Arts In The Schools Month Celebrates Arts Education In New Jersey

March is widely known as "Arts in the Schools Month," an annual celebration originally proclaimed by the U.S. Department of Education that showcases the accomplishments of students in dance, music, theatre and the visual arts nationwide.

In support of this, Arts Ed NJ, the New Jersey performing arts affiliate for the National Association of State High School Associations (NFHS) has launched a series of initiatives and events to highlight arts education across the state.

Arts Ed Now, the statewide campaign to increase participation in arts education in all schools in New Jersey, has updated its Action Hub (https://artsednow.org/) along with its "Arts Ed Now 2.0" app for iOS and Android devices to connect arts education champions with one another, and to provide the latest tools and resources. The app is available for download at the Apple App and Google Play stores.

Arts Ed NJ is also actively lending its support to campaigns showcasing accomplishments within key arts disciplines, including Theatre in Our Schools Month, Music in Our Schools Month, Youth Art Month and Dance in Our Schools Month, which is celebrated by the New Jersey High School Dance Festival on March 12.

Starting Saturday, April 16, the Arts Ed Now campaign will launch a four-part "Action Lab" Zoom workshop series to help local champions build skills and practices, develop their ideas, and turn them into reality. Many of these resources are available in Spanish, which can be accessed from the Artsednow.com homepage.

Finally, a living feed of the thousands of people rallying around the #ArtsEdNow hashtag on social media demonstrates the collective impact and exciting ways in which people are celebrating Arts in Our Schools Month and all-year long.

This celebration comes at an opportune time. With its suspension of mitigation guidance for schools designated as "mask optional" effective March 7, 2022, Arts Ed NJ has just released March Forward Spring 2022 Guidance for Arts Education (http://marchforwardnj.org/), which provides the most up-to-date policy guide for administrators, K-12 arts educators, and the community at large to ensure that students can take part in arts education programs safely and effectively as schools return to pre-pandemic norms.

While the arts were particularly hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, this month's celebration demonstrates the sheer resilience of the arts community, marking the first time in three years that schools across New Jersey are back to hosting spring musicals, state and county exhibitions are displaying exceptional student work, and concerts and dance recitals are being performed.

"This is a perfect time to put the spotlight on and celebrate arts education in New Jersey school and districts," said Robert Morrison, director of Arts Ed NJ. "We are excited to see our schools rekindle their energy and build back to pre-pandemic levels, for all subjects, including the visual and performing arts."

To learn more about these arts education initiatives and events, please visit Supporting Theatre in Our Schools Month (https://schooltheatre.org/programs/tios/), Music in Our Schools Month (https://nafme.org/programs/miosm/), Youth Art Month (https://aenj.org/yam-youth-art-month/), and Dance in Our Schools Month (https://sites.google.com/view/njhsdancefest/home)

For more information about Arts in Our Schools Month activities go to: https://www.artsednj.org/march-is-arts-in-our-schools-month-2022/. For more information about Arts Ed NJ, please visit https://www.artsednj.org. For more information about Arts Ed Now campaign, please visit. https://artsednow.org/.

Arts Ed NJ is the unified voice for arts education in New Jersey. The mission of Arts Ed NJ is to create the proper conditions for arts learning to take place in New Jersey. Formerly the New Jersey Arts Education Partnership, Arts Ed NJ was founded in 2007 by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Department of Education and Music for All Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Grunin Foundation, ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional information is available at www.artsednj.org.

Arts Ed Now is a statewide campaign to increase active participation in arts education in all schools in New Jersey. Studies show that students who participate in arts education do better in school and in life. Unfortunately, not all NJ students have the access or information to increase their participation in arts education. The Arts Ed Now campaign identifies ways to increase participation in arts education and garner public support to put a spotlight on the issue - and is designed to be customized at a local grassroots level for more impact. The "Campaign Central" website https://artsednow.org features stories, tools and ways for citizens to become better ambassadors - together.

This project is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Geraldine R Dodge Foundation, Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov