Arts Integration

At Altadena Arts Magnet, we integrate arts and academics for a rich, meaningful learning experience for all students. In partnership with the Armory Center for the Arts, professional teaching artists collaborate with classroom teachers and a full-time, credentialed arts specialist to design meaningful learning experiences.

Imagine a classroom where students deepen their understanding of science, math, history, and English through engaging arts lessons:

• Kindergarteners reenact a beloved story to improve comprehension skills.
• First graders study the science of sound as they learn about musical instruments .
• Fourth graders learn about diameter, radius and decimals while creating unique sculptures, then calculate the retail price of the sculpture based on materials used.

Arts integration increases students’ math and English/language arts proficiency as well as their social-emotional skills. A 2003 evaluation by researchers at the University of Minnesota found that students in classrooms where teachers reported they implemented arts integration “a lot” produced modestly higher gains in Grade 3 reading and math scores when compared to students with less exposure to arts integration. (Ingram & Reidel, 2003)

Sustained student involvement in theater arts improves students reading proficiency, self-concept and motivation, and higher levels of empathy and tolerance for others. (Catterall, Chapleau, & Iwanaga, 2003)