COMPOSING THEMSELVES: Fruitville Elementary School third-grade gifted program teacher Dee Dee Rice, left, and Fruitville music teacher Emily Garske perform a rhythmic composition they created using common items such as paper and sticks. The exercise was part of a music workshop held Aug. 11 at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center during the institute, "The Arts: Language for Learning."

Twenty-seven Sarasota County teachers from six elementary schools and two middle schools experienced in-depth, interactive lessons in the visual arts, music, theatre and dance the week of Aug. 9 at an institute hosted by some of the region’s leading cultural organizations.

 The event, titled “The Arts: Language for Learning” was made possible by a grant awarded to the Sarasota County School District from the National Endowment for the Arts to provide educators with an integrated arts/language arts professional development experience. It was one of only four such NEA grants awarded to Florida-based organizations, and the only one that was awarded to a school district in the state. Teachers from Alta Vista, Bay Haven, Fruitville and Taylor Ranch elementary schools, Booker and Heron Creek middle schools and Pine View School participated.

Presenters and facilitators at the institute helped teachers learn how to use an inquiry process to understand various works of art and connect this artistic learning to language arts. The teachers also created artwork in hands-on exercises. The goal was a better understanding of these creative disciplines so they can effectively apply them to classroom teaching in ways that will excite their students.

After opening day Aug. 10, which took place at the Ringling Museum of Art, the institute moved on Aug. 11 to the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota (the home of the Sarasota Orchestra), where the teachers learned about the process of creating a musical composition. On Aug. 12 the scene shifted to the Asolo Repertory Theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, where the teachers explored the elements of theatre and drama.

 The institute’s presenters included:

 Aug. 10: Ringling Museum: Ron Yrabedra, professor emeritus of art and art history, Florida A&M University; professional artist

 Aug. 11: Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center: David Brunner, professor and director of choral activities at the University of Central Florida; national clinician and composer 

 Aug. 12: Asolo Repertory Theatre: Karen Erickson, national workshop leader for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; actress, director and international consultant

The institute will continue with a dance element at Booker Middle School in October. In January, the three-teacher teams from each school will make presentations about how they incorporated the ideas from the institute into their classroom lessons.