McKay School of Education > A.R.T.S. > History and Philosophy
Mission:
The mission of the BYU A.R.T.S. Partnership is to ensure that all children have opportunities to benefit from an education that provides for academic excellence, social confidence, and personal expression through experience with the arts. We believe that the greatest impact for change will be accomplished through grassroots efforts: one teacher, one department, one school and one district at a time. Long term, we believe, such efforts will not only improve educational practice in schools but additionally impact community influence and legislative support, leading to systemic educational change.
Purposes:
- To provide each child with opportunities to participate in music, theater, dance, visual arts, and media arts activities
- To instruct each child in ways to access, appreciate, interpret, perform, and enjoy these forms of art
- To help teacher candidates and classroom teachers lean to integrate the arts into other curricular areas: for example, literacy, social studies, science, and mathematics
- To promote collaboration among university and public school personnel in designing and implementing arts instruction, arts integration, and arts activities
Philosophy:
- We believe that arts are an expression of culture, that arts participation immerses children in cultures, and that all cultures must be treated with appreciation and respect.
- We believe that the arts allow us to explore who we are and to express self-identity, self-concept, and self-confidence.
- We believe that each child should receive opportunities that are available through the arts.