Curriculum
Fine Arts

Fine Arts Philosophy

"The arts have been an inseparable part of the human journey; indeed, we depend on the arts to carry us toward the fullness of our humanity.  We value them for themselves, and because we do, we believe knowing and practicing them is fundamental to the healthy development of our children's minds and spirits.  That is why, in any civilization – ours included -the arts are inseparable from the meaning of the term "education".  We know from long experience that no one can claim to be truly educated who lacks basic knowledge and skills in the arts."    
- National Standards for Arts Education

"Arts education is the process of teaching and learning how to create and produce the visual and performing arts and how to understand and evaluate art forms created by others.  Together with language, mathematics, the natural sciences, and the social sciences, the arts constitute a fundamental curriculum.  A successful arts education program engages students intellectually, emotionally, and physically with the arts as one of the essential elements of life for the individual, the community, and the nation."
– The Kennedy Center Arts Edge

Core Values

• Self-exxpression and creativity
• Communication of thoughts and feelings in a variety of modes
• Personal fulfillment and enjoyment
• Lifelong participation and learning
• Aesthetic appreciation
• Respect for diverse cultures and historical heritages
• Critical thinking and freedom of inquiry
• Self-discipline and perseeverance
• Collaboration
• Perception

Core Purpose:

The fine arts - music, art, theatre, speech, and dance - are an integral part of the basic education of every student.  Every child is insured access to a high quality arts education.

Guiding Principles

References

Fine Arts Curricula - The Fine Arts Curricula serve as written plans of action that describe course content, learning experiences and intended outcomes for students.

"Art Curriculum Framework", Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts in cooperation with Texas Education Agency, 2000.

"Dance Curriculum Framework", Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts in cooperation with Texas Education Agency, 2000.

"Music Curriculum Framework", Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts in cooperation with Texas Education Agency, 2000.

"Theatre Curriculum Framework", Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts in cooperation with Texas Education Agency, 2000.

Standards of Excellence - Standards for arts education provide an important foundation for excellence and assessment.  They help define educational effectiveness and competence.  Arts education standards help to define what students should know and be able to do.

"North East I.S.D. Content Standards for Fine Arts"

"Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Kindergarten - Grade 12", Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Chapter 117, Texas Education Agency.

"National Standards for Arts Education: What Every Young American Should Know and Be Able to do in the Arts".  Music Educators National Conference, Reston, VA, 1994.

"Summary Statement: Education Reform, Standards, and the Arts".  Music Educators National Conference, Reston, VA.

"The Vision of Arts Education in the 21^st Century".  Music Educators National Conference, Reston, VA, 1992.

"Opportunity-to-Learn Standards for Arts Education".  Music Educators National Conference, Reston, VA 1995.

"Vision 2020: The Housewright Symposium on the Future of Music Education".  Clifford Madsen, Editor, Music Educators National Conference, Reston, VA, 2000.

Teacher Expectations - High teacher expectation can lead to high student success.

Brophy, J.(1983).  Research on the self-fulfilling prophecy and teacher expectations.  Journal of Educational Psychology, 75 (5), 631-661.

Merton, R. (1948).  The self-fulfilling prophecy.  Antioch Review, 8, 193-210.

Rosenthal, R. & Jacobson, L. (1968).  Pygmalion in the classroom: Teacher expectation and pupils' intellectual development.  New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Schultz, J. (1994).  The influence of talent expectations and nature/nurture beliefs on evaluation of music student performances.  Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms International.

Skill and Talent Development - As art educators our goal is to help each student reach their full potential by creating a safe, nurturing learning environment.  Skill development requires consistent, correct repetition over time.

Bloom, B. S. (1984).  Generalizations about talent development.  In B.S. Bloom, Developing talent in young people (pp. 507-549).  New York: McGraw-Hill.

Greer, R.D. (1980).  Design for music learning.  New York: Teachers College Press.

Suzuki, S. (1983).  Nurtured by love (2^nd ed.)  Smithtown, NY: Exposition Press.

Mastery Learning - Individuals may need very different types and qualities of instruction to achieve mastery.  Students are often given multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery.

Bloom, B. S. (1984).  Generalizations about talent development.  In B.S. Bloom, Developing talent in young people (pp. 507-549).  New York: McGraw-Hill

Assessment - Meaningful intelligent assessments involve authentic student behaviors (such as performing, listening, explaining, creating).  Infrequent but contingent, specific, and credible praise seems more likely to be encouraging than frequent but trivial or inappropriate praise.

Brophy, J. (1981).  Teacher praise: A functional analysis.  Review of Educational Research, 51, 1, 5-32.

Bruner, J. (1977).  The Process of Education.  New York: Random House, Inc.

Duke, R. A. (in press).  Intelligent assessment in general music: what children should know and do.

Lifelong Learning and Independence - Independent performance requires considerable time and repetition.  Students are involved in authentic artistic activities that resemble tasks that they will do beyond school.  Students are viewed as accomplished, literate, inquisitive, skilled, thinking artists.

Bruner, J. S. (1964).  Some theorems on instruction illustrated with reference to mathematics.  In H. G. Hilgard (Ed.), Theories of learning and instruction (pp. 306-355).  Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. 

Duke, R. A. (in press).  Intelligent assessment in general music: what children should know and do.

THE NEISD FINE ARTS CLASSROOM
INDICATORS OF EXCELLENCE

The students will:

MUSIC

• describe and analyze musical sound and demonstrate musical artistry
• perform a varied repertoire of music
• sing or play an instrument individually and in groups (Grades 5-12)
• read and write music notation
• create and arrange music within specified guidelines
• relate music to history, society, and culture
• respond to and evaluates musical performances

ART

• develop and organize ideas from the environment
• express ideas through original artworks, using a variety of media with appropriate skill
• demonstrate an understanding for art history and culture as records of human achievement
• make informed judgments about personal artworks and the artworks of others

THEATRE

• develops concepts about self, human relationships, and the environment, using elements of drama and conventions of theatre
• interprets characters, using the voice and body expressively, and creates dramatizations
• applies design, directing, and theatre production concepts and skills
• relates theatre to history, society, and culture
• responds to and evaluates theatre and theatrical performances

The teachers will:

• utilize a variety of effective instructional strategies that foster the development of performance and listening skills
• design learning sequences which accommodate  individual learning styles and promote success
• design learning activities that simulate real-world performance experiences
• utilize a variety of tools to assess student performance and understanding

The environment of the fine arts classroom will be:

a learning environment

• in which students can comfortably perform and learn from errors
• where the students respect each other and their differences

a physical environment

• with facilities large enough to accommodate the largest group that will ultimately use the room
• with acoustical treatment to performance spaces which are also isolated from other areas of the school
• with special attention to lighting in all art classrooms
• where students can practice individually or in small groups
• with the technology, equipment and instruments necessary for successful performance and artistic experiences
• with adequate storage space for instruments, sets, and props
• with adequate facilities for public performance