We need alternative ways to teach math, science, social studies and other core-curriculum subjects. This is an effort to incorporate arts into education. The goal is to make teachers comfortable with using the arts as an educational tool, and local artists comfortable working in the classroom, he explains. More than a year in the making, the project grew out of the Arts Council's strategic plan, explains Arts and Education Coordinator Adrienne Crowther . There's a lot of math in music, like fractions.
Music can help teach history.
And I've talked with a sculptor who can teach geometry. Moreover, one of the critical research findings is that the learning in and through the arts can help 'level the playing field' for youngsters from disadvantaged circumstances. The concept isn't entirely new to the area. They're learning to read and write and do math. Initial grants from the Janirve Foundation and the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation will jump-start the program, enabling teachers and approved artists to apply for the funds needed to support individual projects, she explains.