Imagination Conversation
by Scott Noppe-Brandon
During an Imagination Conversation, organized last fall by
Lincoln Center Institute in 11 cities across the country, visionary
thinkers from the arts and education, the sciences, public
policy, business and the humanities, explored the role imagination
plays in their personal and professional lives. A critical
idea emerging from those conversations was the importance of
imaginative thinking whether one is an artist, scientist, foreign
service expert, business leader, arts administrator, or educator.
Maxine Greene, educational philosopher
par excellence, riffing off John Dewey, writes, “It is imagination that discloses
possibilities—personal and social as well as aesthetic.
By imagining, we are enabled to look at things, to think about
things as if they were otherwise.” In the classroom,
imaginative encounters with works of dance, music, theater,
and other art forms can nurture reflective and participatory
understanding of the arts and of the aesthetic dimension in
students’ lives. In addition, the noticing, the artistic
exploring, and the sharing of those experiences represent,
together, a conversation among individual imaginations.
Why mention this here? Because imagination as a tool for planning,
for implementing change, for thinking differently no matter
how scary or uncertain that process may seem, is exactly what
we need right now in the NYC schools. I applaud the Chancellor
and the Mayor for the imaginative action they took in implementing
the latest structural changes within the NYC school system,
and I believe they understand that the work has just begun,
especially as it relates to the arts.
The air is filled with good news. Project Arts funds will
be available, and the amount is higher than it has been of
late. Additionally, policy now states that the funds may be
used exclusively for arts-based instruction. And a new curriculum
for the arts is being planned. I wish to add to this good news
by suggesting a few acts of imaginative action that I believe
will have direct impact on how the arts are taught within the
NYC schools. As the discussion unfolds around the new arts
curriculum under consideration, I hope for imaginative thinking.
The curriculum should not be only
what might be termed a discipline-specific approach where
each art form, each discipline, is developed separate from
the other arts. The “how” of teaching
the arts should be connected to the “how” of teaching
in general, whether it is in the arts or math. A document should
be developed that teaches about each art form and interrelates
the arts (whether multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary),
and demonstrates how the arts relate to the entire curriculum.
This strategy would allow for the arts to be part of the core
instructional and content goals of any given school, and help
insure that the arts are central to the overall educational
goals of a school by connecting all subject-based teaching
through shared understanding and practice. Ideally, what is
being considered will attempt to connect the values and goals
of the arts to the specific goals any educational environment
may have for its students.
The answers to who should teach
about and through the arts in a school should come out of
the discussion, not drive the discussion. I hope it is a
given that in NYC all schools should have skilled, certified
arts educators; that all schools should work in partnership
with the professional arts community; and that arts educators
and cultural organizations should partner with the classroom
teachers and the subject-based teachers. Only together, not
separately, can we bring about the systemic change needed
to bring the arts into the daily lives of all students. Teaching,
as a creative and imaginative force, is not only the responsibility
of the arts teachers and the cultural community, but of all
teachers. We are not separate or divided in our intentions;
we all have the same goal: the best possible education for
our children. It will take a united team—a
team willing to employ imagination—to accomplish the
job.#
Scott Noppe-Brandon is the Executive Director of the Lincoln
Center Institute.
