The Arts Partnership’s Arts Education Program reaches a broad cross-section of the nearly 46,000 K-12 students enrolled in public schools in Spartanburg County, as well as hundreds of others enrolled in private schools and special programs like the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind. It is a multi-faceted education and outreach, both onstage and in the classroom.

The goals and objectives of TAP’s Arts Education Program are: 

To ensure that the arts remain an essential aspect of the learning experience for students throughout Spartanburg County. TAP provides comprehensive services to schools, teachers, and students of Spartanburg County. The program includes both broad-based exposure to a wide variety of art forms, as well as in-depth residencies that directly connect students with working artists and provide hands-on experiences in art making. Through grants, TAP offers significant subsidies for its programming, with a goal of minimizing costs for schools themselves and ensuring access to its programs from schools with limited resources or those serving low-income populations.

To expose students to a broad range of arts experiences and trained teaching artists working at the highest level of their craft. TAP programs regularly rely on artists who are listed on the SC Arts Commission Approved Artists List, indicating that they have received training in arts integration techniques and have logged significant time in the classroom. Both Muse Machine and Artist Residencies feature a variety of arts forms, allowing students to explore their own interests and strengths as audience members and artists.

To provide teachers with the knowledge that they need to make the arts an important part of their teaching toolkit, and to support them in their efforts to evaluate art activities on student learning. TAP helps to train teachers in arts integration techniques, and provides guidance for connecting arts activities to state learning standards. All TAP programs involve multiple levels of evaluation to assess both project success and impact on student learning.   Core programming includes:

Muse Machine
Through the Muse Machine Program, schools receive three professional performances onsite during the year, one each of music, theater, and dance. These informal performances acquaint students with a particular genre or art form by professional artists, who also discuss not only the art form and presentation, but also what it is like to be a practicing professional artist. During the 2009-2010 academic year, the Muse Machine Program is serving 39 schools in all seven Spartanburg districts (including 10 Title I schools), as well as one Title I elementary school in neighboring Cherokee County. Performing arts groups for 2009-10 include the Baillie Players, Ballet Spartanburg, and several small groups of professional musicians from the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra.  Past performers include: The Amy Marshall Dancers (NYC), Charleston Ballet, Charlotte Opera, FBN Productions, Mike Wiley Productions, and many others.   In addition to in-school performances, the Muse Machine Program also provides teachers with professional development opportunities through an annual Summer Institute for Teachers that offers graduate credit in the latest arts integration techniques. The program is open to teachers from Muse Machine schools as well as other teachers in the area. TAP’s Summer Institute invites recognized national leaders in the field of arts integration as a means of introducing local teachers to best practices for their own classrooms. Planned presenters in June 2010 include Kennedy Center artists Randy Barron (Scientific Thought in Motion) and Glennis Redmond (Poetry Off the Page), as well as Beth Radford (Acting Right). Since its founding in 1997, the Summer Institute has served over 440 local teachers.

Artist Residencies
With partial support from the South Carolina Arts Commission, TAP sponsors one-week professional artist residencies that provide in-depth learning opportunities for students that are directly tied to South Carolina state learning standards in either arts or academic subjects. Teaching artists and classroom teachers work together to develop a lesson plan that involves students in hands-on activities, as well as post-residency assessments of impact on student learning. Residencies primarily serve K-6 students at all achievement levels; some residencies are developed specifically for at-risk and under-achieving youth, others for gifted students. The goal for both groups is the same: to provide experiential learning opportunities that support statewide learning priorities. Residencies involve a range of art forms—including performing arts, visual arts, and creative writing—and provide students of all backgrounds with an empowering opportunity to harness their creativity. This year, TAP Artist Residencies will serve 22 schools (in addition to several that will receive residencies from Muse Machine artists in conjunction with that program), including 10 Title I schools.

Other Initiatives and Projects
Beyond these core activities, TAP’s Arts Education Program sponsors special performances for young audiences at the Chapman Cultural Center. Both local arts groups and touring companies participate in this programming.