NMArt Professional Learning Workshops for Educators

NMArt Professional Development Workshops

Follow the links below to register for the free professional development workshops offered by NMArt.  These workshops are open to teachers, administrators, counselors and teaching artists from all NM schools.

NMArt, the New Mexico Alliance for Responsive Teaching, is a partnership between the Santa Fe Opera and the school districts in Albuquerque, Las Vegas City Schools, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe. This alliance came together as part of the Kennedy Center’s Partners In Education Program. The mission of NMART is to elevate creative, culturally responsive, student-centered teaching and learning through high quality arts and arts-integrated professional development.

• Workshops emphasize one or more of the following:  Arts Integration, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Social Emotional Learning.
• For in-person workshops, coffee and hearty snacks will be available 30 minutes before the start of the workshop.
• Each workshop will be followed by a feedback survey.  Two participants who complete the survey will be selected at random for a $20 gift card. In addition, teachers who attend three workshops and share documentation of using a technique or exercise from the workshop with their students will be celebrated as part of the NMART Vanguard in the summer of 2026.

Any questions or to cancel registration, please email Charles Gamble, Director of School Programs at the Santa Fe Opera, at cgamble@santafeopera.org if you cannot attend; another teacher may need your spot!

NMArt is the NM Alliance for Responsive Teaching
The Santa Fe Opera | Albuquerque Public Schools | Las Vegas City Schools
Rio Rancho Public Schools | Santa Fe Public Schools | The Kennedy Center

Engaging the Whole Child the Whole Way Through

with Randy Barron
All Grade Levels

As educators know by now, the foundation for lifelong learning must be actively built, experiential, reflective, collaborative, evolving, and based in problem-solving. That approach to teaching results in students who are motivated, innovative, team-oriented, and self-confident. That also happens to be the evolving “portrait” of a successful New Mexico High School graduate, according to the State Public Education Department.

In this workshop, teachers of all grade levels will experience and actively work to build a compact set of crucial arts-integrated skills that will prepare students for deeper learning in every subject area. Drawing on multiple art forms and the New Mexico Content Standards and informed by four decades of arts-integrated practice in classrooms of all descriptions, veteran New Mexico Teaching Artist Randy Barron guides teachers through a logical scaffold of strategies they can use to bring the power of the creative process into their students’ lives and learning.

This workshop is designed for all teachers who are interested in stretching their own creative muscles in the art of teaching. Teachers should come dressed comfortably for simple movement activities. Participants will receive a workbook handout, as well as links to online materials and resources that will connect to NMART workshops held later in the school year.

Las Vegas City Schools
Monday, August 25th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
Kennedy Hall Gallery,
NM Highlands University
905 University Ave, Las Vegas

Santa Fe Public Schools
Tuesday, August 26th
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Sierra Vista Room, BF Young Building
1300 Camino Sierra Vista, Santa Fe

Albuquerque Public Schools
Wednesday, August 27th
3:00 – 6:00pm
M Building – APS Fine Arts 109A&B
912 Oak St SE, Albuquerque

Rio Rancho Public Schools
Thursday, August 28th
1:00 – 4:00 PM, In Person.
RRPS Board Rooms
500 Laser Dr, Rio Rancho

For RRPS teachers, subs are provided for you to attend this workshop. After you register, please email Tamara Garcia, Fine Arts Administrative Assistant, at tamara.garcia@rrps.net. She will coordinate with your school administrative assistant to secure a half-day substitute for you.

REGISTER

About the Presenter

Randy has danced and choreographed professionally since 1978 with ballet and modern dance companies across the United States. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Psychology, and he is continually amazed at how often he uses that knowledge.

Since dancing has not always paid all the bills, Randy has also worked as an arts administrator, school bus driver, meeting planner, stage manager, bill collector, real estate assistant, lighting designer, high school principal, wild land firefighter, and emergency medical technician, among others — all while continuing to dance and choreograph professionally.

As a teaching artist since 1984, Randy has led over 500 professional development workshops in 40 states and Singapore. He has also designed scores of in-depth, arts-integrated residencies (one to four weeks) for schools of all types and grade levels.

