The standards for Visual and Performing Arts incorporate the five arts disciplines of
dance, media arts, music, theatre and
visual arts. Schools are urged to provide their students with rigorous arts programs that emphasize the four Artistic Processes of Creating, Performing/Presenting/Producing, Responding and Connecting.
Students at all grade levels become artistically literate through their visual and performing arts instruction. According to the National Core Arts Standards Conceptual Framework, “…students can learn about dance, media, music, theatre, and visual arts through reading print texts, artistic literacy requires that they engage in artistic creation processes directly through the use of appropriate materials and in appropriate spaces. Teachers and students must participate fully and jointly where they can exercise the creative practices…”
The visual and performing arts instructional program in the primary and intermediate grades centers on an exploration of the art forms of dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts. Emphasis should be placed on exposing students to a variety of arts through active experiences in all five art forms. This exploration includes a beginning of arts literacy development in the arts disciplines, simple analysis and critique of the arts, and active sharing of their work with others. Students should be making connections between the arts and their own personal experiences, along with connections to how the arts convey meaning and reflect human experience.
The visual and performing arts programs at the middle school level should center on establishing grounding in the arts so that students are able to communicate at a basic level in each of the art forms of dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts. Emphasis should be placed on exposing students to a variety of arts through active experiences in all five art forms. Students may have already begun to, or at this level choose to focus on, one art form for more in-depth study. This will help students to prepare should they choose specialization in one art form at the high school level. Grounding in the arts involves literacy development in the five arts disciplines, analysis and critique of the arts, and active sharing of their own work with others. Students should be making connections between the arts and their own personal experiences, along with connections to how the arts convey meaning and reflect human experience.
At the high school level, students may choose to specialize in one or more art forms. Specialization will enable students to study an art form in an in-depth manner and work toward achieving a proficient, accomplished or advanced level of mastery in creating, performing/presenting/producing, responding and connecting in their chosen art form(s). Students who specialize in an art form will participate in performance-based arts courses designed to develop skills and understanding that will enable students to use the art form as a high-level communication tool. This is accomplished through the development of creativity and production or performance skills. Performance-based courses also connect the arts with their historical and cultural contexts as students study exemplary works and learn the impact of time, place and personality on the arts. In addition, these courses promote an understanding of the interrelationships among the arts disciplines and connections with other academic content areas.
Students choosing not to specialize in an art form in high school should move beyond the grounding in the arts achieved at the middle school level toward proficiency in the arts. Emphasis for these students should be placed on exposing students to a variety of arts through active experiences in all five art forms, and developing further understanding and appreciation of the historical and cultural significance of dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts. A higher emphasis on the process of responding and connecting to the arts is a natural outcome of this more general approach to visual and performing arts education, however creating and performing the arts remain as critical processes in the general education of all students and promote deep understanding and appreciation of the arts.
At all grade levels, students should have the opportunity to learn about the arts in the context of creating and performing. As students create and perform, they learn that the arts are basic to human communication and that they can use the arts to communicate specific meaning through their choices in the use of various arts elements and principles of design.
The standards are directly related to the
National Core Arts Standards. These are process standards, which are designed to engage students in artistic processes and creative expression as put forward in the
Kentucky Model Curriculum Framework,
KRS 158:6451, Section 1, Schools shall develop their students’ ability to: “Express their creative talents and interests in visual arts, music, dance, and dramatic arts”.
The standards are organized around four artistic processes:
Creating involves conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work in the five artistic disciplines.
Performing/Presenting/Producing is a multi-faceted process. Performing in dance, music and theatre is the realization of artistic ideas and work through interpretation and presentation. Although the process of performing involves following a creative plan conceived by a composer, playwright or choreographer, there is still opportunity for creative interpretations in the performance. Presenting in visual arts is the interpreting and sharing of artistic work. Producing in media arts is the realization and presenting of artistic ideas and work.
Responding to the arts involves an understanding and evaluation of how the arts convey meaning. The arts are a tool for communication and can deliver meaning through literal and emotional content. Responding to the emotional content of artworks involves feeling the emotion(s) set forth by the creator. Responding can also involve intellectual analysis of works of art in regard to their design, effectiveness and quality.
Connecting in the arts involves students relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external content. Artists use personal experiences and gained knowledge to inform their own creative works. They also relate artistic ideas with the world around them; to society, culture, and history. This deepens the understanding of the work and appreciation of those who create the arts.
The four Artistic Processes are further defined by 11 Anchor Standards; and each Anchor Standard has a number of Performance Standards.
Please contact
KDEArts@education.ky.gov with any questions.