February 2005 Newsletter

SMARTS: BRING BACK THE ARTS

CALIFORNIA STATE PTA ONLINE NEWSLETTER

February 2005

SMARTS is California State PTA’s program to encourage arts education. The California State PTA wants to create advocates for quality arts education at every school in California. We hope you will spread the word about the benefits of arts education. Please e-mail this newsletter to PTA district, council and unit members.

In this issue:

1) Advocacy for the Arts

Arts Learning in Action: Celebrate Arts Education Month in March 2005
Arts Education: Improving Students' Academic Performance
Reading, Rhythm & 'Rithmetic
Advocacy Resources on the SMARTS Website

2) Interactive Websites for Parents, Teachers, and Students

Creatingmusic.com
Violin Master Class
The Floating World of Ukiyo-e
Continental Harmony

3) Announcements

LAArtsEd.org
The Arts Olympiad
Playwright Discovery Award for Students
The Youth Education in the Arts! (YEA!)

1) Advocacy for the Arts

Arts Learning in Action
Get started on your Arts Learning in Action program. Celebrate March as Arts in Education Month. The first step is to invite elected officials to your school. You can find a handy checklist on how to get started at: http://www.artsed411.org/involved/toolkit_checklist.stm.

Arts Education: Improving Students' Academic Performance
The U.S. Department of Education will broadcast Arts Education: Improving Students' Academic Performance on Tuesday, March 15, 2005, 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. ET. You can arrange to have this broadcast in your community. Click here for a description, or go to http://registerevent.ed.gov/downlink/event-flyer.asp?intEventID=183.

Reading, Rhythm & 'Rithmetic
NPR's Performance Today takes a weeklong look at the state of music education in America's schools. You can listen to this series by going to
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4170557.

Advocacy Resources on the SMARTS Website
This California State PTA website contains advocacy resources for parents and teachers.
http://www.capta.org/sections/programs-smarts/index.cfm

2) Interactive Websites for Parents, Teachers, and Students

Creatingmusic.com
Creatingmusic.com is a place for children to compose music and play with musical performance, music games and music puzzles.
http://www.creatingmusic.com/

Violin Master Class
Violinmasterclass.com was created for violin professionals, teachers, parents, and students at all levels to enhance the study of playing the violin.
http://www.Violinmasterclass.com

The Floating World of Ukiyo-e
The Floating World of Ukiyo-e: Shadows, Dreams, & Substance showcases Japanese "Ukiyo-e" -- pictures of the floating, or sorrowful, world. More than 100 prints, drawings, and books are featured, most from 1600-1900.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/

Continental Harmony
The activities in the Continental Harmony website are designed for informal, at-home use by children and families, and for classroom use. Lesson plans include music and mood; elements of music; music, slavery and the civil war; and more.
http://www.pbs.org/harmony/

3) Announcements

LAArtsEd.org
LAArtsEd.org is a free resource for all Los Angeles County school districts and schools as well as parents. This online interactive resource directory for arts education, including more than 150 programs, is the first of its kind in the Southern California region.
http://www.LAArtsEd.org

The Arts Olympiad
The Arts Olympiad of the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF) is the world's largest arts initiative for children. This global initiative includes structured lesson plans distributed free to participating schools, art studios, and community centers worldwide. The theme of the third Olympiad is "My Favorite Sport."
http://www.icaf.org

Playwright Discovery Award for Students
The VSA arts Playwright Discovery Award program challenges middle and high school students of all abilities to take a closer look at the world around them, examine how disability affects their lives and the lives of others, and express their views through the art of writing a one-act play.
http://www.vsarts.org/x244.xml

The Youth Education in the Arts! (YEA!)
The Youth Education in the Arts! (YEA!) program continues the California Arts Council's priority and commitment of engaging young people in the arts through sequential, hands-on arts activities by supporting ongoing arts in education programs at schools and community sites.
http://www.cac.ca.gov/news_cal/2005_releases/yea_grant.pdf

To Subscribe:
If you wish to be added to the subscriber list to this newsletter, send an e-mail to SMARTSenews@capta.org. Enter the word "Subscribe" into the subject area or the body of the email and you will automatically be added.

To Unsubscribe:
If you would like to terminate your subscription to the SMARTS newsletter, send an e-mail to SMARTSenews@capta.org and in the subject area type "Remove" or "Unsubscribe" and your name will be removed.

For help or to send comments, suggestions, and inquiries send an e-mail to info@capta.org.

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