Jesse Cukierkorn - Arts Education for Gifted Learners

Many children enjoy participating in the arts and excel in these activities. However, it is very difficult for educators and parents to gauge achievement in the arts unlike achievements in academic and intellectual pursuits. While the twofold term gifted and talented often is used in education and in the Javits Act (1988), many states distinguish giftedness from talent in their regulations for serving youth by defining separate categories for intellectually gifted and artistically talented. Gagn (2003) distinguished giftedness from talent more clearly. In his model, giftedness means the possession and use of untrained and spontaneously expressed natural abilities (called aptitudes or gifts) in at least one domain to a degree that places a child among the top 10% of his or her age peers. In contrast, talent designates the superior mastery of systematically developed abilities or skills and knowledge in at least one area of endeavor to a degree that places the child among the top 10% of his or her age peers who are active in that field (Gagn, 2003). The following section provides profiles of four young artists, all of whom attend programs with extensive admission criteria and who have demonstrated advanced achievement by winning top awards or scholarships within their school or program. From these profiles and others, it becomes evident that setting high expectations for achievement in the arts and making contact with other artists are powerful components of talent development.

Tobias has stood out from his peers for his creative abilities in dancing and singing since he was in the second grade. In elementary school, he received encouragement from enthusiastic teachers who emphasized lessons in creative movement. Tobias admitted that, at first, he was not always serious about his abilities. He initially danced, sang, and performed in musical theatre due to the accolades that he received and because people said that he was really good at it. Only later did one of his instructors at the arts conservatory teach him to have faith in his own abilities and ownership of the drive to perform. This instructor taught Tobias that each and every time he is performing he has to tell the story whether he is acting, singing, or dancing. At 17, Tobias feels that he is now a completely different person, because he has the passion for performance.

Tobiass mother lets him focus on the things that he loves. Although he has a B average in high school, she is not overly concerned about his grades. Tobias feels that his mothers willingness to let him focus on his creative abilities has contributed greatly to the development of his talent.

At the age of 13, Ashlee began attending a cluster arts magnet program without any previous training in writing. In the sixth grade, one of her teachers read several of her short stories, recognized her potential, and recommended that she audition for the program. Although the audition process intimidated her, she was excited to learn that there was such a place for her to be creative.

Ashlee sees the depressing environment of her low-income neighborhood as a negative motivator. She says that it drives her to be even better because she doesnt want to be like the people around her in the neighborhood. Once she is alone, in her own room, she can block out all of the negative influences of the neighborhood by putting on music and writing while she sits on her bed. In contrast, Ashlee feels inspired when she leaves her home high school to attend the cluster arts magnet school. She feels that the environment, both school and neighborhood, is safer. The other students are open for discussions and are really welcoming. There arent as many cliques as compared to her home school, and she doesnt feel as inhibited because there is less fear about what others might say about her writing.