Creative Arts Standards

Creativityconsidered from a broad frame of reference about how children approach, interpret, and process informationis an integral element of ATL standards (Kagan, 2003). “The creative arts are our universal languagethe language of our imagination, of musicians and dancers, of painters and sculptors, storytellers and poets” (Edwards, 2009, p. iv). Early childhood curricula are also informed by 1994 national standards for the arts used in grades K12, which can be found at the Kennedy Center Arts Edge website. New national standards for arts educationincluding dance, media arts, music, theater, and visual artswere released by the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) in October, 2012 (Wilkerson, 2011). The development of the new standards represents input from eight different national organizations representing different areas of the arts.

The inclusion of media arts, in addition to the existing four subdisciplines in the 2012 arts standards, is explained by the NCCAS thus:

Growing interest and use of technology in classroom instruction has gained even more momentum as a wide spectrum of creative activity in media arts has taken the education scene by storm. While general instructional technology continues at all levels of public education, there are increasingly new and vigorous experiences in media arts that include cinema, animation, sound imaging design, virtual design, interactive design, as well as multimedia and intermedia. (NCCAS, April 6, 2012)

The framework for the new standards indicates that they continue to emphasize four predominant themes from the 1994 standards:

Active creative involvement and personal expression through the various dimensions of the arts
Performing and sharing personal work with others
Responding to the works of others in modern and historical context
Making connections between the arts disciplines (NCCAS, 2012)

The intent of the standards is comprehensive, integrated involvement of children as creators, performers, and consumers of the arts, and there are many ways in which early educators can plan and implement curricula to do so. An arts-infused approach to curriculum in early childhood settings blends the goals of both early learning standards and national arts standards. It fosters creative expression through exploratory play and intentional exposure to and experiences with the arts supported by the national arts standards (Edwards, 2009; Narey, 2009). The final two sections of this chapter focus on materials, strategies, activities, and interactive media for the visual arts, and music, creative movement, and drama.