The Creative Arts & Athletics

​At the moment we are in the midst of spring competition season.  The NCAA Final Four men’s basketball tournament is here with the championship game in a few days, as is the Frozen Four men’s ice hockey tournament.  The women’s tournaments begin soon.  Baseball season is here, as is lacrosse, and track and field.

In music, Solo and Ensemble Festival for individuals, small groups, and bands is in full swing, plus, who doesn’t look forward to a summer concert in the park?  The visual arts competitions and juried art shows are a staple in the spring and summer with many already being held.  Dance competitions continue as spring moves on.  Photography and textile juried shows, exhibits, and competitions abound in the spring and summer.  

What do these events have to do with a blog about giftedness?  A great deal.  These are areas of creativity, skill, expression, and the affective domain that tie into giftedness.  A person who is gifted in the arts or athletics and truly exhibits the dedication, passion, and emotion of their field is just as in need of gifted services and programming as their academically gifted peers.  Furthermore, the arts and athletics impact brain development in gifted children, youth, and adults.

Our culture appears to idolize athletes.  The truly gifted athlete is much more than a good player.  There are specific characteristics the gifted athlete exhibits.  Gifted artists, musicians, dancers, and other performing and visual artists also have specific characteristics that define them way beyond a person who takes good photographs, or plays the piano well.  

Below are a few resources to explore when looking into giftedness in areas outside of academics and traditional school-based areas of focus.  

• Giftedness Defined
• Art and the Brain
• Gifted and Talented Students in the Visual Arts
• Gifted Athletes, Artists, and Musicians
• Gifted Self-Efficacy and Athletics
• Performing Arts Instruction for Exceptionally and Profoundly Gifted Children
• Dana Foundation Report:  Learning, Arts, and the Brain
• WATG’s Creativity Guide
• Young Photographers Alliance, an organization created to inspire and empower young gifted photographers

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There are some school districts, or consortiums of school districts, or other groups offering magnet schools for students gifted in the arts.  Following are some of them.  There are, of course, many more around the country.

• The Governor’s School for the Arts, Norfolk, VA
• The Governor’s School Programs:  Summer Residential Governor’s Schools, VA
• Science and Arts Academy, Des Plaines, IL, An Independent School for gifted children from preschool through middle school focused on academic abilities, creative talents, and emotional growth.
• High School of Art & Design, New York, NY
• Professional Performing Arts H.S., New York, NY
• Renaissance School for the Arts, Appleton, WI
• Milwaukee High School of the Arts
• Booker T. Washington H.S. for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dallas, TX
• The Sports and Medical Sciences Academy, Hartford, CT, focuses on learning for students who are interested in the expanding sports and sports medical sciences fields.