E1. Where the Wild Things Are: A Discussion and Performance by the Bloomfield String Quartet
Natalia Korenchuk and Virginia Brungardt, violin
Hailey Hatcher Treas, viola
Caitlin Schmidt, cello
Learn how a group of young musicians developed interactive kinder concerts for public school students in grades K-2, balanced their own classwork and recital schedule, performed with a university symphony and the Wichita Symphony. The secrets to balancing all of these partnerships, lessons in self-advocacy, communication, perseverance, teaching, endurance and community connections are revealed in this workshop which includes a performance of the Wichita State University Bloomfield String Quartet’s Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendack. The Bloomfield String Quartet is a partnership with Wichita State University and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Within that partnership, the quartet coordinates with the Wichita School District USD 259 to perform over 40 “Kinder Concerts” to public school students grades K-2 each school year.
E2. Discovering the Capacity & Resources Within: Valuing the Experience of Teaching Artist
Travis Laughlin, Arts Education Director, Joan Mitchell Foundation
Saul Chernick, Professional Development, Joan Mitchell Foundation
Antonia Perez, Peer Coach/Artist-Teacher, Joan Mitchell Foundation
Organizations often seek professional development from "outsiders" without truly examining the wealth of knowledge and experience held by their own staff. In this session, discuss your staff resources, identify challenges and learn strategies for using your staff as resources for professional development. Participants have the opportunity to present their own organizational/personal challenges with regard to professional development and discuss ways to build upon the experience of staff/individuals to meet the challenges. The Joan Mitchell Foundation's Art Education Program has actively engaged their artist-teachers in meaningful professional development that is rooted in their own experience. Learn how the Foundation has incorporated the voice, experiences, and expertise of artist-teachers into its overall professional development program through peer led workshops, peer coaching, and a curriculum resource guide created by a team of artist-teachers.
E3. The Teaching Artists Asset Map: Cartography, Technology and Connections
Jean Johnstone, Executive Director, Teaching Artists Guild and The Applied Theater Action Institute
What does a map of teaching artistry look like? Find out in this interactive session. Teaching Artists Guild is creating an interactive digital asset map of the field with a coalition of teaching artists, educators, and arts advocates from all over the country. Their aim is to articulate and deepen the collective understanding of the field, document and promote the work done by teaching artists, serve as a launching pad for partnerships in a historically disconnected field, and make their research available to the field. This session explores the three major areas they are mapping: individual teaching artists, teaching artist hiring organizations, and field assets. Participants will add themselves and their organizations and projects to the map and analyze the data.
E4. The Lullaby Project: Connecting Dreams with the People in our Community
Dr. Alice R. Hixson, ISS Fine Arts Curriculum Specialist, Department of Defense Dependents Elementary and Secondary Schools
Gain insight into the development of The Lullaby Project, a program designed for students, teachers and the community. The presenter will provide an overview of the project which introduces students to the folk song form of the lullaby. You will learn how students involved in the project researched lullabies and discussed their origins, recorded songs and did historical research with first person interviews. The project enabled students to write their own lullabies that were collected into a final project/book and performance. Participants in this session will hear and sing lullabies from several cultures.
