring Understandings of The Ohio Music Standards.
Additional Context for Music Curriculum
Music pedagogy has several hundreds of years of development and refinement. Over the last 100 years,
the contribution of music educators and composers has more closely paralleled the actual ways children
learn. Methods derived from the work of Carl Orff and Zoltán Kodály emphasized inspiration,
storytelling, play, movement and increased time for children to participate in making music. Emile
Jaques-Dalcroze’s work and the Dalcroze Eurhythmics approach, is based upon expressiveness,
movement (to “internalize” rhythm) and musical improvisation. Shinichi Suzuki and his Suzuki Method
stress parental co-learning and encouragement, as well as “constant repetition,” listening, and learning
together with other children.
Cleveland and its treasure trove of music educators, performers and institutions have the resources and
willingness to assist CSA and CMSD with these methods as well as the highly regarded studio and
pedagogic practices of Cleveland’s musicians.
Music curriculum is a “living and breathing” practice shaped from these many years of experience,
methods and pedagogic advancement. The progress of music education has followed the advances in
child development and the neurosciences.
The partnership of Cleveland music and medical resources with the ongoing music curriculum
development of CSA (and the preparation and inspiration of all CMSD students) to assist students in
reaching “The Enduring Understandings” is a significant success factor.
Appendix J, Page 7
References
A Premier Future: Unifying Students, Teachers and the Community for Success In and Through the Arts –
CMSD Department of Arts Education 2008-2013 Strategic Plan.
Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools: Reinventing public education in our city and serving as a
model of innovation for the state of Ohio (2012).
CMSD Scope and Sequence for the Visual Arts (2012).
CMSD Scope and Sequence for Music (2012).
Gude, O. (January, 2007). Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st Century Art & Culture
Curriculum. Art Education: the Journal of the National Art Education Association. 60(1), 6-17.
Hetland, L., Winner, L., Veenema, S., and Sheridan, K. M. (2013). Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of
Visual Arts Education. NY: Teachers College Press.
Ohio Visual Arts Standards (2012).
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) frameworks: PARCC Model
Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy for Grade 9, Version 2.0—August 2012
(http://www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/PARCCMCFforELALiteracyGRADE9_FINALAug2012.pdf)
Dalcroze Society of America (http://www.dalcrozeusa.org/about-us/history)
American Orff-Schulwerk Association (http://aosa.org/about/what-is-orff-schulwerk/)
Suzuki Association of the Americas (https://suzukiassociation.org/teachers/twinkler/suzuki/)
Appendix J, Page 8
An Analysis of the Scope and Sequence document, State Standards for Fine Arts and the
Department of Arts Education Strategic Plan
Dr. Rekha S. Rajan
June, 2013
Introduction
This is an analysis of the relationship between the Scope and Sequence (S&S) document
developed by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and standards for fine arts
instruction developed by the Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA) and the Ohio Department of
Education. The analysis identified areas of strength and areas for growth within the S&S
document. The subjects of music (grades K-5), drama (grades K-12) and dance (grades K-12)
were the focus of the analysis.
Comparison to and analysis of the Department of Arts Education (DAE) Strategic Plan
Many of the statements in the S&S document mirrored what was listed in the Ohio
standards for fine arts. However, a focus on providing students with experiences that both
prepared and motivated them for pre-professional arts programs was notably absent from the
S&S document. Such language is included in the DAE strategic plan. For example, Strategic
Goal #2 states, “Cleveland School of the Arts, with the support from Friends of Cleveland
School of the Arts, has focused on educating students in the arts combining both a college
preparatory academic program and a pre-professional arts program.”
Due to the general statements listed in the S&S document, there was little to no
attention given to assessments or how students would be evaluated on their progress. It seems
that this would be an important component to assist teachers and guide professional development
within and outside of the classroom.
Appendix K, Page 1
The DAE’s Strategic Goal #3 states, “This initiative will provide research-based student
outcomes to support additional funding for arts programming, equipment, materials and teacher
professional development. In addition to measuring student achievement, it will be digitally
documented and showcased in the community.” Digital documentation, while mentioned within
the third strategic goal, is not a central component of students’ arts experiences. Interactions and
engagement with the latest technology in all artistic disciplines is a necessary component of
high-quality experiences in the arts within each grade level, in the community, and for college
preparatory programs.
Under “Roles and Responsibilities,” the DAE strategic plan states, “DAE staff provides
ongoing resources, materials and teacher professional development to support arts instruction in
the classrooms of over 100 CMSD schools and programs district wide.” The DAE does not
specifically list the amount of time spent on each of the individual art forms during a day or
week (i.e. per student, per classroom). This specificity will help to ensure that students are
actually receiving the arts experiences that are the focus and goal of the strategic plan.
Summary and Recommendations
Overall, the S&S document strongly aligned with the Ohio standards for fine arts (i.e.,
music, drama, and dance). This was specifically accomplished through the inclusion of near
verbatim statements taken directly from the standards.
Students should be allowed to move through the natural stages of understanding material,
reviewing their new knowledge, and applying and analyzing the material they have learned. The
goals for drama and dance are clear and straightforward, but often simply restate what is listed in
the standards for these art forms.
Appendix K, Page 2
The section on music, however, moves beyond the standards by including discussion of
activities, field experiences, areas for social-emotional learning and academic connections. This
allows teachers to see music as more than just an artistic area of learning, and find ways to
connect with other teachers, specialists and community members.
Overall, the S&S document for music showed an understanding of how children should
meet goals within each quarter and within each grade level. This allowed for growth in multiple
areas. The document also encourages field experiences that relate to the standards and are
appropriate for each grade level. Additional strengths are the sections that have progress points
for teachers to follow growth and learning, and enduring understandings that explore personal
choice, creative thinking, and collaboration.
The most significant components of this revised document are the inclusion of areas for
social-emotional learning and academic connections. This allows for teachers to think beyond
music as an isolated subject area, and find ways to connect with other teachers in the school (i.e.
social studies, language arts), or other specialists in the school and community.
While there were strengths and areas for growth within each arts subject and each grade
level, many key components were absent throughout the document that are central to providing
students with high-quality arts experiences. The following are suggestions for improving the
S&S document:
1. Note that attending live performances is critical for young children’s understanding of an
artist’s role in society and the knowledge that one can pursue a career in the arts.
2. Note that, from a young age, it is critical children have the opportunity to experience
being an audience member. This invaluable setting teaches children of all ages both the
value of live performance and the etiquette required for attending different types of
performances.
3. Many of the activities or components noted that students should gather an understanding
of connections between the arts and between the arts and other subject areas. However,
Appendix K, Page 3
there were few examples included in the general statements, making the actual
components very challenging to translate into an actual classroom.
4. Rather than repeating and re-stating all of the standards listed for each grade level, the
S&S document could include general criteria and provide specific examples for teachers
to implement in their classroom.
5. There could be more opportunities for students to take ownership of their arts experiences
from a young age; many of the opportunities for improvising, creating, and collaborating
in music, drama, and dance began only after fifth grade.
6. Using and creating works of art with the latest technology relevant to each artistic
discipline is a critical component for successful and meaningful engagement in the arts.
There were few examples or statements that encouraged these types of experiences.
7. Students should have the opportunity to build immensely on the components they learn
about in the beginning of the school year. There continues to be an absence of building
on previously learned skills and prior knowledge, since much of the language used is
identical to what is listed in the standards.
8. There should be more opportunities for students to experience and understand the arts
beyond their classroom and to explore world instruments, the orchestra, and the human
voice. Continuing to have students identify basic music forms and basic musical
vocabulary is not challenging or age-appropriate.
9. Terminology used in the S&S document should show this opportunity for growth. After
the first and second quarter, students should move from “identifying and describing” to
“analyzing, creating, representing, comparing and explaining” their artistic experiences.
This would also strengthen the actual “sequence” of learning.
10. By high school, the focus should be on career preparation, understanding art’s role in
society today, and having students continue to analyze bodies of work and defend their
opinions. Additionally, continuing to build on individual portfolios and sharing this work
with their peers (not just revising one’s own work without feedback), is a vital
component of self-evaluation and reflection. This level of critical analysis is central to
having students prepared for college-level theatre and providing them opportunities for
being advocates in their community.
In summary, and amongst all three subject areas, the document created for music was the
most coherent and well-aligned with the standards. Not only did the document for music show
growth amongst the standards within each grade level, but the additional sections that built on
Appendix K, Page 4
social-emotional learning, academic connections, field experiences, and progress points, provide
teachers with a variety of ways to use music meaningfully in their classrooms.
The components for dance were also well-organized and showed a logical trajectory
toward mastering skills in dance as a performer and observer. Contributing to this was, perhaps,
the fact that the Ohio standards for high school were grouped into beginning, intermediate, and
advanced benchmarks, whereas the high school standards for drama and music specified
expectations for each level of high school. There also were specific examples of what the
components should look like within a classroom, rather than general statements.
Appendix K, Page 5
AAA Design Team
Eva Barrett
Christine Bluso
Margaret Carlson
Tess Clarke
Joanne Cohen
Todd Davidson
Nicole Drake
Caroline Goeser
Christine Haff Paluck
Daniel Hahn
Roy James
Lynn Johnston
Joan Katz Napoli
Kevin Kerwin
Ann Klotz
Andrew Koonce
Doris Korda
Scott Miller
Danielle Morris
Ann Mullin
Grafton Nunes
Lauren Onkey
Michelle Pierre-Farid
Santina Protopapa
Paul Putman
Catherine Scallen
Tony Sias
Felton Thomas
Karen Thompson
Audra Woods
Appendix L, Page 1
Best Practices of Schools of the Arts
Introduction
These recommendations for best practices for a school of the arts are based on
comparative research of numerous schools of the arts nationwide and third-party expert
sources.
Leadership and Organizational structures
Most schools of the arts use a pyramid-like structure with a head of school,
executive director or president with an academic dean and an arts dean. Some schools
also have a dean of students. The head of school, executive director or president should
have a strong artistic background, ideally both professional experience and a postgraduate degree; should have school leadership experience; should be charismatic and
comfortable in a “face of the school” role; and be a successful fundraiser and public
speaker.
The quality of a school of the arts is inexorably linked to the quality of its faculty.
The arts faculty should be selected by the head of school and consist of licensed teachers
supervising a staff of professional artists and arts partners. Many schools have 60-120
Appendix M, Page 1
artists working in their school. The academic faculty also should be selected by the head
of school, and most often are certified teachers.
Nearly all schools of the arts report that the pyramid-like organizational and
leadership structure creates balance between the arts and academics, and high levels of
accountability. The resulting organizational structure appears as follows:
Curriculum
A school of the arts curriculum should be pre-professional, follow a clear scope
and sequence and set high expectations for students to progress to higher education. It
also should prepare students to succeed in higher education. Many schools of the arts
offer Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and other college-level
Appendix M, Page 2
courses. While none have an “official” arts-integrated curriculum, several partner with
community and arts partners to provide long-term, project-based curricula. Most schools
of the arts have deep curricular partnerships with arts institutions that allow students to
learn through and about their collections and repertoire both in and out of school.
Scheduling models and school-day hours
Most schools of the arts feature extended school days (e.g., 9 a.m. to 5p.m. or 10
a.m. to 6 p.m.) with bell schedules that cluster arts in the morning and late afternoon.
Some schools schedule arts classes in such a way to allow the hiring of full-time
professional arts faculty. For example on a combined middle and high school of arts the
campus, arts teachers may spend the morning at one school, and the afternoon at the
other.
Auditions and admissions
Most schools of the arts base admissions on either proven arts talent and academic
achievement, or talent, potential and motivation with minimal emphasis on academic
achievement. Most schools’ audition processes include online pre-applications; two
rounds of auditions to allow for re-auditions; strict and transparent rubrics for each arts
discipline; a panel of certified arts faculty members and, in most cases, professional
artists in each specific discipline; an essay; and interviews with students and their parents
or guardians.
Structure and role of foundations and “friends” organizations
Appendix M, Page 3
Most schools of the arts have foundations rather than “friends” organizations. The
foundations are primarily focused upon promoting school visibility and raising money for
student scholarships, private instruction, tutors, summer festivals/camps, instruments,
additional arts-specific resources, and further support of students’ travel, competitions
and more.
The typical school of the arts foundation holds fundraisers, auctions, salon
concerts and other varied means of bringing both money and awareness to the school.
Several of the leading schools of the arts share the school’s executive director to provide
for integrated leadership.
Student remedial support
Many schools of the arts told us they have few academic or arts remedial
challenges. When pressed, they said they do provide tutors and extra help for needy
students. Most described a process by which students are placed on a plan for
improvement and dismissed if there isn’t adequate improvement. The same schools
required re-auditions for re-admittance.
Governance and advisory models
Most schools of the arts have an “independent” governance board within the
framework of the district or state. This model is similar to those in “portfolio” school
districts. Many have significant advisory boards, often separate from the governance
board, with important arts partners who help raise visibility, build program and funding
relationships, and heighten pre-professional standards.
Appendix M, Page 4
Partnerships
Numerous schools of the arts have major and multi-purpose resource partnerships
with significant arts organizations, e.g. Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ relationship
with the Kennedy Center. Many schools of the arts create mutual letters of understanding
to create fruitful and accountable relationships. Arts partners and schools of the arts
sometimes co-fundraise for mutual projects and efforts.
Student preparation
Some schools of the arts offer academies, camps and instruction to help prepare
prospective students for their auditions and the schools themselves. Most schools of the
arts adhere to exacting and transparent expectations and rubrics for the audition and
admittance process. Many schools of the arts develop relationships with esteemed higher
education institutions to help “raise the bar.” Higher education has a constant presence in
most schools of the arts. Many schools of the arts develop their curriculum, scopes and
sequences, and standards by working backward from what is expected at the highereducation level.
Facility
Most schools of the arts consider their facilities an extension of their curriculum.
They also use, to varying degrees, the facilities of local arts institutions, but few have
students travel farther than walking distance due to time constraints and the liabilities
Appendix M, Page 5
associated with vehicular transportation. Even with the ability to practically rent space,
very few schools of the arts feel they have everything they want, facility-wise.
Appendix M, Page 6
An Overview of Arts-Integrated Education
Introduction
In this era of high-stakes testing, the arts too often are placed in an adversarial
relationship with those subjects that lend themselves to standardized testing. Educators
and administrators are increasingly held accountable for test scores. As a result, the lack
of instructional time and concomitant priority on tested subjects are forcing the arts out of
the school day. Yet, many educators know that the influence and presence of arts will
benefit most students. Arts-integrated education holds the promise of eradicating this
unnecessary conflict by using the fine and performing arts to teach general subject areas.
Arts education models
Arts integration differs from other common models of arts education. Experienced
organizational development consultant Vicki Rosenberg, formerly of the Council of
Michigan Foundations and the J. Paul Getty Trust, has articulated the most common arts
education models used within classroom settings. The four models, according to
Rosenberg, are:
Appendix N, Page 1

the “creative, self-expressive model,” whereby students “express themselves
through the arts” and “develop the skills needed to make or perform works of art.”

the “comprehensive model,” which “is intended to help students understand and
appreciate the arts from four perspectives: aesthetics, criticism, history, and
production and performance.”

the “community resources model,” which “exposes students to visual and
performing artists at work in their communities, to expand their understanding
and appreciation of the arts and develop future audiences for the arts.”

and the “arts across the curriculum model,” which “is an interdisciplinary or
integrated curriculum model” that “responds to many needs, including deepening
learning within time constraints, addressing the different ways students learn, and
making learning more relevant to students by making real-world connections.”
The final model is preferred and is now more commonly referred to as “arts
integration” or “arts-integrated education.” As defined by the John F. Kennedy Center,
arts integration is “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate
understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects
an art form and another subject and meets evolving objectives in both.” Aligning arts
learning with state standards, and testing concepts through an arts-integrated curriculum
not only helps to preserve the arts in contemporary classroom instruction, but also fosters
a greater understanding and appreciation of the fine and performing arts. Augmenting this
instruction with materials, artists, experiences and technologies provides teachers with a
critical need: imaginative learning tools that inspire and motivate students.
Appendix N, Page 2
Collaborative partnerships
Partnerships help augment arts-integrated education, and collaboration is the most
important requirement for successful implementation. It is important to recognize the
difference between a mere partnership and true collaboration, and to strive for the latter.
For example, partner artists should not merely come into the classroom on one-off
occasions to provide an arts-integrated lesson while the regular classroom teacher checks
out. Rather, artists should work directly with teachers to identify the most important
curriculum needs and challenges. Based on that listening process, artists can develop
materials, lessons, experiences and pieces of art for interpretation/study that are rooted in
the very specific needs articulated by teachers.
This co-consultant process of professional development (PD) will produce
modeled lessons that teachers can quickly implement in their classes. This practical, nontheoretical approach has produced notable, sustained model arts-integrated education
programs across the country. It’s collaborative, needs-based and tested, and materials
easily can be adapted as curriculum standards evolve.
Teaching artists
Teaching artists have a strong and growing place within the field of arts
education, particularly arts integration. The role of the teaching artist is an inherently
collaborative one, where the teaching artist is charged with taking his or her own
expertise in an arts subject and working with arts organizations, schools, administrators
and teachers to develop a meaningful artistic experience for students. The term “teaching
Appendix N, Page 3
artist,” though, lacks a precise definition, and there are various schools of thought on
what a teaching artist’s competencies and roles in the classroom should be.
Artist and author Eric Booth defines a teaching artist as “a practicing professional
artist with the complementary skills and sensibilities of an educator, who engages people
in learning experiences in, through, and about the arts.” Teaching artist expert Karen
Erickson has written that teaching artists not only need to be proficient artists and
teachers, but also “be able to operate with business acumen” so that they are organized,
prepared, good communicators and effective self-marketers and fundraisers. This is
especially true since teaching artists most frequently are contract employees.
Teaching artists were explored in great depth through a report authored by Nick
Rabkin (2011) at the University of Chicago. The authors examined the roles of teaching
artists at 11 cities across the nation and found that teaching artists were primarily focused
and experienced in the visual arts, with a small majority focusing in music. The report
concluded that in schools, teaching artists are primarily required to:

Teach how to work in an art form

Develop original curriculum

Integrate arts instruction with other subjects

Engage hard-to-reach students

Make content meaningful to students

Run a well-managed experience

Help students create original work –find own voice
Four models for the role of the teaching artist within a school an organizational
setting were developed by Dr. Rob Horowitz in a publication for the Arts Education
Appendix N, Page 4
Partnership (2002). Those models include a residency model, an elaborated residency
model, a capacity building model, and a co-teaching model. A fifth model, the concepts
across the curriculum model, was developed through collaboration with the University of
Minnesota. Each model is presented here with its descriptions:
Residency Model
The “residency model” involves the school or teacher bringing in one or more
Teaching Artists for a period of time to engage students in the Teaching Artist’s program.
The purpose is usually to give students a wider range of arts experiences than the school
staff can provide. The experience does not directly support the curricular goals of other
non-arts disciplines.
Elaborated Residency Model
An “elaborated residency” is fundamentally an arts experience, but this residency
is intentionally tied to developing non-arts skills identified by the teachers. The Teaching
Artist is the primary teacher and it is his/her program, but the teacher is available to assist
with carrying out the experience.
Capacity Building Model
The “capacity building” model prepares teachers to use an art form in his/her own
teaching. The Teaching Artist’s role is to instruct teachers, while the teacher participates
with the intention of learning the process and products of the art form. Teachers may
work alone, directly with the Teaching Artists, or with colleagues to identify ways to
infuse the art form’s skills and concepts with non-arts disciplines.
Co-Teaching Model
Appendix N, Page 5
The “co-teaching” model involves teacher-Teaching Artist pairs integrating
concepts from the arts and non-arts disciplines that reinforce each other. At different
points, students’ experiences may focus more on the art form or on the non-arts subject,
while at other times the arts and non-arts instruction appear seamless. The teacher and
Teaching Artist create lessons that guide the Teaching Artist during sessions that focus
on the arts, and clarify what the teacher will do when the Teaching Artist is not present.
Concepts Across the Curriculum Model
The “concepts across the curriculum” model involves three or more people who
select a unit of study in which their disciplines have common concepts. Though teachers
and Teaching Artists plan together, each discipline instructs students separately using the
common concepts. The projects that fit this model involved arts and non-arts teachers
employed in the school selecting an art form that would further reinforce the concepts in
the unit of study.
Outstanding models, common characteristics
Dr. Rekha S. Rajan selected eight exemplary models of arts-integrated education
and, through detailed analysis and comparison of these and other programs, identified the
common characteristics of arts integration models of excellence. Rajan’s eight best
models — selected because of the sustainability of their programs; the depth of their
partnerships and collaborations; the variety of resources offered to students; and the
availability of PD for classroom teachers — are:

A+ Schools Program (North Carolina Arts Council)

Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland)
Appendix N, Page 6

Whole Schools Initiative (Mississippi Arts Commission)

Value Plus Schools (Tennessee Arts Commission)

Arts for Academic Achievement (Minneapolis Public Schools)

Musical Explorers (Carnegie Hall)

Learning Through Music (Cleveland Orchestra)

Adventures in Music (San Francisco Symphony)
Rajan organizes the common characteristics of these and other admirable arts
integration models in four categories: organization (specific components of the program’s
structure including its mission, funding, research and committee members); schools
(activities K-12 students are engaged in to create rich, artistic experiences); professional
development (the variety of resources, opportunities and support given to classroom
teachers during the partnerships and after they conclude); and community (network
development, partnership building and sustainability of presence):
Organization

Diverse steering committees that include members from various
educational and arts-based institutions

Strong research and evaluation agenda

Support from national or government funders

Vision and mission for sustaining arts-integrated experiences

Strong website presence with mission statement, resources, sample
lessons, links and descriptions of classroom and PD activities
Schools

Arts-integrated lessons and curriculum
Appendix N, Page 7

Specially designed curriculum

In- and after-school settings

High-quality arts experiences

Inclusion of fine and performing arts

K-12 residencies and resources

Collaboration with teaching artists

Highlighting, displaying and presenting student work

Cross-disciplinary learning

Teaching 21st century skills
Professional development

Ongoing support for classroom teachers (during and beyond the time of
program implementation)

Variety of PD opportunities for teachers

Support in- and after-school settings

Workshops and conferences presented by experienced educators and
artists

Summer institutes and intensives

Numerous contacts and resources for classroom teachers

Materials specially designed for classroom teachers
Community

Strong presence and continued impact within the community (i.e., more
than five years)
Appendix N, Page 8

Partnerships with arts organizations, community centers, schools and
universities

Building and sustaining a network (working within one or many school
districts)

Familial involvement and engagement

Real-world experiences (e.g., live performances, museum visits and
interactions with professional artists)
Arts integration in action
One hypothetical example of arts-integrated education is literacy learning through
music and the arts. Pre-literacy skills are vital to K-3 childhood development and
ultimately academic and life success. But most children do not learn through rote
instruction. They do learn through direct participation designed to illustrate concepts.
Here, music and arts are used to create engaged understanding of literacy concepts that
are fundamental to learning. Children love music. Lasting skills can be built by teaching
listening, steady beat, call-and-response, visual learning and singing rhymes and storybased songs. Common Core concepts such as story beginning, middle and end; author’s
point of view; inference; summarizing and retelling; comprehension; retention; and
transference of content are learned in lasting ways. Most importantly, reading,
storytelling and listening become anticipated and enjoyed by all students.
Appendix N, Page 9
Professional development (PD)
Effective and ongoing PD is a critical success factor for arts-integrated education
initiatives. Educators often are inundated with impractical training sessions. Successful
PD is marked by enjoyable, hands-on experiential training during which teachers become
students and see for themselves how what they’re learning works, and how they can
implement it with their students the very next day. PD should focus on creating
familiarity and comfort with the arts; direct participation with art forms and their
materials; and artistic expression where participants actively create art in various forms,
styles and periods. Ongoing PD strategies engage teachers in aesthetic studies; and, most
importantly, reveal the relationship between arts processes, content and materials and
classroom instructional priorities.
Artist training provides PD for artists working in schools and communities.
Artists learn how to present their art forms within the context of childhood developmental
needs and multiple learning styles. Artists learn skills in repertoire selection, classroom
management and participatory and presentational approaches. Artists also learn about the
relationship between their art form and its elements and the most important instructional
needs of students and teachers.
In her analysis of arts integration models, Rajan also identified the common
characteristics of excellent professional development programs focused on teaching and
implementing strategies of arts integration. The professional development models
included state- and citywide programs, those found within arts partnerships, and models
present in university settings. The common characteristics of professional development
models of excellence included both in- and after-school support, ongoing training,
Appendix N, Page 10
multiple resources, and a variety of professional development opportunities. The list is
organized in two categories: teaching strategies and collaboration. Amongst various
models examined, Rajan found the professional development offered by the Kennedy
Center’s Changing Education through the Arts program to be the strongest and most
diverse.
Teaching strategies

Multiple resources and strategies for teachers to integrate the arts

Resources for integrating fine and performing arts at various grade levels

Detailed materials for use in the classroom

Examples of exemplary student work

Availability of both hard copy and electronic materials and links

Hands-on activities and materials in workshops

Opportunities to develop and implement action research and inquiry
projects
Collaboration

Variety of professional development opportunities (i.e. course, workshops,
summer institutes)

Opportunities to share and disseminate understandings of arts integration

Individual, small group, and community gatherings to discuss teaching
strategies

On-going support and guidance (i.e. beyond an academic year)

In-school and after school training

Professional development for administrators and school coordinators
Appendix N, Page 11

Assistance in securing funding for individual schools or classroom
projects

Webinars, recorded workshops or lectures, or interactive media on the
website
Appendix N, Page 12
PROJECT-BASED LEARNING SUMMARY REPORT
Project Based Learning (PBL), is a product/methodology of the Buck Institute for
Education (BIE). BIE describes itself on its website accordingly:
The Buck Institute for Education (BIE) was founded in 1987 as a not-forprofit 501(c)3 organization that receives partial funding from the Leonard
and Beryl Buck Trust, the same trust that supports the Marin Community
Foundation, the Marin Institute and the Buck Institute for Age Research. In
its first ten years, BIE provided a variety of services to local schools and
districts and also received funding from outside sources for program
evaluation and other research.
In the late 1990s, some school districts began to focus on educational
reform efforts to improve their curriculum and instruction that was based on
credible research that could make their course work more relevant and
meaningful for students, primarily at the high school level. In 2002 at the
annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, held in
New Orleans, the topic of authentic learning activities was presented and
discussed.
A few distinctive “characteristics of authentic learning activities” are:




Real world relevance: activities that mirror real world tasks done by
professionals
Complex, sustained tasks: activities that require a longer time frame to
complete using more in-depth intellectual study
Collaborative: students must work with others as team members
Authentic products: finished products are of a higher quality and are seen
as valuable and personalized extensions of the student’s learning experience
The PBL approach is built upon several of the authentic learning activities above
and is based on youth development research that is in alignment with 21st century
Appendix O, Page 1
skills students must have in order to be successful in the current workforce and the
world in general.
So, in effect, PBL is designed to teach students 21st century skills using academic
content and in-depth inquiry that leads to a completed and relevant project.
These same skills are referred to as “competencies” in the workforce. Some of the
most necessary competencies are:






Leadership
Teamwork (group participation for students)
Management of resources/research and inquiry
Mastery of oral and written communication
Organization and time management
Organization and industry knowledge
And like the characteristics of authentic learning as well as these workforce
competencies, PBL focuses on academic content and 21st century skills as its core
and is complemented by six distinctive components as its methodology to ensure
learning.
As described by BIE, “in Project Based Learning (PBL), students go through an
extended process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or
challenge. While allowing for some degree of student "voice and choice," rigorous
projects are carefully planned, managed, and assessed to help students learn key
academic content, practice 21st Century Skills and create high-quality, authentic
products & presentations.”
Appendix O, Page 2
The following information was taken verbatim from the BIE website:
Rigorous, meaningful and effective Project Based Learning:

is intended to teach significant content. Goals for student learning are
explicitly derived from content standards and key concepts at the heart of
academic disciplines.

