Michigan Youth Arts Association

To paraphrase The Beatles, Michigan Youth Arts gets by with a little help from its friends. Sixteen of them, if you’re counting. Sixteen statewide, arts-education nonprofit organizations lend their expertise to Michigan Youth Arts to plan and produce our annual Festival. They also help us keep our fingertips on the pulse of the state of the arts throughout Michigan. Who are these sixteen important groups? Read on.

American String Teachers Association, Michigan supports and encourages better and more frequent performances of the literature for strings, including music for solo, ensemble, and string orchestra at all levels of achievement. Organized nationally in 1946, ASTA’s mission is to enhance the image and visibility of string teaching and study; advocate for string education; and build an inclusive community of string teachers and players.

Since 1969, Digital Arts, Film & Television, a non-profit educational organization, has promoted media literacy through the creative use of film and video. Dedicated to creating a more visually literate membership and general public, DAFT sponsors independent filmmakers, videographers, workshops, monthly screenings, and festivals. DAFT programs include the Michigan Student Film and Video Festival, the Student Animation Workshop, and the Focal Point Workshop at Cranbrook.

Interlochen Center for the Arts was founded in 1928 and is located in northwest lower Michigan. Interlochen is the only community in the world that brings together a summer arts camp program, a fine arts boarding high school with college-prep academics, an independent pre-K through 8th-grade day school and summer day camp, two 24-hour listener-supported public radio stations, an engaging and evolving series of arts classes and programs for adults, arts presentations, and eight decades worth of alumni worldwide, including a galaxy of arts luminaries.

Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency Education for the Arts has offered innovative, creative, and responsive learning opportunities for Kalamazoo County high school students since 1995, through collaborations between arts education and local cultural institutions. All creative pursuits in visual arts, dance, media, music, and art are designed to enhance and complement existing programs in Kalamazoo County.

The Michigan Art Education Association has served the needs of Michigan visual art teachers and art students since 1949. MAEA defines and establishes the role of art education, gives support to creative thinking, and fosters study and research in art education by providing its members with the best and most current information, training, and technology related to art.

The Michigan Council of Teachers of English has served K–16 English language arts teachers since 1924. The MCTE keeps teachers aware of effective classroom practices, community concerns, and legislative developments through publications and annual conferences that present the latest and most effective ways to connect with students.

Formed in 1995, the Michigan Dance Council serves as a voice for dance throughout the state by promoting, developing, and encouraging dance artists, public interest in dance as an art form, and the preservation of dance through collaborations, audience development, education, membership services, and performances. Membership is comprised of dancers, choreographers, educators, musicians, artists, students, dance supporters, and enthusiasts.