Randy lives with his family near the village of Tecolote, New Mexico, about a hundred yards from the original Santa Fe Trail.

Reaching Students with Autism Through the Arts

with Dr. Ryan Hourigan
Grades Kindergarten through 12th

There are a growing number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) being included in school and community-based arts programming. This workshop provides successful instructional strategies for including students with ASD in the areas of communication, cognition, sensory integration, socialization, emotional management, and behavior. The information provided can easily be generalized into all learning environments and community programming.

Practical applications, resources, and video examples of successful arts-based content for children with ASD are provided from The Prism Project, a program that provides an opportunity for college students to gain skills in the area of teaching students with learning differences while providing arts experiences for children.

Las Vegas City Schools
Monday, September 8th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
Room 321, NM Highlands University Student Union Building
800 National Avenue, Las Vegas

Rio Rancho Public Schools
Tuesday, September 9th
1:00 – 4:00 PM
RRPS Board Rooms
500 Laser Dr, Rio Rancho

For RRPS teachers, subs are provided for you to attend this workshop. After you register, please email Tamara Garcia, Fine Arts Administrative Assistant, at tamara.garcia@rrps.net. She will coordinate with your school administrative assistant to secure a half-day substitute for you.

Santa Fe Public Schools
Wednesday, September 10th
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Sierra Vista Room, BF Young Building
1300 Camino Sierra Vista, Santa Fe

Albuquerque Public Schools
Thursday, September 11th
12:00 – 3:00 PM
M Building – APS Fine Arts 109A&B
912 Oak St SE, Albuquerque

For APS teachers, subs are provided for you to attend this workshop.

REGISTER

About the Presenter

Dr. Hourigan currently is Professor of Music Education and is the former Director of the School of Music at Ball State University. He has recently joined Focus 5 (2023) as a consultant specializing in arts integration for students with learning differences. He is the father of two children on the Autism Spectrum.

In 2009, Hourigan co-founded the Prism Project (prismprojectbsu.org). This program provides an opportunity for college students to gain skills in the area of teaching students with learning differences while providing arts experiences for children. This program has been duplicated in several communities across the country. Starting in 2012, Dr. Hourigan provided a series of presentations for The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He has been on the National Roster of Teaching Artists since then. Ryan has travelled extensively around the world providing professional development and demonstration teaching.

Currently in its third edition, Hourigan is the co-author (Alice Hammel) of Teaching Music to Students with Learning Differences: A Label-free Approach. Hourigan and Hammel’s second book Teaching Music to Students with Autism is in its second edition released in 2020 (Oxford). Dr. Hourigan has won several awards including 2021 University of Michigan Kendall Award, Eastern Illinois University Outstanding Alumni Award (2023) and the Indiana Music Educators Association Outstanding University Music Educator (2010).

Movement & Mathematics: Thinking On Your Feet

with Dr. Erik Stern
Grades Kindergarten through 12th

Engage your students through accessible movement activities that stimulate creative and critical thinking and problem solving, while at the same time reaching a range of students. In this “learn by doing” approach, students experience physical patterns in order to understand mathematical patterns and thinking, and to develop skills that align with NCTM’s 8 mathematical practices. A range of math topics can be covered (one, possibly two, per three-hour workshop): counting problems from Least Common Multiple to exponential growth, fractions, geometry and related topics. Erik has reached hundreds of teachers and students from kindergarten through college, addressing core curriculums through multiple modes of thinking and learning. No movement experience required! Lessons are geared to all learners.

Las Vegas City Schools
Monday, September 29th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
Room 321, NM Highlands University Student Union Building
800 National Avenue, Las Vegas

Albuquerque Public Schools
Tuesday, September 30th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
M Building – APS Fine Arts 109A&B
912 Oak St SE, Albuquerque

Santa Fe Public Schools
Wednesday, October 1st
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Sierra Vista Room, BF Young Building
1300 Camino Sierra Vista, Santa Fe

Rio Rancho Public Schools
Thursday, October 2nd
1:00 – 4:00 PM
RRPS Board Rooms
500 Laser Dr, Rio Rancho

For RRPS teachers, subs are provided for you to attend this workshop. After you register, please email Tamara Garcia, Fine Arts Administrative Assistant, at tamara.garcia@rrps.net. She will coordinate with your school administrative assistant to secure a half-day substitute for you.

