Dear Key Communicators,

We are busy gearing up for the Winter Lottery, but there are still field-trips available in December... read below for more information and to register!

As you may have heard, the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative turned 20 this year! We are so grateful to each of you for your commitment to integrating arts and humanities education into student learning. We appreciate being able to deliver transformative arts and humanities learning experiences for all of our DC students.

For our birthday, please consider making a donation to the DC Collaborative. With your support, starting on #GivingTuesday, Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 28th through December 31st, we hope to raise at least $10,000 to provide enriching and transformative arts and humanities experiences for at least 500 DC students.

With thanks and best wishes,
The DC Collaborative Team

AHFES Winter Lottery: Opens Monday, December 4th!
Each year, the Arts and Humanities for Every Student (AHFES) field-trip program has three different lottery opportunities for schools to register for programs at no cost: Fall, Winter, and Spring. School partners are eligible to participate in the AHFES lotteries after they have returned their school partnership agreement, paid the $30 school participation fee, and attended an orientation.

The Lottery will open on Monday, December 4th and Key Communicators will have until Friday, December 8th to submit all requests for field-trips from January through March. Get a sneak peek of what we have to offer -  View our online catalogue!

Questions? Please call Rebekka Nickman at 202-470-6467 ext. 1 or rebekka@dccollaborative.org.

December Field-Trips Available  NOW!
Did you miss getting the trips your wanted in the lottery? There are several trips that still have open availability!

Please request a trip through the following registration forms. The DC Collaborative staff will be in touch to confirm registrations as soon as possible. Please note: If you do not receive a confirmation you will be automatically placed on the waiting list.

Presented by: Atlas Performing Arts Center

Description : Step Afrika!'s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show is the most vibrant holiday celebration in town! This fun, family-friendly performance will have you stomping your feet and clapping your hands to energetic beats from Step Afrika! and special guest, DJ Frosty the Snowman. Over the last six years, this internationally-renowned percussive dance company has created a contemporary holiday tradition at the Atlas, featuring friendly, furry characters, pre-show instrument-making workshops, photo ops, and even a dance party. Why celebrate the holidays sitting still when you can step with Step Afrika!

Step Afrika!'s Magical Musical Holiday Step Show is suited to adults and kids age four and up. Join us in the lobby 30 minutes before show time to decorate your own musical instrument so you can make music with Step Afrika! during the performance.

Dates:
- Tuesday, December 19, 1:00 PM
- Wednesday, December 20, 10:00 AM
- Wednesday, December 20, 1:00 PM
- Thursday, December 21, 10:00 AM

Length of Event: 1 hour
Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center
1333 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Discipline: Dance
Grade: 1st
Ticket Capacity: 250 (Please limit request to approximately 50 students per school, if possible so we can reach as many schools as possible. Smaller groups are easiest to accommodate in our transportation budget.)

Presented by: The In Series
Description: An interactive Journey though Jazz and Imagination.
Date: 12/12/2017, 12/13/2017, 12/14/2017
Time: 10:00am, 11:30am
Length of Event: 45 minutes
Location: GALA Hispanic Theatre
3333 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20010
Discipline: History/ Geography, Music/ Music Production; Theatre
Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts, History/ Geography, Framework for Arts Learning
Grades: 1-5
Ticket capacity: 240 per performance. (Please limit request to approximately 50 students per school, if possible so we can reach as many schools as possible. Smaller groups are easiest to accommodate in our transportation budget.)

Description: Part 1: Students will go on a 40 minute gallery exploration of the special exhibition The Box Project: Uncommon Threads. During the exploration, students will examine artworks and handle materials to learn about processes used by the artists. This will provide an opportunity for the students to use the vocabulary from the pre-visit materials in context alongside an object-based learning experience. Younger grades will focus on material and process, while the high school students will delve into how these artists incorporated culture and environmental influences into their work. The gallery exploration is designed to prepare students for the art making activity by showing them contemporary artists' work from their community and around the world as well as introducing them to unfamiliar art making techniques.
Part 2: After the tour, groups will participate in the following art activity:
Build Your Own Box Project (4-12th grade) 40 minutes. Students will be given a small box and additional materials that speak to what the artists used to create their own projects. Older students will be challenged to think about how their own culture and environments can influence their aesthetic as artists, while younger student will focus on exploring the material and using new techniques.

Available Dates: 12/1, 12/8, 12/13
Time: 10:00 AM
Length of Event: 1.5 hours
Location: The George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum
701 21st St NW, Washington, DC 20052
Discipline: Visual Arts / Photography/ Film
Curricular Connections: English/ Language Arts
Grades: 4-12
Ticket Capacity: 40 per date.

**METRO ONLY - No buses will be assigned to these trips. Schools can either provide their own transportation, reimburse the DC Collaborative for the cost of a bus OR take the metro to Foggy Bottom**

New on the Story Bank Blog:  Divine Felines at the Freer|Sackler
Of the many beautiful and interesting exhibits adorning the halls of the Freer Sackler Galleries, Animals: Divine and Powerful celebrates the importance of animals in ancient Egyptian society. The exhibit explores the vital roles of felines and canines alike, even drawing connections to our modern dogs and house-cats. 

Read more here!

Join our Programming Committee!
Want to make sure your voice is heard? Consider joining our Programming Committee! Our next meeting will be held at the DC Collaborative Office on Tuesday, November 21st from 4:30 to 5:30.
Please email rebekka@dccollaborative.org to RSVP!

The DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative's (DC Collaborative) Programming Committee is open to members, educators and other partners of the DC Collaborative. The committee provides opportunities for idea exchange, leadership, and mentorship, while also supporting the administrative work of the DC Collaborative staff.  This committee ensures the high quality of arts and humanities education programs offered by Members and better the field by contributing to a body of work and best practices for Members and educators alike.  This work positively impacts the education of the students in the District of Columbia.

AEDC Convening
AEDC Invites you to participate in a Reflective Journaling Workshop at the Capital Hill Arts Workshop led by Sean Murphy.

Reflective Journaling with Sean Murphy
Saturday, November 18, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St SE, Washington, DC 20003

Journaling can be a process of self-discovery and growth, useful to teachers as well as students. Learn about the cognitive benefits and try studio techniques to enhance the journaling experience. Led by educator Sean Murphy.
Cost: $15 NAEA members/$20 Non-members

Musical Theatre Songwriting Challenge Opens for High School Students

Presented by the National Endowment for the Arts partnering with American Theatre Wing and in collaboration with Playbill, Inc. and Disney Theatrical Productions
Washington, DC  - American musical theater is burgeoning with new musical styles, stories, and audiences, offering a world of possibility for young artists, especially songwriters. To encourage young artists to enter musical theater, the National Endowment for the Arts is expanding its
Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge  from last year's three-city pilot to a national program available to all high school songwriters working in any musical genre. Applicants submit a recording of an original song that could appear in a musical theater show. Partnering with the NEA in the Songwriting Challenge is the American Theatre Wing along with collaborators Playbill, Inc. and Disney Theatrical Productions.

High school songwriters should go to the  Songwriting Challenge section of the NEA website between October 2, 2017 and the submission deadline of January 5, 2018 to enter the competition. Six regional winners will be selected in February 2018 for a trip to New York City in April to work with professional musicians, singers, songwriters, and producers during an intense weekend of workshops. The performance of their song by those musicians and singers will be judged by a panel of esteemed musical theater artists as the final competition and webcast live. One of the six will be selected as the national champion. Winners will receive scholarships and more.

"This is a great opportunity for the National Endowment for the Arts to honor the creativity of America's youth," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is part of that commitment to strengthen our next generations of creative talent; the talent of our future."

"Now, more than ever, it is important to nurture and support creativity, especially amongst young, emerging artists who might not have access to the arts. I am proud to be partnering with the National Endowment for the Arts, with support from Playbill and Disney Theatricals, on this project.  I hope that from this we will see the next generation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's, Jonathan Larson's, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's," said Heather Hitchens, president of the American Theatre Wing.

The American Theatre Wing , the theater support organization that founded and co-produces the Tony Awards® and co-produces the Obie Awards®, is working with the NEA to implement the program across the nation and is developing curriculum materials to guide and inspire young songwriters. All materials will be available for free, as they are developed, in the Songwriting Challenge web section. Playbill, Inc. and Disney Theatrical Productions are program collaborators, providing funding and promotional support.

L ast year's pilot competition took place in Dallas, TX; Minneapolis, MN; and Seattle, WA with Angel Rodriguez from Seattle chosen as the 2016 national champion. Videos of Angel and the other two finalists are on the Songwriting Challenge webpage, along with content featuring theater and music stars such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Josh Ritter, John Lloyd Young, Ben Folds, and Natalie Merchant.

Join the songwriting Twitter conversation at #IWriteMusicals.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more about NEA.

About the American Theatre Wing
The American Theatre Wing is currently celebrating a 100 years of service to American Theatre across the nation. Its programs provide theatre education opportunities for underserved students through the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative, develop the next generation of theatre professionals through the SpringboardNYC and Theatre Intern Network, incubate innovative theatre across the country through the National Theatre Company Grants, foster the next generation of musical theatre writers through the Jonathan Larson® Grants, honor the best in New York theatrical design with the Henry Hewes Design Award, and illuminate the creative process through the Emmy-nominated "Working in the Theatre" documentary series. In addition to founding the Tony Awards®, the American Theatre Wing is the new home of the Village Voice's Obie Awards®, Off Broadway's Highest Honor.

Victoria Hutter
Assistant Director - Press  | Public Affairs

National Endowment for the Arts
400 7th Street SW | Washington DC 20506
hutterv@arts.gov  |  202-682-5692  (p) |  202-682-5611  (fax)

Learn more about the arts in your community at arts.gov
OUR MISSION

The DC Collaborative, in partnership with our members, advances access to learning opportunities in the arts and humanities for all DC public and public charter school students.
Donate to the DC Collaborative  online or remit payment by check to:
DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative

The DC Collaborative is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All gifts are tax deductible the the fullest extent of the law.

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DC Commission logo The DC Collaborative is a recipient of an FY18 General Operating Support  Service Grant from the  DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities .


The DC Collaborative is proud to receive a grant for its Collective Impact work supported in part by an award from the  National Endowment for the Arts.

About the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative:
More than 100 members strong, the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative (DC Collaborative) provides equitable access to quality arts and humanities education for all DC public and chartered public schools for the growth of the whole child. Working with its partners, since its founding in 1998, the DC Collaborative produces such exemplary programs as Arts and Humanities for Every Student and the Professional Development Initiative. View our  Member Directory.

For more information on the DC Arts and Humanities  Education Collaborative, please visit our  website . 

If you would like to include something in our next  member e-newsletter, please email us!  Submissions for our consideration are due C.O.B. on the third Friday of every month and are subject to edits by the DC Collaborative staff.