Children 8-12, Career Study

There are two sections for Children 6-10

• What Do Artists Do? Art, Dance, Music, Theatre
  This section describes several careers in Art, Dance, Music and Theatre. There are also activities in each art form for the students to try “making art as artists do.” After completing the activities the children should discuss the artists that do that for a living. In these discussions it is important that the children realize that a number of people are needed to create a museum display, a play or movie, a concert or record, a dance or MTV production. The arts require a group of people working together.
  Some of the activities also include links to very good lesson plans for similar materials.
  
• Checklist
  The checklist asks children what they like to do and what is easy for them to do. Their responses trigger a pop-up in the related arts career. The children can start to think about their talents.

These career materials and activities are designed to meet state and national standards.

National and State Standards, Grades 1-5

• Describe examples of where people work and what they do. (Workplace Standards)
• Explore areas of interest and possible work choices

Art

• Describe careers (e.g. children’s book illustrator, sculptor, graphic designer, painter, arts teacher, photojournalist, museum curator, architect, film animator) in the visual arts.

Dance

• Identify and describe roles of dancers (e.g. Hopi butterfly dancer, ballet dancers, square dancers, Ballet Folklorico performers, modern dancer, East Indian Classical dancer) in various dance settings and cultures

Music

• Identify and describe the roles of musicians (e.g. orchestra conductor, folksinger, church organist) in various musical settings and cultures.

Theatre

• Discuss the jobs (e.g. playwright, actor, designer/technician) of those who “make” theatre

After the activities, we’ve included a checklist for the children so that they can start thinking about what they like to do as well as what is easy for them to do. They can start to think about their talents.

Students > Careers > Students 10-14

Students 10-14, Career Study

We’ve listed a number of arts careers to help the students broaden their ideas about what is possible in the art world.

In addition, we’ve found two excellent web sites that describe and explain arts careers. Most interesting is the Curiosity Checklists that help the students determine their interests in relationship to the careers discussed. The MENC (national Music Education Association) career site is included because it answers a number of questions for young musicians.

Finally, we’ve made links to lists of colleges and universities with arts degrees. As the students explore these sites, it is important that they have supervision to assure they are reading only what is appropriate.

Discussion of the materials followed by students writing a paper explaining their career goals should help the students meet the national and state standards dealing with careers.

National and State Arts and Social Studies Standards, Grades 6-8

Art

• Identify and investigate visual arts careers and qualifications, noting the personal and work attributes required to succeed.

Dance

• Compare the roles of dancers (e.g. storyteller, performer, teacher, choreographer, artistic director) according to the various functions and the conditions under which dance is performed

Music

• Compare the roles of musicians (e.g. music video performer, symphony conductor, opera soloist, gospel choir singer, recording artist, film score composer/arranger, church organist, Apache violinist) according to the various functions and the conditions under which music is performed

Theatre

• Explain and compare the roles and interrelated responsibilities of various personnel involved in theatre, film, television and/or electronic media productions
• Explain the knowledge, skills, and discipline needed to pursue careers and avocational opportunities in theatre, film, television, and electronic media

Social Studies

• Evaluate areas of interest and/or potential career choices
• Identify careers which capitalize on individual strengths and interests
  

Students > Careers > Teen Career Study

Teacher and Parent’s Guide: Teen Career Study

We’ve assembled a series of links to sites that we feel have very good information about careers in all the arts disciplines. These are followed by links to discipline specific sites. It is important that the students have supervision while exploring the links because we cannot guarantee that links within these sites are monitored to assure appropriateness.

The final set of links is to interviews with famous artists from the present and links to information about artists from the past. As the standards suggest, it can be helpful for the students to compare the worlds these artists lived in, the quality of their lives, and the nature of their work.

The ultimate test of the success of the exercise will be to have the students write and evaluate their career plans, as suggested in the Social Studies standards.

We have selected materials that should help students meet national and state standards for career study.

National and State Arts Careers Standards, Grades 9-12

Art

• Identify and evaluate the role of the visual arts and artists in business, industry, technology and the community.

Dance

• Describe how a choreographer manipulates, develops and arranges the basic movement content in a dance.

Music

• Identify various roles (e.g. teacher, transmitter of cultural traditions, entertainer) that musicians perform, cite representative individuals who have functioned in each role, and describe their activities and achievements

Theatre

• Identify and compare the lives, works and influences of representative theatre artists in several cultures and historical periods.

State Career Standards

• Write, evaluate and revise a career plan consistent with occupational interests, aptitudes and abilities.
• Evaluate goals and career options and adjust their career plans accordingly
• Evaluate career plans on a continuous basis to determine appropriate educational strategies