REGISTER

About the Presenter

Erik Stern has always been involved in the arts and STEM and has degrees in both fields. He began connecting mathematics and movement with Karl Schaffer through their California-based dance company. With his colleagues Erik has performed original choreography and conducted professional development workshops throughout the U.S., as well as in Europe, Asia, and Australia, and co-authored a book and numerous articles. People young and old think in a variety of ways (or modes). Taking two fields that many people assume have little in common and revealing how they can support one another, Erik has adapted these methods to suit lower grades all the way to a groundbreaking college course. On the roster of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education Program, Erik recently was as a visiting fellow at the University of Bologna, and as a keynote presenter at FermHAmente, an Italian science festival geared to families. His choreography has been performed in New York City and many other venues. He is Professor Emeritus at Weber State University and lives in Ogden, Utah, with his wife Diane.

Telling Your Story Through the Beat of Jazz

with Imani González
Grades 3rd through 8th

Discover strategies aligned with Writer’s Workshop to help students craft their own blues songs, expressing their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This process not only strengthens writing skills but also supports social-emotional development by giving students a voice through storytelling in music.

Writing personal narratives from their perspective in musical forms that shaped the development of blues and jazz will inspire students to connect their emotions to their writing. By exploring the evolution of the blues, students will connect to their own authentic stories, deepening self-awareness, and blending personal experience with a rich musical tradition.

Albuquerque Public Schools
Monday, October 27th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
M Building – APS Fine Arts 109A&B
912 Oak St SE, Albuquerque

Santa Fe Public Schools
Tuesday, October 28th
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Sierra Vista Room, BF Young Building
1300 Camino Sierra Vista, Santa Fe

Las Vegas City Schools
Wednesday, October 29th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
Kennedy Hall Gallery,
NM Highlands University
905 University Ave, Las Vegas, NM

Rio Rancho Public Schools
Thursday, October 30th
1:00 – 4:00 PM
RRPS Board Rooms
500 Laser Dr, Rio Rancho

For RRPS teachers, subs are provided for you to attend this workshop. After you register, please email Tamara Garcia, Fine Arts Administrative Assistant, at tamara.garcia@rrps.net. She will coordinate with your school administrative assistant to secure a half-day substitute for you.

REGISTER

About the Presenter

For over 30 years, Imani González’s diverse talents have led to collaborations with many national and international performers, musical ensembles, film and television projects. An artist educator, author, and professional jazz/world vocalist, Imani’s mission is to confer wisdom that flows from the heart as well as the mind through understanding other cultures and people in the language of sound and music. All of her work is designed to help nurture a new generation of creative thinkers and holistic community members. Imani performs and conducts vocal workshops concentrating on traditional world music nationally, from the cultures of Asia, West and South Africa, South America and the Caribbean. She has conducted traditional World Music workshops for the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and offers exciting professional development workshops, residencies, classroom modeling, arts coaching for teachers, and school performances for communities at every level. She has performed traditional African music for the Smithsonian Institute, Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival, and the World Music Institute. Imani has taught in the DC Public School system and in private schools as a traditional world music teacher. She has been, since 2016, a grant recipient of the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities. She has also served as Consultant for the PDAE Grant Committee of Jacksonville, Florida. Imani is a National Kennedy Center Teaching Artist, Consultant with Focus 5 Consulting Firm, as well as on the rosters with Washington Performing Arts (WPA) and Inspired Child (Dumbarton Arts Education).

The HIP to be Fit® Train the Trainer

with National Dance Insitute of New Mexico
Grades Pre-K through 5th

The purpose of the The HIP to be Fit® Train the Trainer curriculum is to provide training and materials that will enable public elementary school teachers to get kids up and moving more throughout the school day. In conjunction with New Mexico State education, PE and dance standards, this curriculum is designed to increase physical activity while simultaneously teaching children core curriculum subjects including language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.