requires critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and various
forms of communication. To answer a Driving Question and create
high-quality work, students need to do much more than remember
information. They need to use higher-order thinking skills and learn to
work as a team. They must listen to others and make their own ideas
clear when speaking, be able to read a variety of material, write or
otherwise express themselves in various modes, and make effective
presentations. These skills, competencies and habits of mind are often
known as “21st century skills,” because they are prerequisite for success
in the 21st century workplace.

requires inquiry as part of the process of learning and creating
something new. Students ask questions, search for answers, and arrive at
conclusions, leading them to construct something new: an idea, an
interpretation, or a product.

is organized around an open-ended Driving Question. This focuses
students’ work and deepens their learning by framing important issues,
debates, challenges or problems. A good driving question captures the
heart of the project in clear, compelling language, which gives students a
sense of purpose and challenge. The question should be provocative,
open-ended, complex, and linked to the core of what you want students to
learn. It could be abstract (When is war justified?); concrete (Is our
water safe to drink?); or focused on solving a problem (How can we
improve this website so that more young people will use it?).

creates a need to know essential content and skills. Project Based
Learning reverses the order in which information and concepts are
traditionally presented. A typical unit with a “project” add-on begins by
Appendix O, Page 3
presenting students with knowledge and concepts and then, once gained,
giving students the opportunity to apply them. Project Based Learning
begins with the vision of an end product or presentation. This creates a
context and reason to learn and understand the information and
concepts.

allows some degree of student voice and choice. Students learn to work
independently and take responsibility when they are asked to make
choices. The opportunity to make choices, and to express their learning
in their own voice, also helps to increase students’ educational
engagement.

includes processes for revision and reflection. Students learn to give and
receive feedback in order to improve the quality of the products they
create, and are asked to think about what and how they are learning.

involves a public audience. Students present their work to other people,
beyond their classmates and teacher – in person or online. This “ups the
stakes,” increasing students’ motivation to do high-quality work, and
adds to the authenticity of the project.
And, as reported by Edutopia in 2008 (http://www.edutopia.org/project-learningintroduction):
Because project-based learning is filled with active and engaged learning, it
inspires students to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're
studying. Research also indicates that students are more likely to retain the
knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through
traditional textbook-centered learning. In addition, students develop
confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and
independent work.
In the process of completing their projects, students also hone their
organizational and research skills, develop better communication with their
peers and adults, and often work within their community while seeing the
positive effect of their work.
Appendix O, Page 4
Because students are evaluated on the basis of their projects, rather than on
the comparatively narrow rubrics defined by exams, essays, and written
reports, assessment of project-based work is often more meaningful to them.
They quickly see how academic work can connect to real-life issues -- and
may even be inspired to pursue a career or engage in activism that relates to
the project they developed.
Many educators think if we are serious about reaching 21st century educational
goals, PBL must be at the center of 21st century instruction. They contend this
methodology contains and frames the curriculum, which differs from the short
“project” or activity added onto traditional instruction.
Information and graphics included in this report were acquired from the following
sources:
 Center for Arts in Education Conference, Boston, MA, June 28, 2013, PBL
101a, b, c Workshop, presented by John Larmer, Buck Institute for
Education
 “Project Based Learning” by Buck Institute for Education,
www.bie.org/about/the_bie_story is licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0
 “Project Based Learning” by Buck Institute for Education,
www.bie.org/about/what_is_pbl is licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0
 “Why Teach with Project-Based Learning?: Providing Students With a
Well-Rounded Classroom Experience” by the staff of Edutopia,
http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction
Appendix O, Page 5
Performing Arts Trends, Implications, and Careers
Dr. Rekha S. Rajan
July 2013
Introduction
The current role of the performing arts in society is often contradictory in nature. In one aspect,
the performing arts are thriving in our communities; students are auditioning for new shows;
there are an abundance of premieres of contemporary and new operas, musicals, plays, and
dances; and the media have a strong following in reality-based singing and dancing competitions.
Contrastingly, many performing arts companies are closing their doors and struggling to find
funding or build revenue. Additionally, the role of the performing arts in our schools is being
reduced to one-off after-school or curricular activities as music, drama, and dance programs are
often the first to be eliminated when budget cuts and staff changes are considered.
In 2001, Kevin McCarthy and his colleagues addressed these trends and their implications in
“The Performing Arts in a New Era.” The study is the first to provide a comprehensive overview
of the performing arts with a focus on past and emerging trends. “It synthesizes available data on
theater, opera, dance and music in both their live and recorded forms. The research focuses on
signs of change in arts audiences, artists, arts organizations, and financing over the past 20 years”
(RAND, 2001). The authors describe how the entire structure of the performing arts is moving
toward a global and fundamental change. Public involvement, the role of the performing artists
and the trends in performing arts organizations all hold implications for the future of the
performing arts. This report draws upon highlights within this analysis coupled with data from
the RAND (2001) Corporation’s research brief on the performing arts and the National
Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) web seminar (2009), to present emerging trends and
issues of the past two decades.
Performing Arts in Society
The performing arts has always held a strong, and important place in our society. While “the
number of Americans attending live performances and purchasing recorded performances has
been growing consistently over the years … the most dramatic growth has been in the market for
the non-live arts, both recorded and broadcast performances” (RAND, 2001). Much of this may
be attributed to more recent trends in the merging of technology and music and film, where
songs and performances can be downloaded and streamed to nearly any household device.
There is evidence that there is lesser demand for live performances (NASAA, 2009, p. 4),
however, some of the top performing artists in the world bring in upwards of $80 million
annually from their tours, concerts, and live performances (Billboard, 2013). “The uncertain
status of arts education in public schools may also be a factor in reducing demand for the live
arts” performances, but a contradiction of need versus purpose still exists (RAND, 2001).
Appendix P, Page 1
The Role of Performing Artists
The RAND Corp. released a research brief that examined trends amongst performing artists. The
brief found that there are three broad trends which characterize the population of performing
artists (2001). In the last thirty years,” self-proclaimed” professional artists included nearly 1.6
million individuals, about 350,000 of whom are performing artists. The authors further conclude
that in the last decade, that number likely would have doubled (RAND, 2001).
“Second, performing artists continue to dedicate themselves to their art even though their pay
and job security have scarcely improved” (RAND, 2001). The majority of performing artists
work longer weeks with lesser pay than other professionals. Interestingly, the trends in
individuals pursuing degrees in performing arts careers has slowly increased, particularly in
areas of performing arts education, film and arts management.
Third, the dominance of reality-based television shows and programs has created a perception
among the general public that anyone can be a performing artist. These programs have created a
resurgence of interest in the performing arts and pursuing careers in the performing arts —
importantly, without the need for coursework or programs in higher education. This has created a
strong juxtaposition of the role of the performing arts in society with individuals identifying
themselves as performing artists.
Performing Arts Organizations
While larger non-profit performing arts organizations have seen an increase in revenue and
attendance, revenues for smaller performing arts groups and companies have decreased over the
last two decades, see Figure 1 (RAND, 2001).
FIGURE 1
Increase in funding for performing arts organizations
The data presented in the RAND (2001) research brief further postulates “that opera is the only
discipline in the nonprofit sector in which companies on average experienced real revenue
growth” in the last two decades. As a result, “there has been a strong growth in the number of
Appendix P, Page 2
nonprofit performing arts groups combined with declining budgets.” This suggests a new and
important trend that focuses on the organizational dynamics of a performing arts organization:
how it functions, the individuals in administrative roles and the performing artists themselves.
Trends and Implications
Through an analysis of trends and patterns over the past two decades, a shift in the performing
arts system is becoming more of a juxtaposition between big and small arts organizations.
While larger organizations will focus mostly on mass advertising and marketing, nonprofit
performing arts organizations will focus more on live performances (e.g., Broadway) and
recording artists. There will continue to be a distinction in society between “popular” or “art of
the people” (e.g., community arts), versus “high art” (e.g., opera, classical concerts). This
distinction will continue to have the greatest impact on performing arts organizations, orchestras,
ballet companies and theaters that are not based in a major metropolitan city, see Figure 2
(RAND, 2001). Similar to the role of the performing arts in public schools, these programs will
either thrive or be forced into closing their venues due to a lack of resources or funding. A
relationship between these funding sources and student participation needs to be further
examined, particularly when research reveals that more eighth- to 10th-grade students are
engaging in the performing arts than were doing so over the past decade (ChildTrends, 2012).
FIGURE 2
Government Arts Funding Moving to State and Local Levels
In 2009, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies hosted a web seminar entitled, “Arts
Participation in America: Trends and Perspectives.” Interestingly, the strongest trend for the
performing arts was found in the recording and film industry where the advancement in
Appendix P, Page 3
technologies allows downloading and streaming of music, movies and television programs and
has brought the performing arts global attention and accessibility (NASAA, 2009, p. 7).
Specifically, nearly 62 million Americans viewed or downloaded a performing arts experience
from the Internet at least once a week. This new “venue” coupled with a growing interest in
“reality-based” performing arts productions are trends that provide a foundation for the
performing arts to thrive in communities. Internet-based companies such as YouTube also allow
for any individual to become a performing artist through self-documentation and recorded
performance, and there is recognition for performing artists with the “most-views” or “most
popular” performances (Billboard, 2013).
The impact of these trends on the future of the performing arts highlights several key areas of
impact. First, more “talented” performing artists many find it challenging to build artistic careers
when there is a strong push and community support for “local talent.” Additionally, younger
artists, and those pursuing degrees in the performing arts, may find fewer opportunities to gain
authentic experiences in their field — particularly since the Internet is so lenient in allowing and
supporting the idea that anyone can become a professional performing artist.
Summary of Trends in the Performing Arts
Strengths:
 The performing arts are thriving in local communities.
 Larger organizations (i.e., opera and classical music concerts) are seeing a growth in
revenue and attendance.
 Public involvement in the performing arts has seen a resurgence of interest in the past
two decades.
 The number of individuals pursuing degrees in the performing arts has increased,
particularly in areas of film, music or dance education and arts management.
 Increase in participation among eighth- to 10th-graders in the last three years.
 The advancement of technologies through the Internet has allowed individuals to
“become” performing artists.
Challenges:
 Decrease in school-based performing arts experiences for students
 Performing arts in schools often relegated to after-school programs
 Performing arts organizations located outside of major metropolitan cities are struggling
with maintaining funding and resources.
 Availability of funding
 Challenges for individuals graduating with degrees in the performing arts to gather
authentic experiences in their field
Appendix P, Page 4
Current Careers and Employment Opportunities in the Performing Arts
The National Employment Bulletin for Performing Arts lists and updates various positions and
fields of employment in the performing arts. While more performance-based opportunities are
found through local audition listings or larger national agencies, this bulletin provides a
comprehensive list of positions in technical and performance fields. The list is organized by
general descriptions of part-time and career opportunities in the fields of acting, arts therapy,
dance, music, musical theater and opera, as well as in technical and production positions. Access
to the list requires individual subscription or information is available through many university
libraries: http://www.tcg.org/artsearch/index.cfm.
ACTING:
Film-camp counselor
Drama teacher
Theatre and speech instructor
Theatre faculty
Improvisation instructor
Professional actor (film, stage, TV)
ARTS THERAPY:
Music therapist
Licensed creative arts therapist
Dance/kinesthetic therapist
Drama therapist
Dance and sports physical therapist
DANCE:
Dancer
Dance instructor
Choreographer
Assistant choreographer
Jazz dance Instructor
Modern dance instructor
Ballet dance instructor
Dance faculty
Professional dancers (e.g., ballet, modern, jazz)
MUSICAL THEATER AND OPERA:
Specialist for camps and curriculum development
Professional performer (e.g., local theaters, national tours, Broadway)
Singer who can act
Actor who can sing
Dancer for chorus
Musical theater vocal coach
Musical theatre faculty
Opera director
Appendix P, Page 5
Stage coach
Librettist
Performer in local and professional productions
MUSIC:
Singer
Disc jockey
Conducting fellow
Conductor
Music teacher
Musician (orchestra)
Musician (band)
Choir teacher
Music education faculty
Music faculty
Choral accompanist
Composer
Professional singer (e.g., opera, operetta, choir)
TECHNICAL AND PRODUCTION POSITIONS:
Production associate
Assistant technical director
Producer
Manager
Videographer
Lighting designer
Costume designer
Costume supervisor
Props and scenic technician
Stage manager
Box office assistant
Broadcast television engineer
Supervisor of casting
Appendix P, Page 6
References
Billboard. (2013). Best-Selling Artists. Data retrieved from: http://www.billboard.com/biz on
July 6, 2013.
Child Trends. (2012). Participation in school music or other performing arts. Data retrieved
from: http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=participation-in-school-music-or-otherperforming-arts on July 6, 2013.
McCarthy, K., Brooks, A., Lowell, J. & Zakaras, L. (2001). The Performing Arts in a New Era.
ISBN: 0-8330-3041-8
RAND Corporation Research Brief Series (2001). Data retrieved from:
http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB2504/index1.html on July 6, 2013.
Theatre Communications Group: Arts Search (2013). National Employment Bulletin for the
Performing Arts. Data retrieved from: http://www.tcg.org/artsearch/index.cfm on July 6,
2013.
Appendix P, Page 7
Emerging Trends in the Visual Arts,
Media, and Design Fields and Careers
Dan Serig, July 2013
Executive Summary
Careers in the visual arts, media, and design fields through 2020 are projected to
experience average growth. A few areas may experience rapid growth — namely, art
therapists, interactive media specialists, interior designers and curators. Areas
projected to have slower than average growth include fine and craft artists.
Emerging trends in the visual arts include practices that directly address issues of
sustainability and social practices in which communities are engaged through local
and networked (i.e., online) contexts. Community-based art practices often include
the combined issues of sustainability and social engagement with significant input
from community members.
An emerging trend in design and media fields is a focus on interactivity. Interactive
media is implicated in a wide-range of areas from robotics to apps and from
software design to education and exhibition design. Critical to these emerging areas
are theories of communication as well as new methods of fabrication (i.e., 3-D
printing).
This report highlights job outlook projections from The Occupational Information
Network (O*NET).1 Then, emerging trends are described, followed by examples of
innovative programming at select colleges of art and design. The report concludes
with a listing of majors compiled by the Association of Independent Colleges of Art
and Design (AICAD).
Career Outlooks
Future employment estimates from the Department of Labor indicate that most
visual arts and design fields will enjoy healthy job growth in this decade (20102020). Most established careers are projected to hold steady with average growth
(10-19 percent). Below average growth is anticipated for fine artists and craft artists
(3-9 percent).2 However, since aspects of design are becoming increasingly central
to everyday life and information and communication is becoming heavily visual,
well-qualified artists and designers should expect generally good employment
prospects.3 In particular, careers in interactive media, interior design, and art
Appendix Q, Page 1
therapy should see rapid growth. Also of note, curators are projected to have faster
than average growth at 20-28 percent.4
Emerging Trends
Social and sustainable art practices
Often, permanent objects are not the result or outcome of social and sustainable art
practices. Museums like The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) are
commissioning artists who do work that will not result in an object for a permanent
collection. These artists' social, public, and/or community-based work is often
artist-directed, but also receives significant input from the community or may be
formed through physical and/or digital social interaction. Projects may be led by an
individual, but are often collaborative and multidisciplinary or cross-disciplinary.
Newly institutionalized, these practices engage communities on issues such as
cultural diversity and sustainability and act as catalysts for social transformation.
Methods within these practices include "art making as varied as urban
interventions, guerrilla architecture, public art, project-based community practice,
interactive media, and street performance."5
Interactive media
The new field of interactive media is expanding rapidly alongside new technologies.
Projects and careers in this field engage multiple disciplines, and often include
software engineers, programmers, artists, designers and content specialists. The
areas of focus span from robotics to sound design and gaming to fabrication. While
described as a single field, interactive media could be argued to include many fields
such as aspects of film/video, 3-D printing, materials research and art/design.
Critical to interactive media are theoretical influences from areas such as
communication, education and cognition. 6
Within interactive media, exhibition design is a growing segment, also recently
institutionalized. This area of design used to be focused within museums and
galleries. However, specialization has allowed it to expand to many other venues,
particularly conferences and entertainment venues. College programs in exhibition
design "ensure proper education in spatial sociology, color theory, and education
theory, as well as drawing, building, computer skills, documentation and building
techniques." 7
Curators
Creating environments with art objects along with accompanying texts, interactivity
and spaces can provide meaningful contexts for research, reflection and education.
Curators conceptualize and develop these environments — blending artists, their
work, space and people. Their success offers opportunities for comprehension and
appreciation. Programs in curatorial studies engage students in understanding the
history of art, criticism and the lives of artists and objects. Students are also
Appendix Q, Page 2
developed as researchers since curators often publish in conjunction with
exhibitions.8
Innovative Programming
Graduate programs at institutions of higher education, in the best cases, foster
innovation. Innovations that uncover or create complex problems with beneficial
applications may lead to new programs and institutes or even new disciplines and
fields. In this section, three innovative programs are highlighted that relate to
emerging academic and professional practices.
Intersections Digital Studios [IDS] at Emily Carr University of Art and Design
The IDS is composed of three studios: Wearables and Interactive Products,
Prototyping + Media + Programming and Motion Capture and Visualization.
Administrators dealing with aspects of research are also located in the IDS. New
technologies are available to faculty and students with an emphasis on relationships
among digital and material practices. This emphasis promotes interdepartmental
collaborations that allow Emily Carr University to educate artists and designers as
researchers. Aesthetics and ethics inform the work wherein the learning quickly
moves beyond technical skill acquisition to "an understanding of the underlying
structures that fuel the dynamism between technology and creativity."9
Motion Graphics concentration in the MFA at CalArts
The mechanisms and devices through which we get our entertainment and
information are merging and increasingly ubiquitous. “Motion graphics” is the term
for the medium through which we receive much of this. Incorporating typography,
illustration and other graphic elements in time-based sequences, motion graphics is
an example of a new program at CalArts that emerged from the innovative practices
of students, faculty and the field.
The description of the motion graphics concentration exemplifies the hybridization
and overlap naturally emerging through advances in technology and our
interactions with it:
The Motion Graphics MFA exists as a separate track within the Graphic
Design program, drawing on elective classes from both the Graphic Design
and Film and Animation programs. Motion Graphics students produce
finished motion pieces, including film and broadcast titles, television and
web-based ads, trailers, music videos, video signage, graphics for mobile
devices, and time-based museum and exhibition displays. Students closely
study and experiment with every level of the process of creating motion
works: ideation, conceptualization, storytelling, storyboarding, keyframing,
editing, animation, imagemaking, typography, production, and camerawork.
They participate in weekly critiques, whose consideration are concept,
Appendix Q, Page 3
context, communication and craft, and work with visiting artists to carry out
collaborative projects.10
Also of note in the description: While an innovative part of an emerging field, the
new concentration still includes the practices of envisioning, experimenting, skill
mastery, content acquisition, collaboration and critique.
Dynamic Media Institute (dmi) at Massachusetts College of Art and Design
(MassArt)
The DMI offers an MFA in what could be labeled interactive media, which was
previously described. DMI at MassArt draws students from a wide-variety of
backgrounds and disciplines from artists to engineers, programmers to educators.
Students work in design and research producing objects and texts developing thesis
projects in collaboration with peers, faculty, and other professionals. Thesis projects
span from smart objects and exhibition designs to data visualizations and
interactive learning environments. As stated on the DMI website, "Our students
leave the program, empowered by their new work, skill, and experience, to become
leading educators, practitioners, and entrepreneurs."11
Majors at AICAD Member Institutions
Areas of study and majors on the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and
Design website:12
Administration & Management
- Arts Administration
- Business/Management
- Design Management
Art Education & Engagement
- Art Education
- Arts Therapy
- Community Arts
Art History, Theory, Criticism, Curatorial Studies
- Art History/Theory/Criticism
- Curatorial/Museum Studies
- Exhibition Design
- History of Decorative Arts
Crafts
- Book Arts/Paper
- Ceramics
- Craft
- Fibers/Textiles
Appendix Q, Page 4
- Furniture/Wood
- Glass
- Metals/Jewelry/Enameling
Film, Photography, Video
- Film
- Photography
- Video
Fine Arts
- Art/Fine Arts/Studio Art
- Drawing
- New Genres/Performance
- Painting
- Printmaking
- Public/Social Practice
- Sculpture
General Education
- English/Writing
- Social Sciences
Multi-Disciplinary
- Individualized Major
- Interdisciplinary
New/Digital Media
- Animation
- Computer Art/Digital Arts
- Digital Media
- Entertainment Arts
- Game Art/Game Design
- Interactive Media
- Media Art and Design
- Sonic/Sound Art
- Time-Based Media
Performing Arts
- Dance
- Music
- Theatre
Three-Dimensional Design
- Architecture
- City and Regional Planning
- Environmental Design
Appendix Q, Page 5
- Fashion Design
- General 3-D Design
- Historic Preservation
- Industrial Design
- Interior Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Lighting Design
- Toy Design
- Transportation Design
Two-Dimensional Design
- Advertising Design
- Comic Art
- General 2-D Design
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Medical Illustration
- Visual Communications
The O*NET program is the United States' primary source of occupational information. The O*NET
database contains information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The
free database is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers from each occupation.
The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is funded by the US Department of
Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA) through a grant to the North
Carolina Department of Commerce.
1
2
http://www.onetonline.org/find/career?c=3&g=Go accessed at 6/20/13 10:21 AM
3
http://www.aicad.org/work-and-earnings/ accessed at 6/20/13 9:38 AM
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/home.htm accessed at 6/20/13 9:42 AM;
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/home.htm accessed at 6/20/13 9:46 AM; and
http://www.onetonline.org/find/bright?b=0&g=Go accessed at 6/20/13 10:02 AM
4
http://www.aicad.org/careers-majors/fine-arts/public-social-practice/ accessed on 6/20/13 3:28
PM
5
http://www.aicad.org/careers-majors/digital-media/interactive-media/ accessed on 6/20/13 3:30
PM
6
http://www.aicad.org/careers-majors/art-history-theory-criticism-curatorial-studies/exhibitiondesign/ accessed on 6/20/13 3:35 PM
7
http://www.aicad.org/careers-majors/art-history-theory-criticism-curatorial-studies/curatorialmuseum-studies/ accessed on 6/20/13 3:32 PM
8
9
http://www.ecuad.ca/research/ids accessed on 6/20/13 3:42 PM
http://art.calarts.edu/graphic-design/specialization-motion-graphics accessed on 6/20/13 3:57
PM
10
Appendix Q, Page 6
11
http://www.dynamicmediainstitute.org/what-we-do accessed on 6/20/13 4:01 PM
12
http://www.aicad.org/careers-majors/ accessed on 6/20/13 10:54 AM
Appendix Q, Page 7
Trends in College Preparation, Admissions and College-Going Culture at
Four-Year Colleges and Universities
Dr. Rekha S. Rajan
July 2013
Introduction
This report summarizes various current and emerging trends in college preparation and collegegoing culture. Information from this report was gathered from Forbes, GreatSchools, the
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, the Washington Post, and a study that
involved an analysis of the 2008 NACE Career Services Benchmark Survey.
College Preparation and High School Curriculum
Much of the focus of education today is on trying to align Common Core State Standards with
the high school curriculum. However, the overarching belief is that there needs to be a
connection between higher education expectations and high school reform (Onink, 2009).
Considerations include the rigor of a high school curriculum for a student entering college,
college preparatory or college-level courses taken in high school, and test-taking success. Each
impacts how students should prepare for college and the ways in which high schools support
student learning.
Advanced Placement Courses
Perhaps the most debated topic in college admissions and preparation today is the relevance and
need for advanced placement (AP) courses in the high school curriculum. Many experts in the
field have weighed in on the pros and cons of students taking AP courses, including having
access to courses in high school, the impact of a high score, and the ways in which colleges offer
(or most times do not recognize) the AP classes toward college credit.
On a Washington Post blog, several administrators and admissions officers have shared their
respective schools’ criteria for screening students in the admissions process (Strauss, 2010).
While they stated that there is not a specific number of AP classes expected on a student’s
transcript, they expect a student’s coursework to be demonstrative of a rigorous high school
curriculum, one that exemplifies their interest in a particular subject area or career path.
Stanford University is a leader in research on student experiences with AP courses and tests, and
much of this research has been led by Denise Pope, a co-founder of the nonprofit organization
Challenge Success (Donald, 2013). In a detailed analysis of the College Board’s Advanced
Placement Program, Challenge Success released a report that examined the four major beliefs
about the relationship between AP classes and student success (Challenge Success, 2013). The
Appendix R, Page 1
data from this report presents an ambiguous picture of a need for AP classes, examining the idea
of whether students are taking AP classes because they want to, or because they have to. One of
the main conclusions of the report states that “the research suggests that while AP students,
especially those who pass the exams, experience more success in college than do those who did
not take AP courses in high school, this success may not be attributable to the AP program
alone” (Challenge Success, 2013, p. 4).
Overall, the information here creates a strong incentive for students to take AP courses and
successfully pass AP tests in high schools. This places more pressure on high schools to provide
such opportunities for their students in the curriculum — and to support them in successfully
taking and passing these tests — in order to make students competitive for college.
Emerging Trends in College Entrance and Admissions
Emerging trends place a strong value on curriculum that engages students both in real-time and
virtual settings. Major factors impacting college entrance include the economy, technology and
service-delivery methods (Dey & Real, 2010). The Great Schools (2008) website analyzed data
from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, and summarized how these
trends include the cost of higher education, students’ use of early decisions, shifts in how
colleges view SAT and ACT scores and how high school GPAs are calculated:
The cost of higher education
“Families are now devoting a larger percentage of their incomes — and taking out more
student loans — to finance a college education” (Great Schools, 2008). While tuition at
private colleges increases has increased more slowly, the actual, individual dollar
increases are much larger (and therefore make more of an impact) than the increases at
public colleges and universities.
High school GPAs are often recalculated by colleges
“About 50% of colleges recalculate high school GPAs to account for grade inflation and
to standardize grades across high schools” (Great Schools, 2008). Extra points are given
for honors or advanced placement classes, placing a greater importance of having
students take these courses.
A large number of colleges and universities do not require the SAT and ACT
There are approximately 730 colleges that have dropped or de-emphasized the ACT or
SAT tests, including 30 competitive liberal arts colleges (Great Schools, 2008). The
colleges that have dropped the test(s) as a requirement did so because they believe it is
not an accurate prediction of student success. But many of the larger, more “popular”
colleges, Ivy Leagues, and large-state universities, still require the tests.
Students are increasingly accepting “early decision” offers
Appendix R, Page 2
Early Decision is defined by NACAC as “the application process in which students make
a commitment to a first-choice institution where, if admitted, they definitely will enroll.”
Although there are supporters and opponents of the early-decision process, “Harvard and
Princeton dropped their Early Decision and Early Action programs in the fall of 2007” —
actions which many predicted would influence the direction of this trend in the future
(Great Schools, 2008). “In October of 2006, NACAC members agreed to a new policy
that bars member colleges from accepting students earlier than September 15th and
creating application deadlines earlier than October 15th. This action is an attempt to
block college frenzy from creeping into summer vacation, a time when high school
counselors are unavailable for advice” (Great Schools, 2008) (emphasis added).
The gender gap grows wider in undergraduate admissions
“A 2006 American Council of Education report found that in 2003-2004, 45% of students
under the age of 24 were men and 55% were women. This marks a widening of the gap
since 1995-1996, when males represented 48% of the same age group” (Great Schools,
2008). The data shows that women are earning more bachelor’s degrees than men, but
offers no specific reasons for why this increase is taking place.
Many colleges track a student's interest in attending and will use it as a factor in the admission
decision.
“Colleges measure interest by keeping records of communications with the admissions
office, contacts with faculty members or tours taken of the campus by prospective
students” (Great Schools, 2008). Ultimately, if a student shows interest in attending a
school, by calling, visiting, or supporting the school through social media, the student has
a greater chance of acceptance.
College-Going Culture and Recruitment
In their report on the emerging trends in university career services, Dey and Real (2010)
recognize the shifting methods utilized by high school counselors and college career centers in
recruiting students. They state that “the recent integration of technology in college recruitment
has seen the creation of virtual career centers through interactive web sites that provide web
resources and information, self-help tools such as virtual mock-interviewing and online resume
builders, and in-person and online counseling and advising” (Dey and Real, 2010). This means
that it is important that college counselors utilize social media and social networking sites to
access and recruit students. Students planning and preparing to enter college need to have an
understanding of how to connect with faculty at a university, and should be equipped with the
technology that will allow them to do so.
On-campus recruitment has evolved into what the authors call an “experiential education model”
(Dey and Real, 2010). Here we see the importance of students engaging in internships, visiting
colleges, and interacting with faculty and staff both in-person and virtually. As a result, there are
Appendix R, Page 3
more information seminars, career fairs, and on-campus recruitment events to engage and retain
students and their families.
While students are typically encouraged to visit college campuses with their families, and this is
often a routine part of the admission process, the information presented throughout this report
show the importance of the entrance exams, AP coursework, high school curriculum, and a
student’s access to emerging technologies all weigh equally on an individual’s chance at college
admission.
Summary
In the past decade, college-going culture and admissions increasingly have emphasized
communication, recruitment, and acceptance through virtual and online sources. Students need to
have a strong grasp on emerging and advanced technologies not only to prepare them for college,
but also to assimilate them into the college-/university-going culture.
Since the traditional model of acceptance based on test scores is moving to a more open-ended,
holistic approach, students need to present themselves as well-rounded: being strong in both
academic and other subject areas and having access to, and a strong understanding of, social
media and emerging technologies. Clearly, admissions requirements are rigorous and detailed.
They ask students to demonstrate their excellence in high school with evidence of AP and
honors-level courses.
Finally, the cost of visiting and attending colleges and universities has dramatically increased in
the past decade, and providing students with access to a multitude of resources will be the most
challenging barrier for high schools when reforming and aligning curriculum with these
emerging trends.
References
Challenge Success (2013). The AP Program: Living Up to its Promise? Graduate Schools of
Education, Stanford University: Palo Alto, CA.
Dey, F. & Real, M. (2010). Emerging trends in university career services: Adaptations of
Casella’s career centers paradigm. Data retrieved from:
http://www.naceweb.org/j092010/trends-career-services-casella.aspx on July 10, 2013.
Donald, B. (2013). Are AP courses worth the effort? An interview with Stanford education
expert Denise Pope. Data retrieved from:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/april/advanced-placement-courses-032213.html on
July 10, 2013.
Great Schools. (2008). Easing College Admissions. Data retrieved from:
http://www.greatschools.org/college-prep/applying/338-easing-college-admissionsanxiety.gs?page= on July 10, 2013.
Appendix R, Page 4
Onink, T. (2009). Billions in Merit Aid Up For Grabs. Data retrieved from:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/10/college-admissions-wait-list-sats-personal-financeretirement-merit-aid.html on July 10, 2013.
Strauss, V. (2010). AP: College Admissions Directors Weigh In. Data retrieved from:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/college-admissions/ap-collegeadmissions-director.html on July 10, 2013.
Appendix R, Page 5
Schools of the Arts
Editor’s note: This report provides a broad overview of the policies, procedures and
characteristics of several Schools of the Arts throughout the United States. It is an
informal repository of the most enlightening information uncovered through interviews
and research. For the sake of fidelity, audition requirements, bell schedules and other
operational policies and procedures are taken directly from the schools and/or their
websites and reproduced here with little or no changes.
Appendix S, Page1
Table of Contents
Denver School of the Arts…………………………………………………...3
Duke Ellington School of the Arts………………………...……………….13
New World School of the Arts……………………………………………..24
Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts…………………………….34
Walnut Hill School of the Arts……………………………………………..43
Charts………………………………………………………………………48
Profile of Boston Arts Academy…………………………………………...52
Highlighted observations from other Schools of the Arts………………….57
Attachment: Boston Arts Academy audition requirements…………Attached
Appendix S, Page2
School Name and Location
Name:
Location:
Denver School of the Arts
7111 Montview Blvd.
Denver, CO. 80220
http://dsa.dpsk12.org/
Website:
Mission:
Denver School of the Arts is a public magnet art school offering rigorous daily
involvement in a specialized art form. We offer middle and high school students:





