The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), which advocates for 21st century readiness for every student, collaborated with the leading art, dance, music, theatre, and visual arts associations to create the 21st Century Skills Map for the Arts. MENC partnered with the other arts groups to create the skills map, which was released July 15 in a briefing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The Capitol Hill briefing included representatives from P21, MENC, the American Alliance for Theatre & Education, the Educational Theatre Association, the National Art Education Association, the National Dance Association, and the National Dance Education Organization.

The Skills Map presents first-of-their-kind classroom examples for integrating the four Cs—critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation—into arts courses.

The map provides educator-created examples of how core subjects such as the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual and media arts) can be fused with the complete set of 21st Century Learning Skills to create engaging learning experiences that promote 21st century knowledge and skills acquisition.

The 21st Century Skills Arts Map is the fifth in a series of core content maps designed for educators, administrators, and policy-makers.

Kathy Hurley, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for the education services and technology company Pearson and P21 executive board and strategic council chair, said, "I commend America's leading arts education professional associations for joining forces to create a tool that illustrates how the four Cs can be fused with arts education. This new document, P21's fifth core content map, provides practical examples that educators can model as they work to ensure 21st century readiness for every student."

The Arts Skills Map gives additional practical examples for educators across the country. MENC President Scott C. Shuler represented MENC at the hearing. He emphasized that the arts provide many 21st century skills. One of the most important for music is collaboration. "No one sits on the bench because in an ensemble everyone must participate. Members of an ensemble must work together to create a satisfying whole."

Shuler with junior music student Jessica Hiemestra at the briefing.

P21 and its partners presented the briefing on the Arts Skills Map to the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Committee.

Senator Tom Harkin chairs the committee. Members of his staff attended the briefing, as did other Senate staffers.

Shuler said in a time of tight budgets it is "easy to ignore the arts. We need to keep reminding policy-makers of the critical 21st century skills the arts provide."

Representatives from the other arts organizations also spoke, as did four students who discussed their love of visual arts, dance, theater, and music. Each student said participation in arts programs has been life changing for them.

"When I started playing clarinet in the fifth grade I had no idea I would become so passionate about it," said Jessica Hiemestra, a junior at Chantilly (VA) High School. She said she enjoys the collaborative process of making music.

A straight-A student who played in the National Honor Ensemble Concert Band during MENC's Music Education Week in Washington, DC, she also performs with local symphonic and jazz ensembles.

"Music needs to stay in elementary schools. If students don't have music early, how will they have time to develop a passion?" said Jessica, who plans to study music in college.

Download a PDF of the Arts Skills Map and learn more on the P21 website.

MENC and its arts partners began work on the Arts Skills Map in fall 2009.

—Roz Fehr, July 16, 2010. © MENC: The National Association for Music Education