It has recently come to our attention that 50% of Edmunds and Hunt Middle School band and orchestra programs are populated with IAA students. Our participation in Drama and chorus has dramatically increased over the last 5 years as well. The arts experiences you have been exposed to and participated in have honed your artistic abilities, but it has done so much more.
The stories we are getting, from the middle schools about IAA students, and the manner in which they interact with their peers, the learning environment and the community are truly remarkable. They can tell which students come from IAA for very distinct reasons.
Learning through the arts and the arts experiences you have been exposed to have given you some very important skills.
The Arts help you:
- Respect others.
- Experiment with ideas and materials.
- Observe more carefully.
- Find your voice and share ideas
- Self evaluate and reflect.
- Make connections
- Learn from your mistakes and make adjustments
- Embrace Diversity
- Work Collaboratively
- Persevere
- Have an opinion and the skills to back it up
- Appreciate Beauty
- Solve Problems
- Take Risks and be brave
- Innovate and create
- See others’ points of view with an open mind
- Communicate your ideas, thoughts and dreams.
An impressive list of skills you are leaving with, employ them often.
Edgar Degas said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
I have no doubt what you will make the world see will be wonderful and brilliant.
We are proud and honored that you will represent the IAA community in the greater world.
As I read and become acquainted with the new Graduate Expectations at Burlington High School, I am struck by how the skills embedded in the arts seamlessly connect to what we are expecting of the next generation of learners. For the class of 2020 and beyond, the following proficiency based system of learning will be required for graduation. The skills of Effective Communication, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Curiosity & Creativity, Personal Development and Cultural & Civic Engagement will be assessed and a core component of student learning.
There is a slew of research supporting the skills development and engagement the arts offers. With proficiency based education and personalized learning plans the future of education, so to should be the arts. We at IAA are excited to witness how the students take the skills they've learned through their arts and apply them to these new ways of learning. We are excited that they can use these skills to make them better students and more importantly, better citizens.