Leadership:
The opportunity to explore the work ethic and discipline required of an arts career in
a supportive, nurturing environment
Rigorous academic preparation for advanced study
Relationships with local, regional and national artists and arts communities
Lifelong learning and advocacy in the arts
Majors in Band, Creative Writing, Dance, Guitar, Orchestra, Piano, Stagecraft and
Design, Theater Video Cinema Arts, Visual Arts and Vocal Music
William Kohut (Principal)
 Employment History
o Principal south High School
o Director of Student Activities South high School
o Partner (College Board)
o Adjunct Instructor of Music Education (Metropolitan State College of
Denver)
o Music Director of the Denver Community Concert Band and Assistant
Conductor of the Colorado Youth Pops Orchestra
o Activities Association State Music Committee
 Board Memberships and Affiliations
o Active Member of the Board of Directors (Colorado Music Educators
Association)
o Board Member (Arts Schools Network)
 Education
o Bachelor of Music Education Degree – Lamont School of Music at the
University of Denver
o MA degree in School Administration – University of Phoenix
Student Population:
Grades:
1043
6-12
Demographics:
White:
62%
Hispanic:
17%
Black:
9%
2(+) Races:
7%
Asian:
5%
Student Eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program: 13%
Student-Teacher ratio: 19
Appendix S, Page3
Bell Schedule 2012-2013
Stripe Day - Wednesday
6th and 7th
Pd1 arts
Pd2 arts
Pd3 academic
Pd4 academic
Lunch
Pd5 academic
Pd6 academic
8th-12th
7:35-8:18
8:23-9:06
9:11-10:18
10:23-11:30
11:30-12:15
12:15-1:22
1:27-2:35
(43)
(43)
(67)
(67)
(45)
(67)
(68)
Pd1 academic
Pd2 academic
Pd3 academic/arts
Pd4 academic/arts
Pd5academic
Pd6 academic
Lunch
Pd7 academic/arts
Pd8 academic/arts
7:35-8:18
8:23-9:06
9:11-9:54
9:59-10:42
10:47-11:30
11:35-12:18
12:18-1:04
1:04-1:47
1:52-2:35
Black Days – Monday & Thursday
6th and 7th
8th-12th
Pd1 arts
Pd2 arts
Pd3 academic
Pd4 academic
Lunch
Pd5 academic
Pd6 academic
7:35-8:18
8:23-9:06
9:11-10:18
10:23-11:30
11:30-12:15
12:15-1:22
1:27-2:35
(43)
(43)
(67)
(67)
(45)
(67)
(68)
Pd1
Pd3
Pd5
Lunch
Pd7
7:35-9:05
9:10-10:40
10:45-12:15
12:15-1:00
1:05-2:35
(90)
(90)
(90)
(45)
(90)
White Days – Tuesday & Friday
6th and 7th
Pd1 arts
Pd2 arts
Pd3 academic
Pd4 academic
Lunch
Pd5 academic
Pd6 academic
7:35-8:18
8:23-9:06
9:11-10:18
10:23-11:30
11:30-12:15
12:15-1:22
1:27-2:35
(43)
(43)
(67)
(67)
(45)
(67)
(68)
7:35-9:05
9:10-10:40
10:45-12:15
12:15-1:00
1:05-2:35
(90)
(90)
(90)
(45)
(90)
8th-12th
Pd2
Pd4
Pd6
Lunch
Pd8
Appendix S, Page4
Audition Process
4 Steps
1.)
Online Audition Application
2.)
Pre-Audition Meetings
 Parents Must be Present (Applicant does not have to attend but is highly recommended)
 Meeting goes over the details of each major and the audition process and requirements for the
department
 At the end of the meetings child will be given an audition time slot
District School of Choice Form
- Required of both in-district and out-of district students
3.)
4.)
The Audition (11 Different Majors)
a.
Piano
a.
b.
c.
d.
b.
c.
Piano program is not a beginner’s program. All auditioning students are expected to
have gained considerable experience as performers before they audition at DSA.
Students auditioning at the Middle School level are able to perform Clementi
Sonatinas or the Two-Part Inventions of J.S. Bach.
Students auditioning at the High School Level are able to perform Beethoven,
Haydn, and Mozart Sonatas or Mendelssohn Songs Without Words
Two Major Components of the audition
i. The auditioning student will perform from memory two contrasting
selections. These selections should reflect the student’s technical and
musical abilities (90%)
ii. Students will perform the major and three forms of the minor scales in a key
of their choice. If the student chooses C Major, then C Major, A Natural
Minor A Harmonic Minor, and A Melodic Minor should be performed. A
Student auditioning as a 6th Grader should perform two octaves of these
scales, and students who audition for Grades 7-12 should perform four
octaves of these scales (10%)
Theater
a. Letters of Recommendation
i. Three letters of recommendation from teachers, coaches or another adult
(not related to you) who knows that your creativity, responsibility, talent,
and what you are like as a student.
b. Resume
c. Monologues
i. Choose TWO contrasting, one-minute monologues from published plays.
One monologue should be a contemporary selection and one a classical
selection. Classical plays are defined as written before 1910. A classical
piece is not mandatory for middle school students.
ii. Tips
1. Look for pieces that speak to you personally, that excite and
interest you
2. Read the entire play that the monologue comes from to understand
it’s larger context
iii. Optional – if you also sing, you may prepare 16 bars of a song and sing it
immediately following the performance of your monologues. Sing it a
cappella and choose a Broadway show tune
Visual Arts
a. Complete required DSA online application
b. Attend the required pre-audition meeting
c. Complete the drawing audition at DSA (1 hour still life Drawing and Creativity
exercise)
Appendix S, Page5
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Drawings are scored and highest scores receive a call back appointment for the
following week. You will interview and share your portfolio at this time
Initial Audition Format: Still life drawing and Creativity Exercise, One-hour audition
session, you will draw in groups of 20-22 students
i. Bring your resume with your full contact information to the audition
ii. All art materials will be provided, do not bring your portfolio
iii. Arrive 10 minutes early to check in. Late students do not get extra drawing
time
iv. 40-minute drawing from prepared still life
v. 20-minute creativity exercise
vi. Audition drawings will be scored for call back interviews and those
numbers will be posted on the VA web page and the school office
Typed resume includes
i. Name, age address, phone numbers, parent e-mail, schools attended, extracurricular activities, classes and workshops attended awards, exhibitions
and special interests/talents.
Call backs: approximately 40% of all applicants (highest scores) will be “called
back” with an assigned interview appointment time
i. Interviews are conducted without parents by a panel of 3-5 teachers, artists
and students for 10-15 minutes
Portfolio
i. You may show photographs for large pieces of #D work
ii. Bring 8-10 examples of your best work created in the last 2 years. Any
media is acceptable
iii. Show evidence of your thoughts, ideas, creativity, invention, and some
examples of observational skill. Observation is from life, not photographs
iv. Applicants to the high school program must show evidence of skill and
experience equal to our currents students at that grade level. Include a
variety of media if applying to high school
v. You will take your portfolio home at the end of the interview
vi. Quality of work is more important than diversity
vii. A sketchbook or journal can be counted as one of your portfolio pieces but
do not make a sketchbook specifically for this interview
viii. All artwork in the portfolio must be original and not derivative of existing
comics, characters, or photographs
Visual Arts Department Audition Scoring Rubric (50 points)
Resume – 2 points
 Neatly typed, Clear primary contact information for call back
 Name, education, special activities/interests or awards present
2 Letters of Recommendation – 3 points
 Received on time
 Required information addressed, appropriate person selected for letter
Creativity Assignment – 15 points
 Original work not derivative
 Imagination, creativity, self-expression, humor
 Personal voice/style
 Variety of art elements and design used: form, shape, line, texture, value,
size variation
Still Life Drawing – 15 points
 Name, date and next year’s grade on back, lower right
 At least 3 objects included as observed from still life
 Use of the entire page, thought given to whole design of page
 Ability to record shapes and sizes accurately
 Variety of texture, line quality, shading
 Ability to focus on drawing for full session
Appendix S, Page6
d.
 Strong individual style or technique
Portfolio – 10 points
 8-10 pieces including some observational work
 Original work, no copies of photographs or comic characters
 Skill in drawing or handling of selected media
 Personal voice, evidence of individuality, creativity
 Work goes beyond simple class assignments
 High School Applicants: evidence of advanced skills and knowledge equal
to DSA VA grade level. Strong evidence of personal voice, passion and
interests
Interview – Points
 Student communicates interest and passion for art
 Student communicates desire and interest to be at DSA
 Student is able to speak clearly about works presented in their portfolio
 Positive attitude, student communicates work ethic and determination
Video Cinema Arts
a. Video/Story Project
i. Applicants create a 2 minute video project, which can be documentary or
fiction form. Project must tell some kind of a story. Preference is to view
your project on youtube.com
ii. If you do not have video equipment you must prepare a PowerPoint
presentation or photo display board, featuring at least 12 original photos.
Photo presentation must tell some kind of story as well as show evidence of
your composition skills.
iii. As a companion to the video or photo piece all applicants must write a
“treatment” – a written explanation of the story of their video project.
Treatment will be featured in the student’s portfolio to be presented at the
time of their audition. Additionally applicants may want to include
storyboards, shot lists, or any other planning documents in their portfolio
b. The Portfolio
i. First Section - Student’s resume
ii. Second Section - Minimum of two Letters of Recommendation for the
applicant. Letters should be written by teachers, mentors, friends of the
family, or any other non-family member that has insight about the student’s
strengths and areas of development. Ask recommender to include how they
see you as a fit for Video Cinema Program
iii. Third Section - Written story or “treatment that you developed for audition
video or photo project
iv. Fourth Section – include photos, drawings, short stories or other writing,
cartoons, designs, or any other relevant work that will help to see how you
think about telling stories and expressing them visually
v. Fifth – awards or documentation regarding other activities you would like to
share.
c. Audition
i. Written exam and writing assignment. Exam will cover basic film and video
concepts including giving basic definition of terms like: composition,
editing, screenplay, character, story structure, etc. Students should also
understand several kinds of camera shots and angles (ex. Close-up, medium
shot, worms-eye view, etc.) Students will also be asked to write a short
story that shows their ability to think about a story in a creative manner.
(30-45 minutes)
ii. Meeting with the VCA audition panel. This panel is generally comprised of
one or both VCA teachers, as well as a community member or VCA grad
with knowledge of the program. You will present your video or photo
project and be asked to explain your project and its story. Panel will then
Appendix S, Page7
d.
e.
f.
e.
ask to see applicants portfolio and ask them a number of questions
regarding their interests and experience related to film and video production
iii. Applicants are ranked according to the outcomes of their interviews, written
assignments, portfolios, and video or photo projects.
Essay
i. Create a one-page creative response relating to the prompt: “I want to attend
the Denver School of the Arts because…” It could be an essay or a
combination of text and drawing. Be creative as you want and make sure to
include why you have selected Stagecraft & Design as your major. We
prefer that it be created with minimal guidance from your parents. You may
also include why you think that Stagecraft & Design Department at DSA
has to offer you and what you have a passion to learn
Photograph
Resume – Must contain
i. Personal Data (Name, address, current phone, email age
ii. Educational Objective – goals and ambitions
iii. Education (or Training) Academic and Artistic – Schools you have
attended, artistic education (includes any drama, art, craft, music, etc. also
includes visiting artists you have seen and master classes/workshops.
iv. Production Experience (chronological, with show title, role, where/when,
and director)
v. Community Service (any volunteer work you have done)
vi. Awards and Honors (arts, academic, sports, civic, church, other…
vii. Special Talents (any skills you would like to share)
viii. References (two to three adults we could contact to ask about you.
Vocal Music
a. Singing Audition
i. Group Vocalization
ii. Sing major scale as a group and as individuals
iii. Sing America, the Beautiful as group and individuals
iv. Solo Performance
1. Bring sheet music (with piano music or chords) – no guitarists,
karaoke CDs, or private accompanists are allowed. An
accompanist will be provided
2. Introduce your first & last name clearly
3. Introduce your song title and composer
4. Sing approximately 1 minute of song; pick the best portion of your
song that shows range, vocal flexibility, and expressive qualities
5. You may be stopped
6. Read rhythmic exercises as a group and then as individuals
7. Read melodic exercises as a group and then as individuals
8. Learn a new song and demonstrate your abilities
v. Things to Bring
1. Two recommendations
2. 8 x 12 headshot (current)
3. Vocal Repertoire List (incoming grades 10-12 only) include songs
formally studied in voice lessons (list song title, composer, and
year studied)
vi. Complete at Audition
1. Questionnaire (applicant may bring a resume or notes for reference
to use in completing the questionnaire)
a. Personality-based questions
b. Statements of goals or interests
c. Musical experience (choirs, musicals, lessons, etc0
d. Organizations or clubs in which you are affiliated
Appendix S, Page8
e.
f.
g.
f.
g.
Music instructors (names and number of years)
Other activities or unique attributes
Music theory test may contain the following
i. Defining or identifying musical terms and
symbols
ii. Note names in both treble and bass clefs
iii. Key signatures
Guitar
a. Guitar Website give student’s classical and jazz preparation in the form of different
website links containing free music, chord progressions, scales, etc.
b. During the Audition
i. Students will perform one piece of their choice
ii. Students will play a variety of jazz chords and related scales (on preparation
website)
iii. Students will sight read one piece of music
iv. Students will complete a brief music reading test
v. Students will submit a short paragraph explaining why they would like to
major in guitar at DSA
vi. Students Must be able to read music in order to be considered for the guitar
program
Band
a. Audition Graded on a 5 point scale through the different areas of evaluation
i. Scale is:
1. 5 = Outstanding
4 = Excellent
3 = Good (Average for Age)
2 = Below Average
1 = Poor
b. Must be on time and bring the following
i. Essay – (One page Max) Looking for the desire to attend the school and a
passion for music. We evaluate writing skills, appropriate terminology of
training and enthusiasm
ii. Resume – Looking for evidence of music training, lesson and teacher
history, performance history, and awards in music or other evidence of
scholastic achievement. Include evidence of musical projects or musical
endeavors. Evidence of any artistic training helps
iii. Portfolio – Look for evidence and proof of listed resume items. Look for
evidence of any other art form the student may be interested in. Try to get a
good idea of the student’s personality and sense of academic and artistic
drive through the portfolio
iv. Interview- Evaluate the student’s ability to respond to questions, the
students desire to be in the program and their general enthusiasm for music
study. Look for attentiveness, alertness and positive behaviors well as the
ability to articulate feelings
v. Theory – basic and is intended only to see if there has been any theory
training in lessons or elsewhere
vi. Beat – students may be asked to clap to a piece of music to see the basic
ability to distinguish and follow pulse consistently
vii. Scales – evaluation based on tone, note accuracy, facility and range.
Required: 2 major scales, 2 minor and 1 chromatic
viii. Prepared Piece: Evaluated in the following areas
1. Note/Rhythmic accuracy
2. Intonation
3. Articulation
4. Interpretation
5. Beauty of tone
Appendix S, Page9
6.
7.
Musical Spirit
The prepared piece must be classical in style. Indicated knowledge
of musical style and work with a teacher
ix. Sight reading – Sight-reading piece is evaluated on these specific areas:
note/rhythmic accuracy, intonation, articulation, interpretation, beauty of
tone and musical spirit
x. Percussionists – must perform the audition on snare and mallet instrument.
Percussionists are responsible for the scale requirements outlined above. Be
prepared to play at least the 4 basic snare rudiments (paradiddle flam, single
and double stroke rolls) in slow-fast-slow style
xi. Parent/faculty discussion – will include an opportunity for parents of
audition students to sit down with a DSA academic instructor to 1.) ask
question about the academic rigors of DSA 2.) discuss the education culture
that is unique to DSA and 3.) Discuss successful study strategies that
students at DSA have employed
h.
Orchestra
a. Playing
i. Three Scales
1. Middles School students play 2 octaves with 0-3 sharps or flats
2. High school students play 3 octaves with 4-7 shards or flats (or
according to ability) as follows: One Major Scale, One Melodic
Minor Scale and one Chromatic Scale
ii. Two Solos - Prepared pieces of your choice in contrasting styles lasting
approximately 2 minutes each. Orchestral excerpts, etudes, chamber music
and pop music are not appropriate pieces to bring to the audition. Classical
music such as unaccompanied suites and partitas, sonatas, concertos and
most selections from the Suzuki books are acceptable. An example of
appropriate music selection for this audition would be: an allegro movement
with a sharp and/or major key signature from a baroque suite and an
andante movement with a flat and/or minor key signature from a romantic
sonata. Bring copies of your music with you, even if you have your solos
memorized. You do not need to bring an accompanist with you to the
audition.
iii. One Sight Reading - : you will be asked to play an excerpt lasting
approximately 8 measures, according to your ability - you will be given
approximately one minute to review the excerpt before you play it.
b. Portfolio
i. Essay - Discuss the importance of music in your life, why you would like to
attend Denver School of the Arts and why you feel you would be an asset to
the orchestra program and the school.
ii. Resume - Provide current contact information (address, home phone, your
cell, parent cell, your email, parent email), details about your private study
and private teacher, how long you have played your instrument and
orchestras or chamber music ensembles you have played with. Include any
honors or awards you may have received, your current grade point average,
extra-curricular and leadership activities, employment and anything else
you would like the audition team to know about you.
iii. Programs - Provide copies of recent concert programs, recitals, chamber
music performances, etc.
iv. Repertoire - Provide a list of all solos, chamber music and orchestra music
you have performed.
c. Interview
i. Portfolio - discuss the four parts of your portfolio - highlight important
details for the audition committee
ii. Practice - Describe your general practice routine at home, include: where
you practice, the set-up of the practice area, tools used during practice,
Appendix S, Page10
i.
j.
Staff List


amount of time practiced daily and per week, warm-up regime, tuning
procedure, scales learned, etudes studied and details of how you go about
learning a new piece of music.
iii. Music Theory - You will also be asked a few music theory questions
pertaining to the solos you selected to perform for the playing portion of
your audition.
iv. Final Comments - You will be given an opportunity to add anything else
about your experience, education, ability etc. that you feel is important for
the audition committee to know.
Dance – It seems that actual instruction on the actual audition in for the dance program is
only disclosed to the pre-audition meeting.
Creative Writing – The creative writing portion of the school’s website does not display
their individual audition requirements. Instead they list the different levels of curriculum
a. First Year Curriculum – regardless of grade level new students complete a
curriculum that surveys myriad components of creative writing including an
overview of most major forms/genres
b. Contracts (2nd Year) – students spend one year focusing solely on personal contracts
which allow for completely individualized assignments and personal artistic/literary
development. Students at this level will complete four 9 week contracts
c. First Umbrella – Writer’s Bible (3rd or 4th year) – four 9 week contracts + umbrella
project (writing responses to/development of The Writer’s Bible)
d. Second Umbrella – Novel-writing (3rd, 4th, or 5th year) – Level will engage in a series
of short workshops and assignments which aid in the writing of a novel. Each of the
contracts will focus on writing the novel
e. Third Umbrella – Internships (4th,5th, or 6th year) – Two-semester-long contracts
(with a checkpoint at the quarter in-between), completion of internship (before senior
year) & select responses to portions of The Writer’s Bible)
f. Senior Seminar (all senior complete parts of this; however chapbooks are produced
only by those who’ve been in the program starting freshman year or before) –
Development/publication of senior chapbooks (first semester),
development/execution of senior projects (second semester), as well as out of class
journal (year-long)
g. In addition to level requirements, students will complete additional poem and story
assignments, which are introduced by CW teachers. Guest artists, etc. Other
assignments include: author appreciation assignments, responses to teacher, guest
artist and peer FE’s explications, critiques & multi-genre projects.
Four administrators – Principal, Asst. Principal, Asst. Principal, Dean of Students
Faculty (40)
o Science – 5.5
o Math – 5
o Social Studies – 4.5
o Spanish – 2
o Language Arts – 4
o Humanities – 4
o Theatre – 1.5
o Vocal Music – 2
o Stagecraft – 2
o Guitar – 1
o Orchestra -1
o Band – 1
o Visual Arts – 2
o French - 1
o Piano – 1
o Creative Writing – 2
o Dance – 2.5
Appendix S, Page11
History
o
Audio Production – 1

Opening date – August 1991
o First class size was 200
o Original classes were held at Cole Middle School
o Original students were in grades 6-9
o Had only four arts teachers
o Academic instruction was provided by Cole and Manual High School faculty
1997 Moved to Byers Junior High Building
o Hired its own academic faculty
1998 granted its own diplomas to the class
Class size grew to 670 students
o Led to multi-million dollar financing for a permanent home for the school
Building formerly housing the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music was
purchased by DPS
o Extensively renovated by Semple Brown Design and Klipp Architects to include
ample classroom space
 550 set multi-purpose theatre
 320 seat recital hall
 120 seat dance theatre
 Black box theatre
 Film-video sound stage
 Music rehearsal rooms
Fall 2003 class size – 900 students, faculty of 40
Today class size 1000 students majoring in 11 arts programs
Nearly 100% placements of its graduates in university and conservatory programs of
great repute







Academic Departments


There was no list of what academic courses are actually offered at the school although AP and
Honors classes are mentioned/offered
Special Note: There is a great deal of parental concern about the lack of communication
between academic departments and art departments. There is little to be found about
Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies
Resource Teachers
World Languages
Shadowing Program




Only open for current 8th-11th graders
Offers students the opportunity to spend a morning going to class with currents DSA students
to get a feel of what the school is about
Get to shadow a students from your desired major
Student guest has the opportunity to shadow through 8 class periods
Appendix S, Page12
School Name and Location:
Name:
Location:
Website:
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
3500 R. Street, NW
Washington, DR 20007
http://www.ellingtonschool.org/
Important Note: School will be undergoing a major renovation in 2014-2016
Leadership (Bio of Principal, qualifications, artistic/administrative background)
Head of School: Rory Pullens
 Head of School/Chief Executive Officer
 Prior to appointment he spend over a decade as an arts administrator in Denver Colorado
where be designed the first elementary arts school in Denver Public School and two charter
school programs and Los Angeles California where his prior credits spanned nearly two
decades as a writer/director/producer in the entertainment industry
 Currently sits on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Advisory Board and the
Ellington Fund Board, and is 1st Vice-President of the national Arts School Network Board
Director of Artistic Affairs: Tia Powell Harris
 BS in Speech and Drama Education and an MA in Communication Arts and Theater from the
University of Maryland
 Past Jobs
o Manager of Community Partnerships at the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing arts
o Served as Associate Director of Education Programs at the Smithsonian National
Portrait Gallery
o Ellington DOAA (artistic affairs) designs and facilitates arts-based professional
development for American teachers at the Smithsonian and has taught as an adjunct
faculty member in the graduate Arts Management program at The American
University
Director of Student Affairs: Jon Payne
 Began carrier as Associate Pastor of Saint Augustine Roman Catholic Church – developed
community’s internationally known liturgical tradition focusing on music, art, dance, and
spoken word
 1996 became project Director in the Kellogg Foundation’s African-American Male
Collaborative, which let him to the HEROSE project at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
where he built support systems and developed programs to mentor Africa American male
students. In 2000 he was names Dean of Students
 Is committed to issues of justice and enculturation in communities of faith and to building
systems that nurture success for students in District of Columbia Public Schools
Director of Academic Affairs: Nina M. Smith, PhD
 Education:
o Attended Columbia in Columbia, Missouri – trained under classical vocalist Elaine
Grey
o Transferred to University of Missouri-Columbia to study education
o Obtained her first M.A in Education Administration from Washington University in
ST. Louis
Appendix S, Page13
o