A dance or PE background is not needed to teach this material. Using NDI New Mexico programs as the model, the Train the Trainer curriculum is fully inclusive of all students in the class, engages students’ sense of fun and teamwork, and is non-competitive. The curriculum is based on 10 very simple and fun exercises which can be used in 10-30 minute blocks of activity in a variety of school settings.

Santa Fe Public Schools
Monday, January 12th
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Sierra Vista Room, BF Young Building
1300 Camino Sierra Vista, Santa Fe

Rio Rancho Public Schools
Tuesday, January 13th
1:00 – 4:00 PM
RRPS Board Rooms
500 Laser Dr, Rio Rancho

For RRPS teachers, subs are provided for you to attend this workshop. After you register, please email Tamara Garcia, Fine Arts Administrative Assistant, at tamara.garcia@rrps.net. She will coordinate with your school administrative assistant to secure a half-day substitute for you.

Albuquerque Public Schools
Wednesday, January 14th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
M Building – APS Fine Arts 109A&B
912 Oak St SE, Albuquerque

Las Vegas City Schools
Thursday, January 15th
3:30 – 6:30 PM
Kennedy Hall Gallery,
NM Highlands University
905 University Ave, Las Vegas, NM

REGISTER

Grouping Games for Teaching the Language of Mathematics

with Cheryl Mertz
Grades Kindergarten through 5th

Moving Through Math is an active, creative approach to teaching mathematics. Grouping Games provide learners with strong kinesthetic, visual and spatial representations of math concepts, while strengthening their correct usage and understanding of mathematical language.

• During Grouping Games, students learn on four different levels:
• through using their bodies to dramatically represent mathematical concepts
• through collaborating with other students in small groups
• through using the Language of Math to concisely describe their thinking
• through using their imaginations to create original ways of representing mathematical thinking.

This professional development is active! Our overwhelming response from participants is, “I wish I had learned math this way. I now understand things that I never really got before,” and “I can’t wait to share this with my students!”

Las Vegas City Schools
Monday, February 9th
3:30 – 6:30 PM
Kennedy Hall Gallery,
NM Highlands University
905 University Ave, Las Vegas, NM

Rio Rancho Public Schools
Tuesday, February 10th
1:00 – 4:00 PM
RRPS Board Rooms
500 Laser Dr, Rio Rancho

For RRPS teachers, subs are provided for you to attend this workshop. After you register, please email Tamara Garcia, Fine Arts Administrative Assistant, at tamara.garcia@rrps.net. She will coordinate with your school administrative assistant to secure a half-day substitute for you.

Albuquerque Public Schools
Wednesday, February 11th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
M Building – APS Fine Arts 109A&B
912 Oak St SE, Albuquerque

Santa Fe Public Schools
Thursday, February 12th
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Sierra Vista Room, BF Young Building
1300 Camino Sierra Vista, Santa Fe

REGISTER

About the Presenter

Cheryl Mertz shares 30 years of experience as a Curriculum and Instruction Coach, a Gifted Cluster Coach, and an Arts Integration Coach in Arizona Public Schools. Arts-Integrated teaching is Cheryl’s true passion — she is committed to sharing how the arts support meaningful learning through engaging students intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically. Cheryl writes Arts-Integrated curriculum and creates Arts-Integration professional development programs for Embody Learning, an Arts-Integration group based in Arizona. Cheryl was recently awarded an ASCD Teacher Impact Grant to develop a high-impact Professional Development model for coaching educators to use Arts-Integrated teaching strategies. Cheryl Mertz holds a BS in education from Black Hills State University and a Master’s in Education from Northern Arizona University.

NMART is a Partners in Education Partnership Team of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. NMArt Workshops are sponsored by the School Districts in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Los Lunas with additional funding from the Santa Fe Opera. For more information, contact Charles Gamble, Director of Community Engagement at the Santa Fe Opera, at cgamble@santafeopera.org.