Brigham Young University’s 2008 Arts Express Summer Elementary Arts Education Conference, a three-day event for teachers and administrators dedicated to arts education, will be held Monday through Wednesday, June 16-18.
The conference will be in session each day from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at Timberline Middle School, 500 W. Canyon Crest Road, Alpine. The conference is by registration only and class size is limited.
Registration is available for the first day only, for the full conference. Full-conference registration is $85, or $55 for attendees from BYU A.R.T.S. Partnership school districts. BYU in-service credits (1.5) are available for an additional $40.
The first day of the conference is open to all people interested in expanding their understanding of the role of arts in education. Teachers, parents, administrators and volunteers are invited to listen to a keynote speaker and learn about the issues surrounding elementary arts education in Utah.
The second and third days are specifically for elementary school teachers. Classes are offered in dance, drama, media arts, music, visual arts and integration. The last afternoon is dedicated to further exploration of one of the five art forms.
The keynote speaker will be Anne Green Gilbert, designer of the BrainDance technique and theory. Proponents claim that BrainDance increases brain function to aid with learning disabilities, classroom behavior issues, childhood obesity and developing healthy bodies and spirits.
Gilbert also founded the Creative Dance Center and is the author of several books that expound her theories about using movement to create a fully functioning brain. In her address, she will show teachers how to use movement to create a balanced brain, as well as explain the scientific rationale behind this approach.
Speakers at several breakout sessions will offer lesson plans, exhibitions and curriculum for teaching visual arts, drama, music, dance and media arts domains, and will show teachers how to use the arts to teach math, science and reading.
BYU’s McKay School of Education, College of Fine Arts and Communications and College of Health and Human Performance sponsor the Arts Express. These colleges are furthering efforts to provide quality arts instruction to all Utah children through their work with the BYU-Public School Partnership and the BYU A.R.T.S. Partnership.
For more information and a detailed schedule, visit education.byu.edu/arts or contact Cally Flox at (801) 422-6146.
Writer: Marissa Ballantyne
