Tag: Arts Education

Episode 108: Learning in Concert

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New Bedford Symphony Orchestra (NBSO) Education Director Terry Wolkowicz discusses Learning in Concert, an in-school partnership program between the NBSO and over 40 elementary schools in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Through this concept-based arts integration program, music educators work with non-arts teachers to remove barriers between a concept (e.g. gravity, space, and sound) and how the students experience it (e.g. employing classical music chord cycles to imitate the gravitation pull and orbital rates of planets).

Terry WolkowiczTerry Wolkowicz received her bachelor’s degree in music education from the New England Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. For the past ten years, she has worked as the Education Director for the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra.

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Episode 77: Sonido Musica in Harmony

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Eileen McCaffery, Executive Director of Community Music School of Springfield, and Julie Jaron, Director of Visual and Performing Arts for the Springfield Public Schools, discuss their work over five years on the Sonido Musica program, a partnership that aims to reduce Springfield’s high school drop-out rate through student engagement, leadership, and performance opportunities. What started with three public schools and 60 students has grown to 18 schools and nearly 1,000 student musicians! Now nearby Holyoke wants to replicate this model. Their goal was not to have the Community Music School replace music education in the public schools, but rather to help principals and administrators see the power of the arts working every day in their school.

Eileen McCaffery (l) and Julie Jaron (r)Eileen McCaffery has served as Executive Director of Community Music School of Springfield since 2012, having been a CMSS Board member for 6 years prior and serving as Board President for 2 years. Ms. McCaffery received her BA from University of New Hampshire, graduating magna cum laude.
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Episode 67: Connecting Rural Schools to Arts Education

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The Berkshires are home to an array of arts and culture organizations, and 13 schools districts. Connecting these two worlds often means overcoming barriers of distance and transportation. Lisa Donovan, Professor of Arts Management at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, discusses efforts underway to create a regional, rural model for collaboration between arts education and cultural institutions. Through collective thinking they are working to ensure that their schools mirror the rich cultural assets of their communities.

Lisa Donovan, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Fine and Performing Arts Department at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Prior to this she served as Associate Professor of Education and Director of the Creative Arts in Learning Division at Lesley University. Continue reading “Episode 67: Connecting Rural Schools to Arts Education”

Episode 47: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education

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Lois Hetland is a MassArt professor and among the nation’s leading scholars on the value of arts education. She discusses her research into the Studio Habits of Mind, eight dispositions that students develop through meaningful education in the visual arts.

Lois HetlandLois Hetland, Ed.D., is Professor and Graduate Coordinator in the Art Education Department at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Senior Research Affiliate at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Trained in music and visual arts, she taught elementary and middle school students for 17 years.  Currently, she is co-authoring Studio Thinking in the Elementary School, expected in 2018; co-authoring a chapter on a participatory evaluation of Art21 Educators (conducted 2010-2012); and working with ABT Associates to evaluate nine partnerships among community arts organizations, universities, and schools in Wisconsin and Alaska, funded by the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation.
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Episode 31: Collective Action Revitalized Arts Education in Boston

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Marinell Rousmaniere, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at EdVestors, discusses the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Arts Expansion Initiative, a multi-year effort focused on increasing access, equity, and quality of arts learning for all BPS students.

Launched in 2009, this public-private partnership involves a large and coordinated network of partners, including schools, arts organizations, local and national foundations, colleges and universities, and the Mayor’s office, among others.

Marinell RousmaniereMarinell Rousmaniere oversees EdVestors’ cross-sector initiative work, including BPS Arts Expansion, as well as policy and communications as Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. Marinell brings more than 20 years of experience working in youth development and education in both the public and nonprofit sectors to the role. She previously served as Executive Director of mytown, inc., a nonprofit focused on connecting Boston teenagers to the city’s diverse history,
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