ARTS, INQUIRY AND IMAGINATION!
McCallum Theatre’s Aesthetic Education Program places the arts at the center of inquiry‑driven learning experiences that integrate live performances with classroom instruction for elementary school students.
Through partnerships with McCallum, educators and students engage deeply with dance, theater, and music by:
- Investigating works of art — asking questions, exploring meaning, and examining multiple perspectives
- Creating and expressing — engaging in art-making, communicating ideas and emotions, and developing an artistic voice
- Developing essential learning habits — curiosity, empathy, adaptability, and reflection that support rigorous, imaginative learning rooted in integrity and respect
Participation in the Aesthetic Education Program:
- Develops critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and imaginative capacities
- Nurtures communication, collaboration, and self‑expression
- Strengthens social and emotional learning
- Aligns with Common Core State Standards and Portrait of a Graduate competencies/pillars
“Is not learning, authentic learning, a matter of going beyond? Is it not an exploration generated by wonder, curiosity, open questions? Is there not always a drive to reach beyond what is deliberately taught? Is it not the case that learning really begins when people begin teaching themselves? And is there not a special pleasure, a delight found in the discovery, in the sometimes startling realization that what is being learned affects the manner in which we make sense of our world?”
— Dr. Maxine Greene, Educator and Philosopher, Releasing the Imagination