A thriving arts education ecosystem is one in which the arts are delivered as four threads:
The people and organizations who deliver the arts are also vital threads in a healthy arts education ecosystem. In Missoula, this includes:
Each thread plays a critical role in the arts education ecosystem and when one thread is vulnerable, students’ access to a comprehensive arts education is compromised.
SPARK! Arts ensures every thread is supported and woven together to create a vibrant and comprehensive arts education for every K - 8 student in Missoula County Public Schools.
Arts as Curriculum
Delivered by MCPS Arts Specialists / Visual Art, Music, Drama Teachers
Students develop knowledge and skills in a particular art form such as music or visual arts from an MCPS Arts Specialist with expertise in their art form. Curriculum is designed to meet national, state, or local standards.
K-5 students receive instruction with certified art teachers in music and visual arts. Additionally, 5th grade students have the option to receive band or orchestra.
In middle school, students receive music instruction (band, orchestra, choir or general music) and have visual arts instruction.
Arts Experiences
Delivered by Professional Artists
Arts Experiences are high-quality, professional one-time events that build schema and foundational knowledge of an art form.In Missoula, each grade-level (K-8) is provided one SPARK! Arts Experience per year. These experiences are designed for each developmental stage and ensure all students have access to a variety of art forms throughout their K-8 career.
Kindergarten: Puppetry
Learn about the creative process and production with a puppet show.
First Grade: Drum Brothers
Experience music and African culture through singing, drumming, and dancing.
Second Grade: MCT, Inc
Folk tales, fairy tales, and popular stories come to life on stage through a Young Audiences Theatre Production at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts.
Third Grade: UM Dance
Attend an interactive dance performance at the University of Montana.
Fourth Grade: Missoula Symphony Orchestra
Enjoy the music of the Missoula Symphony Orchestra before selecting an instrument for the MCPS 5th Grade Band and Orchestra program.
Fifth Grade: Missoula Art Museum
Tour the galleries and create an individual art work.
Sixth Grade: Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Experience this unique film festival and Q&A with filmmakers.
Seventh Grade: Montana Repertory Theatre
Enjoy a live production at the school and learn about literature through theatre.
Eighth Grade: Supaman
Native American dance combines with urban hip-hip into a powerful and awe-inspiring performance.
Arts-Integrated Curriculum
Delivered by MCPS Classroom Teachers, MCPS Arts Specialists + Arts Teachers, SPARK! Arts Teaching Artists
Arts Integration is defined by the Kennedy Center as “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an ART FORM (creative writing, dance/creative movement, drama/theatre, media arts, music, puppetry, storytelling, and visual arts). Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, etc.) and meets evolving objectives in both.”
In Missoula, SPARK! Arts Teaching Artists provide arts-integrated residencies that are designed to meet both art and core curriculum standards. Residencies include five sessions provided in the classroom and are selected by each schools’ grade-level teaching teams based on specific curriculum needs and interests.
For example, one residency integrates movement with math to teach geometric shapes. Learn more about this residency.
In collaboration with the 21st Century Teaching and Learning Initiative, SPARK! Arts provides professional development in arts integration to MCPS educators and local teaching artists to increase arts integration in classrooms and enhance residency and curriculum design.
Arts-Enhanced Curriculum
Delivered by MCPS Classroom Teachers
Classroom teachers use the arts to support learning, but students are not explicitly taught or assessed on art standards. For example, when teaching the sequence of numbers, a classroom teacher may use music by singing the ABCs, but students are not evaluated on music standards such as melody or rhythm.
In Missoula, most elementary and middle school classrooms include arts-enhanced curriculum which sets the stage for arts-integrated curriculum.