Bravo arts education awards seeking nominees

The Music Center’s BRAVO Awards is accepting nominations for its annual arts education program recognizing teachers and schools in Los Angeles County that use the arts to inspire learning. The nomination acknowledes these educators as champions of arts education and seeks to support their work and celebrate their accomplishments.

Teachers and schools can be nominated in four categories: School, School Arts Program, Generalist Teacher, and Arts Specialist Teacher. All K-12 educators in LA schools, county-wide, are eligible and can be nominated by anyone, including parents, teachers, principals and administrators. Online nomination forms are available at www.musiccenter.org/education/bravo.html.
The nomination deadline is October 15, 2011.

Once nominated, the nominees need only submit a letter of intent and a one-page questionnaire, along with a principal’s letter of support. Based on these application materials, twenty-five diverse nominees will be selected to participate in a series of professional learning workshops designed to build community and leadership. According to Faith Childs-Davis, manager of Music Center’s BRAVO Awards, “Participating educators will collaborate at the Music Center to reflect upon their teaching practice, create professional portfolios and receive feedback from a peer coach. These participants will review members’ portfolios to decide who will receive a BRAVO Award.”

All 25 participants will receive a cash stipend and will be honored at the March 1, 2012 ceremony celebrating leadership and excellence in arts education. The ceremony will take place at the Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall where top educators in the four categories will receive special recognition and cash prizes.

Established in 1982, Music Center’s BRAVO Awards is an integral part of the Music Center’s work in the community to advocate for and to deliver quality arts education for all students. The program recognizes teachers and schools for excellence in arts education, honoring educators who use the arts to encourage, enrich and inspire learning.

As one of the top performing arts centers in the world, the Music Center is committed to strengthening community through the arts. Set in the heart of Los Angeles’ downtown cultural district and home to four internationally renowned resident companies – LA Phil, Center Theatre Group, LA Opera and Los Angeles Master Chorale – and the celebrated Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center, the Music Center offers the most compelling, highest quality engagements. In its effort to extend the reach and accessibility of the performing arts, the Music Center is a national model for experiences in which people participate directly, through its Active Arts® at the Music Center. As well, the Music Center presents special productions, events and festivals for children and families, including World City at the Music Center, and plays a leadership role in advocating for and directly providing arts education in schools throughout the County. The Music Center boasts four venues – the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall – as well as a vibrant collection of outdoor theatres, plazas and gardens.

For more information about the Music Center’s BRAVO Awards, visit www.musiccenter.org/education/bravo.html.