Blog posts highlighting the work of Dr. Victoria Stevens:

CLEAR VOZ
Impacting Educational Reform thru Social Change

The Creative Edge
Arts education takes center stage in this blog from Arts Orange County

San Juan Arts Community
San Juan Unified School District

MEARTSED
State of Maine Arts Education

TeachArts.org
Serving Central California

EduARTS 4 US
The Importance of an Arts Enriched Education

Arts Integration
Get smART: Redesigning Education with the Arts in Mind

Dr. Victoria Stevens

On the red carpet last year at the Children Uniting Nations Oscar Viewing Party and Awards Night for the mentor programs for foster youth (including my Academic Mentor Program for Foster Youth which is part of my Stevens Creativity, Imagination and Leadership Training). I am here with Bryan Pezzone, the brilliant pianist, who performed at the event.

2011

THE BRAIN & MUSIC

A short article by Dr. Stevens published in the 2011 Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society, Summer Concert Series event program.

Music is complex, mysterious and ubiquitous. Music-making and listening have been shown to exist in all current and historically documented human societies, and have been the subject of much theoretical speculation and scientific research over many years from fields as diverse as paleontology, cognitive neuroscience, linguistics, anthropology, evolutionary biology and developmental psychology...

The Creative Classroom in the 21st Century: Education, Neurobiology and the Developing Imagination (PDF)

Video: Dr. Victoria Stevens discusses the concepts and results of her important research into Creativity and education for the 21st century. Click here for the introduction and click above on the seven components of the Creativity graphic for specific explanations.

The role that training and exposure to the arts play in education is totally dependent upon how one defines the goal of education. Is the goal of education to inspire children to think, question and to be able to determine through conscious judgment a course of action that includes their own well-being as well as the well-being of those they come into contact with, and to have the ability to apply self-discipline to whatever they choose as a career path, and to interact well with those with whom they work and choose to have in their personal life? Or is it to turn out young adults who are competent enough to enter the work force, are obedient to authority (or rebellious against it), have little or no interpersonal skills, as well as having little or no intrapersonal skills?

We have to ask ourselves, given the current system, what is the purpose of the curricular structure and what is the information being given to the teachers of our nation's children? Additionally, we must address the following question: when we state to our children that if they complete their basic education within our current system they will have the capacity to be successful in life, are we telling them the truth?

The lack of the development of play, emotional regulation, creativity, imagination, metacogniton and empathy, and the elimination of the arts as basic to the development of these skills within our educational system could have serious negative consequences for the future of our society. These consequences could occur at the level of artistic and scientific creative invention as well as at the level of social behavior. It is imperative that our society implement the changes that are being called for from all areas: psychological, social, economic and political, or our students will face a future unprepared to survive the realities of millennial change that are already upon us and are to come.

Production Credits:

Media Center for Art, Education and Technology, Salinas, CA

Hamish A. Tyler, executive director
Video: Jack Peterson
Editing: Patrick Mier

Artwork: Allyson Sanburn Malek, Pebble Beach, CA

Web Production: Chris Garland

©2009 Victoria Stevens, all rights reserved

Dateline: Sunday, August 12, 2012

Forum on Music, Creativity & the Brain
Presentation by Dr. Victoria Stevens & Bryan Pezzone: Why Do I Fly Without Wings or Feathers?

4 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church, Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard

VIDEO: Martha's Vineyard Television, filmed and edited by Andrue C. Carr

ABOVE: The World Premiere of "Three Rivers" by Bryan Pezzone, with Bryan Pezzone, piano, Doug Masek, saxophone and Victoria Stevens, spoken word and vocals - performing a concert for the Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society: Summer Chamber Music Series, August 13 & 14.

Victoria’s work regarding the value of providing meaningful arts learning for our students and her emphasis on creativity, imagination, metacognition, and empathy, is most important as we adults work with students toward their successful lives and their well-being. Victoria clearly addresses necessary 21st century skill development through the arts that enhances the entire learning mode and self-development of our students, especially in light of the fact that these skills are not directly taught or focused upon in other academic areas.