Second M.A. in Administration of Education was from George Mason while
undertaking a PhD in Sociology at American University
Career:
o Pursued singing career traveling abroad to England and Paris
o Taught music in St. Louis area elementary schools
o Initially moved to the East Coast with a job at the Baltimore Symphony to advise
their new “music across the curriculum” program
o Joined the Alexandria Public Schools working with untrained youth who went on to
stage performances under her guidance
o As DOA (academics) it is her goal to instill a love for learning ad academic
achievement in talented young student at Ellington
Student Population 531
Student Geography:
 Most students come from within district. Students may attend from outside the district
pending audition(s) and must pay enrollment fees (inner district students are exempt from
this)
 Large Female population – 68% female
 Enrollment Demographics (2012-2013)
o Black
76%
o Hispanic/Latino
9%
o White
10%
o Asian
2%
o Pacific/Hawaiian
0%
o Native/Alaskan
0%
o Multiple Races
2%



English Language Learners
Free and Reduced-Price Lunch
Special Education
1%
36%
3%
Total Faculty & Staff: 130
Just Teaching Faculty: 90-100
Full Time: Most are full time, but some teach a minimum of 3 days per week.
Accredited arts/music/theatre/dance faculty: There are no “accredited” faculty in the school, rather a
difference between Arts faculty and academic faculty in the hiring process.
Hiring System:
 There are two branches of employees
o Academic Educators:
 hired by the District of Columbia Public Schools
 Certified
 Union
 Hired using normal school process
 Regular hours are 8:00-3:30
 Salary is based on DSPS – the districts mandated laws that set
compensation rate, raises etc. must go through the Union
o Specialized Art Educators
 Not unionized
 Hired outside of the union (Through their Non-Profit Group Duke Ellington
School of the Arts Project)
 Allows artists to be hired and fired much easier
 Do not need certification
 Most are at the top of their field, and have real life applications of the
subjects being taught
 Regular Hours are 9:30-5:00
Appendix S, Page14

Compensation is negotiated by the artists at the beginning of their
employment – not bound by district/state regulations
Schedule:
School Hours: 8:30am – 4:55pm (Extended day in comparison to normal public school hours)
-
Every student has ten classes
Mondays students go to every class (broken into even and odd numbers)
Tuesdays/Thursdays students only attend evening classes
Wednesdays Off classes
8:30-1:30 are strictly for academic classes
2:00-4:55 – Arts Block (only art classes)
School Mission Statement:
 To Nurture and inspire passion for arts and learning in talented students who might not
otherwise have an opportunity to develop their artistic skills. We ensure that our students
are prepared for post-secondary education and/or careers in the arts by offering an
intensive arts-based program. We prepare our students to become productive citizens in
our global society through our strong focus on community service.
How the mission is different than most SOTA Schools:
 School was never intended to be a Julliard. Although students must audition to get into the
school (1500 applicants for ~ 170 spots) they are looking for students with artistic interest, not
always the most talented, more looking for true interest.
 School is meant to be a pre-professional training ground for students
 Nina Smith (Director of Educational Affairs) stressed the importance of the attitude of the
students at the school, not the raw talent, and that they are one of the few public schools
around, maintaining funding from the Governments and having educational faculty be
unionized. (Not a charter school, still operates as a DC public School)
Role of Arts Institutions:
Community Partnerships:
 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Official Partner)
 The Ellington Fund
 Feld Entertainment
 Georgetown University (Official Partner)
 George Washington University (Official Partner)
 Magic Johnson Foundation
 Dickstein Shapiro
 Monarch Construction
 Davis Construction
School Collaboration:
District of Columbia Public Schools
 Provides 70-80% of the operating budget for Duke Ellington
 Academic curriculum follows DCPS standards of learning and many staff members are
veterans of DC Public School System
 Upon graduation Ellington students receive a standard DCPS diploma and an arts
certificate
George Washington University (GWU)
 Provides collaboration with different departments
 Sponsors Ellington events
Appendix S, Page15



Provides counsel on governance and assisting in upcoming renovations
Promotion of Ellington’s Jazz program on GWU radio
In past 5 years Trachtenberg scholarship (offers graduating senior a full tuition
scholarship to GWY) has been won 4 times by an Ellington Student
 The current DESAP board president is General Counsel for the George
Washington University
Ellington Fund (the Fund)
 Is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1979 to serve as the charitable arm of
the DESA
 Administers and supports several programs and activities at DESA that are not
funded by the DC Public School System (DCPS)
 Works closely with the head of school, responsible for prioritizing the many
addition resources needed for the school, ad acquiring funding from individual
donors organizations and corporations to provide the finances necessary to
bridge the funding gap to support its diverse arts programs
The Kennedy Center
 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts provides much needed
resources in performance space, opportunities for performance, production
assistance and annually funding a series of master classes, professional
developmental lectures and other educational opportunities to enhance teaching
and curriculum offered at Duke Ellington
 Students regularly attend and are often sought to perform at the Kennedy Center
with multiple appearances at Millennium Stage, the Performance Series of
Legends and various other shows
 Faculty have also produced shows at the Kennedy Center and attend various
clinics and workshops
 Many renowned artist that perform at the Kennedy Center often share their
talent by working with Ellington students in clinics/master classes/workshops
(funded by the Education department at the Kennedy Center)
 Kennedy Center representative serve on the DESAP board
 The Kennedy Center Vice President of Education is currently the treasurer of
that board
Career and Higher Education Preparedness:
Master Classes: School brings in artists who are not faculty but currently working within their given field
(or retired professionals/legends) to work with the kids for 1-4 hours. The master classes are run in a way
similar to college master classes where the professional mentors in whatever they feel is most helpful to
that particular group of kids.
Regular College Fairs: Students are able to attend several college fairs held at the school and are
encouraged to apply for top schools in the country.
Stats:


99% graduation rate
96-97% college acceptance
o Washington D.C. average is only 60%
Academic Enrichment
 11 AP Courses
o English Language and Composition
o English Literature and Composition
o Calculus (1 & 2?)
o Biology
o Chemistry
Appendix S, Page16

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o Government
o U.S. History
o Art History
o World History
o French
Honors Classes
o English 1, 2, 3, 4
o Algebra 1
o Pre-calculus
o Calculus
o Spanish 2
o Italian 2
o French 2
National Honor Society
Debate Team
Foreign Affairs Round Table
Model UN
Constitutional Law
HI-SCIP
Cathedral Scholars
International hosting committee
Audition and Admittance Process
4 Step process: Online Application, Auditions (if you pass you move to 3), Academic Assessment Test,
Family Interview
1.) Online Application
a. Must finish an online application found on their website
b. Must submit the following materials
i. A paragraph explaining why you want to study your specific artistic discipline at
Ellington. If you are auditioning for two arts areas, be sure to write two
paragraphs
ii. A copy of your final report card from the previous year and you most recent
report card from this year
iii. Attendance records from last year and this year if not reflected on your report
card
iv. A copy of your most recent standardized scores (ex. DC-CAS, VA SOL, MD
MSA)
v. Two letters of recommendation
1. One letter from an arts teacher (substitute another adult if no arts
teacher)
2. One letter from an academic teacher
vi. Two small photos of yourself
2.) Audition (8 Subcategories)
a. Dance:
i. Looking for
1. Physically and verbally express their passion for the art of dance
2. Show a strong desire to work diligently on technique
3. Display a willingness to accept discipline and/or positive correction
4. Exhibit flexibility, a natural sense of movement, musicality, and an
innate ability to follow directions
ii. Those Auditioning Must
1. Girls – Wear leotards and footless tights, and no dance shoes
Appendix S, Page17
Boys – Wear footless tights, sleeveless white t-shirt, and no dance
shoes
3. Have hair pulled back away from dace in a tight bun, secured with a
thin hairnet
4. Remove all jewelry
5. Remove all fingernail and toenail polish
iii. Audition Process
1. 2 days, both of which you will participate in a dance class involving
both ballet and modern techniques.
2. No solo dances are performed during the audition
3. After 2 days will identify the group of students who move on to the
mandatory callback audition
4. The call back audition has the same format as the initial audition
Literary Media & Communications:
i. Looking for
1. Students who are intelligent, respectful, and humble
2. Prospective student should be confident about their voice and have an
awareness of the necessity of effective communication
3. Must read constantly and have an awareness of current events
4. Must engage with technology and have an awareness of technology and
New Media as a viable means of communication
ii. Must Submit
1. A portfolio with at least three strong writing samples
a. A personal essay of at least 350 words that states your
personal goals as an artist
b. Two other forms of narrative (poem, short story, fiction, nonfiction, play etc.)
2. A printed or electronic sampling of any New Media communications
they have completed or are working on, such as (but not limited to):
a. A blog
b. A podcast
c. A website
d. Any film, documentary, short footage they have worked on
e. Digital or traditional photography
3. At least two letters of recommendation in addition to the
recommendations required as part of the application process
a. One letter from an English teacher
b. One letter from someone who has read/viewed and critiqued
your work (in any of the above genre or forms)
4. IEP and/or 504 information if applicable
5. Most recent report card
1. Will consist of a conversation with faculty about the work you have
submitted as well as about the reading assignment. Audition interview
will also include a writing component
Technical Design and Production
i. Looking for:
1. Student with a passion for all aspects of the theater. Successful students
are mature, pay attention to detail and have the ability to stay focused.
Students must follow directions, work in a team and accept constructive
criticism.
ii. What to Bring/Prepare
1. A Statement of Purpose that expresses your interest and goals. Help us
understand why you’d like to pursue Technical Design & Production
2. A Resume detailing any artistic involvement, volunteer efforts, and
other extra-curricular activities
2.
b.
c.
Appendix S, Page18
3.
A letter of recommendation from a mentor, employer, director, that
tells us why you would make a good candidate for Ellington as a
member of a stage-management team.
iii. The Audition Process
1. Audition interview in which they bring their portfolio with them and
have sent in other required material in advance
a. Portfolio highlights stage-related interest and skills
i. Drawings or painting from art classes
ii. Three-dimensional work, models, sculpture, collages
iii. Sketch books
iv. Visual examples showing your training, graphic
abilities and artistic vision
v. Items from a production you have worked on
including
1. Photographs from the production
2. Production books (prompt book)
3. Production drafting, scene, costume or
lighting examples, renderings and sketches,
sound/video recording samples. Other
examples are welcome
4. Sketchbooks, preliminary sketches (your
process)
5. Rehearsal/Performance Reports, Cue Sheets,
Blocking notations
2. Participation in a 2-day shadow workshop. Auditioning students will
work with current TDP students as they produce a show with the first
day in tech rehearsal and the second day in performance. The Shadow
workshop gives the student a chance to see what is truly involved in
Technical Design and Production, and gives us a chance to see how
well the student works with others, stays focused and accepts direction.
d.
Visual Arts
i. Looking for
1. Students with potential who demonstrate their passion for the visual
arts. Successful students show strong observational skills and hand-eye
coordination
ii. What to bring/prepare
1. A portfolio of at least 5 or more works of art - on white drawing
paper, 8 ½ x 11 inch paper or larger with at least one each in the
following categories
a. A self-portrait
b. A drawing of a bicycle
c. A drawing of an open closet in their home (use color: pencils,
markers or watercolors)
d. A drawing of a landmark in the city
e. Free choice of anything of your own creation
1. Will be required to produce a drawing from a still-life during the
audition, write a short essay about the form and content of work of art
presented in their portfolio, and discuss their portfolio during their
interview with a Visual Arts faculty member
e.
Instrumental Music
i. Looking For
1. Potential and passion for your instrument, your musicality, and your
willingness to work hard to move to the next level
Appendix S, Page19
f.
g.
ii. Must Bring/Prepare
1. A musical selection for the audition and bring sheet music for the
selection
2. Bring their own musical instrument (except for string bass, piano and
percussion.
3. Sticks and/or mallets if needed
1. Perform a prepared musical selection
2. Perform a sampling of major scales
3. Be tested on musical response and sight-reading
4. Participate in a personal interview
 In addition to the procedures percussion students must present at least
of the following
 A variety of snare drum rudiments from the PAS list of
International Drum Rudiments
(http://www.pas.org/resources/rudiments/rudiments/html)
 Any technical/musical skills on mallet percussion or timpani
 Drumset styles such as jazz, Latin, Funk, rock and/or soloing
Museum Studies
i. Looking For
1. Students who exhibit intellectual curiosity – who are particularly
interested I history, social studies, visual arts and technology
2. Students should have a desire to learn more about art and culture and
how to effectively use computers to develop visual presentations
through photography and graphic design
1. Three personal objects that tell something about the student, to present
them as a display, and discuss the reasons for the selections
2. Five finished visual art pieces (like a collage, 3-D sculpture, a drawing
or painting), or a science or social studies project/report completed
during the past school year, to discuss during the interview
1. Interview with and perform for Museum Studies faculty
2. Write a 250-word or more essay relevant to Museum Studies
3. May exhibit interest in the arts, science, or history by performing either
a musical piece or drama presentation, or presenting a project done in
one of these areas
4. Will participate in exercise that examine their curiosity and creativity
Theater
i. Looking For
1. Students with a passion for being on stage and who want to study all
aspects of the theatre
2. Successful candidates listen and adapt, and are able to accept criticism
and incorporate suggestions in their work
3. Students who are focused and on-task, and are imaginative and able to
make emotional connection with their character and then express
themselves physically as well as vocally
1. Prepare and memorize TWO 1 ½ - 2 minute contrasting monologues
from two published plays.
2. Be prepared to tell us why you want to attend Duke Ellington and what
you hope to accomplish while you are here
3. Come to the audition on time, dressed in loose fitting clothes and
tennis shoes and be prepared for movement or warm-up exercises
Appendix S, Page20
1.
2.
3.
h.
Will participate in group warm-up exercise and then will have an
individual audition time (where they present their monologues)
May be asked to do a cold reading or improvisation
Students with a successful preliminary audition will be asked to
callbacks (will require two visits to Ellington)
Vocal Music
i. Looking For
1. Vocal potential – potential to develop to a point where you could sing
professionally
2. Performance and musical potential – personality to be a performer, or
succeed in some other area of musical study (composition, recording
technology, teaching, music therapy, musicology, ethnomusicology,
etc.)
3. Passion about music – truly excited by music/singing?
4. Possibility for academic success – can you do well enough to be
academically invited to stay at Ellington (maintain a “C” average in
academics)
5. Cooperative attitude – can you work well with others in and outside of
class
1. Memorize one piece from this list
a. Lift Every Voice and Sing
b. The Star-Spangled Banner (O, Say Can You See)
c. Caro mio ben (Italian)
d. America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee)
e. Climb Every Mountain
 Student who are studying with a private voice teacher may sing an art
song in English, Italian, or German
1. Will take a Music Theory assessment test and then participate in
individual auditions
2. Sing for at least one member of the vocal faculty who will also ask for
vocal exercises
3. Will assess range of your voice, quality of your musical ear, and
whether your natural gifts are strong enough to succeed in our program
iv. How to succeed
1. Decide exactly what song you will present and PREPARE it
2. Say your name and answer questions clearly and completely
3. Be ready to talk about yourself, past musical experiences, goals for the
future. Give these ideas some thought – is Duke Ellington REALLY
where you want to be? Why? Is singing your hobby or passion?
4. Dress appropriately – look professional
Facility:
Building has been around since 1898, but in 1974 Western University gradually left, allowing Duke
Ellington to take ownership of the grounds. Since then they have adjusted to property to fit their needs
(more renovations to take place 2014-2016)
What once was the Gym has been turned into a dance studio(s), Classrooms were renovated to create
recording studios, etc.
Contains:

Art Room
Appendix S, Page21
 Auditorium
 Computer lab
 Gym
 Media Center
 Music Room
 Outdoor recreation space
 Science lab
Technology:
 PC’s and MACs
 Computer la strictly for computer arts students – all MACS with typical computer arts
programming
 No “special technology”
 Some classrooms contain Smart Boards
 1 PC per room
 Music Software – Finale/Sibelius (not specific)
 Do not have a contract with a technology manufacturer
Student Council and Governance Role
Student Government Association:
Dual Mission. First is to capture and represent the interests and preferences of the school’s study body and
incorporate them with appropriate into key decisions and school policy. Second is to build school spirit, a
sense of community, and plan fun events for all to enjoy
Other Student Organizations
The Cappies (Critics and Awards Program):
An international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school
theater and journalism students and teenage playwrights. Attend plays and musicals at other high schools in
their area and write reviews. Critic-written reviews that are later published by area newspapers, with
student bylines.
International Hosting and Lunch Club:
Welcoming committee for our international exchange and new students, exploration of the international
world through food
National Honor Society:
Students exemplify excellence in leadership, scholarship, and service
Recycling Club:
Making Ellington a “greener” and “cleaner” environment for our school community
The Roundtable Seminar:
Students meet with a core group of lawyers from the law firm of Dickstein and Shapiro to discuss and
debate major legal issues facing our city and nation (open to junior and seniors only)
World Affairs Council:
Students meet to discuss and debate major global issues and events. Through the partnership with the
World Affairs Council of DC, the students invite special guests to speak at Ellington students on topics
related to global issues
Yearbook:
Design and create the Ellington yearbook as a body of student work
Family or Parents Governance Role
Appendix S, Page22
Shade: School Home Association of Duke Ellington
o Mission to work as a unified body for the benefit, promotion and support of the school
by serving as a liaison and representative of the school community at a large
o Two parent representatives and two alternates from each of the eight arts majors make up
the executive committee of SHADE
o Is a membership organization requiring a small membership fee to be paid at the
beginning of the school year
“Friends of the School” or NPO





Function is to support the school.
The Ellington Fund (see above) through comprehensive fundraising efforts, including
individual gifts, direct mail appeals, corporate, government and foundation grants, and
special events such as the annual Performance Series of Legends.
Has raised millions of dollars to augment the school’s budget.
Is a 501(c)(3) organization
Has a development office made for fundraising – only brings in 1-2 million dollars a year
in revenue
Appendix S, Page23
Name:
Location:
Website:
New World School of Arts (Magnet School)
25 NE 2nd Street
Miami FL, 33123
http://nwsa.mdc.edu
Principal:
Evonne S. Alvarez
 First year as principal
 Previous Job Experience/Awards
o Has almost a decade of administrative experience
o Has served as Principal, Assistant Principal, and Faculty in
various middle and high schools in the Miami-Dade County
public school system including South Miami Middle
Community School and for Campbell Drive Middle School
o Assistant Principal of Curriculum at Citrus Grove Middle
School, South Dade Senior high school, and Coral Gables
Senior High School
o Numerous Awards ad recognitions through her involvement
with the South Florida community
o 2012 Named Principal of the Year for the South Miami Feeder
Pattern
o Recognized with the Rae to the Top School Site Administrator
in 2011
 Education
o B.A in Behavior and Social Sciences from the University of
Maryland College Park
o M.S. in Educational Leadership from NOVA Southeastern
University
 305-237-3605
[email protected]
Student Population: 472
Grades Served: 9-12
Student Geography:
 Demographics are as shown below
o SOTA Student Ethnicity, 2012-2013
 Hispanic 57%
 White 21%
 African American 19%
 Asian: 1%
 Multi-Cultural: 2%
 Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program:
o 36%
 Graduation Rate:
99%
Appendix S, Page24

2013 Senior Class Size:
109
Test Scores (ACT/SAT/Advanced Placement)
SAT Exams (Mean Scores)
 Verbal:
538
 Math:
518
 Writing:
541
ACT Exams (Average Scores)
 English:
24.0
 Math:
22.2
 Reading:
23.9
 Science Reasoning
21.8
 Composite
23.1
Advanced Placement Exams
 69% of scores 3 and above
Graduation Requirements:
Grades 9-12
SUBJECT
English
Mathematics
Science
American History
World History
American Government
Personal Fitness
Fine Arts
Electives
Economics
TOTAL
YEARS
4.0
4.0
3.0
1.0
1.0
0.5
1.0
1.0
8.0
1.0
24.0
CREDITS
4.0
4.0
3.0
1.0
1.0
0.5
1.0
1.0
8.0
1.0
24.0
* Bonus points are given when:
- Advanced Placement/Dual Enrollment
 2 additional points for a grade of A or B
 1 additional point for a grade of C
- Honors
 1 additional point for A, B, or C
Honors and Advanced Placement Courses Offered:
Honors Courses:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
English (9, 10, 11, 12)
Geometry
Algebra 2
Analysis of Functions
Calculus
Pre-Calculus
World History
American History
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
American Government
Economics
Biology
Anatomy/Physiology
Marine Science
Physical Science
Chemistry
Spanish 3
French 3
Appendix S, Page25
o Creative Writing 3
o Selected Arts Courses
Advanced Placement Courses:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
English Language Art history
English Literature
Calculus AB
Calculus BC
Statistics
American History
US Government & Politics
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Microeconomics
Biology
Chemistry
Environmental Science
Spanish Language
Studio Art 2-D Design
Studio Art Drawing
Music Theory
Human Geography
Psychology
Teacher Education Levels:



Bachelor’s Degree:
Master’s Degree:
Doctorate Degree:
50%
47%
3%
Schedule/School Day
7:30am – 3:40pm
School Hours:
o
o
5 academic and 3 arts periods daily
Seniors have 4 academic and 4 arts periods daily
6 Step process: Online Application, Auditions or Portfolio Review, NWSA Recommendation for
Admission, Completion of current grade-level at your school, Florida Residency Statement (if appropriate),
Official School transcripts for private school or out of county applicants.
4 Audition Categories:
o Dance
o Two Audition Components
 Applicants will participate in a class that includes a ballet barre, adagio and petit
allegro; modern center, traveling and elevation; and a short jazz combination
 Purpose: is to demonstrate the applicant’s technical ability in a variety
of dance styles and his/her ability to take direction
 Applicants will be asked to perform a short solo dance, not to exceed two
minutes, in either ballet (point work is not permitted), modern, or jazz dance
style. The solo may be from the classic or contemporary repertoire or be an
original work composed by the student or a teacher.
 Purpose: is to demonstrate the applicant’s performing skill. Each
candidate is required to bring a compact disc or cassette recording of
musical accompaniment
o Must Wear
 Appropriate dance attire for the audition. DO NOT wear leg warmers, sweaters,
or jewelry.
 MEN: wear black tights or jazz pants, white t-shirt and ballet shoes
 WOMEN: wear black leotard, black or pink tights (that can be rolled up for
modern dance) and ballet shoes.
 For modern dance selection, applicants must be barefoot. For jazz section,
applicants may wear jazz shoes.
o Acceptance Criteria
Appendix S, Page26


o
Talent and potential as a performer. The faculty is most interested in those
students who show strong performing abilities, an openness to assimilate
corrections, and a willingness to learn in the various styles
Level and quality of training: although the purpose of the New World School of
the Arts is to train dancers, we are not equipped to deal with the inexperienced
student
Musicality

Music
o General Music Audition (required of all music applicants)
 Recommendation by the middle or high school music teacher or private music
instructor
 Audition (instrumental or vocal) held by the members of the NWSA music
faculty
 Sight Reading
 Special Note: If a student’s performance audition is acceptable, successful
completion of a music fundamentals course at New World during the summer
month is required in order to qualify for Fall entrance
o Instrumental Music Audition
 In addition to chromatic scales specified, students may be asked to play 12 two
octave scales in the range of the instrument
 Special Note for Jazz Instrumental Auditions: Jazz applicants (with the
exception of jazz guitar) must first complete their classical audition and then
return for the jazz portion.

 FLUTE OR PICCOLO Chromatic Scale: 3 octaves from C 1. (12) two octave
scales in the range of the instrument. 2. Two contrasting repertoire pieces that
demonstrate lyrical playing and technical proficiency.
 OBOE Chromatic Scale: 2 octaves from D 1. (12) two octave scales in the
range of the instrument. 2. Two contrasting repertoire pieces that demonstrate
lyrical playing and technical proficiency.
 BB CLARINET Chromatic Scale: 3 octaves from E 1. (12) two octave scales in
the range of the instrument. 2. Two contrasting repertoire pieces that
 BASSOON Chromatic Scale: 3 octaves from Bb 1. (12) two octave scales in the
range of the instrument. 2. Two contrasting repertoire pieces that demonstrate
 ALTO / SAXOPHONE Chromatic Scale: 2 octaves from C 1. (12) two octave
 TENOR SAXOPHONE Chromatic Scale: 2 octaves from F 1. (12) two octave
 ALTOR / TENOR / SAXOPHONE – JAZZ PORTION (OPTIONAL) Play the
melody and improvise based on the following: 1. Maiden Voyage and Shuffle
Time from Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 54 2. Ornithology from
Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 93
 Sight-reading in the "jazz/swing" genre
 TRUMPET Chromatic Scale: 2 octaves from G 1. (12) two octave scales in the
range of the instrument. 2. 2. Two contrasting repertoire pieces that demonstrate
 TRUMPET – JAZZ PORTION (OPTIONAL): Play the melody and improvise
based on the following: 1. Maiden Voyage and Shuffle Time from Jamey
Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 54 2. Ornithology from Jamey Aebersold
Play-A-Long Volume 93 Sight-reading in the "jazz/swing" genre
Appendix S, Page27













FRENCH HORN Chromatic Scale: 2 octaves from F 1. (12) two octave scales
in the range of the instrument. 2. Two contrasting repertoire pieces that
TROMBONE / BARITONE Chromatic Scale: 2 octaves from F 1. (12) two
octave scales in the range of the instrument. 2. Two contrasting repertoire
pieces that demonstrate lyrical playing and technical proficiency.
TROMBONE/BARITONE JAZZ PORTION (OPTIONAL): Play the melody
and improvise based on the following: 1. Maiden Voyage and Shuffle Time
from Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 54 2. Ornithology from Jamey
Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 93
Sight-reading in the "jazz/swing" genre
TUBA Chromatic Scale: 2 octaves from F 1. (12) two octave scales in the range
of the instrument. 2. Two contrasting repertoire pieces that demonstrate lyrical
playing and technical proficiency.
PERCUSSION Mallets 1. Chromatic Scale: 2 octaves from any pitch 2. Major
Scales and Arpeggios: 2 octaves (at least two will be selected) 3. Prepared Solo
and/or Etude* 4. Sight Reading
 Snare Drum 1. PAS International Drum Rudiments performed openclose-open (slow- fast-slow) a. Required: #2, #6, #7, #9, #10, #15, #16,
#20, #31 (at least two will be selected) 2. Concert “buzz” or MultipleBounce Roll (Rudiment # 4) to be performed pp – ff – pp 3. Prepared
Solo or Etude* 4. Sight Reading
 Timpani: A timpani solo or etude is optional for incoming Freshman,
however, the student will be asked to find major diatonic intervals on
the timpani from a given pitch. See below for requirements for
incoming Sophomores or Juniors.
 *Students should select pieces that represent the extent of their ability
on each instrument. Incoming Freshman should prepare a two mallet
solo for marimba or xylophone. Incoming Sophomores or Juniors
should prepare a four mallet marimba solo, as well as a timpani solo.
 The student is expected to bring his or her own keyboard mallets,
timpani mallets, and snare drum sticks, as they will not be provided at
the audition. Also, three copies of each prepared piece will be required
at the audition.
PERCUSSION DRUM SET – JAZZ AUDITION (OPTIONAL): 1. The Art of
Bop Drumming by John Riley pp.18-19, 22-23, 26-27; pg. 64, and choice of two
of the following pg. 65, 66, 67, or 68 2. Three Selections from The Ultimate
Drumset Reading Anthology; pp. 12- 13, 20-21, and 22
STRING APPLICANTS WILL BE ASKED TO PLAY ALL OR PART OF
THE FOLLOWING (all string auditions are to be unaccompanied):
VIOLIN 1. Major and minor scales and arpeggios two or three octaves. 2. One
etude from Kreutzer or two movements of a Bach unaccompanied Partita. 3.
First movement of a concerto from the standard repertoire or standard solo
repertoire piece. 4. The two pieces should be in contrasting style.
VIOLA 1. Major and minor scales two octaves. 2. One etude from Kayser 36
Studies, opus 20 or Kreutzer Studies. 3. One movement of a concerto or solo
repertoire piece (Telemann Concerto in G Major is acceptable). 4. The two
pieces should be in contrasting style.
CELLO 1. Major scales two or three octaves. 2. One etude of your choice. 3.
Two contrasting solo selections of your choice.
BASS 1. Major scales two octaves 2. Two contrasting etudes of your choice
JAZZ BASS* (OPTIONAL): Play the melody and improvise based on the
following: 1. Maiden Voyage from Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 54
2. Three Selections from Essential Styles for the Drummer and Bassist; pp. 3233, 53, and 60
Appendix S, Page28




o
o
HARP 1. Two solos of contrasting style 2. One etude of your choice such as
Bochsa or Larivere 3. One orchestral excerpt such as the cadenza from The
Nutcracker
JAZZ GUITAR* * Note: There is no classical guitar program.
Play the melody and improvise based on the following: 1. Maiden Voyage and
Shuffle Time from Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 54, 2. Ornithology
from Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 93
 Sight-reading in the "jazz/swing" genre
JAZZ PIANO – KEYBOARD In addition to the jazz requirements below, all
jazz piano applicants must prepare the standard "classical" audition material
listed under Piano Audition or the "classical" audition material for another
instrument.
 Play the melody and improvise based on the following: 1. Maiden
Voyage and Shuffle Time from Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume
54, 2. Ornithology from Jamey Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 93
Piano Audition
 New World School of the Arts Music Division regrets that budget restraints
prevent our considering of classical piano applicants. No classical piano
applicants will be auditioned or accepted. Only jazz piano applicants will be
scheduled for classical piano auditions this year.
 Will be asked to play the following:
 Scale, 4 Octaves hands together:
 All 12 keys both major and harmonic minor at tempo of ¼
note equals M&@
 Arpeggios:
 All major and minor keys, 4 octaves
 Sight Reading:
 Clementi sonatina or equivalent
 Two Memorized Solos:
 One from the Baroque or Classical era, one from the Romantic
or Modern era
 Special Note: These pieces MUST be performed from memory. Choose
contrasting pieces that demonstrate technical ability, bravura, and
lyrical and expressive playing. It is recommended that students
audition with pieces of an appropriate level of difficulty.
Theater
o Acting Audition Requirements and Process
 A prolonged practical session under the guidance of NSA teachers and students
 Includes physical exercises, theatre games and improvisations
 No preparation for this is needed. Please wear loose comfortable
clothing
 A memorized monologue from a published literary or theater work, one and a
half to two minutes in length, by a character which must be from the applicant’s
age range
 Judges will be looking for:
o Naturalness
o Honesty
o Evidence of a true understanding of both the character and full
context of the monologue
o Good vocal projection
o Clear diction
o Body control
Appendix S, Page29

Accents and dialects (not the candidates own) are to be avoided at all
costs
 Applicant must have a clearly defined focus
 Improvisation exercises may be requested – an emphasis on imagination,
creativity, flexibility, and concentration
 An in-depth confidential interview
 Applicant is expected to be relaxed, honest, and able to demonstrate a
reasonable command of language.
 Applicant is advised to be articulate about career goals in the theater
o Musical Theater Audition Requirements and Process
 A select number of students will be admitted into the Musical Theater track,
which is comprised of the basic core courses required of all theater majors as
well as training in voice, dance, and fundamental music theater repertoire.
Applicant wishing to be considered for this track will be expected to
 Complete steps above as described in the Acting section
 Perform a song from a musical, demonstrate dance skills in a short
dance class, and complete a basic music theory test
 Applicants should bring an accompaniment tape or CD containing only the
instrumental score (karaoke-style or piano only) and wear loose, comfortable
clothing and dance or other adequate shoes.
 Call backs will take place after the final audition session.
o Visual Arts
o Audition consists of two sections: Portfolio and Performance
 Portfolio Section
 Submission of Two-Dimensional Artwork: Applicants must submit no
fewer than ten examples of their best artwork using different art media.
All work must be flat: no rolled or framed drawing etc.
 Submission of Three-Dimensional Artwork: Applicants may submit up
to twenty digital prints or slides of three-dimensional artwork (no more
than two views per piece). Full name and media must be presented on
each slide
 Submission of a Sketchbook: Applicants should submit a sketchbook
reflecting the range of their artistic explorations
 Performance Section
 A performance test will be administered. Applicants will be expected to
demonstrate imagination, creativity, and drawing skills
o (They provide a 9-minute presentation to help familiarize
applicants and parents on the visual art audition (two
workshops provided)
Overview of Art Curriculum
o Dance Overview
o 9th Grade
 Will receive a curriculum designed to provide them with a solid technical
base and nurture creativity and understanding of dance as an art form in
relation to other arts.
 Required to take classes in
 Ballet
 Modern
 Jazz
 Schedule also includes classes in body alignment, improvisation and
humanities
o 10th Grade
 Curriculum expands to include classes in specialized forms such as
 Spanish dance
 Music for dancers
Appendix S, Page30
 Composition and improvisation
Classes serve to expand the students’ understanding of the cultural and
historical expression of dance, teach the basic principles of choreography
and provide a practical knowledge of its most closely related art through
basic music theory
o 11th Grade
 Curriculum begins to place emphasis on the refinement of skill,
performance, musicality and personal expression through the addition of
pointe work, repertory classes in ballet and modern dance and the
continuation of music theory
o 12th Grade
 Curriculum is directed toward preparing young dancers for college work
and professional training.
 Classes in dance composition and repertory classes emphasize performance
skills and provide students time for individual coaching
o Additional Curriculum
 Provides instruction in Pilates technique for specific strengthening and
conditioning as well as a massage and neuromuscular therapist in residence
providing therapy sessions focusing on injury prevention
Music Overview
o Seeks to educate and train the student as a complete musician through professional
preparation in performance, theoretical and historical studies
o Performance preparation in both vocal and instrumental areas are cultivated by
individual instruction and ensemble membership
o All students except freshman vocalists receive 13 private lessons per term
 Freshman vocalists study in voice class one hour per week
o 5 principal performing ensembles are
 Symphony Orchestra
 Concert choir
 Wind ensemble
 Camerata
 Jazz Ensemble
 Each of these groups rehearses minimum of four hours per week
and performs on average twice per semester
o Academic music curriculum
 Study of music history and theory
 Students take a variety of classes including
o Foundations of music
o Survey of music history in the western world
o Jazz and pop music in America
o Jazz improvisation
o Chamber music
o General musicianship
o Private lesson program
 Each student has the privilege of studying on a one-on-one basis with the
New World artist faculty
 Rigorous daily practice and preparation is expected of each student
(progress is closely monitored)
 Each student is required to perform a solo jury at the end of each semester
before the entire faculty of their area.
Theater Overview
o Offers a structured, pre-professional training program for students who seek a career
in the theater through intensive practice in acting, music theater, play writing, design
and technical theater
o Emphasis is place on individual growth, discovery of personal strengths, process
oriented work, and the ensemble approach to theater

o
o
Appendix S, Page31
o
o
A high level of commitment is expected from students that are trained in a
concentrated, 3-hour back each day by a staff of active theater professionals
o Course in:
 Musical theater
 Design
 Directing techniques
 Playwriting
 Dance and scene studies
Visual Arts Overview
o Individual growth and development are pursued through the study of drawing,
design, painting, photography, computer graphics, sculpture, ceramics, and mixedmedia techniques.
o The study of art appreciation and art history provide an understanding of the
contributions of the artist to the development of world culture and the role of the
professional artist in contemporary life
o Students are required to maintain a sketchbook throughout their high school studies
for review and evaluation
o Program is augmented by visiting artists who offer alternate aesthetic viewpoints and
particular skills training above and beyond that offered by regular instructors
Donors/Endowments
o Key 88
o A three-year multimillion dollar fundraising initiative
o Donors give gifts that multiply through individual, foundation and state matches
 Ex. Minimum gift of $5,000 required to participate will after matching funds,
deposit $11,000 into the endowment account
o Helps to support that students receive the best education experience possible
Scholarships/Endowments

Abbey Chase-Palgon Scholarship Fund

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Grant

Adele Mann Scholarship Fund

Doris J. Rich Endowed Scholarship in Visual Arts

Allan Moss Memorial Visual Arts

Dorothy Brenner Flute Award

Alma Jennings Foundation Endowed Scholarship

Dunspaugh-Dalton Foundation, Inc. Endowed
Fund

Annette Foosaner Memorial Endowed Theater
Scholarship

Scholarship
Eduardo Yanez/First Union National Bank
Endowment Scholarship

Bank of America Scholarship Fund

Elite Fine Arts Scholarship Fund

Bee Gees Endowed Scholarship

Faye A. Phillips Endowment

Betty Ann/ Karl and Carmen Bishopric Endowed

Fernandez Family Scholarship
Scholarship Fund

Fernando Boan Memorial Endowment

Betty Rowen Education Scholarship Fund

Florida Theatrical Association

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Student

Ford Salute to Education Scholarship
Development Scholarship

Francis and Irene Wyroba Scholarship

Burger King Corporation

Frances Wolfson NWSA Scholarship

Caquelin/Capewell Endowment

Fredric Snitzer Scholarship Endowment

Chastain Endowment NWSA

George Abbott Scholarship Endowment

Citibank Music Scholarship

Goodman Scholarship

Cowles Scholarship Fund

Helen C. Margolin Arts Fund

Donald Kahn Theater Scholarship

Horatio Alger Foundation Scholarship

Donald Khan Music Scholarship

HSBC in the Community
Appendix S, Page32

Irma Schwartz Papi Memorial Fund

Patricia Olalde Endowment

Israel Cachao Lopez

Peacock Foundation, Inc Endowed Scholarship

James Sinquefield Scholarship Endowment

Jay W. Jensen, John W. and Thelma S. Jensen

Rafael and Kimberly De Acha Scholarship Fund
Endowed Scholarship Fund

Richard Kirkham and Robert Houseman
Fund

John B. Ross Memorial

Julio Iglesias Endowed Music Scholarship

Richard & Rhoda Klein Endowment Scholarship

Knight Foundation Endowed Scholarships

Richard H. Simons Charitable Trust Fund

Kramer Memorial Endowment Scholarship

Robert Brenner Memorial Theater Scholarship

Lauderdale Lakes Moose Lodge Scholarship

Robert McCabe Scholarship

Leone Hinson Pelton Memorial Endowment

Ronni Bogaev Memorial Scholarship Endowment
Scholarship

Ruth Nelson Kraft Scholarship

Laurie Horn Scholarship Fund

Ryder System Endowment Scholarship

Levi Strauss Endowed Scholarship

Ryder System/Margaret Pelton Endowment

Lewis Dorfman Scholarship

Shirley Brooks Brent Endowed Memorial

Lisa Sheryl Barth Memorial Scholarship
Scholarship Endowment
Scholarship
Endowment

Southern Bell/Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Endowment

Lydia and Burton Harrison Scholarship Fund

South Florida Critics Circle

Marcia Simon Kaplan Scholarship

Surdna Foundation

Marion Fyfe Memorial Scholarship-Theatre

NWSA Theater Arts League Scholarship

Maurice Rich Scholarship Fund

Thursday Musicale Scholarship

Miami Herald/Knight-Ridder, Inc Scholarship

Tom Apple Endowment

Morris Family Foundation Scholarship

Tommy Tune Scholarship Account

Mrs. Morgan P. Gilbert Endowed Scholarship

Virginia McDougal Memorial Fund

National Endowment for the Arts

William & Tina Rosenberg Foundation

NWSA Dance Library Presser Foundation

NWSA Foundation Board Campaign

NWSA Miami Salon Group Endowed Scholarship

NWSA Music Arturo Di Phillipe Fund

NWSA Thomas D. Moore Scholarship
Scholarship

William H. Martin Memorial Endowment
Scholarship Fund

William Morris Agency
Appendix S, Page33
School Name and Locations
Name:
Location:
Website:
Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts
555 Portola Drive,
San Francisco, California 94131
http://www.sfsota.org/sota.cfm
Principal:
Brian Köhn
 First year as new principal: Position Starting July 1 st 2013
 Previous Job Experience
 Principal of Canyon Crest Academy
 Member of the San Dieguito Union High School District
 Address: 5951 Village Center Look Road
San Diego, CA 92130
 Canyon Crest Academy
 Has “Envision” Core which encompasses all of the Visual and
Performing Arts Offered at CCA
 Website: http://www.cca-envision.org/index.html
 Utilizes working artists as instructors
 Designed to serve the student who takes only 1 class entire high school
career to those who wish to study at the most intensive level possible.
 Day Classes
 Cinema – studies in video/filmmaking, CCA TV and
broadcasting
 Dance – introductory, ballet, jazz/modern, choreography
 Digital/Fine Art – drawing and design, sculpture, painting,
digital manipulation, photography, web technologies, AP
Studio Art and AP Art History
 Instrumental Music – Band, orchestra, jazz, composition and
recording arts
 Theater – Performing arts, acting and technical theater
 Vocal Music – choir, rock band
 Envision Conservatory
 Extended day program that is available on an
audition/interview basis only
 Each term students participate in 90 hours of intensive
discipline-specific work and 15 hours of inter-disciplinary
exploration
o Includes guest artists in areas of study
 Guest Artists
 Cinema - Destin Cretton, Thomas O’Hara
 Dance – Annie Boyer, Erica Buechner, Ericka Moore,
Anthony Diaz
Appendix S, Page34



Digital/Fine Arts – Jackie Lo, Elizabeth Washburn, Amber
George, Jeff Kahn, Kimball Taylor, Amanda Dehlgren, Lisa
Paysen
Music – Mike Atesalp, Nate Jarrell, Seth Malmstrom
(Strings/Conservatory), Scott Sayre (Symphonic Band), Pak
Djoko Walujo, Renee Woodring (Voice)
Theater – Aimee Greenberg, Mary Reich, Cynthia Strokes,
Bernard Baldan, Lynne Jennings, Lisa Berger, Tim McKnight,
V. Nadja Lancelot
Former Principal: Sgarlato Carmelo
 Principal for two schools
 Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts
 Academy of arts and Sciences
 Education
 B.A. in Biology & M.A. in Educational Administration from San
Francisco State University
 Teaching Positions
 Washington High 1984 (Science) Transferred to following school:
 Phillip Burton Academic high School (Chemistry and Biology was
Science Department Head) – 9 years
 District Office Position(s)
 Science resource & mentor teacher
 Advanced to curriculum supervisor for k-12 science, math, technology
programs
 Principal (2005)
 James Lick Middle School – Received the San Francisco Principal of
the Year Honor
 SOTA ~ (2008 - July 1st 2013)
 Focus on strengthening academic and arts curriculum
 Advocate for the arts
 Committed to building strong partnerships with greater Bay
Area Arts Community to better talent and increase parental
involvement
Student Population ~ 600+
Student Geography:
 Students come from all over the San Francisco and Bay Areas (district)
 Demographics are as shown below
o SOTA Student Ethnicity, 2009–2010
 Latino 15%
 White 42%
 African American 7%
 Chinese 17%
 Other Non-White 12%
 Filipino 3%
 Native American 1%
 Japanese 2%
 Korean 1%
Total Faculty: 133
Artists in Residence per year: 60+
Academic Faculty:
Math:
5
Appendix S, Page35
Science:
Language:
English:
Social Sciences:
6
6
7
1
Accreditation:
-
June 2010 granted full six-year term of accreditation from the Western Association of Schools
and Colleges (WASC)
Schedule:
8:00am – 4:10pm
8:00am-1:10pm
1:10pm – 4:10pm
School Hours:
Academic Hours:
Art Core Hours:


8:00am-9:20am
9:20am-9:35am
9:35am-10:55am
11:00am-12:20pm
12:20pm-1:10pm
1:10pm-4:10pm
This school uses a Block schedule which results in core academic classes
meeting for an 80 minutes a day. Each student takes five Core academic
subjects a semester which rotate daily. Each class meets 3 times a week for
240 minutes.
Each student partakes in their Art Discipline every afternoon from 1:10pm –
4:10 pm resulting in 15hours of art instruction per week.
Monday
1
Break
2
3
Lunch
Art Discipline
Daily Bell Schedule (2013)
Tuesday
Wednesday
2
1
Break
Break
4
3
5
4
Lunch
Lunch
Art Discipline
Art Discipline
Thursday
2
Break
3
5
Lunch
Art Discipline
Friday
1
Break
4
5
Lunch
Art Discipline
Must have completed the following application packets:
- SOTA Application
- SOTA Recommendation Form
- Student Essay – About the student, their interests arts background and why they wish to attend
SOTA
- Report Card (most recent)
- Portfolio – Required only for Creative Writing, Media and Visual Arts
- Portfolio requirements are specific and vary by department
- Portfolios are reviewed by the department head and artist-in-residence from the
department that you apply
- Students submitting portfolios will receive a letter informing them that they have either
passed or not passed the review.
- If the portfolio passes the review they will receive a mailed invitation to
audition including a date and time
- If the portfolio does not pass the review you will not receive an audition
appointment based on that portfolio
Audition(s):
Appendix S, Page36
- Has two auditions for students.
- First Round applications are processed November 1 st 2013 to December 6th, 2013
- First Round Audition is Saturday, January 11, 2014
- Second round application due by February 14th 2013.
- Second Round Audition is Saturday March 8 th
- Each discipline has different audition requirements
1. Creative Writing
- Portfolio must include:
 Three (3) complete short stories
 Ten (10) poems
 One five-to-ten-page one-act play
 One expository essay (an essay you have already written for English
class is fine)
 One current school photo of yourself (no candid or group shots, and
only include one photo)
 One personal essay in which you should describe your reading
background, writing practices, and your familiarity with the CW
Department.
 All writing samples must be formatted in 12-pt. Times New Roman
font. Submit work in a three-ring binder with the student’s name, grade
level, telephone number, and email address clearly printed on the front.
 Choose your best work and do not submit more than the maximum
number of pieces, as they will not be read.
 Portfolio work will be reviewed by the Creative Writing Director with
the assistance of a writer-in-residence familiar with the program, and an
invitation to audition will be sent based on this review.
 We recommend that you do not submit solely genre writing (sci-fi,
fantasy, romance, etc.), and that you do submit a sample that
demonstrates the variety and range of your work, including writing that
demonstrates a unique voice.
 Portfolios that do not pass the initial review will be available for pickup in the school’s office; please note that portfolios not picked up
within one month of notification will be disposed of.
ii.
Audition:
 After the portfolios are reviewed, students will receive notice that they
have been invited to attend the audition if they are being considered for
the CW program
 On Audition Day students will be asked to complete two onsite creative
writing assignments, and to participate with the current CW students in
an informal activity
 Students will be asked to discuss themselves and their work in a
personal interview with the Creative Writing Director and a writer-inresidence.
2. Dance
iii.
Audition Requirements
 The audition is conduct much like a class with warm-up, center and
movement sequences across the floor, in a group situation to perform as
directed. In addition each applicant must have a 1 ½ minute solo piece
of dance choreography that he/she will perform. Music must be o CD.
3. Instrumental Music (Band, Orchestra, Percussion and Classical Guitar)
iv.
Appendix S, Page37





A solo piece that indicates the student’s present level of skill and
musicianship. The piece does not have to be memorized but must
be well rehearsed. Two copies of the written music must be
brought to the audition for the audition committee.
Sight-read a piece selected by the audition committee
Take an assessment of music notation and rhythm reading
Demonstrate the ability to play chromatic scales in the practical
range of the instrument
Perform major scales up to three sharps and three flats within the
normal range of the instrument
o Strings/Guitar: two octaves
o Winds: two octaves if possible
o Percussionists: Play the rudiments – long roll, 5 stroke
roll, 9 stroke roll, flam, flam tap, ruff and paradiddle and
demonstrate the ability to play a melody on the bells, if
possible
4. Media
o
o
Portfolio Requirements
 Completed film or video project (3-5 min., DVD, Quicktime, VHS,
SVHS, 16mm or Super 8)
 Story board (one short project) – illustrations of a story that
demonstrate visual artistry and a knowledge of dramatic structure.
 Audio recordings (3-5 min.)
 Short stories or scripts (3-5 pages) – writers are encouraged to
apply to this discipline
 Slides or originals of photographs, paintings or drawings or other
visual art (5-10 pieces)
 Evidence of collaborative work on a project or event
 Additional work samples that demonstrate some unique aspect of
your work may be submitted in addition to one or more of the
pieces listed above
Audition Day
 Students who have passed the portfolio review will be assigned a
20 minute audition/interview in which they will discuss their
interest in media arts production, portfolio submission(s) and past
artistic experience and technical training in related fields. They
will also complete a writing assignment giving them a change to
demonstrate the power o their ideas, commitment to the creative
process and desire to be part of SOTA’s thriving artistic
community
5. Piano
o
 Play two pieces from contrasting periods (example: Baroque,
Classical, Romantic, Modern, etc.) Both pieces should be well
rehearsed and memorized.
 Play scales and arpeggios as directed in major and minor keys up
to 5 sharps or flats. These should be played hands together with
correct fingering, four octaves up and down in parallel motion.
 Sight-read a piece, selected by the audition committee, at the level
of a Bach minuet.
 Must Bring: A resume of your musical experience. List music
classes, ensembles, private study, personal performances, chamber
music ensemble experiences and competitions.
 Two readable copies of the music you will perform.
6. Theatre Arts
o Audition Requirements (2 Days)
Appendix S, Page38

Day 1




Day 2


Monologue Presentation: Students will present a
memorized, contemporary monologue no longer than two
minutes in length for the department head and artists-inresidence
Cold Reading: Students are expected to deliver a short
“cod reading: from a monologue selected by the audition
committee. This portion of the audition will demonstrate a
student’s ability to sight read a dramatic selection and
requires no home preparation.
Short Interview: Student will have a short informal
interview with the audition committee
Acting Workshop: Students must participate in a 3-hour
group class intended to demonstrate their work habits,
mental focus, physical endurance, willingness to try and
the ability to work as a team
Writing Assignment: Students will be asked to write a one
or two page personal reflection/observations essay about
their audition experience
7. Theatre Technology
o Recommendations
 Students have at least one year of previous experience in the
following areas:
 Visual arts (Painting, drawing, sculpture)
 Mechanical Drawing or Drafting
 Stage Crew (Set construction, painting, stage
management)
 Performer (actor, dancer or singer)
o Audition Requirements
 Students must bring samples of your work including sketches,
drawings, and samples of carpentry, sewing crafts or other pieces
of artwork and be prepared to discuss them. Work should
demonstrate the student’s interest, experience and skill in some
aspect of theatre design and technology
 Students will interview with the “Tech” Director and artists-inresidence and are given an oral or written diagnostic assessment to
determine their knowledge of theatre technology and the ability to
think creatively, finding design solutions for a set of challenges.
8. Visual Arts
o Portfolios: Must submit a completed portfolio with the application by
the required deadline. Student portfolios are reviewed by the Visual
Arts Director with the assistance of SOTA’s artist-in-residence and an
invitation to audition will be sent based on this review.
o Portfolios Must Contain:
 Minimum of 10 pieces but my not exceed the maximum
number of 15 pieces
 Required pieces include the three (or more) drawings or
painting of each of the following samples of artwork:
 Portrait or self-portrait from life (NOT from a photo)
– any medium – 1 self-portrait, 1 profile, 1 front view
 Still-Life (3 or more objects arranged in each
drawing) – any medium
Appendix S, Page39


Landscape – Could include interior or exterior,
showing special relationships (from life – NOT from
a photo) – any medium
One item in each category must be in black and white, one in color
and the other(s) are te artists choice. Any medium can be used, but
your portfolio must contain as much variety as possible: pen and
ink, pencil, colored pencil, watercolor, charcoal or acrylics. If a
student has a sketchbook, please submit it with the portfolio. Any
work from photos will not be considered
9. Vocal: Classical and Musical Theatre
o Classical Vocal Audition Requirements: Students auditioning for Classical
Vocal must bring the following on audition day
 A resume of your musical experience. List music classes,
ensembles, private study and personal performances
 Two readable copies of the must you will perform for your
audition with the words, vocal melody and piano accompaniment
clearly visible in all copies. A lead sheet or a text of the words
alone is NOT adequate
 A recent headshot or photo
o Classical Vocal audition if auditioning for 9th grade
 Prepare a song of your choice with piano accompaniment and
bring a copy of your music for the pianist. Classical art song
repertoire is preferred but any style that shows your voice at its
best is welcome (no pop songs)
 A piano accompanist will be provided for you or you may bring
your own accompanist. You will not be permitted t use a recorded
accompaniment, to accompany yourself or to sing your audition
piece unaccompanied or “a cappella”
 Student will be asked to demonstrate basic pitch matching and
sight-singing to diagnose musical literacy, and there will be a short
interview with faculty and current students
o Classical Vocal audition if auditioning for 10th, 11th, or 12th grade
 Auditioning for 10th grade: following directions above for 9 th grade
and also prepare an art song in Italian such as “Caro mio ben” By
Giordani
 Auditioning for 11th grade: follow directions above for 9th grade
and also prepare an art song in Italian, such as “Caro mio ben” by
Giordani AND a German Lied (sung in German) such as
“Wiegenlied” by Brahms
 Auditioning for 12th grade: follow directions for 9th grade and also
prepare an art song in Italian, such as “Caro mio ben” by Griodani
And a German Lied (sung in German) such as Wiegenlied” by
Brahms AND a French art song (Sung in French) such as “les
Berceux” by Faure
*All audition material must be memorized
o Musical Theatre audition
o Presentation of two contrasting 32-bar excerpts from Musical
Theatre repertoire (please bring a of your music for the pianist)
o Prepare a 1-minute monologue (any style)
o A brief, choreographed combination dance routine that will be
taught o the day of the audition (bring jazz shoes and wear
unrestrictive clothing for moving)
10. World Music
o 3 hour audition that all students must participate in
Appendix S, Page40
o
o
o
o
The first hour will consist of an overview of the program and a
group class on Taiko drums
Last two hours will be individual auditions that will last 5-7
minutes each. Applicants should dress in comfortable clothing and
bring water. Please come prepared to play four short rhythm
selections shown in the video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeKwqtZEu6s&feature=player
_embedded
Applicants will be provided drum sticks and drums for the
audition.
Also view the following videos for examples of specific drumming
techniques and presentation:
 Horse beat back beat
 Straight back beat
 Swing back beat
 Matsuri back beat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLm7TSxofoE&featur
e=player_embedded
 Clave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedde
d&v=fbH22buleBM
 3-4-8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYNaXbXx0LY&feat
ure=player_embedded
 Short composition project tor creative project
 Compose a percussive piece that is a minimum
of 30 seconds long and a maximum of 1 minute
 You are encouraged to think outside the box and
showcase your creativity in this short
composition project. Using the skills shown in
the taiko back beats and drawing upon your own
musical experience, the piece must include the
following
o Voice (any kind of call out, not melodic
singing)
o Choreography (arms in the arranement
sticking and or body movement
o Form: beginning, middle, end
 You will be asked to perform your composition
in your individual audition. You may use any
instruments in the dojo (taiko drums, congas,
Brazilian percussion) or bring your own. You
may use most household objects
11. Special Education - Special Education students are admitted to SOTA via two routes:
o SDC students are welcome to audition via the regular audition process.
The Audition information is available at
http://www.sfsota.org/sotaApply.cfm. SOTA is committed to diversity
and equality in our student body, and we will accept any San Francisco
special education student that competitively, successfully auditions into
SOTA. Some audition accommodation may be available on a case by
case basis
o They choose SOTA in the district Lottery process often we have about
25 students requesting SOTA as their first choice for about 5 spots.
Some students get in, some do not, students admitted this way
Appendix S, Page41
participate in the SDC art program and are welcome to audition for a
SOTA art discipline, at any regularly scheduled time
Facility:
- Moved to McAteer campus in 2002 (Converted/Renovated)
Campus was originally designed for 1200 students
 SOTA was designed to be a small high school that accepts online 150 students per year
600 student’s total. Shares the campus with the Academy of Arts and Sciences (another
small high school with ~ 350 Students.
In addition to Offices & Classrooms campus houses:
- Library, rehearsal, studio, media, sound stage, art, gallery space, wood-shop, college guidance
and counseling center, health wellness center, a small black box theater, and a 400 seat, newly renovated
theater named the Dan Kryston Memorial Theater, and a School Farm.
Building Construction Year: 1973?
Student Council and Governance Role
o Each year the SOTA student body elect Student Body officers and class representatives
o Student Body Officer positions
o Head President, Vice President, Secretary, Activities Director, Public Relations
o Each class 10th-12th each have
 President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary
Family or Parents Governance Role
- PTSA at the Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts
- PTSA is a national child advocacy organization, offer opportunities for involvement on
the local, state and national level
- Vehicle for parent involvement
- Support the school in the following:
- Beautification, school events, teacher/staff needs, merchandise sales, Escrip
and other passive fundraising, and reaching out to the SF community,
businesses, and people
FoSOTA –
 Friends of School of the Arts (a 501(c)3 nonprofit)
 Non-Profit organization founded in 2000
 Organized to provide ongoing support and funding for SOTA, focused on
community-at-large
 In 2008 FoSOTA’s role expanded when the San Francisco Unified School
District (SFUSD) asked them to assume the responsibility of accounting for
funds raised through performances and parent donations.
 FoSOTA also manages the Parents’ Annual Fund and manages the contracts
of artists-in-residence
 Address:
 Friends of School of the Arts
263 West Portal Avenue, Box 844
San Francisco, CA 94127
Appendix S, Page42
Name:
Location:
Website:
Walnut Hill School for the Arts
12 Highland Street
Natick, MA 01760
http://walnuthillarts.org/
Head of School: Antonio Viva
 Job History
o Associate Head of School at Worcester Academy (Worcester, MA)
 Served as Worcester Academy’s Chief Information Officer (20022005)
o Senior research and development associate at Education Development Center
Inc.
 Worked on a project funded by the U.S. Department of Education
 Research was focused on teaching, learning, leadership and
technology integration
 Worked closely with faculty, students, and district level
administrators around the U.S.
o Has served on the NAIS 21st Century Teaching and Learning Task Force
o Was a founding partner of edSocialMedia.com
 Education
o Undergraduate degree in English/Creative Writing
o Graduate Degree in Education
 Union College in Schenectady NY
 Selected as a NAIS/E. E Ford Foundation Fellow for Aspiring Heads of Schools
Student Population:
~298
Student Geography:
Students of Color: 20%
Student Teacher Ratio:
7:1
% Faculty w/Advanced Degree:
90%
Total Classroom Teachers:
49
Yearly Tuition Notes:
 Yearly Tuition Cost:
$50,360
 Boarding Tuition 2012/2013:
$48,425
 Day Tuition 2012/2013:
$38,040
 % on Financial Aid:
50%
 Acceptance Rate:
40%
Advanced Courses
 Accelerated Chemistry
 Advanced English
 French 6
 Spanish 6
Appendix S, Page43
 Advanced Calculus
 Biology 2
 Physics 2
Graduation Requirements
 Minimum of 16 academic credits to graduate with a minimum of 4 academic credits to be
completed each year at the school
 Academic requirements:
o 4 credits of English
o 3 credits of Mathematics
o 2 credits of history, one of which must be U.S. History
o 2 credits of a laboratory science
o 2 credits of consecutive courses of the same modern world language
o 3 additional academic credits in any of the departments
 Every academic course confers one credit
 Music History and Music Theory are considered academic courses and confer one credit
each
 Each semester the students are required to participate in a Health and Wellness Seminar
Applications
 How to Apply
 General Application (Must be completed by all Applicants)
o Application
o Application Fee ($65 domestic) or ($100 international)
o Official School Transcripts
o One Arts Teacher Letter of Recommendation (in the art area of which you are
applying)
o Two Academic Teacher Letters of Recommendation (two different teachers in
major academic subjects)
 Recommend that one of these references be completed by an
English/History teacher and the other by a Math/Science teacher
o Audition or Portfolio Review
 Individual Audition Requirements for specific arts discipline
o Writing Sample
 All applicants must submit one. Should be a recent paper written for an
English or History class, preferably with teacher comments. If possible,
the prompt for the assignment should be the cover page
o Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) required for domestic home schooled
or virtual academy applicants only
 Audition/Portfolio Requirements
o Creative Writing
 Portfolio should contain 4-6 total pieces and include at least two of the
following genres:
1. Poetry (up to four poems)
2. Fiction (short stories or brief excerpts from novels)
3. Playwriting or screenwriting (no more than 10 pages)
4. Creative Nonfiction (personal essay or reflective essay – not
an academic essay)
 We suggest a specific amount and variety of pieces so that we can
reflect upon your range as a writer
o Dance
 Auditions
1. All students applying must complete an audition
2. Offer various ways in which a dancer can audition and allow
families to choose the option that works best for them based
on location and time of year
Appendix S, Page44
3.
4.
5.
6.
o
Music


