ARTS IN EDUCATION
NEWSLETTER
QUARTER 3
JANUARY-MARCH
This newsletter celebrates the power of the arts in learning and shares opportunities and resources for Maui’s educators. In this issue, explore student storytelling through visual and performing arts, experience music and movement outreach across our schools, and mark your calendar for inspiring performances and community events. Meet Teaching Artists bringing creativity into classrooms, discover place-based learning rooted in ʻāina and culture, and tap into free resources and opportunities designed to spark imagination, connection, and joy.
An initiative of the Hawaii-95 team of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education program, this newsletter is a collaboration between the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, the BKKM Complex, and the HLLM Complex of the Hawaii Department of Education. Together, this partnership celebrates and strengthens arts learning opportunities for the keiki of Maui County.
2026
We welcome your ideas, projects, and opportunities to feature in our Quarter 4 newsletter.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Black Grace School Performance
March 9, 2026 | 10:00 AM
Bring your students to experience the internationally acclaimed Black Grace, performing live at MACCʻs Castle Theater on March 9 at 10am. Known for its powerful fusion of contemporary and Pacific dance, Black Grace delivers high-energy movement, rich cultural storytelling, and unforgettable ensemble work that captivates young audiences. Students will witness artistry that celebrates identity, resilience, and community while being introduced to world-class choreography and performance.
This performance is FREE, registration is required.
Register here
UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
When We Shine: Imagination Journeys Through Music & Sound
March 28, 2026 | 9:00AM - 3:00PM | Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Haynes Meeting Room
For Teachers of Grades PreK (2 | ECE credit available)
Learn to integrate the logic and thinking of math with the creativity of music, movement, and dramatic play with veteran teaching artist & instructor, Marcia Daft.
if you are interested in more information email rebecca.mclean@k12.hi.us
Focus 5 ONLINE Syncronous courses
February 7, 2026
For Teachers of Grades PreK - 2. Shape Shifters & Pattern Makers: Creating Math Through Dance with Tanesha Payne
Learn more here
March 7, 2026
For Teachers of Grades 3 - 12. Character Quest: Bringing Writing to Life Through Character Design with Garrett Brown AND The Art of Paper Sculpture: Tangles with Triangles with Kay Thomas
Focus 5 ONLINE Asyncronous courses
Take courses on Arts Integration on your own time. Courses available in classroom management, Reading Art, Drama, Movement, Puppetry, Visual Arts, and more!
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Ho'olōkahi means to "create unity". Join The Ukulele Collective in a cross-school opportunity to experience songwriting and playing the ukulele together. Teach your class to play a new song, "The Aloha Jam" and collaborate to write lyrics for 2 verses. Submit a video of your classʻs song to enter the challenge. There is a user friendly teachers toolkit to guide you through the challenge! It has everything you need, whether you’re a music teacher or not. Inside, you’ll find lessons on singing the chorus, writing your own lyrics, and playing the song on ukulele, plus a handy rubric to support success.
If you win, a local Hawaiian artist will visit your classroom to play and sing your song together! Deadline for submissions: March 14th 2026.
ARTS ORGANIZATION SPOTLIGHT
TEACHING ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
What art form do you work in and what do you love most about it?
I work in the visual arts and I love the freedom it gives students to express themselves. I enjoy having fun with my class by incorporating elements of comedy, theatrical skits, or even singing instructions to elevate student attention through laughter. An art room is an intimate setting where I enjoy connecting with each student and validating their worthiness.
What inspired you to become a teaching artist?
In high school, my English Literature, Theatre, and Media Studies teachers were excellent role models in my life. Entering their classrooms felt like being cloaked in sunshine! A safe haven where we could express our emotions, share ideas and ask big questions. My teachers helped guide our wild imaginations, inspiring us to explore new techniques and to be curious on a global scale.
What’s one moment with students thatʻs stayed with you?
I feel so privileged to be an art teacher when I witness an agitated classroom of students become so involved in their art project that the only sound breaking the silence is their soft, sweet humming. It’s as though they’ve entered a portal to another dimension. Calm, Relaxed, Free…
What do you hope students feel or discover through your lessons?
Don’t doubt your “gut feeling” or instinct. Go for it! Find the angle that inspires you to showcase your strengths. Be wild and wonderful!
How does working with Mauiʻs communities shape your teaching or art?
Cross-cultural sharing is an enriching experience. The more culturally rich stories that are shared, the more we understand, appreciate, and respect each other. Through this, I have developed a greater love for people and places. Multiculturalism is a “win-win” and the heartbeat of any lesson.
In three words, how would you describe your teaching style?
Playful, Passionate and Universal!
UPCOMING CONTESTS
This statewide youth contest encourages creative work on the theme of aloha and healthy interpersonal relationships. Entries are due January 31, 2026. Placed submissions are displayed at a summit event in early March.
