What is arts integration? Q&A with Mike Stone

Maverick American maestro Leonard Bernstein once said that “a work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers.”

That power to cultivate critical thinking is part of why Bernstein was a champion of arts integration, an innovative approach many educators are exploring these days as a creative way to amplify student learning amid an era of steep learning loss.

Certainly, Mike Stone, a veteran music teacher who cut his teeth on the baritone horn in the fourth grade, is a devotee of the practice. Coordinator of the visual and performing arts with the Bakersfield City School District, Stone is planning to use Proposition 28 funds, which are slated to arrive in schools in February, to bolster his already robust arts education program with 13 new teachers, all devoted to the benefits of art integration. 

In arts integration, students meet dual learning objectives when they engage in the creative process to explore connections between an art form and another subject, say history or science, to gain a more nuanced understanding of both. Stone, who plays in the quartet Brass A La Carte and is also the president-elect of the National Association for Music Education, Western Division, recently made time to chat about why arts integration can spark deeper learning.

Q: Can you give me an example of arts integration in a classroom?

A: An arts-integrated lesson might include students listening to “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” a Civil War melody. Students would then learn to play the famous melody on a recorder, followed by a writing assignment on the sacrifices of soldiers who fought in the Civil War. In this example, there could be English language arts, history-social science, and music standards all integrated into the lesson.

Q: How does this kind of cross-pollination enhance learning? 

A: Integrating arts standards in instruction enhances student learning by connecting the dots, so to speak. When we play an instrument, sing, dance or draw, we experience the learning by doing. My experience as a teacher is that such an approach connects cognitive and social realms of learning as students experience the learning firsthand.

It provides a synergetic connection that helps students learn across various content disciplines. Teachers have been using the concepts embedded in integration for many years. As the saying goes, we do not learn in a vacuum.

Q: What are you most excited about with this expansion of arts ed in your district? 

A: I am truly inspired by the learning I have observed in our classrooms this fall. The district invested in 13 new arts teachers who are inspiring our students daily through dance, media arts, music, theater and visual arts. I think the fact that we are early adopters has given us a chance to create a model arts education program for California and the nation. Our music education program has been strong for years; now, we have the opportunity to build access and excellence in all the arts-dance, media arts, music, theater and visual arts. The sky’s the limit.

Q: What is the biggest challenge? Reward?

A: Our biggest challenge will be the recruitment and retention of teachers, since California and the nation are competing for teachers in a market where we have a severe shortage. In fact, with the passage of Proposition 28 in California, I estimate that our state could need over 7,000 credentialed arts teachers over the next year. It will mean that school districts must create arts education jobs where infrastructure, instructional support and scheduling promote a positive work environment where arts learning may thrive. 

The biggest reward? Knowing that our children are getting a top-notch education that will help them succeed in life.

Q: Are all 13 new teachers you have coming on board in Bakersfield part of the arts integration theme?

A: Our teachers teach discrete arts standards, and also work to integrate standards, all while the classroom teacher is in the classroom supporting student learning. There is a collaborative spirit with our arts integration approach. We had training the other day, and the energy in that room was incredible.

Q: What are you doing to boost teacher retainment?

A: I’m working hard to make the teaching environment and the experience of these 13 new teachers as positive as possible because I know I won’t retain them unless they like coming to school. I really value that in our district. Retention of teachers is going to be as important as recruitment.

Q: What’s been the biggest hit with the children so far?

A: I have been in all of those teachers’ classrooms, and the kids are just loving it, especially visual arts. Middle school kids want to be expressive in a safe environment. What I see with our teachers is that they’re getting that opportunity to be expressive and kind of mellow out from a normal, hectic school day. They get to create at their own pace and follow the teacher’s lessons. That’s been very popular. 

Q:What’s it like for you, visiting those new classes?

A: I enjoy visiting our primary classrooms more than any others. Learning is so new to these students, and they are very excited. Their smiles make all the work worth it. I look forward to seeing our young children move through the grade levels over the next few years. I even suspect that our students will do better in school because they are so motivated by their arts teachers. After all, kids who are learning the arts are happy to be at school.