CAGS Thesis, Doctoral Capstone Essay in Education for Fitchburg State University

ARTISTS/TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS: BEST PRACTICES 2016

LAURA STANFIELD PRICHARD

CERTIFICATE OF ADVANCED GRADUATE STUDY

INTERDISCIPLINARY – EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT & EDUCATION

FITCHBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

MAY 2016

ABSTRACT

Visiting artist-teacher programs and educational enrichment programs in the arts can provide outstanding opportunities for strengthening the arts curriculum and integrating the arts across the curriculum. Through interviews with leading arts practitioners and administrators, site visits to exemplary arts programs across a range of settings, and a review of published literature, this research study reveals best practices for visiting artists and arts teachers. Excellent professional development and collaborative work in the arts, exemplified by public partnerships, can increase equity, teacher retention, community involvement, student independence, creativity, and parental connection to students.

For this paper, on-site visits to programs in California included the San Francisco Symphony, SFJAZZ, San Francisco Opera, and the Lamplighters; those in Massachusetts included the Boston Symphony, Classroom Cantatas (Cantata Singers), Facing History and Ourselves, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Pre-Texts (Harvard University School of Education), and the Silk Road Project; those in Illinois included Ag in the Classroom (IL State Farm Bureau), the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Chicago Symphony’s Citizen Musician Program; and interviews were conducted with founders of South Carolina’s ABC Project.

Research in educational leadership and management has been lacking in the area of Artist/Teacher programs, as this topic overlaps with studies of arts integration, teacher training, pre-service educational programs, interdisciplinary lessons, and enrichment programs. This study examines outstanding American models of high quality arts learning and teaching, markers of excellence observed in the classroom activities of arts learning and teaching, and foundational and day-to-day decisions that affect the pursuit and achievement of quality through arts-based learning. As identified in this research, programs in which visiting artists work directly with teachers, training them in subject integration and professional artistic techniques, provide the best long-term results and teacher/student satisfaction.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT iv TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CURRENT 14 BEST PRACTICES

CHAPTER 3 CASE STUDIES OF ARTS ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING

FIELD TRIP OPPORTUNITIES 31

Boston Symphony Education Department, MA

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

CHAPTER 4 CASE STUDIES OF ORGANIZATIONS SENDING

ARTISTS/TEACHERS INTO SCHOOLS 46

SFJAZZ Education Department, CA