Businesses and organizations experience an array of rapidly changing and increasingly complex challenges. Today’s world demands that we think in new ways. More than ever, it’s an environment that requires creativity and innovation.
Recent discussions and pending decisions regarding the government budget leave funding for the arts in limbo. If we care about a nation that’s both compassionate and creative; if we care about opportunities for young people, innovation, intellectual achievement, and our dignity as a national, then it is clear we cannot allow the arts to fall… Read more »
About 20 years ago I met a young musician who told me a story I’ll never forget. If you have ever wondered about the value of the arts—especially the process of performing music, dance, or theater, or making visual art—her story shows how the arts provide an opportunity to learn how to live a more… Read more »
As we prepare to take part in elections that will soon be held across the country, I think it’s important to consider the impact of the choices we make on the future of the arts—both public sector and arts education.
As another school year begins, I think it’s important for everyone to look more deeply into the value of learning through the arts.
At a time when the world has shifted dramatically and people everywhere are looking for new ways to reach out, interact, and share their inner spirit with the world, the creative concepts of Arts Awareness provide a foundation for learning that can transform your life.
The program notes for a recent concert called to mind the influence of other people on our personal views. We’re all influenced by others in some way. When we experience the values of others, their beliefs and attitudes mingle with our own; and over time a new vision is created even if we’re not fully… Read more »
I recently attended the final concert performed by the 2015 Arizona Musicfest Orchestra in Scottsdale, Arizona. One of the works on the concert—the Glagolitic Mass by Leos Janáček—was of particular interest to me. Janáček’s music is deeply influenced and inspired by Moravian and other Slavic folk music.
Everywhere you go in the Southwest, you’re surrounded by the remarkable beauty of nature. There is an opportunity every day to explore and experience the outdoors and at the same time gain a deep understanding of the artistic processes of all kinds of Native American artists.
As I moved from room to room among the hundreds of music teachers at a recent Music Educators Conference in Arizona, I thought about the tremendous passion and commitment that brought all of these people to this profession—teaching music for a living.
Artists are open to the world around them. That openness allows them to see, hear, and feel things that may go unnoticed by others. It allows the creative space for observations and ideas to develop with artistic outcomes that are often surprising and unique.
As I entered a familiar room recently, I realized the multi-sensory impact of the music that was playing in the background. The room not only felt different than before, but there was a definite quality in the room mingling among the others that called to mind the sights, smells, and even tastes of past experiences… Read more »
Creativity is a hot topic in today’s education and business worlds. There are also a lot of contrasting opinions about what it is and how we learn it or teach it.
Artists create unique masterpieces and, although they sometimes get stuck or experience moments when they’re uninspired, they have learned ways to expand their creativity and keep their art fresh.
There are many who wonder what really happens in a music classroom. What can be gained from this time spent when there is so much else to learn to create a successful life?
Opportunities to engage in the artistic process are important for everyone in this increasingly complex world of the 21st century.
Images, movement, and sounds in works of art can be understood in more than one way. In fact, most artists know that appreciation and interpretation from multiple perspectives is an important characteristic of their work.
In preparation for November elections, political candidates are engaging in numerous conversations about education, the economy, and building healthier, happier communities.
An artist’s interpretation—representation of a thought, a scene, an event, or an object—might be in the form of sound, video, painting, drama, dance, or sculpture.
As we begin a new academic year when students of all ages are starting or returning to school, it’s important to consider what it is we’re trying to provide in a 21st century education.
