Overture's Arts Education Initiative

For the first time, five of Overture’s residency companies are collaborating with Overture Center on an arts education initiative, a multi-year, interdisciplinary program, which builds students’ skills and knowledge in the visual and performing arts and teachers' skills on integrating arts within classroom curriculum.  This project is a pilot program, the first such model implemented by Overture Center and Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). 

The five companies are:

Children’s Theater of Madison
Madison Ballet
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
Madison Opera
Madison Symphony Orchestra

The common thread among Overture Center's resident companies is a commitment to arts education for school aged children. The program targets 6th grade students and features an interdisciplinary, after school program at Overture Center, in-school residencies centered on performances/exhibitions by the resident companies, and cultural visits to Overture Center to view performances and exhibitions.    

Two MMSD middle schools — Cherokee Middle School and Sherman Middle School— are collaborating with Overture and the resident organizations on this initiative. 

This new project, called Overture’s Arts Education Initiative, draws on the philosophy that works of art provide a wealth of experience for students for exploration, reflection, and understanding with their education. 

In the heart of the project students will attend the resident organization performances at Overture Center.  Teaching artists from the resident companies will conduct a 6-session in-school residency focused on their company’s particular works of art.

SHERMAN:

Sherman’s  entire sixth grade students will see Children's Theater of Madison's productions of Most Valuable Player  and The Little Prince. 

CHEROKEE:

Students are attending Madison Ballet's production of Midsummer Night’s Dream and Madison Opera's production of Verdi's La Traviata. 

AFTER SCHOOL AT OVERTURE CENTER:

A selection of 25 students from each school will participate in a 5 week (2 x per week) after school residency at Overture Center in April and May.  These 50 students will be selected through art/music teacher recommendations as well as students’ expressed interest.  Students will study the Shinique Smith exhibit on display at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA).  The teaching artists and teacher teams will lead the students in an exploration of this exhibit focusing on the concept of “balance”.  Students will work with Overture resident organizations in the following art forms: Madison Ballet – Dance; Madison Symphony Orchestra – Percussion; Madison Opera – Voice; Children’s Theatre of Madison – Theatre; Madison Museum of Contemporary Art – Visual Art.  Students will be divided into groups and will spend 5 weeks studying one art form in-depth by responding to the MMOCA exhibition.  In a special culminating event in Overture’s Promenade Hall students will present excerpts of what they have created.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS:

Sixth grade teachers and art/music specialists receive special workshops and training on aesthetic education and arts integration.  This year, teachers trained with Chicago-based visual artist Dominique Enriquez and by the resident company teaching artists. 

The artists involved in the project are: 

Gretchen Bourg - Madison Ballet
Saira Frank - Madison Opera
Terry Kerr -  Children's Theater of Madison
Shannon Lobdell -  Madison Symphony Orchestra
Fred Maves - Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

View the video on the project.  The video was produced by Madison Metropolitan School Community Engagement and Public Information Department - Media Productions.

Download an evaluation of the initiative.

The program is supported by funding by the National Endowment for the Arts and an anonymous donor.