Schools today are required to fill many roles, and increasingly they are required to meet measurable goals in areas ranging from math and reading proficiency to the reduction of student drop-out rates.
What top-notch educators understand, however, is that a school is a vital community, serving a diverse group of young individuals. These educators are always looking for ways to help their students develop the full spectrum of attitudes, knowledge, and skills that will help them succeed in school and beyond. When a program demonstrates the ability to deliver these important ideas and values, educators quickly recognize that it is worth pursuing.
“Creativity in the Classroom” is such a program. The premise of this project is a simple one: to encourage students to label their creative work with the copyright symbol, the year, and their name, just as they see on any published, professional creative work. While the campaign focuses on student music compositions, it is directly applicable
to all types of creative work and can “float” on top of the Standards-based goals of any number of curricula. The goals of this project are:
- Develop a greater awareness by students of the value of their creative work
- Develop an understanding by students of the concept and value of intellectual property to them as consumers and to society in general
- Develop increased awareness among students, teachers, and the community that significant student achievements can occur outside the narrow realm of required testing
- Increase the quality, quantity, and perceived value of creative student works among students, parents, and community members as described in the National Standards for Arts Education
To meet those goals, we have provided these materials. They were developed by the National Association for Music Education with funds provided by the ASCAP Foundation, working with input from the National School Boards Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the American Bar Association, and the United States Copyright Office. Use them, as presented or with adaptations, as you see fit. And, by the way, the materials on this site may be duplicated freely by teachers for direct use in the classroom.