All auditions take place in the form of an hour and thirty
minute ballet class including barre and center work
Pointe work will not be evaluated at the audition however all
dancers must have a minimum of one year of pointe
experience prior to auditioning
Students will be evaluated based on technical ability and
strength
Digital Submissions
o Live auditions are preferred but students may submit
a recorded audition
o Digital recording must include the following:
 Introduction (first and last name, Age,
Program you are auditioning for)
 Barre (1-5 brief combinations)
 Center
 Tendus
 Adagio
 Pirouettes
Audition and Repertoire Guidelines
1. On-Campus Auditions
o Auditions are heard by the acting Director of Music
or other appropriate faculty
o Theory or ear-training tests are not given at the time
of the audition
o Accompanists will be provided for vocal auditions
only: instrumentalists are not expected to audition
with a pianist
2. Auditions Submitted online or via CD/DVD
o Repertoire suggestions submitted are the same as for
on-campus auditions (listed below)
1. Materials should demonstrate the applicant’s musical and
technical ability and be representative of his/her present stage
of development and potential for growth
2. Repertoire suggestions listed below are guidelines in preparing
an audition and should not restrict choice of pieces
3. Because applicants represent a wide variety of ages and
backgrounds it is understood that fulfilling these suggestions
is not always possible.
o Brass: Two works from the standard repertoire
(including etudes, solos, and orchestral excerpts)
showing contrast in style and technique)
o Composition: Two or three original compositions in
neat manuscripts form with application. At least one
of these should be written by hand. A recording
demonstrating level of proficiency on your major
instrument is also required
o Guitar: One work, each from two of three categories:
Baroque or Renaissance; Twentieth Century
o Harp: Two representative works showing contrasting
styles and techniques
o Percussion: Should display proficiency and level of
ability in each of three areas: mallets, snare drum,
and timpani
Appendix S, Page45
o
o
o
Piano: Three or four pieces, by memory, from the
following repertory suggestions: One movement from
Bach prelude and fugue or partita, One movements
from a Classical sonata (ex. By Mozart, Schubert,
Beethoven); a substantial Romantic piece (ex.
Brahms Rhapsody or Chopin Ballade); work from the
twentieth century
o Strings: Three or Four pieces from the following
Repertory Suggestions: One Movement from a Bach
suite or partita: One movement from a Classical
sonata (ex. By Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven); One
movement from a substantial nineteenth or twentieth
century work; the first movement of a concerto from
the standard repertoire
o Voice: Two or three contrasting classical pieces
including one in English (which must be the original
language of the pieces) and one in another language
preferably Italian. These pieces should be performed
from memory and should not be from the musical
theater repertoire
o Woodwinds: Two contrasting movements from the
standard sonata, concerto, or concert music
repertoire. It is encourage that you include
representative works of the twentieth century
Theater Audition Guidelines
 Must prepare two monologues, not exceeding a total length of four
minutes or one monologue and one song, again not exceeding a total
length of four minutes. The two monologues should demonstrate
contrasting styles; for example one comic and one serious, or one
classical (written before 1900) and one contemporary. The song must
be chosen from the American musical theater repertoire and may be
accompanied by a CD or sung a cappella
 Monologue and Song Guidelines
1. Selections must be memorized
2. Choose your monologue(s) from plays Do not use poems or
material from a one-person show.
3. If you use a selection from a monologue book, make certain
that you read the entire play and understand the given
circumstances of the monologue
4. If you are singing, we are only interested in your interpretation
of the piece, familiarity with the production that the song is
from is not necessary
5. 5 Try to choose a monologue in which you speak directly to
one other person
Visual Art Portfolio Requirements
 Is an edited collection of your artwork
 Should showcase your work as the product of your unique creative
vision and outlook
 Should reflect your process (the nitty gritty ways you make artwork)
and your progress
 We request 10-12 pieces of two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional
artwork. Try to select a range of artwork made within the last one or
two years as well as artwork made recently (within six months of the
application)
 Artwork can include a range of media and techniques including
drawings (pencil, charcoal, pen and ink) – paintings (watercolor,
Appendix S, Page46

acrylic, oil) – collage-sculpture-ceramics-photography-digital mediafilm and video.
Portfolio selections can be finished or in-process/unfinished/unresolved
School Partners
 Walnut Hill SOTA is an active participant in a larger community of arts, education and
community organizations
o Collaborate with these organization in a variety of ways, whether by providing
performance or community service opportunities for students, or by lending our
expertise or resources in support of a partner organization’s mission
 The American Ballet Competition (Phoenix, AZ & Mequon, WI
 Arts Learning (Natick, MA)
 Cambridge School of Visual & Performing Arts (United Kingdom)
 Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) (Beijing)
 The Center for the Arts in Natick (Natick, MA)
 Chinese Performing Arts Academy (Natick, MA)
 New Art Center (Newton, MA)
 New England Conservatory (NEC) at Walnut Hill (Natick and Boston, MA)
 Project Zero
Support/Funders
 Annual Fund – Donation provides flexible, budget-relieving dollars to Walnut hill
 Scholarships – 20% of yearly expenses go toward financial Aid – Throughout the year donors
will receive information and letters from a current Walnut Hill student who benefitted from
their generosity
 Planned Giving – See Webpage for more information due to the complicated nature of these
form of donation - http://walnuthillarts.plannedgiving.org/
 Gala – Fundraising festival?
Appendix S, Page47
CHARTS
SOTA POPULATIONS
School:
Denver
Duke Ellington
New World
Ruth Asawa San Francisco
Walnut Hill
School:
Denver
Duke Ellington
New World
Ruth Asawa San Francisco
Walnut Hill
Student Population:
1043
531
472
600
298
Artists In
Residence/Year
Faculty Population:
40
18
133
49
60
Appendix S, Page48
Advanced Academic Courses Offered
Schools:
Duke
Denver Ellington
New
World
Ruth
Asawa
Walnut
Hill
Classes:
AP Art History
AP Biology
AP Calculas AB
AP Calculas BC
AP Chemistry
AP English Language
AP English Literature
AP Enviromental Science
AP French
AP Government
AP Human Geography
AP Microeconomics
AP Music Theory
AP Psychology
AP Spanish Language
AP Statistics
AP U.S History
AP World History
Honors
Anatomy/Physiology
Honors Biology
Honors Calculus
Honors English
Honors French
Honors Geometry
Honors Italian
Honors Marine Science
Honors Physical Science
Honors Pre-Calc
Honors Spanish
Honors Chemistry
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
x
X
X
Appendix S, Page49
School Hours
School
Denver
Duke
Ellington
New World
Ruth Asawa
Day
Hours
7:352:35
8:304:55
7:303:40
8:004:10
7
8.45
8.1
8.1
Walnut Hill
Average:
7.9125
Arts Programs Offered
Schools
Programs
Creative Writing
Dance
Instrumental Music
Band
Orchestra
Media
Piano
Theatre Arts
Theatre Technology
Visual Arts
Vocal Music: Classical
Vocal Music: Musical Theatre
World Music
Museum Studies
Duke
Denver Ellington
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X?
New
World
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Ruth
Asawa
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Walnut
Hill
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Appendix S, Page50
Video Cinema Arts
X
Class Schedules
Denver: Three Different Rotating Schedules
"Stripe Day" Wednesday
PD1 Academic
PD2 Academic
PD3
Academic/Arts
PD4
Academic/Arts
7:35-8:15
8:23-9:06
PD5 Academic
PD6 Academic
Lunch
PD7
Academic/Arts
PD8
Academic/Arts
"Black Days" Monday & Thursday
Minutes
Minutes
43 PD1
7:35-9:05
90
43 PD3
9:10-10:40
90
9:11-9:54
43 PD5
10:45-12:15
90
9:59-10:42
10:4711:30
11:3512:18
12:18-1:04
43 Lunch
12:15-1:00
45
43 PD7
1:05-2:35
90
1:04-1:47
43
1:52-2:35
43 PD2
PD4
PD6
Lunch
PD 8
43
43 "White Days" Tuesday & Friday
Minutes
7:35-9:05
9:10-10:40
10:45-12:15
12:15-1:00
1:05-2:35
Ruth Asawa: Block Schedule
8:00-9:20
9:20-9:35
9:35-10:55
11:00-12:20
12:20-1:10
1:10-4:10
Monday
1
Break
2
3
Lunch
Art
Discipline
Tuesday
2
Break
4
5
Lunch
Art
Discipline
Wednesday
1
Break
3
4
Lunch
Art
Discipline
Thursday
2
Break
3
5
Lunch
Art
Discipline
Friday
1
Break
4
5
Lunch
Art
Discipline
Appendix S, Page51
90
90
90
45
90
Boston Arts Academy (BAA)
174 Ipswich St.
Boston, MA 02215
1-617-635-6470
Leadership:
On her website (lindanathan.com), Headmaster Linda Nathan describes herself
accordingly:
“Linda Nathan is the founding headmaster of Boston Arts Academy, Boston’s
first public high school for the visual and performing arts. Under Dr. Nathan’s
leadership, Boston Arts Academy has won state, national and international
awards and recognitions, and consistently sends over 94% of its graduates on to
college.
“Currently, Dr. Nathan is the Executive Director of BAA’s Center for Arts in
Education. The Center fosters transformative education by empowering
students, schools and communities through artistic and academic innovation,
and is an internationally recognized provider of professional development as
well as innovative and tailored outreach and advocacy programs.
“Dr. Nathan is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in education
reform, and has lectured and written on topics ranging from the importance of
arts education to developing schools centered on equity to developing strong
structures that support teachers and leaders. Her book, The Hardest Questions
Aren’t on the Test: Lessons from an Innovative Urban School, was published in
2009, and her articles have appeared in numerous publications. She is also a
lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she teaches a
course titled ‘Building Democratic Schools.’”
Linda Nathan has been referred to as the Grandmother of Piloting Charter Schools. She
has helped other educators build and launch their respective pilot programs in
Milwaukee, Hartford, and San Diego to name a few.
Student Population:
Four-hundred twenty students attend BAA of which 45 percent are Latino, 35 percent
are African American, 13 percent are Caucasian, and 7 percent are of Asian descent.
Sixty-eight percent of the entire population qualifies for free or reduced lunch
programs.
Appendix S, Page52
Student Geography:
All of the students come from Boston Public Schools from the various neighborhoods it
serves.
Total Faculty:
There are a total of 55 faculty members, 35 full-time and 15 part-time.
All faculty members are accredited teachers in visual arts, music, theater and dance.
Some of the part-time faculty members are “adjuncts” or “artists in residence,”
depending on the school’s needs. Most of them teach for two to three hours a week.
Their contracts are generally based on the same hourly rate as other staff members, but
there are occasions when a master teaching artist will receive a flat fee honorarium that
can vary.
BAA has the autonomy to hire teachers with the expertise it needs in order to serve its
population. However, in the past, when there have been district layoffs, BAA has taken
staff from other schools based on seniority rather than expertise. But this has been a
rare occurrence.
Schedule:
BAA operates on a semester schedule (September to January and January to June). The
school day runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or until 6 p.m. for additional classes or rehearsals.
Students have classes in math, English, the humanities and, of course, the arts. The
schedule is primarily the same for the Lower House (grades nine and 10) and the Upper
House (grades 11 and 12), with the exception of an additional arts block for the Upper
House. BAA offers a very strong college preparatory curriculum, which is why over 90
percent of their students graduate and attend colleges, universities or conservatories.
The schedule:
8-9:15 a.m.
Academics
9:30-10:15 a.m.
Tutorial Assistance [if needed, otherwise
Academics continues]
10:15-11:45 a.m.
Arts Block
11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Lunch
12:15-1 p.m.
Literacy Block
Appendix S, Page53
1-4 p.m.
Academic for Lower House
2-4 p.m.
Arts/Fitness for Upper House
4:15-6 p.m.
Rehearsal
BAA also offers summer school opportunities for students:
According to www.bostonartsacademy.org:
Summer Reading Program — July 1 - Aug. 2 — Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Arabic Summer Academy — July 1 - July 27 — Mon. - Sat., 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Summer Dance Program — July 1 - July 18 — Mon. - Fri., 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Summer Water Studio — July 8 - Aug. 2 — Mon. - Fri., 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Four Strings Academy — Aug. 5 - Aug. 16 — Mon. - Fri., 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Role of Arts Institutions and Higher Ed:
BAA has a very strong collaborative relationship with an organization known as the
Professional Arts Consortium. This Consortium includes Berklee College of Music,
Boston Architectural College, The Boston Conservatory, Emerson College,
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Other partners include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Museum of Fine Arts, and over
50 small- to medium-size arts and cultural organizations in the Boston area. Visit
http://bostonartsacademy.org/about/partnerships for a full list of partners.
Career and Higher-Education Preparedness:
As stated earlier, the coursework is rigorous and does include AP courses. For students
who are having difficulty in the academic area, BAA sets aside a tutoring block to
address those student’s needs. BAA views their students as artists, scholars, and
productive citizens and works toward preparing them in these respective areas.
All of the faculty members participate in an advisory system in addition to having a
career counselor. Students visit colleges with faculty members and they are assigned
internships with arts organizations based on their various interests. Seniors must also
complete community service learning as a part of their senior project using their specific
art forms out in the broader Boston community.
Appendix S, Page54
During the summer, BAA offers a three-day voluntary College Intensive program for
rising juniors and seniors. The program is held at Emerson College Aug. 21-23 from
10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Audition and Admittance Process:
Over 500 students audition each year for 100 available seats. The school takes into
account that Boston’s urban population does not come to the auditions with the same
training (if any at all) that it’s more affluent students do. So, with that in mind, they look
for the “light behind the eyes” — the passion and desire the students have.
Recommendations and academic records are requested only after the audition process.
BAA hosts several recruitment fairs at Title 1 schools throughout the school year and
spends most of its time marketing to urban schools.
For audition requirements by discipline, please see BAA’s audition requirements
document, included as an attachment to this report.
Facility:
The school building was constructed in 1908. It was an older industrial/office building
that was converted into a school. There are plans to renovate the building within the
next couple of years. The technology isn’t too bad considering the age of the facility.
BAA continues to upgrade the technology as much as it can to accommodate student
and faculty needs with wireless capability and smart boards.
Student Council and Governance Role:
There is a very active Student Council. It is from this governance body that students are
elected to sit on the Board of Directors. They are not just representative members; they
are full board members with voting power. They also participate in the BAA
headmaster’s evaluation.
Family or Parents Governance Role:
There is a Family Council with similar responsibilities as the Student Council, in that
there are four parents who sit on the Board of Directors with voting power. The Family
Council is responsible for “family education” to offer parents understanding, strategies,
and workshops on how they can support their child, the artist.
Appendix S, Page55
Is there a “Friends of the School” or similar nonprofit organization that raises money
for the school independent of school district?
Yes, there is a separate 501(c)(3) set up to raise funds for the school. It is the Center for
Arts Education. The Board also oversees this organization. It raises an additional $2.5
million a year for BAA.
Information for this report was acquired from the sources listed below:




Telephone Interview with Linda Nathan on July 11, 2013
http://lindanathan.com./blog
www.bostonartsacademy.org
www.bostonartsacademy/admissions/auditions-requirements
Appendix S, Page56
Highlighted observations from other Schools of the Arts

Leslie Shepherd of Baltimore School of the Arts highly recommends that a School
of the Arts (SOTA) have a single board of directors, rather than two or more with
different missions: “The board of important business, political and foundation
leaders have helped us survive and thrive. … A mistake has happened with
SOTAs that have two separate boards, one for school and the other for
fundraising. We integrated the two and staff was very involved in helping advise
the board. The political muscle was very vital to those moments to get us to
maintain and grow.”

According to Oakland School of the Arts Executive Director Donn Harris, the
school has 625 students and 600,000 square feet of space. The school also rents
space from arts organizations to augment needs. The middle and high school
combined have 30 full-time academic teachers, 20 full-time arts teachers and 3035 part-time arts teachers. Arts and academics classes at the middle and high
school are staggered to allow for the hiring of full-time teachers who can work
both in the morning and afternoon.

Demand is high at the Orange County School of the Arts, where Principal Ralph
Opacic says 3,000 kids apply for 350 spots. The school boasts a 100 percent
graduation rate with 92 percent of students continuing on to higher education.
Opacic said the schools college readiness success can be attributed to a datadriven and responsive preparation program: “Students start this process as early as
ninth or 10th grade and it greatly motivates kids. … They do a lot of college nights
where schools come and talk about what they are looking for in students and they
are getting our students direct recommendations. They have a financial aid night.
Every ninth grader does a four-year plan, so they can be competitive.”

Chicago High School of the Arts makes use of an extended school day, Principal
Terri Milsap said. A block scheduled is employed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with,
generally, academics in the morning, arts in the afternoon and a study hall in
between), but private lessons, ensembles and rehearsals stretch students’ day to as
late as 9 p.m.

Houston School for the Performing and Visual Arts Principal Dr. R. Scott Allen is
working with architects to design a new facility in the city’s downtown arts
district. The new, $82 million school, expected to open in 2017, will stand five
stories, take up an entire city block and feature expansive performance and studio
facilities.
Appendix S, Page57
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
The following document provides information about audition requirements for the
different BAA arts majors. Requirements are listed by major in alphabetical order,
beginning with Dance, Music Instrumental, Music Vocal, Theatre, and Visual Arts.
DANCE
Required:
Appropriate dance wear and hair pulled away from face and secured. Leotards, tights,
socks or ballet shoes preferred. If females do not have leotards and tights, you may wear
shorts and a leotard or shorts and a fitted t-shirt. T-shirts and sweat pants or basketball
shorts are acceptable for boys. No one can audition in street clothes! No jeans!
Audition Class Participation:
1. Warm up exercises based on ballet and modern technique
2. Ballet, Modern or Jazz center and across the floor combinations
3. Improvisation
2 Minute (Maximum) Prepared Solo:
1. The solo should show the applicant’s technical and performance ability.
2. It does not have to be choreographed by the applicant, and it can be a dance
combination or variation learned in class.
3. Ballet, Modern or Jazz preferred, but Tap, Ethnic dance forms and Hip Hop are
acceptable
4. Music can be on CD or ipod. If using an ipod, please have music cued up and
ready for the audition. Your CD should have only the song you are going to use
for your routine.
The students will be judged on the following:
a) Physical potential
b) Coordination
c) Rhythmic accuracy and musicality
d) Focus
e) Observation and recall
f) Coachability
g) Attitude and Perseverance
h) Expressiveness
i) Movement Quality
j) Risk Taking
k) Technical Proficiency
Appendix S, Page 58
MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL
Solo performance:
The student must perform one selection on their instrument. This piece may be of any
style and should contain elements that display the range of developed skills of the
student. This piece will be judged on musicianship and fundamental levels of technique
displayed by the student. Students will not be permitted to play along with recordings.
During the audition students will be asked to do the following:
a. Sight-reading: Students will play four measures of music.
b. Rhythm Reading: Students will play and identify short rhythms.
c.
Interview:
A panel of Boston Arts Academy teachers will interview the students at the end of the
audition.
Students will be judged on the following:
a. Enthusiasm for serious music study
b. Preparation for the audition
c. Tone quality
d. Technical facility
e. Rhythm
Students should arrive ready to play. Students must bring all instruments and materials
required for their audition. This includes sticks, reeds, guitar cables, etc. The following
equipment will be provided:
 Piano
 Amplifiers
 Drum set
 Percussion Instruments
Appendix S, Page 59
MUSIC VOCAL
Initial Audition:
a. Solo Performance: Candidates must perform from one of the following selections:
“Amazing Grace,” “America, the Beautiful” or “America - My Country, ‘tis of Thee”.
Students may prepare an optional second piece. Gospel, musical theater, Spirituals
and folk songs are acceptable. Both pieces must be performed with instrumental
accompaniment or a cappella. Students will not be permitted to sing along with
recorded voices.
b. Voice Test: At the end of the solo performance, one of the panelists will lead the
candidate through short exercises to test pitch memory, range and tone quality.
Callback Audition:
In small groups, students will do the following:
a. Voice Class: A teacher will lead the full group through a short choral piece. Then,
students will perform the piece in small groups for a panel of judges.
b. Interview: A panel of teachers and upper house students will interview the candidates
as they wait to enter the small group session.
Students will be judged according to:
1. Preparation for the audition
2. Tone quality
3. Pitch memory
4. Ability/willingness to do the full class and small group activities
5. Interaction with others
6. Enthusiasm for serious music study



