Challenges and Weaknesses — Music Program • The Music program functions within a small classroom. There is currently no general storage and no locked areas to secure musical instruments. • Band students lack adequate class time to prepare for the performances that define the Band curriculum. • With no middle school Music requirement, parents and students are less likely to invest in a musical instrument and music lessons, leading to a dwindling Band enrollment. • Performances are held in multipurpose spaces. Musical instruments, sound equipment, and other furnishings must be continually set up and torn down, leading to errors that sometimes impact performances. Plans and priorities for future development — Overall Fine Arts Program • Expand visibility of Fine Arts contributions to the overall school community. • Educate the school faculty regarding the value and impact of Fine Arts Education programs. • Initiate a school-wide interactive timeline to promote ongoing discovery of interdisciplinary connections. • Schedule recurring Fine Arts/Specialist department meetings to drive communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and program planning. • Develop collaborative Facebook postings that present the Fine Arts department as a unified entity with a strong school presence. • Work with the campus Rabbi to develop experiential programs combining Visual Arts, Music, and Judaic Studies. One example would be a Shabbat program involving Jewish history, storytelling, singing, and painting. • Work closely with school administration to overcome difficulties involving scheduling, time allotments, and requirements for Fine Arts programs. • Explore options that could strengthen arts integration. Examples include: • Analyzing the pros and cons of converting the STEM program to a STEAM program, and evaluating resources available to follow through with this. • Document components of the general studies and Judaic studies programs that could benefit from collaboration with Fine Arts programming. • Ask middle school students to complete a Fine Arts interest inventory to identify best choices for elective course offerings.
Plans and priorities for future development — Visual Arts Develop an online gallery with digital portfolios for all students.
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• Purchase a digital camera, tablet device, and other necessary equipment. • Locate and reach out to venues for off-campus exhibits of student work (the Jewish Community Center, local libraries, synagogues, other local businesses). • Develop a year-long elective course for middle school students who wish to experience more in-depth exploration of personal art interests.
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