With the mass cancellation of student arts events, school and college closures, and shifts to online learning becoming a part of our new reality, this is a unique opportunity for students and teachers to develop new strategies for teaching and learning and to reflect and grow as artists and people. While it may be increasingly difficult to view the current environment as positive for arts education, our teachers are being forced to develop new educational strategies, and students are developing new approaches to learning.

 

And Arts Ed NJ is here to help.

 

With the announcement of the closing of all public schools for the foreseeable future – and the shift to alternative means of delivering instruction – the Arts Ed NJ staff have been working for overtime to compile a list of resources, technologies and instructional tools to support our arts educators and teaching artist who are now impacted by these rapidly changing events.

 

We have created a special section of the Arts Ed NJ website with resources for arts educators. We have been working in close consultation with the Art Educators of New Jersey, Dance New Jersey, New Jersey Music Educators Association, Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey, and New Jersey Thespians to make available these resources to all of our educators and teaaching artists. The pages include resources that are applicable to everyone (technology platforms and services) as well as individual pages for each discipline.

 

We welcome any additional suggestion you may have so we can share with the broader arts education community.

 

Through all of this Arts Ed NJ is committed to provide support, services and advocacy for our arts education community. The shift to online and virtual learning should not be a reason to diminish the importance of arts education. If anything, our students need ARTS ED NOW more than ever.

 

We will continue to develop new ways and ideas to showcase the great work of our arts educators across the state.  Times like these are when the arts bring us together. We are here for you and will continue to advocate aggressively on your behalf.

 

If you have any questions or concerns you may contact us directly.