A piano accompanist will be available.
Pre-recorded instrumental tapes/cd's are allowed. No tapes/cd's with vocal tracks.
Pop or R&B selections are permitted, but not recommended.
Appendix S, Page 60
THEATRE
Attire:
Candidates should wear loose clothing, and be prepared both to sit on the floor and to
take part in some physical work. Gum, hats and jewelry are not appropriate.
Audition Piece:
Candidates should bring a SHORT MONOLOGUE of 1 to 2 minutes maximum to
perform. This monologue must be memorized well.
Solo:
 You should choose a piece that is dramatic in content and show a sense of character.
 Movement and body language should be included, but only if it fits with the content
of the piece.
 Please do not play more than one character.
 You should decide to whom you are talking.
 You may select a monologue from a special book, or a play, or from the attached
sheet.
Workshop:
Candidates will be asked to take part in a short workshop with a small group of other
students. This will focus on some warm-up exercises and games, some group work and
some improvisation (acting without scripts).
Students will be judged on the following:
b. Enthusiasm for the art form
c. Respect for the work and attitude (response to criticism & taking direction)
d. Creativity and ability to work spontaneously in improvisation
e. Vocal projection and stage presence
f. Ensemble: ability to work as part of a group
SUGGESTED AUDITION MONOLOGUES FOR THEATRE
You may also choose your own piece, but it should be of a similar length and content.
#1
I was at a wedding once. All these roses all around. I never seen so many roses. Bees buzzin.
Lotsa other flowers, too. They came out. Everybody was throwin rice. And then the bride came
out. The groom was nothing. He looked good. But it was the bride. Here comes the bride. Here
comes the bride. I was sittin on a stone bench, waitin for ‘em to come out. When I saw the bride,
I stood up…. this big white dress. A veil. Flowers in her hand with ribbons blowin around. Little
ribbons. And all around her. All these roses. And the bees buzzin. And nice girls. And everybody
dressed in good clothes. Then everybody started throwin rice. You wanna hear something crazy?
I wanted to be the bride. Everybody bein nice. Special, you know? Yeah. I wanted to be the bride.
Appendix S, Page 61
#2
It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor. You start believing
that you’re poor because you are stupid and ugly. Then you start believing you are stupid and
ugly because you are Indian. And because you’re Indian, you start believing you are destined to
be poor. It’s an ugly circle and there’s nothing you can do about it.
So poor and small and weak, I picked up Oscar (my dog). He licked my face because he loved
and trusted me. And I carried him out to the lawn, and I laid him down beneath our green apple
tree. “I love you, Oscar”, I said. He looked at me and I swear to you he understood. He knew
what Dad was gong to do but he wasn’t scared. He was relieved. But not me. I ran away from
there as fast as I could. I wanted to run faster than the speed of sound, but nobody, no matter how
much pain they’re in can run that fast. So I heard the boom of my father’s rifle when he shot my
best friend.
A bullet only cost about two cents, and anybody can afford that.
#3
Today's my birthday, you know.
I know you don't care. All you care about that bottle.
It's my life too mom.
I can't bring my friends here. Cause, here you come with your liquor breath and loud talking.
Talking about the good old days, you never had.
I remember the old days and I know they weren't so great. Trust me.
I never know what you are going to say or do. We walk on egg shells around you and it sucks big
time.
Ever since Karla died. It been the same thing everyday.
I, I clean the house, take care of my brother and watch over you. Shouldn't it be the other way
round. My teachers at school call you but you never answer. They are worried about me. The
straight A student has become the straight D student.
I'm looking at you because there no one else I can blame.
Oh here you go crying again. Why are you crying? It's my birthday. I should be crying mom. I
should be crying.'
Mom, I'm going out. I would ask you for some money. Never mind…
#4
Let me tell you something about Janis Ian. We were best friends in middle school. I know right,
it’s sooo embarrassing. I don’t even… whatever. So then in eighth grade I started going out with
my first boyfriend Kyle, who was totally gorgeous but then he moved to Indiana. And Janis was
like, weirdly jealous of him. Like if I would blow her off to hang out with Kyle, she’d be like
Why didn’t you call me back?! And I’d be like,Uh, why are you so obsessed with me? So then for
my birthday party, which was an all girls pool party, I was like, Janyce I can’t invite you because
I think you’re a lesbian. I mean, I couldn’t have a lesbian at my party! There were going to be
girls there in their bathing suits! I mean right, she was a lesbian! So then her mom called my mom
and started yelling at her and it was so retarded and then she dropped out of school because no
one would talk to her and she came back in the fall for high school and her hair was all cut off
and she was totally weird and now I guess she’s on crack. Oh my God! I love your skirt, where
did you get it?
Appendix S, Page 62
#5
So, OK, like right now, for example, the Haitians need to come to America. But some people are
all, “What about the strain on our resources?” But it’s like, when I had this garden party for my
father’s birthday right? I said R.S.V.P. because it was a sit-down dinner. But people came that
like, did not R.S.V.P. so I was like, totally bugging. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute
the food, squish in extra place settings, but by the end of the day it was like, the more the merrier!
And so, if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly
party with the Haitians. And in conclusion, may I please remind you that it does not say R.S.V.P.
on the Statue of Liberty? Clueless
#6
I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I
hate it when you stare, I hate your big dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind. I hate
you so much it makes me sick, it even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you’re always right. I hate
it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it
that you’re not around. And the fact that you didn’t call. But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate
you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
#7
I know exactly who you are. You’re Kenny Fisher. We used to play Miami Vice in my basement.
You used to sleepover at my house. You had to leave the hall light on every night. You’re Kenny
Fisher who used to buy me a card every Valentine’s Day and a bag of those little hearts with the
words on them. And you’re Kenny Fisher who suddenly got too cool to hang out with me when
we hit junior high. Cause, I was in all the smart classes, and cause my parent’s didn’t make a lot
of money. And cause you desperately needed to sit at the trendy table in the cafeteria.
Appendix S, Page 63
VISUAL ARTS
Portfolio Requirements:
 You should have 10-12 pieces
 Include work you do well; show your strengths
 Also include techniques and ideas that are new to you
 Create artwork with different art materials. For example;
 Pencil
 Ink
 Colored pencil
 Clay
 Paper, collage
 Photography (Photographs must be shot and printed/developed by
student)
 Paint
 Charcoal/pastel
 Etc!
 Try to have a variety of subjects in your portfolio
 Sketchbooks are encouraged, but not required. Finished works in a sketchbook can
be considered as part of the portfolio application.
 Take your time with each of your pieces
 Students with digital artwork or a website portfolio may include them, computer and
internet access is available
 Students with an abundance of cartooning in their portfolios must include ONLY
original work, and not copies of existing comic images. Comics may be done in a
particular style, (ie: Anime, Manga) , but images already created by other animators
must not be copied for presentation in the BAA portfolio.
 Make sure your work is neatly presented (Expensive portfolios not necessary!)
 It is not necessary to bring your own art supplies; they will be provided for you.
Audition Requirements:
 Listen very carefully to all of the instructions and ask questions if you are unclear
 Consider your strengths and try new things
When in the audition, be sure to:
 Manage your time
 Look at a variety of the objects in the audition
 Use different materials and try to make it work
 Use the whole page
 Problem solve and be creative and fearless
 Bring a watch; it is helpful for you to keep track of your time
Appendix S, Page 64
Portfolios and Auditions will be judged on the following:
 Ability to follow directions
 Time Management
 Invention
 Attitude
 Composition/Design
 Effective use of a variety of materials
Rendering and Observation
 Craftsmanship
 Presentation
Appendix S, Page 65
As referenced within the plan, below is a graphic illustration of the Association of
American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) VALUE Rubrics:
Visit http://www.aacu.org/VALUE/rubrics for more information.
Appendix T, Page 1
Cleveland School of the Arts Data Collection Instruments
Teacher Survey – Cleveland School of the Arts
Please respond as fully as possible to the following questions. Your responses will significantly aid our
research on the Cleveland School of the Arts. All responses will be confidential. If you wish, you may
omit answers to the first three questions, in order to protect your privacy.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Subject
Years of Teaching Experience
Years at Cleveland School of the Arts
Describe the greatest curriculum strengths in the current CSA.
Describe the curriculum areas of need in the current CSA.
Describe your curriculum vision for the redesigned CSA.
Describe the greatest strengths in facilities and resources in the current CSA.
Describe the areas of need in facilities and resources in the current CSA.
Describe your vision for facilities and resources in the redesigned CSA.
Describe the most valuable partnerships and collaborations between the current CSA and
Cleveland’s arts and cultural communities.
Describe current challenges to effective partnerships and collaborations between the current
CSA and Cleveland’s arts and cultural communities.
Describe your vision for partnerships and collaborations between the redesigned CSA and
Cleveland’s arts and cultural communities.
How would you characterize the support CSA receives from CMSD?
How would you characterize the support arts education receives from CMSD?
What is most valuable to you about teaching at CSA?
What is most challenging to you about teaching at CSA?
Is there anything you would like to add about your vision and hopes for the redesigned CSA?
Student Survey – Cleveland School of the Arts
research on the Cleveland School of the Arts. All responses will be confidential.
1. Current year
 Freshman
 Sophomore
 Junior
 Senior
2. Primary arts subject
3. Do you plan on going to an arts college or conservatory?
4. Do you plan on pursuing a career in the arts? If so, what are you most interested in doing?
5. What classes have been most valuable at CSA?
6. What kinds of classes would you like in a redesigned CSA?
Appendix U, Page 1
7. What kinds of facilities and resources would you like in a redesigned CSA?
8. What has been most rewarding about attending CSA?
9. What has been most challenging about attending CSA?
Parent Survey – Cleveland School of the Arts
research on the Cleveland School of the Arts. You may fill out one survey for each child that attends, or
has attended, the Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA). Leave questions blank if they don’t apply. All
responses will be confidential.
1. If your child is currently enrolled at CSA, indicate current grade.
 Sixth Grade
 Seventh Grade
 Eighth Grade
 Ninth Grade
 Tenth Grade
 Eleventh Grade
 Twelfth Grade
2. If your child graduated from CSA, indicate the year of graduation.
3. Your child’s primary arts subject
[Items 4-12 use 5-point Likert scale, “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”]
4. My child developed strong skills in his/her art form at CSA.
5. Arts education at CSA is strong and effective.
6. My child developed strong academic skills at CSA.
7. Academic education is strong and effective at CSA.
8. CSA has helped my child effectively prepare for college applications.
9. CSA has helped my child develop skills necessary for success in college.
10. My child benefited from partnerships with Cleveland’s cultural resources through attending CSA.
11. CSA resources and materials were adequate for my child’s education.
12. CSA facilities were adequate for my child’s education.
13. Does your child plan on going to an arts college or conservatory? Or attending one, if already
graduated?
 Yes
 No
14.
15.
16.
17.
Does your child plan on pursuing a career in the arts? If so, in what area?
Which CSA classes were most valuable for your child?
Describe the greatest curriculum strengths at CSA.
Describe the curriculum areas of need at CSA.
Appendix U, Page 2
18. What are your curriculum recommendations for a redesigned CSA?
19. Describe the greatest strengths in facilities and resources in the current CSA.
CSA Arts Organization Survey
Please answer the following questions about your organization’s educational programs. Leave blank any
questions that aren’t applicable to your organization.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Name (optional)
Organization
Job Title or Role
Does your organization have a collaboration or partnership with Cleveland School of the Arts?
 Yes
 No
Describe the collaboration, including approximate number of students served, grades, location
of instruction (such as the school or your site), and instructional content. (text box)
Does your organization have a collaboration or partnership with the Cleveland Municipal School
District (CMSD)?
 Yes
 No
Describe the collaboration (text box)
Approximately how many CMSD students do you serve each year?
Student Programming [Yes, No]
Our programs for CMSD students include teaching skills in music
Our programs for CMSD students include teaching skills in dance
Our programs for CMSD students include teaching skills in theater or drama
Our programs for CMSD students include teaching skills in visual arts
Our programs for CMSD students include teaching skills in media arts
Our programs for CMSD students include teaching aesthetic education
Our programs for CMSD students include arts integrated instruction
Our programs for CMSD students include teaching academic subjects through the arts
Other areas of arts instruction [text box]
Professional Development [Yes, No]
Our organization provides professional development for classroom or subject teachers
Our organization provides professional development for arts specialist teachers
Our organization provides professional development for teaching artists
Describe the content of professional development, including typical number of hours/days,
instructional content, and location [text box]
Instruction [Yes, No]
Our CMSD instruction takes place in school classrooms
Our CMSD instruction takes place in other school locations (such as auditoriums, gyms, or
performance spaces)
Appendix U, Page 3
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Our CMSD instruction takes place at our site
Other locations: [text box]
Full-time education staff
Part-time education staff
Freelance or contracted education staff
Describe physical spaces available for education at your organization
Describe your educational transportation capacity and/or needs
[Items 15-19 use 5-point Likert scale, “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”]
15. Education is central to our organization’s mission
16. Our organization would like a stronger relationship with a redesigned Cleveland School of the Arts
17. Cleveland’s arts and cultural community is strongly committed to supporting arts education in
Cleveland schools
18. Cleveland’s political leaders is strongly committed to supporting arts education in Cleveland schools
19. Cleveland’s philanthropic community is strongly committed to supporting arts education in
Cleveland schools
20. What has been most successful about your collaboration with the Cleveland School of the Arts?
21. What has been most challenging about your collaboration with the Cleveland School of the Arts?
22. How could your collaboration with the Cleveland School of the Arts be improved?
CSA Observation Guidelines
These comments are intended as a guideline and not as a standardized observation protocol. Everyone
should use their best professional judgment when documenting observed classes, keeping project goals
in mind. We are not observing to evaluate the teachers. We are observing to acquire information for
developing our CSA plan.
With that in mind, here are some general guidelines. All questions may not apply to the class observed,
and other questions may come to mind. You can amend as needed. If you have additional thoughts you
can circulate them to the group.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Note the date, class, grade, teacher and approximate number of students.
Note the overall sequence of instruction.
Are there evident instructional goals?
Do students demonstrate achievement of arts skills?
Do students have the opportunity to express themselves independently within the art form?
Do all students have a chance to participate?
What is the level and quality of interaction between teacher and students? Peer-to-peer among
students?
8. To the best of your knowledge, is the instruction connected to an overall sequential curriculum in
prior grades and higher grades?
Appendix U, Page 4
10. Are there evident areas of need in curriculum, resources and materials, facilities or administrative
support?
Appendix U, Page 5
MitchellKornArts Interviews
Date
Time
4/25/13 3-5:00p
4/26/13 9:00a
4/26/13 10:15-10:50a
4/26/13 12-1:30p
4/26/13 1:30-2:00p
5/15/13 2-3:30p
5/31/13 2:00p
5/31/13 3:30p
6/10/13
6/11/13
6/11/13
6/11/13
6/11/13
6/12/13
6/12/13
6/12/13
3:00p
9:30a
12p
3p
3p
10a
11a
2p
6/12/13 4:30p
6/13/13 9a
6/13/13 10:30
Name
Title
CSA Internal Team - Katia Schwarz,
Christine Bluso, Andrew Koonce and Tony
Sias
Christine Bluso, Katia Schwarz, Andrew
Koonce and Tony Sias
Tour of CSA and classroom visits
Meeting with CMSD, CSA, FCA and Gund,
Cleveland and Abington Foundations
CSA Internal Team - Katia Schwarz,
Christine Bluso, Andrew Koonce and Tony
Sias
Andrew Koonce and Faculty of CSA
Susan Stauter
Artistic Director
Antigone Trimis
Arts Education Master Plan
Implementation Manager
Christine Bluso
Executive Director
Katia Schwarz
Project Manager
Judith Ryder - Lunch
Deena Epstein
Ann Mullin
Cristen Slesh
Paul Putman
Diana Robbins
Director of Community
Education
Andrew Koonce
Principal
Tony Sias
Artistic Director, CSA/Director of
Arts Education, CMSD
Lynn Johnson
Director of Admissions and
Org
San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco Unified School District
Friends of Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA)
Grants-Plus
Cleveland Arts Consortium
The George Gund Foundation
The George Gund Foundation
Foundation Management Services
The Cleveland Foundation
University Circle, Inc.
CSA
CSA / CMSD
Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM)
Appendix V, Page 1
6/13/13 12:30p
Caroline Goeser
6/13/13 2:30p
6/13/13 4p
Greg Howe
Cyrus Taylor
6/13/13 4p
Ron Wilson
6/13/13 4p
Karen Potter
6/13/13 4p
Tim Shuckerow
6/14/13 9a
6/14/13 10:30a
6/14/13 1p
Richard Dickinson
Nathan Motta
Karen Shaheen-Thompson
6/14/13 2:30p
Jill Rembrandt
6/20/13 11a
6/24/13 4p
6/25/13 11a
Leslie Shepard - phone conference
Jill Woda
Christine Haff-Paluck
6/25/13 2p
6/25/13 4p
Rich Fried
David Shimotakahara
Mark Otloski
Marsha Dobrzynski
David Schiopota
Chris Eppley
Pamela Young
Kevin Richards
6/26/13 10a
6/26/13 11a
6/26/13 2p
Enrollment
Director of Education and
Interpretation
CIM Distance Learning
Dean of the School of Arts and
Sciences
Director of Graduate
Programming in Acting
Associate Prof. of Dance,
Pedagogy & Choreography
Director of Art Education and Art
Studio
Education Director
Artistic Director
Interim Executive Director
Director of Education & Public
Programs
Principal (retired)
Director,
Performance/Community
Programs
President
Executive Artistic Director
Education Outreach Coordinator
Executive Director
Assc. Dir. of Education
Education Associate
Executive Director
Executive Director
Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA)*
Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM)
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)
Verb Ballet
Dobama Theatre
NewBridge, Cleveland Center for Arts and
Technology
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Baltimore School of the Arts
Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland Chamber Music
GroundWorks DanceTheater
Young Audiences
Dance Cleveland
Nighttown Restaurant
Appendix V, Page 2
6/26/13 3:30p
Chris Ludwa
6/26/13 4:30p
6/27/13 11a
6/27/13 1:30-3:30p
Nancy Pistone
Deborah McHamm
Focus Group
Susan Van Vorst, Director of
Conservatory, Baldwin Wallace College
Kay Schames, Director of Community
Music Enrichment Program (CMEP) at
Cleveland State University
Martha Loughridge, Development
Director, SPACES Gallery
Paula Grooms, Executive Director,
Ingenuity Cleveland
6/27/13 4:15-5:45p
Focus Group
Caroline Goesser & CMA Staff
Dale Hilton
Hajnal Eppley
Seema Rao
6/28/13 10a
Treva Offutt
6/28/13
6/4/13
7/11/13
7/12/13
Dr. Michelle Pierre-Farid
Terrence Spivey
Linda Nathan
Donn Harris - phone conference
Ruth Azawa - phone conference
1:30p
11a
2:30-3:45p
4p
Executive Director, Performing
Arts and Music Programs
President and CEO
Interpretation
Director of Teaching and
Learning
Assistant Director of School and
Teacher Engagement
Director of Intergenerational
Learning
Admissions Associates/Primary
Division Middle School
Performing Arts
Chief Academic Officer
Artistic Director
Founder
Executive Director
Former Principal
Tri-C Performing Arts Academy
Ohio State Department of Ed.
A Cultural Exchange
CMA
CMA
CMA
CMA
Laurel School
CMSD
Karamu House
Boston Arts Academy
Oakland School of the Arts, Oakland CA
Oakland School of the Arts
Appendix V, Page 3
7/15/13 2:30-4:30p
5p
7/16/13 8a
7/16/13 9a
7/16/13 10a
7/16/13 1:30p
Focus Group
Marcie Bergman, Cleveland Arts Prize
Kim Parry, Apollo’s Fire
Christine Lobas, Studio Think
Nancy Schramm, Chagrin Valley Little
Theatre
Charles Eversole, Singing Angels
Mary Helen Hammer, American Institute
of Architects Cleveland
Rachel Bernstein, Heights Arts
Renee Whiteside, Consortium of African
American Organizations
Pamela Fine, Heights Youth Theatre
Celeste Cosentino
Martin Cosentino
Christine Slesh
Susan Althans
Tom Schorgl
Raymond Kent
7/16/13 3p
Carl Topilow
Shirley Morgenstern
Jason Hanley, Ph.D.
7/17/13 8:30a
7/17/13 10:15a
7/17/13 11:15a
Stephanie Heriger
Charlie Lawrence
Gary Hanson
Joan Katz Napoli
Artistic Director
Managing Director
President
Senior Associate
Executive Director
Architect - Director of Innovative
Technology Design
Co-Founder
Co-Founder
Interpretation
Education Programs Manager
President & CEO
Executive Director
Ensemble Theatre
Foundation Management Svcs.
The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture
Westlakd reed Leskosky
Cleveland POPS Orchestra
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Musem
The Cleveland Music School Settlement
The Cleveland Orchestra*
The Cleveland Orchestra*
Appendix V, Page 4
Community Programs
7/17/13 2p
7/17/13 3:30p
Jenny Brown
Dick Bogomolny
Isabel Trautwein
Liz Maugans
Mary Glauser
7/18/13 9a
Jill Rembrandt
7/18/13
7/18/13
7/18/13
7/19/13
7/22/13
7/23/13
Felton Thomas
Christine Bulso
Debbie McHamm President
Joe Weagraff - phone conference
Dr. Margaret Carlson
Lynn Johnson
12:30p
2p
3p
9a
3p
9a
7/23/13 10:30a
Deena Epstein
Ann Mullin
7/24/13 7a
7/24/13 9a
Helen Williams
Paul Putman
Tom Sych
Carol Tizzano
7/24/13 11a
7/24/13 2p
4:00p
4:00p
7/25/13 Lunch meeting
Cleveland Orchestra Senior Staff
John Mullaney
Monyka Price - phone conference
Lisa Stofan
Augie Napoli
Founder
Director of Communications &
Community Outreach
Director of Education and Public
Programs
Director
Director
Director of Admissions and
Enrollment Management
Senior Program Officer for Arts
Senior Program Officer for
Education
Program Director for Education
Program Officer
Board President
Media Literacy and Art Educator
& Independent Producer
Chief of Education
Consultant
Deputy Director and Chief
Advancement Officer
Zygote Press
Cleveland Jazz Orchestra
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Cleveland Public Library
Contemporary Youth Orchestra
Verb Ballets
The Gund Foundation
The Gund Foundation
Friends of CSA
PicturePerfect Productions
Nord Foundation
City of Cleveland
Grants Plus
Cleveland Musem of Art*
Appendix V, Page 5
7/25/13 9a
7/25/13 10:30a
Eric Gordon CANCELLED Rebooked for
9/16 at 1pm
Shirrell R. Greene
Mark Schirmer
Shannon Thorsen
CEO
Deputy to the CEO
Architect
Senior Associate Business
Development
Senior Associate Architect
Manager II Capital Projects
TCF
7/26/13 3p
Jodi Van der Wiel
Hollie Dellisanti
Paul Putman - brief stop-in meeting to
pick up materials
Karen Gahl-Mills
Executive Director
Paul Hill and Shannon Murtaugh - phone
conference
Ralph Opacic - phone conference
President & CEO
7/29/13
7/29/13
7/29/13
7/30/13
12 Noon
1p
3p
1:30p
Kristy Callaway - phone conference
Roy Fluhrer - phone conference
Terri Milsap - phone confeence
Sharyn Mahoney
10a
11:30p
1p
2p
4p
5p
10:30a
Judy Ryder - phone conference
Erikc Mann - phone conference
Dava A. Cansler - phone conference
Amy Craft - phone conference
Marsha ? - phone conference
Nancy Pistone - phone conference
Christine Fowler-Mack - phone
conference
Gita Gulati-Partim - phone conference
7/25/13 11:30am
7/25/13 2:00p
7/26/13 11a
8/2/13
8/2/13
8/2/13
8/2/13
8/5/13
8/5/13
8/6/13
8/7/13 10a
Executive Director
Principal
Principal
Head of School
Executive Director
Founder/Executive Director
Executive Director
State Arts Consultant
CMSD
Moody Nolan
Moody Nolan
Moody Nolan
CMSD
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
Center for Reinventing Education, University of
WA
Orange County (CA) School of the Arts and
Orange County School of the Arts Foundation
Arts Schools Network
Greenville, SC Schools of the Arts
Chicago High School for the Arts
Nashville Ballet
Arts Education Consortium, CSU
Cleveland Classical Guitar Society
Foluke Cultural Arts Center. Inc.
Art House, Inc.
Young Audiences
Office of Curriculum & Assessment
Center for Reinventining Public
Education (Arts in Porfolio
Schools)
Appendix V, Page 6
8/7/13 2p
Dr. L. Scott Allen
Principal
9/15/13
9/16/13
9/17/13 10a
Amy Craft
Karen Gahl-Mills
David Quolke
High School of the Performing and Visual Arts,
Houston, TX
Art House, Inc.
President
Teachers Local 279
CAO
President & CEO
Chair, Center for Music Therapy
Chair, Center for Early Childhood
Chair, Center for Music Therapy
Associate Dean
Vice President, Community
Engagement & Education
CMSD
The Music Settlement
Creative Arts, CCC
Playhouse Square
9/30/13 12-1:30p
10/13/13 9-10a
10-11a
11a-12p
12-1p
2-3p
10/15/13 9-10:30a
11a-12p
2:15-3:15p
3:30-5:00p
10/28/13 Morning
10/28/13 3:30p
10/29/13 Morning
10/29/13 2-3p
Lunch with FCSA Executive Committee
Dianna Richardson
Scott Miller
Daiel Gray-Kontar
Dr. Woods
Dr. Michelle Pierre Farid
Charlie Lawrence
Ronna Kaplan
Thea Wilson
Megan Constantine
Dean Amy Parks
Daniel Hahn
Cleveland Arts Consortium Speaking
Engagement
Cleveland Orchestra
Deena Epstein, Ann Mullin, Helen
Williams, Paul Putman, Cristen Slesh, Bill
Hiller, Daniel Hahn, Marsha Dobryzinski,
Ed Gallagher, Joan Katz Napoli, Michelle
Pierre-Farid, Tony Sias and Karen
Thompson
Cleveland Orchestra
Meeting with Case Western Reserve
Faculty: David Ake, Chair, Department of
Appendix V, Page 7
11/11/13
11/17/13
11/18/13
11/18/13
11/18/13
11/19/13
11/19/13
11/19/13
11/20/13
9:30-11:00 a
7:30-9:30 p
9:40-11:10a
11:45a-1:00p
6-7:00p
8-9:30a
9:40-11:10a
11:40a-1:00p
9-11:00 a
12/3/13 2-3:00p
12/9/13 8:30-9:30a
10-11a
11-11:45a
1p
3-4p
6p
12/10/13 8:30-9:30a
10:30-11:30a
2:30-4p
12/11/13 8:30-9:30a
Music; Sandra Noble and Tim Shuckuron,
Art Studio Program; Stephen
Haynesworth, Arthur Evenchik, Emerging
Scholars Program; Denise Davis, Director,
Teacher Licensure Program and C
Meeting with Funders
Lauren Oakley
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
11th Grade Student Focus Group
Parents Focus Group with Anthony Brown
Arts Faculty Focus Group
Nashville Ballet Dance Pedagogy
Discussion
Leo Serrano
Ex. Dir. of Institutional
Advancemet
Jeffrey Stresn
Direct of Design and Architecture
Birch Browning, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Musid Ed.
John Mullaney
Ex. Dir. The Nord Family
Foundation
Daniel Hahn
VP Community Engagement &
Ed.
Irwin M. Lowenstein, RA, LEED AP BD+C President
Lillian Kuri
Program Director for
Architecture
Eric Gordon
CEO
Doris Korda
Associate Head of School
Ann Klotz
Head of School
Academic Faculty Focus Group
Alisha Evans
Principal
CMSD
Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland State University
Playhouse Square
Re-think Advisors, Inc.
Urban Design and Sustainable Development
CMSD
Hawken School
Laurel School
CSA Lower Campus
Appendix V, Page 8
10:30a-12p
2-3p
12/12/13 9:30-10:30a
12:00-1:30p
3-5p
12/15/13 9-11:00 a
1/15/14
1/21/14
1/27/14
2/24/14
3:30p
4-5:00p
9-11:00a
8:30-9:30a
10-11a
3-5p
3/11/14 8-10a
Amy Parks, Chris Ludwa, Emanuela
Friscioni
Megan Constantine
Director of the Dept. of Music
Lillian Kuri, Steve Standley and Tom Huck
Paul Putman
Deena Epstein
Ann Mullin
Helen Williams
Design Team Meeting
Susan Stauter - phone conference
Eric Gordon - phone conference
Meeting with Gund Foundation Funders
Ann Mullin/Dr. Farid
Christine Bluso Kane
Marci Elegant
AAA Design Team
Eric Gordon and Staff
Creative Arts Academy, Tri C
University Hospitals Management Services
Center
The Gund Foundation
The Gund Foundation
BBB
San Francisco Unified School
District Ruth Azaw School of the
Arts
Exec. Dir.
ICAN Schools Music Director
FCSA
CEO
CMSD
Key: * Denotes multiple visits to
institution/meetings with multiple
executives/team leadership
Appendix V, Page 9
Yolande Spears Interviews
Date
6/3/13
6/3/13
6/3/13
6/3/13
6/4/13
6/4/13
6/4/13
7/11/13
7/15/13
7/15/13
7/15/13
Time
9:30a
11:30a
4p
4p
9a
9a
11a
2:30-3:45p
10a
Name
Lee Lazar
Christine Seibert
Kevin Moore
Joe Martin
Lisa Ortenzi
Kelly Schaffer-Florian
Terrence Spivey
Linda Nathan
Rev. Dr. Todd C.
Davidson
12p Rose K. Kimosh
2:30-4:30p Marcie Bergman,
Cleveland Arts Prize
Kim Parry, Apollo’s Fire
Christine Lobas, Studio
Think
Nancy
Schramm, Chagrin
Valley Little Theatre
Charles Eversole, Singing
Angels
Mary Helen
Hammer, American
Institute of Architects
Cleveland
Rachel
Bernstein, Heights Arts
Renee Whiteside,
Consortium of African
Title
Org
Executive Director
Director of Education
Managing Director
Director of Production
Associate Director of Education
Education Associate
Artistic Director
Founder
Senior Pastor
The Rainey Institute
Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT)
Cleveland Playhouse
Cleveland Playhouse
Great Lakes Theatre Company
Great Lakes Theatre Company
Karamu House
Boston Arts Academy
Antioch Baptist Church
Program Assistant
Shore Cultural Centre
Appendix V, Page 10
7/16/13
9/11/13
9/23/13
11/18/13
11/19/13
11/19/13
American Organizations
Pamela Fine, Heights
Youth Theatre
8:30a Barbara Bachtell
Executive Director
10a Ed Gallagher
Director of Education & Creative Arts
Therapies
11a Mary Verdi-Fletcher
President/Founding Artistic Director
1:30p Bill Morgan
Artistic Director
11:30-12:30p Tony Sias
Broadway School of Music and the Arts
Beck Center for the Arts
Dancing Wheels Company & School
Sign Stage
NYC Arts Scool Network
Conference
9a-12P Observations of multiple
arts/academics classes
9a-11a Observation of Mr.
Green's Dance class
12:15p-2p Observations of multiple
Appendix V, Page 11
Dan Serig Interviews
Date
6/3/13
6/3/13
6/3/13
6/4/13
6/4/13
6/4/13
6/27/13
6/27/13
6/27/13
6/27/13
Time
1p
3p
4:30p
1p
3p
4p
9a
10a
1:30-3:30p
4:15-5:30p
6/28/13
6/28/13
11/21/13
10a
12:30P
9a-11a
11/21/13
12:15-2p
11/22/13
9-11a
11/22/13
12:15-2p
Name
Ann Albano
Paul Voinovich
Ivan Schwarz
Nicole Ledinek
John Ewing
Grafton Nunes
Jill Paulson
Santina Protopapa
Focus Group
Focus Group - Caroline
Goesser & CMA Staff
Dale Hilton
Hajnal Eppley
Seema Rao
Meri Ruble
Matt Bott
Observation of Mr.
Carver's Visual Arts
Class
Observations of
multiple
Observations of
multiple
Observations of
multiple
Title
Executive Director and Chief Curator
President
President
Curator of Education
Director of Cinématique of CIA
President
Director of Grant Programs
Executive Director
Org
The Sculpture Center
VOCON
Greater Cleveland Film Commission
Museum of Contemporary Art, MOCA
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cuyahoga Arts and Culture
Progressive Arts Alliance
Director of Education and Interpretation
CMA
Director of Teaching and Learning
Assistant Director of School and Teacher
Engagement
Director of Intergenerational Learning
Education Director
Director
CMA
CMA
CMA
ArtHouse, Inc.
Boys and Girls Club
Appendix V, Page 12
Appendix V, Page 13
Dr. Robert Horowitz Interviews
Date
Time
10/20/2013 9:30-10:30a
11a-12p
1:30-2:30p
3:30-4:30p
10/30/2013 11a-12p
1-2p
3:30p
11/13/2016 3-4p
11/14/2013 3-4p
11/15/2013 3:15p
12/10/2013 8:15-9a
12/10/2013 9:10-9:55a
12/10/2013 9:55-10:48a
12/10/2013 10:48-11:44a
Name
Cristin Slesh
Dean Amy Parks
Dr. Michelle Pierre Farid
Desiree M. Powell
Tony sias
Deena Epstein Ann Mullin,
Paul Putman, Helen
Williams
Karen H. Thompson
Title
Foundation Management Services
Associate Dean
CAO
Educator, Flexible Content Expert
Director of Arts Ed.
CMSD
CMSD
CMSD
Deputy Chief Curriculum & Instruction
CMSD
Leo Serrano - Phone
conference
Lynn M. Johnson-Phone
conference
Kimberly Brown
Educator: Institutional Advancement
CMSD
Director of Admissions and Enrollment
Management
All-City managing Director
Juliane Fouse-Shepard and Principal
Christine Campion
PASS Facilitator
Beginning Woodwinds Instrumental music teacher
Chris Cummings
1st Grade Integrated Arts Gloria Doering
8th Grade Integated Arts Creative Writing - Christine
Champion
Organization
Cleveland School of the Arts Program Manager,
CMSD 216.702.6803
Newton D. Baker PASS School
Appendix V, Page 14
12/10/2013 11:44a12:28p
12/10/2013
12/10/2013
12/11/2013
12/11/2013
12/11/2013
12/11/2013
12:28-1:16p
3p
9:30a
10:20a
11:15a
12:50a
12/11/2013
12/12/2013
12/12/2013
12/12/2013
4p
9:10a-10:25a
9:30a
12-1:30p
12/12/2013 3-5p
7th Grade Visual ArtsSherri Pittard
Lunch and talk to children
Focus Groups for Principals
Observe Visual Arts Class
Observe Music Class
Interview Charles Byrd
Principal
Lunch with Visual Arts
Teacher Diane Goll and
Music Teacher Rebecca
Jerric
Focus Groups for Teachers
Observe 3 and 4th majors
Assistant Principal
Paul Putman
Deena Epstein
Ann Mullin
Helen Williams
Design Team Meeting
John Adams High School
Riverside Elementary School PASS
Lincoln West High School
Cleveland School of the Arts Lower Campus
James A. Garfield Elementary School
The Gund Foundation
The Gund Foundation
Barbara Byrd Bennett (BBB)
Appendix V, Page 15
Arts School Network Conference
Oct. 22-25, 2013, New York
Editor’s note: As part of the process for creating a plan for a redesign of Cleveland
School of the arts (CSA), a MitchellKornArts team member was assigned to attend
and summarize this conference. What follows is her report.
Session: Starting & Sustaining an Arts School
During this session there were three presenters/schools. Unfortunately, there
were no handouts and the use of technology was challenging because there was
no sound, oftentimes the PowerPoint presentations were not successfully loaded
and/or video was not available.
Presenter: Ms. Lam, head of school, Conservatory Lab Charter School, Brighton,
Mass.
This charter school was created by two professors from New England
Conservatory who wanted to have a dynamic impact on urban education with a
focus on music. The first phase of the school was from 1999-2008. Although it
exposed students to music on a regular basis, it was not an academically
successful school. In 2008 Ms. Lamb became the new head of school and moved it
into what is now called the second phase. Changes included adding contracted
artists as part-time teachers, introducing interdisciplinary learning, creating new
governance with a parent advisory committee, selecting a teachers who
understood or embraced Project Based Learning (PBL), and creating community
partnerships.
The school has approximately 300 students who are selected through a lottery.
Most of them do not come to the school with any prior instrumental instruction,
or a very limited knowledge of music. The population of the students comes from
some of the most difficult neighborhoods in Boston, and 70 percent of the
student body qualifies for free or reduced meals.
Appendix W, Page 1
Arts Schools Network Conference (cont.)
Phase Two Programs (2009-2016):
Learning Through Music Expeditions: an interdisciplinary model of using arts
integration with other academic areas of study that it is not forced or artificial. If
music doesn’t work with a specific area of study, they don’t use it. Their model
includes asking questions, listening, creating, reflecting and performing. An
example is a unit that was focused on learning about snakes. Students created,
wrote, illustrated, and published books about several types of snakes which are
sold to raise funds. A viral video called “Snakes are Born This Way,” based on a
Lady Gaga song, was created by the students. It has been featured on local
media as well as national outlets.
Listening Project: Each classroom studies 30 songs a year from specific genres
(e.g., blues/R&B, classical, country and jazz) and learns about the culture,
instruments, vocals, songwriting, etc.
El Sistema: an extended-day program for all students, which begins with general
music classes then progresses to instrumental instruction, for two-and-a-half to
three hours a day with certified teachers and resident artists. Another
component of the El Sistema program allows students to progress into various
orchestras. The paper orchestra is for Pre-K and kindergarten, the Abreu
orchestra is for first grade, the Bernstein orchestra is for grades two and three,
and the Dudamel is for the higher grades.
Project Based Learning: using the arts integration approach, the principals of PBL,
and offering students as many public performances as possible. Students
participate in 15 or ore performances a year. As a result of using this multilayered approach to instruction and administrative changes, the Conservatory
Lab Charter School has been ranked as level 1, the highest performance category
in Massachusetts.
Structural Changes:
One of the important changes made by the school was to lengthen the school
day. It runs from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. with three hours of music each day from
2:15 to 5:15 p.m. The school year is 180 days.
Certified teachers work eight hours a day and must work collaboratively with the
14 resident artists who have been blended into the classroom instruction.
2
Professional development (PD) for teachers and artists is combined and the
academic and music curriculum are equally valued. All teachers must attend 10
days of PD a year. The school will often host one or two conferences a year in the
format of teachers presenting workshops for visitors. The school has one
certified art teacher and one certified music teacher who work collaboratively
with classroom teachers and the resident artists. Salaries are aligned with district
schools and staff generally will receive a 1 percent raise a year based on the
approved budget.
The Parent Advisory Council is a very strong organization, and they are
responsible for creating and hosting one fundraiser a year.
Current Challenges:
 The building layout and lack of space for growth; currently uses cafeteria
as rehearsal and performance space
 Raising money to acquire a new building
 Keeping everyone interested and motivated over long periods of time
 Classroom management for visiting musicians and musicians in residence
New Programming Added:
 Summer Music Camp: students self-select and attend for four weeks. Camp
concludes with a performance on the Esplanade in Boston
3
Presenter: Dr. Santini, principal, North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts, Fort
Myers, Fla.
Ten years ago, this school was called Sun Coast Elementary, for grades K-5, and
there was a separate middle school for grades 6-8. During this time, the
elementary school’s state school accountability grade was an “F” and the middle
school’s was a “C.” It also was nicknamed “Scum Coast” because of its population
and location. It was a generational poverty school and most of the community
lived in trailer park homes with many parents who hadn’t finished high school.
Most of these families had little to no cultural experiences.
Dr. Santini became the principal of both the elementary and middle schools and
both have been “A” schools for the past six years. Dr. Santini slowly moved the
school, staff, parents, and community toward success by creating an environment
that nourishes the performing and visual arts. Changing the name from Sun Coast
to North Fort Meyers Academy for the Arts (NFMAA) added another dimension of
pride and focus for the poor community. The school is a K-8 magnet school and is
a part of a choice system.
Arts school staffing:
Besides the classroom teachers, NFMAA has 10-13 art teachers on staff. The
district has allocated funding for four to five art teachers and the remaining
teachers are considered contractors. The current art staff members include:








