I don't know if it's art, but I know what I like...

So, I was reading the IRPs for Fine Arts (because hey, it's the weekend, what else is there to do) and thinking about how in the Presenting and Performing (Music, Drama, Dance) and Exhibition and Response (Visual Arts) sections we, as teachers, are supposed to be able to teach our students how to evaluate art and apply critical thinkings skills to why they like a piece of art or music or drama (whether it is their own work or the work of their peers or the work of professionals) and I wondered how many of us feel comfortable actually judging the arts.

I, for one, do not have a brilliant background in terms of my knowledge of what makes a good dance (well, I do watch a lot of "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing with the Stars, but I don't think that makes me an expert) and while I enjoy music and love to sing, I am not up on the recent trends and have no idea what a good rap looks like (it's all noise, you kids get off my lawn).  But, I think we're going to have to figure that out, especially when it comes to things our students value which means I might have to get to know some rap (at least I like Common as an actor and a visitor to the Daily Show, that's a start, right?) and I'll probably have to look for the redeeming features in One Direction (or as a dad at my bookstore recently called them One Dimension) so that I can connect to my students and maybe teach them about things that are better than the current boy band of the week, not just because I think those artists and musicians are better but because when compared by objective criteria they just are.

And because I really think everybody should listen to him, here's a little Stan Rogers.

And because I love her, Sandy Denny