Date of Award

6-2016

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education

First Reader/Committee Chair

Dr. Robert London

Abstract

ABSTRACT

When we look at artists in contemporary society it is unfortunate how many of them turn to drugs, alcohol, and suicide as a means to cope with and escape the world. Sadly, there are artists who never live long enough to have a career or share their brilliance with the world. This tragedy is the underlying motivation for this project. One of our goals at the school where I teach, Idyllwild Arts Academy, is to help prepare students for a life in the arts. For the most part we focus on the skills and concepts of their discipline. This focus inherently tends to eliminate or overlook some major concepts related to the physical, mental, and spiritual growth of the students.

The purpose of this study was to discover the major concepts of health and longevity and address the best practices for creating an advanced curriculum that addressed these concepts in relation to the context of the students and school where I teach. The guiding questions for this project, in relation to the students at Idyllwild Arts Academy, were: What are the major ideas and concepts that support and promote positive personal growth for students at Idyllwild Arts Academy? What exercises will contribute to each student’s health and longevity. What skills are necessary for coping with the challenges and demands of being an artist in contemporary society? What will help each student achieve his or her full potential in life?

To achieve the purpose of this study, I followed these steps: I reviewed literature about health and longevity that related to the context of my school and students, based on the findings of the literature review and my experience I created a draft of the curriculum, next I identified a group of experts and asked them to review the curriculum and complete a survey, once all the survey’s were returned I organized the data and looked for patterns, finally I compiled a list of recommendations based on the data to use when the curriculum is implemented.

In addition to the list of recommendations, I have identified three major limitations that need to be addressed when implementing the curriculum. Please note, the curriculum will not be implemented as part of this project.

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