Three in music (strings, band, general)
Two in visual art
Two in dance
One in set design
One in choral
One in digital design
One in animation
Two in drama (one each for elementary and middle schools)
4
All teachers receive 10, paid PD days a year, which occur after school. The school
governance structure is headed by the principal, who has an assistant principal in
charge of arts education in elementary and middle schools. The elementary and
middle schools have a lead teacher for each of the various arts disciplines (dance,
drama, music, visual arts, etc.) and share other support services (set design,
digital design, animation, etc.). An example of the organization structure is:
Principal
Assistant Principal,
grades K-2
grades 3-5
Arts Chair (all grades)
grades 6-8
Academic Chair (all grades)
Art Teachers
Grades K-8
School population and budget:
There are approximately 1,000 students that attend NFMAA. The estimated
annual budget is based on $8,900 per student. Fifty percent of the students come
from households below the poverty line and 70 percent are eligible for free or
subsidized lunch. Currently, over 60 percent of the school budget is spent on
instruction and the remaining 20 percent is for all other support services and
overhead costs. Dr. Santini created a foundation which currently has about
$60,000 of discretionary money. This additional funding comes from grants as
well as the ticket sales from the school’s performances.
School program offerings/components:
5













Band and steel drums
Chorus
Computer arts
Dance
Drama
Instrumental arts
Keyboard
Video arts
Visual arts
Full-scale set design program (parents also participate)
Annual Broadway musical production
Two music concerts
Annual “Nutcracker” ballet performance
Arts school schedule:
Grades K-3 generally will have four arts specials/classes during the week
(dance/PE, drama, strings, and visual arts) in rotation. Students in grades 4-8 have
the option of taking an arts intensive (dance, drama, visual arts, etc.), which is a
combined class of two 45-minute periods. There also is an after-school
enrichment program that runs from 2:15-6:00 p.m. (arts and crafts, music
instruction, drama, and dance).
Community partners:
 Barbara Mann Performing Arts Hall at Edison State College donates their
theater for the school’s large annual performances, a $10,000 value
 The Florida Alliance for Arts is a state funding organization that has
provided annual support for school performances
 The Broadway Palm Dinner Theater also has provided pro bono technical
assistance for school productions
6
NFMAA awards:




Arts School Network Exemplary Arts School
PBS Model School
Federal AIM Grant Participation School
Florida Arts Achievement Model School
7
Presenter: Dr. Rudes, principal, Booker T. Washington High School for the
Performing and Visual Arts (aka BTW High School), Dallas
Other staff members involved in the presentation:




Karon Cogdil, theater coordinator
Aurelia Weiss, dance department chair
Larry Schnitzer, wind ensemble director
Cassie Edmonson, visual arts co-coordinator, photography
BTW High school has come a long way from its early roots as one of two schools
created in Dallas for the black population at the beginning of the Dallas public
school system in early 1900s. It became a magnet school to avoid forced bussing
during Dallas’ era of reluctant desegregation. It since has become a high school of
distinction and artistic merit.
The U.S. Department of Education named BTW High School one of the most
academically successful arts schools in the country. U.S. News and World Report’s
Best High Schools rankings (2013) gave the school a “Gold” award and ranked it
No. 110 out of 21,000 schools reviewed. By state, BTW ranked No. 18 out of 1,552
public high schools in Texas. And out of the 35 high schools in the Independent
Dallas School District, BTW is one of 11 to receive a “Best Ranking” award.
The rankings were based on math and reading proficiency, college readiness and
student-to-teacher ratio. Math and reading were graded on a 4.0 scale. Here’s
how BTW scored:





Math: 3.3
Reading: 3.4
Math/reading proficiency: 97 percent
College readiness: 73 percent
Student-to-teacher ratio: 14-to-1
8
Based on the information from the panel, this is the management team structure:
Principal
Associate Principal
Academic
Staff
Associate Principal
Support
Staff
Arts Staff
The staffing experience for the school is:





47.8 percent: 20 years’ teaching experience
29.1 percent: 11-19 years’ experience
7.7 percent: six-10 years’ experience
13.7 percent: one-five years’ experience
1.7 percent: less than one year’s experience
All arts faculty members are encouraged and expected to practice their art in the
community as musicians, dancers, visual artists and theater professionals. Many
of them still participate in community theater, show their work in galleries, or
perform in dance companies, orchestras and jazz clubs.
The academic and arts teachers attend professional development workshops
together during the school year and this promotes a healthy, collaborative, and
mentoring relationship between staff.
9
BTW High School currently has 922 students. Approximately 20 percent of the
student population comes from other school districts. The ethnic composition of
the student population is 32 percent white, 32 percent black, 32 percent Hispanic
and 4 percent Asian.
The panel stressed that the audition process is now based on:




Student’s art: 75 percent
Student’s academic record: 25 percent
Letters of recommendation are no longer accepted.
Generally, the school is interested in the most talented students, as well as
those with passion and potential.
Over 900 students applied/auditioned for the 2013 fall school year and only 225
freshmen were admitted.
Students are on a block schedule attending four classes a day for 90 minutes
each.
Students’ arts majors include music, dance, theater and visual arts. BTW does not
offer any courses or a major in musical theater. Their focus is strictly on theater.
However, students are encouraged to and do attend summer intensives to get
musical theater experience and BTW students are accepted into the best schools
in the country for musical theater if they choose to pursue this.
Students have the opportunity to attend the Learning Labs at BTW. The Learning
Labs are a combination of master classes and exposure to professionals in the
business who come to the school to do a lecture demonstration. Some examples
of the guests or organizations that have participated in the Learning Labs are
Kevin Bacon, Glenn Close, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Complexions
Contemporary Ballet and others.
BTW has a very effective and strong Advisory Board. The panel stated that it is
“the strongest advisory board in the country.” This Board led the $60 million
building campaign for BTW’s new facility in the downtown arts district. This Board
10
was responsible for two $10 million lead gifts that kicked off the campaign and
then set out to raise the remaining balance for the school.
This Board has three distinctive initiatives that it supports. They are:
 The Learning Lab (master classes and lectures by outside professionals)
 The MET HD: Live in Concert (long-distance learning opera)
 Professional development for teachers and a “parent university.”
This Board also provides $300,000 a year in scholarships for students, money for
students enrichment programs, travel expenses to college auditions/interviews,
as well as financial support for students’ college and university application fees.
Information for this report was acquired as a result of my taped audio recording
of the sessions, my hand written notes from each workshop and statistical
rankings of the best high schools available at www.usnews.com/education/besthigh-school/national-rankings/spp+100.
— Yolande Spears
11
MITCHELL KORN is one of our nation's most important
leaders in arts and arts education strategic planning, advocacy
and interdisciplinary education. He is the founder and
president of MitchellKornArts, the Vanderbilt University, Blair
School of Music Adjunct Professor for Music and Community, a
Bard College Senior Fellow for arts policy and planning, and a
former Harvard University Graduate School of Education and
Yale School of Music lecturer.
Korn currently advises, as mentor, the artistic and executive
director of the Nashville Ballet on artistic, communication,
advocacy, education and fundraising issues. He continues in his
17th consecutive year as advisor to the Cleveland Orchestra
Learning Through Music Program — which he created —
training musicians and teachers and advising staff. The Wall
Street Journal has called him a “one man arts education
industry.” Symphony magazine called him a “music education
guru.” He is the former vice president for education and
community engagement at the Nashville Symphony and
Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Korn is credited with creating, designing and implementing the
nation’s most important and sustainable arts education
initiatives including San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures in
Music (celebrating its 25th anniversary), New York’s
Annenberg Initiative (16th year), Chicago Arts Partnerships in
Education (18th year), The Cleveland Orchestra’s Learning
Through Music (17th year), The Milwaukee Symphony’s Arts in
Community Education (19th year), and many more.
Korn’s extensive philanthropic work includes projects for the
Appendix X, Page 1
Heinz Endowment, MacArthur Foundation, Annenberg
Foundation, GE Fund, and Dayton Hudson Foundation. He also
has developed the arts education and organizational strategic
plans for dozens of arts, cultural and educational organizations
including the San Francisco Ballet, Hart School of Music,
Carnegie Hall, North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts
Center, The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, The
Baltimore Symphony, Orange County Performing Arts Center,
San Francisco Jazz, and more.
Korn is the recipient of numerous awards and tributes
including Parents magazine’s “As They Grow” award, honoring
his efforts in “making the world a safer, healthier, and happier
place for children.”
Dr. Robert Horowitz is associate director of the Center for
Arts Education Research at Teachers College, Columbia
University and consultant to arts organizations, schools, school
districts, and foundations. As part of a group of researchers
supported by The GE Fund and The John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Horowitz investigated the impact of
arts learning on several cognitive and social dimensions, such
as creativity, personal expression, and school climate. The
collective research, Champions of Change: The Impact of the
Arts on Learning, was published by the President’s Committee
on the Arts and Humanities and the Arts Education
Partnership. He is a recipient of the NAEA 2001 Manuel Barkan
Memorial Award for the article based on this work, “Learning
In and Through the Arts: The Question of Transfer” in Studies
in Art Education. Dr. Horowitz contributed to Critical Links:
Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social
Development, a compendium of 62 studies of arts learning and
its connections to broader human development. As a
consultant for Jazz at Lincoln Center, he authored the
instructional content of Jazz in the Schools, a National
Appendix X, Page 2
Endowment for the Arts curriculum that “explores jazz as an
indigenous American art form and a means to understand
American history.”
Dr. Horowitz has helped develop numerous educational
partnerships throughout the country. He has conducted over
100 program evaluations for organizations such as the
Kennedy Center, National Endowment for the Arts, Jazz at
Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Young Audiences of Northeast
Ohio, and the Arts Education Partnership, and has served as
researcher for numerous federal, state and private grants. He
has written, lectured and conducted workshops on program
evaluation, musical creativity, jazz improvisation, curriculum
development, student assessment, partnership development
and arts education policy issues.
After performing and recording widely as a guitarist, Rob
Horowitz taught for five years at an alternative high school for
at-risk students in New York City. Subsequently, he taught
guitar at Teachers College, Columbia University, where he
received his doctorate in 1994. Current projects include
evaluation of arts partnerships, teacher professional
development, program design, and research on the impact of
arts learning on cognitive and social development.
Dr. Dan Serig is an associate professor of art education at
Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Research interests
include curriculum design, metaphor, material culture, and
artistic research. Since 2002, Serig has conducted dozens of
arts program evaluations throughout the nation. Clients have
included the National Endowment for the Arts (Education
Leaders Institute), COCA St. Louis, the Woodruff Arts Center
and Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio. In collaboration with
Rob Horowitz, Dan Serig has conducted professional
development and assessment workshops, designed curriculum,
Appendix X, Page 3
and consulted on strategic planning with arts and cultural
organizations. Published works are in several art and design
education journals. He served as the Research Review section
editor of Teaching Artist Journal for three years and is a current
editorial board member of the new journal, Visual Inquiry:
Teaching and Learning in Art. Serig presents nationally and
internationally.
Serig received his doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia
University in 2005. He also has taught visual arts to children
and adults in public and private schools in the U.S. and China.
At MassArt he created a Master of Arts in Teaching program
and redesigned the Masters of Science in Art Education
program. Each summer Serig takes a group of teaching artists
to Ecuador to experience the cultural diversity and biodiversity
through a hybrid studio and pedagogical course. He is now
involved in developing art education degree programs in
Ecuador.
Dr. Rekha S. Rajan is a visiting assistant professor in
education at Columbia College Chicago, where she develops
and teaches courses related to arts integration and education.
She holds a doctorate in music education from Teachers
College, Columbia University, where she also received an EdM
in music education. She also holds an MA in early childhood
professions from Roosevelt University.
Dr. Rajan is a senior research associate with the Center for Arts
Education Research at Teachers College, Columbia University,
where she is part of ArtsResearch, a team of consultants led by
Dr. Robert Horowitz, who evaluate arts-based partnerships
around the United States. Through these partnerships, she has
interviewed and observed hundreds of public school teachers
regarding the strengths and challenges they face with
integrating the arts, and has co-authored over 30 assessment
Appendix X, Page 4
reports.
Dr. Rajan is the author of Integrating the Performing Arts in
Grades K-5 (SAGE/Corwin Press), a comprehensive analysis of
over 60 lessons that demonstrate how to connect music,
theater, dance, and musical theater with math, science, social
studies and language arts in the elementary curriculum. Her
research interests focus on the impact of the performing arts in
the lives of young children and on teachers’ use of the
performing arts in the classroom. She has published articles in
General Music Today, Focus on Pre-K and Focus on Elementary,
publications of the Association of Childhood Education
International, and is also the author of the forthcoming book,
Children’s Experiences in Musical Theater (Rowman & Littlefield
Education, 2014).
She is the principal investigator on two grant proposals that
include the development of a music curriculum. They are titled
Basic BEAT: Exploring the impact of brain-based activities on
teacher and student learning through the implementation of a
music education curriculum and Soul Sisters: Exploring Audience
Response and Community Involvement through Musical Theater
Performance. Dr. Rajan also recently applied for a FulbrightNehru Teaching/Research Scholarship Award with a project
entitled: Defining and Designing Teacher Education in India.
The aim of the project is to examine the coursework of teacher
preparation programs in India, through the impact of a projectbased, arts-enriched curriculum.
Dr. Rajan has held faculty positions at National-Louis
University, where she coordinated the graduate programs in
early childhood teacher education and led curriculum
development in all of the teacher education programs, and
Roosevelt University, where she taught courses in elementary
education and supervised student teachers. She has been
Appendix X, Page 5
working with teachers and teacher candidates for more than
10 years, and sits on various Illinois state councils and
advisory committees for early childhood assessment.
Dr. Rajan is also the president and founder of the Greater
Chicago Area Chapter of the Early Childhood Music and
Movement Association, which was recently awarded a chapter
grant for recognition and support of annual workshops. Prior
to teaching in higher education, Dr. Rajan taught music,
theater, and dance in studio and classroom settings. Rekha has
performed professionally in numerous operas, operettas, and
musicals including lead roles in “The Magic Flute” (Papagena),
“Pirates of Penzance” (Mabel), and the Chicago premiere of
“CARNIVAL!” (Lili), for which she was nominated for a Chicago
Stage Talk Equity Theatre Award for Best Lead Actress in a
Musical. She also has performed as a guest vocalist performing
“The Marv’lous Work” from Haydn's The Creation, and “Rejoice
Greatly” from Handel's The Messiah, and has appeared as a
concert soloist at Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts.
Yolande Spears is vice president of education and community
relations at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts,
Connecticut’s premiere venue for Broadway, theatre, music,
dance, children’s theatre and special events.
Alongside her administrative leadership, which includes 20
years in corporate human organization and strategy, Yolande
regularly speaks and teaches at organizations throughout the
United States, Canada, and in China, advocating the importance
of arts education. For over 20 years, she has led the PARTNERS
program, an award-winning arts education initiative serving
hundreds of schools, teachers and communities.
Spears provides expertise in arts organizational programming
Appendix X, Page 6
for schools, partnership development, program
implementation and replication.
Her latest publication, “The Gift,” chronicles her childhood in
urban St. Louis and the role the arts played in her life’s path.
Susan Stauter is an arts educator and advocate. Stauter is
currently the artistic director for the San Francisco Unified
School District. She served on the Steering Committee and was
instrumental in the creation and ongoing work of SFUSD's
internationally acclaimed Arts Education Master Plan,
promising equity and access in arts education to all students in
every SFUSD school during the curricular day. An awardwinning credentialed teacher in theatre and English, she taught
and directed at Esperanza High School in Placentia, Calif., and
was founding chairwoman of the Department of Theatre at the
Los Angeles County High School of the Arts. Stauter went on to
serve as conservatory director for the Tony Award-winning
American Conservatory Theater of San Francisco, where she
oversaw all education programs including the M.F.A. in acting.
She has worked as a writer/director for Disneyland and was
one of the readers for the audio version of Richard Florida's
best-selling Rise of the Creative Class. She currently works as a
master trainer with the Leonard Bernstein Artful Learning
program, presenting workshops and creating new arts-based
curriculum with teachers and principals in schools across the
nation. Continuing her work as a teacher, workshop leader,
keynote speaker and writer on all areas of arts education,
Stauter has consulted with and presented for numerous
organizations, including the Grammy Foundation, the
Milwaukee Idea, the Ten Chimneys Foundation, the U.C.
Berkeley Principal's Institute, the Great River Shakespeare
Festival, the St. Louis Symphony, the New World Symphony
and the Vienna Concerthaus. She has presented keynotes for
the Small Schools of New Zealand, (where she was named
Appendix X, Page 7
visiting scholar in creativity), The National League of
Symphony Orchestras Education, Youth and Outreach
Managers, the Theatre Educators of America and the
International Thespian Organization. She has worked in
colleges and universities across the nation, most recently with
U.C. Berkeley's Bravo Project, which she was instrumental in
creating and implementing for the Principal's Leadership
Institute. In 2009 Stauter was public reader for the K-12
Drama Standards for the State of Colorado, and in April of 2011
she presented a TEDxSF talk on the importance of the arts in
education before returning for the sixth consecutive year to
speak on the importance of the arts and culture to
communities at the Eugene O’Neill Tao House in Danville, Calif.,
as part of Leadership San Ramon Valley. She sits on numerous
boards and committees, including the Engineers Alliance for
the Arts and the San Francisco Symphony Education
Committee, and is the recipient of numerous awards for her
ongoing work as a passionate leader in arts education,
including the International Network of Arts Schools Founder's
Award, the LEAP Imagination in Learning Award, the San
Francisco Ballet's Choose to Move Award, the Ruth Asawa Arts
Advocacy Award and the San Francisco PTA Continuing Service
Award.
Pre-College Pedagogy Team: A group of leading professors
and instructors from Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt
University Pre-Collegiate Division, Nashville Ballet and
Nashville Ballet School assisted in the analysis of CMSD arts
curriculum and the development of curriculum innovations
and guidelines.
Melanie Gober Grand, MitchellKornArts program
coordinator, assists the program team in all aspects of
initiative scheduling and communications. Grand has over 30
years of experience as a paralegal, has managed several nonAppendix X, Page 8
profit professional organizations, and is currently the
executive director of the Lawyers’ Association for Women. She
provides a variety of services in a virtual capacity to law firms
and small businesses, including the development and
implementation of office organizational systems and
procedures.
Appendix X, Page 9

ARTS (CSA) - Cleveland.com

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