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Now is the Time to Regulate Teaching Artists
Or is it? Okay, I was intentionally provocative in my title. Not just in using the term “regulate,” but in using the declarative form rather than the interrogative. Should we start regulating teaching artists? Do you like that better? In the past two weeks I have had two different conversations with members of the New…
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My Dinner with Merce and its Connection to Cultural Policy
I wanted to end this very hot. humid, and WET New York summer week by recalling a swell dinner I had once with Merce Cunningham and Laura Kuhn, Director of The Cage Trust. I won’t recount what the obits and testaments said very well about Merce as a truly giant, emblematic figure of modern dance…
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NY Times Editorial Recognizes the Truth and the Need
They tell you not to sweat the “small stuff; it’s all small stuff.” You tell me: is this small or large? One sentence in today’s New York Times editorial on the selection of David Steiner as the new NYS Commissioner of Education: “And as a former director of arts education at the National Endowment for…
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A Big Policy Win for K-12 Arts Education in New York City
I cannot recall a K-12 education issue in New York City higher profile than that of the renewal of the 2002 School Governance Law, aka “Mayoral Control of the Schools.” Everyone concerned with K-12 education in New York City, as well many across the country have been watching this issue to see whether Mayor Michael…
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Dewey21C has its first birthday: A Take on Arts Education from two Symphonic Giants
Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of Dewey21c, and I will celebrate by eating some croissants (there’s a killer place for croissants and macroons around the corner), I thought I would end my first year of Dewey21c, which would be something like the 144th published entry, with a story about arts education through the lens…
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What about an Arts Czar? What about a Federal Arts Policy? Hummm…
The “arts czar” idea is still buzzing about. Of course, the actor Kal Penn was appointed to the White House Office of Public Engagement, and we will have Rocco Landesman heading up the NEA, and Jim Leach heading up the NEH. But certainly, that’s a far cry from what a number of people were lobbying…
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A Local Legislator Who Gets It, Arts Education, that is.
We must hold ourselves — our parents, our students, our elected officials, our school administrators — accountable on arts education. Some of you may have read about the gridlock taking place presently up in Albany, the New York State Capitol. Basically, the State Senate is locked in place over the question of which party is…
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POV: The Challenge of Teaching Art in the Public School System
Creativity is the opposite of conformity and is nurtured by a supportive, positive environment that allows students to engage in creative play and honest communication; a place where their fears and vulnerabilities are, at least, acknowledged and not ridiculed. On this last workday before the July 4th holiday weekend, I would like to share with…
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Making Room At the Table: An Interview with the Author of a Needs Assessment for Arts Education and Special Needs Students in NYC Public Schools
I am really happy to be able to bring you an interview with two really swell colleagues of mine: Stephen Yaffe and Don Glass, who have teamed up on Making Room At The Table: A Needs Assessment of Arts Education for Special Needs Students in New York City Public Schools. Stephen is the principal investigator…
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Arts Education Should Align with School Reform. Really?
Among advocates and wannabe advocates, I have lately been hearing that arts education must align with school reform. I heard this the other day at a splendid presentation by Narric Rome of Americans for the Arts and Najean Lee of the League of American Orchestras, at the NYC Arts Education Roundtable’s annual meeting. I have…