STANDARDS:

1. Production, Performance, and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts
2. Historical and Cultural Contexts
3. Critical Response
4. Aesthetic Response

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:

Production, Performance, and Exhibition of Visual Arts

1. Visual Art is produced using the elements and principles of design.
2. Artists experiment with various media to meet their artistic needs.

Historical and Cultural Contexts of Visual Art

1. Visual Art is a basic aspect of history and human experience that spans all cultures and time periods.
2. Visual Art can tell us about the time and culture in which it was created.

Critical Response to Visual Arts

1. Visual art can portray different views, opinions, and interpretations.
2. Visual art is an effective way to express ideas and emotions.

Aesthetic Response to Visual Arts

1. Every visual art form has a unique language used by the artist to communicate with the world.

Big Ideas in Production, Performance, and Exhibition of Music

1. The production and performance of music is based on the elements and principals of music.
2. Creating and performing music are forms of communication and self-expression.

Big Ideas in Historical and Cultural Contexts of Music

1. History and Culture influence Music and Music influences History and Culture.
2. Music is a universal language.

Big Ideas in Critical Response to Music

1. Everyone can perform, create, and respond to music in meaningful ways.
2. All music has value.

Big Ideas in Aesthetic Response to Music

1. Music can establish or affect mood.
2. Music creates an emotional response in the performer and audience.

CORE BELIEFS ABOUT INSTRUCTION:

1. Effective instruction actively engages students in a learning process that promotes higher-order thinking.
2. Students learn best when objectives are clear, achievable, and meaningful to their lives.
3. Effective instruction must meet the needs and interests of students through a variety of differentiated strategies.
4. Effective instruction is driven by continual assessment, teacher and student reflection, and modification to improve student achievement.
5. A consistently positive, safe, and respectful learning environment is integral for effective instruction.
6. Effective instruction builds shared accountability for learning.

BEST PRACTICES IN INSTRUCTION:

1. Fine arts students learn more when they are actively engaged. (Do it, don’t just view it).
2. Fine arts students should experiment with a variety of mediums.
3. Fine arts students need choice, control, and responsibility to find their own direction. (Choice is an integral part of the artistic process).
4. The Fine Arts should be used as a tool of creative thinking.
5. Teachers should utilize community resources and “real” artists in a student’s fine arts education.
6. Integrating the Fine Arts with other subjects enhances a student's overall understanding.
7. The Fine Arts should be used as a tool to connect students to their own heritage while deepening their understanding of other cultures.

PHILOSOPHY:

"To cultivate an exceptional, innovative learning community that enables all students to succeed in a changing world"

The Boyertown Area School District’s philosophy is to equip students for our changing world by providing daily exposure to 21st Century skills, knowledge, and tools.