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Urban Art Beat

NEW YORK, NY – Urban Art Beat is a platform for creative expression, partnering talented artists and dedicated volunteers with under-served schools and organizations in New York City and around the world.  They believe that creative expression through the arts has the potential to enhance the mind, spirit, and artistic energy of youth and engage them in shaping a vision for their community’s future.  They empower youth, fight educational injustice, and reduce dropout rates by creating reliable partnerships and innovative projects through Hip Hop culture and arts education.

Jake Rich, UAB’s Assistant Director, approached the JW Foundation with an interest in bringing The Art of Learning principles to both the teaching artists within his program and the students with whom they work.

“Proper form is a crucial foundation for achieving success in any discipline, and learning how to learn can make everything a person does more efficient and effective,” Rich explains.  “I wish I had the opportunity to read The Art of Learning as a teenager and now I’m thrilled to be able to teach the principles to creative young people in NYC.  I’m confident our partnership with the JWF will be invaluable in guiding our students and teaching artists alike towards reaching our full potential.”

Photo credit: Rae Maxwell
Photo credit: Rae Maxwell

All Urban Art Beat teaching artists read The Art of Learning and participated in discussions and presentations on the content during their summer Professional Development retreat. With a focus on creating a common language and model for teaching, the retreat provided a platform from which teaching artists could plan for how to incorporate The Art of Learning principles into their work with students over the course of the school year.

In the coming semester, the teaching artists will discuss chapters of the book in their monthly meetings and work with some of the ideas outlined in the teacher, student, and parent companion guides.

 

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