Prizes include: Gift cards and up to a $20,000 university scholarship.
Who can enter: Hawai‘i youth Pre K through grade 12.
This annual contest encourages students from grades 6-12 to think artistically about science and engineering. A panel of judges, with backgrounds in graphic design, textiles, media and/or art come together to select the Top 3 posters from each division. Winners are awarded cash prizes. The winning poster is featured on the cover of the Hawaii State Science & Engineering Fair program the following year.
Submissions are due February 27, 2026
My America 2026 invites K-12 students to share what unity, democracy, and being American mean to them through art. Students create original designs on fabric tiles that will become part of a national Youth Flag Mosaic celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary. Free kits are available for schools and youth groups beginning in Spring 2026. Submissions of artwork received by October 2026 , will be featured in a large public installation and online showcase.
Who can enter: Youth grades K through grade 12.
Water Conservation Week contest: the Board of Water Supply encourages students to reflect on, and convey in their artwork or poem, simple actions that anyone can do to save water. Contest is open to k-12, and top 3 winners per age division are awarded cash prizes.
Submissions are due February 27 2026
ʻĀINA CORNER
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Haleakalā Ranch offers engaging, place-based learning experiences that connect students to Maui’s agricultural lands and natural resources. Through programs like Agriculture in the Classroom, students explore how ranching, conservation, and watershed stewardship work hand in hand. Hands-on activities introduce keiki to topics such as native ecosystems, invasive species management, seedball making for restoration, and the role of working landscapes in caring for the land. Agriculture in the Classroom program usually happens in the spring, so stay tuned for opportunities to register. These programs bring together educators, conservation partners, and ranch practitioners to support meaningful outdoor learning rooted in ʻāina and community.
Teachers interested in real-world, locally grounded learning opportunities can learn more and explore upcoming programs on their website.
WHAT IS ARTS INTEGRATION?
Arts Integration vs Arts Enhanced
According to the Kennedy Center, arts enhanced lessons use an art form to support learning in another subject, but the arts skills themselves are not the focus. For example, students might sing a song to help memorize the planets.
Arts integration happens when students learn both the art form and the academic content at the same time. In this approach, the arts are essential to the learning goal. For instance, students might use tableau to explore character motivation in a story while also building foundational theater skills.
RESEARCH PAPER IN ARTS INTEGRATION
HOW TO MOTIVATE CHILDREN
As educators, we spend a good amount of time enticing children to learn. This Harvard University article suggests nine science backed ways that adults can create the conditions for young children that encourage intrinsic motivation. Arts experciences naturally evoke most of these suggested conditions, such as eliciting curiousity, encouraging playful exploration, giving children agency, and providing meaningful social interactions.
INSPIRING QUOTE
“I ulu nō ka mea kanu i waele ʻia.”
Growth flourishes where space is cleared.
As we step into a new year, this ʻōlelo noʻeau reminds us that learning and creativity thrive when room is made for new ideas to take root. In our classrooms and arts spaces, we nurture this growth by offering experiences that inspire curiosity, reflection, and imagination. May the months ahead continue to open pathways for our haumāna to flourish in their creativity and connection to ʻāina, culture, and one another.
SHARED RESOURCES
The “Ocean of Peace” represents a framework that was endorsed by Pacific Island leaders in 2025, envisioning a future for the Pacific region as a space of harmony and cooperation drawn from traditional values and cultural customs. The exhibition features six contemporary artists of Micronesian heritage: James Bamba (Guåhan/Northern Mariana Islands), Carol Ann Carl (Pohnpei), Gillian Dueñas (Guåhan), Kalany Omengkar (Belau/Northern Mariana Islands), Anthony Watson (Belau), and Lissette Yamase (Chuuk). These artists integrate the beliefs and practices of their Micronesian cultures with lived experiences in the Hawaiian Islands to build connections across island chains, expressing ways we can collectively realize this future.
Location: MACC's Schaefer Gallery
Duration: December 6, 2025 - January 31, 2026
Pasefika Presence is an online magazine created to uplift and showcase the voices, stories, and creative work of Pacific Island peoples. It provides a space where writers and artists, especially young Pacific Islander creators, can share writing, visual art, poetry, and other creative expressions that reflect their cultures and experiences. The magazine regularly puts on a call for content submissions.The publication grew out of a student project and now operates as an independent nonprofit devoted to preserving and celebrating Pacific perspectives that are often underrepresented in mainstream media. Educators and arts integrators can use Pasefika Presence as a cultural resource, a platform for student inspiration, and a way to bring Pacific narratives into classrooms and creative projects.
CALL FOR TEACHER OR PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Have any pictures or videos of creatively engaging classroom projects? Do you use arts as a teaching strategy in your classroom? Let us feature you in an upcoming edition of this newsletter!