FINE ARTS VISION & MISSION

Vision
Queen Anne’s County Public Schools, in its commitment to educating the whole child, embraces the belief that “the fine arts are among humanity’s greatest aesthetic and intellectual achievements” (Maryland Essential Learner Outcomes for Fine Arts) and need to be integrated in students’ programs throughout their education. Our vision is to increase the access, equity and quality of arts education in Queen Anne's County.

Mission
The Fine Arts Program (visual arts, music, theatre, and dance) in Queen Anne’s County is designed to foster creative potential in each student and provide a high quality, sequential program of studies which communicates a broad range of customs, beliefs, ideas and feelings. The fine arts are the primary means of transmitting culture throughout history, influencing a broad range of discovery and 21st Century skills in various disciplines. The fine arts are an essential part of every child’s learning and cognitive development, sharpening analytical skills, encouraging abstract associations, innovative thinking, and creative problem solving. 

At the elementary school level, students have experiences in art and music with the opportunity to participate in beginning band in grade 5. 

At the middle school level, instruction in art and music continue; with instrumental and choral music offered for students who wish to hone their performance skills. 

At the secondary level, all fine arts courses are offered on an elective basis.
Fine Arts Graduation Requirement—1 Credit

Fine Arts classes provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate: 

• the ability to perceive and respond to experiences;
• an understanding of the fine arts in historical, cultural, and social contexts;
• skills and attitudes to organize knowledge and ideas for creative expression and performance in the fine arts; and
• the ability to apply criteria to aesthetic decision making.

Art education today looks to global cultures, social issues, contemporary society, environmental conditions, responsibilities of humans, and our role in addressing where we have been, what we have done, and what we might do differently in order to thrive and continue to grow intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially in a rapidly changing, globally competitive society.

In order to accomplish this, we’ve created curriculum that is relevant to students, our instruction is designed for all learners, learning is active and participatory, experiences in art promote self-expression, reflective activities encourage sharing, and connections to real-world topics are explored. Experiences are designed to go beyond passive engagement and instruction in which skills and knowledge are simply passed from teacher to learner in a step-by-step fashion. Multiple pathways to seeing, creating, and authentic learning are explored with a focus on process and exploration which results in meaningful work. As students address themes and prompts in self-expressive ways, they can engage in work and communicate ideas that are meaningful to them. Teachers are encouraged to also select worldwide exemplars that range from master to contemporary artists, musicians, actors and dancers--not as models for what to create, but for students to further explore how others have addressed common ideas or themes and why through an aesthetic/cultural lens that explores diversity and connectedness between art and life.

Artistic Processes are further guided by the cognitive and physical actions by which arts learning and making are realized using the Maryland State and National Core Arts Standards, which are based on “the artistic processes of Creating, Performing/ Producing/Presenting, Responding, and Connecting” (SEADAE, 2014). QACPS courses are designed using UDL (CAST, 2018) embedded delivery strategies so that every project can be customized, have freedom of choice and expression, and the curriculum is designed to be a guideline to the topics/concepts/standards, not to determine exactly what type of artwork, materials or styles must be taught.

Useful Links & Citations:
Maryland State Department of Education. Retrieved from: http://mdk12.msde.maryland.gov/instruction/curriculum/arts/visual_arts/standard1/gradePK.html

Teaching and Learning: Fine Arts. Retrieved from:
http://mdk12.msde.maryland.gov/instruction/curriculum/arts/index.html

State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE) on behalf of NCCAS. (2014). National Core Arts Standards. Retrieved from: https://www.nationalartsstandards.org/

Contact: Michael Bell, NBCT
Supervisor of Instruction
Visual and Performing Arts / World Languages / Media