Arts Education is at the very heart of the Toe River Arts Council. TRAC Arts Education Programs include Artist Residencies, Performances in the Schools, Teacher and Artist Workshops, Old Time Music (formerly JAM), After School Programs, Scholarships, and Special Projects. TRAC also collaborates with various other Community Organizations to provide sources for funding as well as a network to promote the arts in Mitchell and Yancey Counties.

TRAC Residency Programs

TRAC conducts 35 weeks of artist residencies in the schools each year. The programs vary from craft to heritage to environment. Teaching artists range from storytellers to potters to performers. It is our goal to offer each student in K-12 with the highest quality in the arts; to work with the classroom teacher to integrate the arts into classroom curriculum and to provide a stimulating environment for students to learn. Teacher workshops are usually a part of the residencies.

Elementary School Programs. The Environment and the Arts residency program provides a teaching artist for a week at a time at each of the elementary schools in Mitchell and Yancey Counties. The artists see each class 5 times. This program is funded by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council. We had three professional teaching artists working in the elementary schools this year. The schools selected the artist of their choice and the dates that they would be in the schools. Number of weeks at each school was based on the school population. Artists working with Environment and the Arts were Melissa Cadell, Kerstin Davis, and Lisa Gluckin. This program is funded in part by an Arts in Education Grant from the NC Arts Council as well as with funding from the Mitchell and Yancey School Boards.

The Middle School Residency Program provides teaching artists to Middle School students in Mitchell County. This program will continue through May, 2010. As with the K-5 Residency program, teaching artists met with each class for an hour, five times a week. Jacque Red Leaf, Native American storyteller and Terry McKinney, noted musician and music historian have been working with this Heritage Program. This program was funded by a Strategy Grant from the Community Foundation of Western NC.

TRAC After School Programs

TRAC Afterschool Programs provide arts programming (visual, musical, dramatic arts, literary) for Mitchell and Yancey students. TRAC has partnered with existing afterschool programs in both counties where possible. This program is primarily geared towards students at risk. Teaching artists have included Jacque Red Leaf, True Kelly, Kat Moore, Anna Vislocky and Terry McKinney. This program is funded in part by a Strategy Grant from the Community Foundation of Western NC and funds from the Mitchell and Yancey School boards.

Old Time Music (formerly The Junior Appalachian Musicians) is a program geared to teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students the traditional music of Western North Carolina. Students participating in this program learn to play traditional tunes on the guitar, banjo, fiddle, or mandolin. Rhonda Gouge, master musician, is the lead instructor in Mitchell County. Terry McKinney, well known local and national musician will be working with students in Yancey County. This program is funded by a grant from the Blue Ridge Heritage Foundation and in part by a Strategy Grant from the Community Foundation of Western NC.

The North Carolina Stage Theatre Company

The North Carolina Stage Company has been working with 8th grade social studies students in Mitchell County. Teaching artists from the theatre group work with social studies classes in order to produce a segment of Western North Carolina history. Students not only learn history, but different methods of putting on an actual production.

TRAC has also partnered with the NC Stage Theatre to conduct residencies at schools in Yancey County. These partnerships have been funded through Grass Roots.

Performances in the Schools

Each year TRAC brings a variety of performances to all the schools in Mitchell and Yancey Counties. Our goal is to try to have two performances per school each year. For the 2011-2012 school year, performances include:

- Dr. Elliot Engel

- Hobey Ford Puppets

- Stuart Little

- Healing Force

- Parchman Hour - Download Teacher Workshop Guide

Performances are funded in part by grants from Mitchell County United Way and United Way of Yancey County, NC Arts Council, a state agency, and funds from Mitchell and Yancey Schools.

Annual Student Art Exhibit

TRAC sponsors the Annual Student Art Exhibit each year for all students in Mitchell and Yancey Counties. Works are displayed at both TRAC locations during February/March. Works can be done individually, in art classes, classroom projects or through the TRAC Residency or Afterschool Programs. Typically, over 400 pieces of art ranging from painting, clay, metal, handmade books sculpture, jewelry are displayed. This showcase of student art provides the community a rare opportunity to see all that is going on in the various arts programs.

In addition, TRAC provides scholarships to high school seniors or adults who wish to obtain a degree in the arts or arts education. Scholarships are from an endowment with the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. TRAC also oversees Grassroots grants, which help to fund special projects in the arts.

For more information, see: Mitchell Annual Arts Education Showcase

Susie Wilde (www. ignitingwriting.com) conducted a writing residency with Deyton Elementary 4th grade students. Students learned all the "nuts and bolts" of writing a story for publication. Ms Wilde is a writer, reviewer, and children’s book specialist but most of all, a passionate teacher and reader of children's books. All the 4th grades (94 students and 5 teachers) worked together to create a book about the wooly worm who wants to be a rock star. "Published" books will appear at Spruce Pine Library soon.

This residency was made possible thanks to AMY Regional Libraries; Mitchell County School Board and a Grass Roots Grant.

TRAC Education programs are supported by Yancey County Community Fund; United Way of Mitchell County; Community Foundation of Western NC; The School Boards of Mitchell and Yancey Counties; Art In Education and Grassroots Grants through the NC Arts Council, a state agency.