Finding the Fine Arts in the Generalist Teaching World

The registration site for the ATA Fine Arts Council Conference is now up and running! Please click on the following link to book the best conference you will attend this year! https://event-wizard.com/FAC2015Conference/0/welcome/

Join the ATA Fine Arts Council at their annual conference! From October 22nd to 24th 2015, enjoy a rejuvenating getaway and build your mind for creativity. This year's fine arts conference will be held at the Coast Canmore Hotel and Conference Centre in the heart of Canmore Alberta. Book your stay right at the hotel for a discounted rate and enjoy renovated rooms and indoor pool and hot tub.  We have a great line up of professional artists! Louise Chong with mixed media assemblage, Sue Harvie with Orff inspirations and Joey B. with hip hop dance will be returning, along with a great selection of new presenters with sessions from zen tangles and ukeleles to nuno felting and stage combat! Included with your choice of sessions will be a thursday welcome evening, friday night banquet with entertainment as well as snacks and lunches throughout the days with a variety of cuisine to fit your dietary needs. We are also collecting a sizable amount of excellent door prizes t...

Here are some companies who offer great programs, performances and field trips for your school: Three Left Feet Dance residencies for all levels with a culminating school-wide celebration School performance: "Elephant & Coyote"  May 30 - June 24, 2016 Characters found (and not found!) on the Alberta Prairies Click here for Three Left Feet Story Theatre Co. School Performances: Fables, Fools and Fantasy - interactive drama and literacy using traditional stories Anansi's Gift of Stories - Africa and Jamaican storytelling games Classroom Workshop: Flash Literacy Workshop - how to play storytelling games Prices range from $650-$895 Click here for Story Theatre Co.   Ruploops School Performances: Ruploops: A Musical Orbit  A live looping show using vocal percussion, rhythm rhymes and electric instruments Classroom workshop: Raise Your V.O.I.C.E. Beat Boxing Prices range from $650-$895 Click here for Ruploops Decidedly J...

Children love to experiment with small percussion instruments, and they can be a great way to enhance any performance. But how do we incorporate the use of them into daily classroom activities? Here is a mini unit on exploring an assortment of small percussion instruments in a variety of ways, leading up to students creating their very own instrument! Materials Required ·       Shakers ·       Rhythm Sticks ·       Sand blocks ·       Bell Bracelets ·       Wooden Spoons ·       Materials for Shaker Experiment (see below) Rules and Expectations With any introduction to instruments, students need to understand when it is ok to use the instrument and when and how to listen to instruction. However you choose to set it up, stick to a routine! 1.      Discuss the concept of instruments similar...

Self-portraits can seem difficult, especially for the beginning artist, but they are a wonderful way of practicing sketching the human form. Any teacher who has observed a student evolving from the basic stick figure drawings to the composition of a recognizable face can attest to the pride in seeing their reflection in a work of art. The following are examples of how self-portraiture was integrated in a variety of different ways at Elbow Park School in Calgary. Mathematical Mystery Picasso Self-Portraits By Ms. Montanero’s Grade 1 Class Materials Required: -         Dice -         “Roll A Picasso Portrait” handout -         Sketch paper and pencil -         Watercolor paper -         Watercolor pencils -         Brushes and water -   ...