Don is an approved teaching artist in the Colorado Council on the Arts Art in Education (Artist in Residence) and Aesthetic Institute (classroom teacher training) programs. This year (2000) he is doing one residency, in the Northern Conejos County School District at La Jara Elementary School and Manassa Elementary School. Here he shares his thoughts on the importance of this program, his goals with the students in his workshops, and the specific details of this residency. There will also be posted some downloadable MP3 files of the students musical creations. Check it out!

Why this is important –
The arts to me deal with possible answers to the question of “Why be alive?” So much of society and education is rushing around trying to find better ways to teach “how”, how to learn enough science and math to compete in the global economy, how to raise the test scores to get better jobs to make more money so that we will be worthy, etc. But if you don’t have a “why”, all the “hows” in the world will do you no good. There are many young people who do not buy the messages of society that worth equals money and outward achievement and messages appealing to these values will not reach them. They get the message fed to them that “This is what life is about, so get on board – take it or leave it” and they feel a gut-level reaction of “No thanks – not interested.” But kids also tend to agree with or give credence to what their parents and society tell them and they usually do not have enough self confidence and direction to make their way independently. So they choose negation and non-involvement with life. This can mean suicide, drugs, crime – all that good stuff. So how could we present a different picture to this population that might engage them? Continue reading Art in Education Residency →