| The MA. Council's EPI program is a program
developed to promote systematic and structural changes in the ways
that schools educate children in the Arts, Humanities, and/or
Sciences. The belief that lasting change can only occur
through coordinated, long term commitment by a community's
educators, policy makers, and cultural resources is a key element
of the program. The Albany Berkshire Ballet (ABB), in a partnership
with the Central Berkshire Regional School District (CBRSD), Pittsfield
Community Music School (PCMS), and The Dalton CRA (CRA), has applied for and received a
one year Planning Grant, to prepare an application for the EPI, which is
a three year project. The Partnership's Goal:
Establish a relationship and presence within the District's
schools by providing expanded opportunities in the arts
disciplines, drawn from the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework.
The
Objectives:
I Augment the Existing Arts Curriculum
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Add dance to the school day, as
a dance club offering during the activity block, several times a week.
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Lend support and resources to
the current music program. Although the District has a music program in place, there
are several areas in which the PCMS can extend and support the program. For example,
programs to introduce children to instruments such as piano and strings would add options
currently not available. |
II Professional Development Programs For Teachers
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In our first year, the ABB and
PCMS would hold an arts literacy workshop for teachers in the district that would
provide faculty with a base vocabulary, and build relationships between school staff
and artists, including the school's music and art specialists. In this way, cultural
institutions will be seen as a resource, and teachers will be more
comfortable incorporating the arts into their curriculum.
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III Professional Performances
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The ABB and PCMS would bring in
professional performing artists to cultivate interest in their programs, and
sensitize faculty to who they are and what they have to offer. Informal performances
in intimate settings will bring artists, faculty and students closer together. |
IV Summer Workshops
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"Institute for
Educators" will bring teachers and artists together in a non -threatening environment
to explore possible applications of music and dance in the curriculum. Institutes
will connect with the ABB's summer season, which will allow maximum exposure to artists
choreographers, and experts associated with dance and music. |
V Collaborations and Residencies
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Build on relationships forged
between professional artists and school faculty, to develop projects that incorporate
the arts into the teachers curriculum |
A note to the public:
The partnership encourages input from students, parents,
and faculty on this project, as we hope to create a program that will reflect the
needs and wants of the community. We hope to establish lasting relationships between
schools and cultural organizations. Please call The ABB at (413) 445-5382 with
questions or comments! |
