CCA Bulletin 23/10
August 31, 2010
Arts Education and the CCA
Just the Facts
As educational institutions across the country rev up their programs for the fall semester, many arts educators, practitioners and patrons wait with bated breath to see how enrolments will fare. Programs in arts education are as diverse as the country itself. They offer a plethora of essential learning outcomes including creative development, self expression, aesthetics and bolstering self-determination. Creative processes and diverse approaches are seen in the development of arts education programming by arts specialists, artists and generalist teachers.
In the regional forums conducted by the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) across the country in the fall of 2008, arts education was one of the pivotal concerns of participants. They were asked to answer the question: How can we better position arts and culture in Canadian society?
When it comes to the issue of arts education, national organizations that like the CCA, advocate for the overall health of the Canadian arts and culture sector, face a somewhat daunting challenge. As education falls under provincial jurisdiction, it is difficult enough to know the style of car being driven in various parts of the country, let alone offering advice across the land as to which parts to change or which fuel to use!
Over the past year, the CCA education committee has struggled with its role in this multidisciplinary and complex, but so necessary root to artistic expression. Somewhat restricted by resources and a very large mandate, the Board of Governors of the CCA has agreed on three approaches in dealing with this critical issue. These include:
- The promotion of the value of arts education by offering links between recent research completed by arts organizations projected on the CCA website
- Being mutually supportive of arts education initiatives and where possible, connecting similar practices
- Providing an opportunity to meet and discuss strategies to promote arts education during the whiteboard sessions at the National Policy Conference in Ottawa on November 2 and 3 entitled Artists: Powering the Creative Economy
Tell me more
The CCA hopes that by fostering a dialogue on arts education, an increased ability to employ emerging innovations in critical thinking and communication will occur. The reverberations from all arts disciplines will be felt more fervently and will occur with greater speed as educational institutions evolve.
The CCA has supported the use of the online CHRC booklets Careers in Culture, which outline careers in the cultural sector. Through the participation of its National Director, the CCA has joined hands with the Canadian Network for Arts and Learning in promoting the importance of arts and learning in public policy and its ramifications on social and cultural well-being. The CCA supports the Network’s relationship to the international UNESCO Conference on Arts Education held last spring in Seoul whose mandate includes the promotion of social responsibility, social cohesion, cultural diversity and interculturality.
Two successful teleconferences conducted by the education committee last fall yielded some information on comprehensive studies on arts education. Overall, participants longed for an opportunity to meet conjointly so that they could discuss arts education research and strategies employed in dealing with the public.
Documents identified included, but were not limited to the following:
- Génie Arts Smarts has done both quantitative and qualitative studies –including Walking Tall in the Hall, a review on the impact of the arts on aboriginal communities.
- Montreal’s Segal Centre has produced a summary of studies on the impact of performing arts on youth.
- The Fédération des associations de musiciens éducateurs du Québec has many research studies concerning music posted on its website.
- The Arts Research Monitor Volume: 9 Issue No: 1 published by Hill Strategies includes four reports on arts education in Canada and the United States, including a survey of the cultural activities of Montreal-area youth as well as American reports on arts learning participation and the nature of excellence in arts education.
What can I do?
Attend the CCA’s national policy conference Artists: Powering the Creative Economy? and join in the conversation. We will be hosting whiteboard sessions where all attendees can provide their own content, presentations, and discussion groups on topics of their choices. This is an opportunity to network with colleagues in the field and voice opinions on arts education and other issues. Register now!
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