Arts Explorer
While our in-person and field trip programs are on hold, the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s education programming has gone digital! Arts Explorer Streams contains performances, interviews, lesson plans, activity ideas, and more! All of the Arts Explorer content was created with students in mind.
More content will be added throughout Spring 2021, so check back soon!
Arts Explorer Streams is available for free to all public, private, and home educators thanks to our generous donors. To make a donation to support the Arts Explorer Streams, visit our donation page and designate your gift to Education.
You must be an educator to see this content.
Mozart's Sechs Tänze
Chords and Choreography
Lessons, Documents & Bonus Content
Lesson Ideas
After watching the performance, learn more about the composer, choreographer, and humor in art. These activities were created with Ohio Learning Standards in art, music, dance, and ELA for Grades 6-12 in mind.
Prokofiev's Cinderella
Chords and Choreography
In Chords and Choreography, Dayton Ballet shows how works by notable composers can be interpreted through dance.
This section of Dayton Ballet’s Cinderella, choreographed by Karen Russo Burke, shows the opening of Act 2. Everyone at the ball is excited to meet the Prince…including the two ugly step sisters. Watch as Dayton Ballet pairs joyful dancing with Prokofiev’s jubilant music.
Lessons, Documents & Bonus Content
Lesson Ideas
Read more about Prokofiev and test your knowledge with a word search. This activity guide also includes discussion topics for after watching the performance. These activities were created with Ohio Learning Standards in music, dance, and ELA for Grades 3-8 in mind.
Prokofiev Word Search
Read a short biography about the composer Sergei Prokofiev, answer questions, and then use those answers to complete a word search. Answer key included!
Fairytales in Motion
Join Little Red Riding Hood as she explores favorite fairytales through the medium of dance! Dancers from Dayton Ballet II Senior Company help Little Red Riding Hood learn lessons of inclusion and acceptance with characters from some of the most beloved stories of all time. Even the Big Bad Wolf makes an appearance! Celebrate friendship and teamwork with DBII, with some of Dayton’s most scenic locations as a backdrop. This performance is perfect for students Ages 3 and up!
Lessons, Documents & Bonus Content
Behind the Scenes
Dayton Ballet II dancers describe their favorite moments of “Fairytales in Motion.”
Write Your Own Fairytale
After watching Dayton Ballet II’s fairytale, write your own! This worksheet can be used for individual students, small groups, or a whole class. It was created with Ohio Learning Standards for elementary ELA in mind.
Shapes, Steps, and Stories
Lessons, Documents & Bonus Content
Activity Ideas
Take a shape scavenger hunt, try out ballet pantomime. You can even do a ballet-inspired science experiment and test your ballet math skills! These activities were created with Ohio Learning Standards in dance, theatre, science, math, and ELA in mind. These could be modified for a wide range of ages.
A Cinderella Trilogy
A Cinderella Trilogy tells the beloved Cinderella story through three diverse musical settings, explaining aspects of opera along the way! Four singers from the Dayton Opera’s Artists-in-Residence program perform this charming retelling, created by Carol Anderson (Utah Opera, The Santa Fe Opera) and Kathleen Clawson (Dayton Opera, The Santa Fe Opera). A Cinderella Trilogy is presented in partnership with Muse Machine.
Lessons, Documents & Bonus Content
Extension Activities
These extension activities provide additional background information so students can learn more about opera and dig deeper into the three musical settings presented in A Cinderella Trilogy. These activities were created with Ohio Learning Standards in music and ELA for Grades 6-12 in mind.
Who is the Brass Family?
Adventures in Sound
Lessons, Documents & Bonus Content
Lesson Ideas
Learn more about the brass family by making your own instrument! Compare the instruments by mathematically modeling their tubing lengths, and you can even write a poem inspired by the music you heard. These activities were created with Ohio Learning Standards in music, science, math, ELA, and history for Grades 3-8 in mind.
Where in the World?
Adventures in Sound
Lessons, Documents & Bonus Content
Lesson Ideas
Make your own reed instrument, flute, and horn to explore how the different instruments of the Woodwind Quintet work! Plan your own trip around the world and practice your map-making skills. Then, write a poem inspired by the music you heard! They were created with Ohio Learning Standards for Grades 3-8 in mind.
Thank you to our supporters!
Presenting Partner
Ray and Sue Merz
Leadership Partners
Joel and Mindy Siefert
Rob and Carleen Suttman
Associate Partner
Charles E. Huffman Fund
Walt and Marcia Wood
Supporting Partners
Suzi and Jeff Mikutis
Contributing Partners
The Miami County Foundation
Thomas P. and Sharon D. Gratto
Louise Sheets Fund of the Community Foundation of Shelby County
Additional Major Support
Help and Feedback
For help accessing the Arts Explorer Streams, please contact Ruth Reveal, Director of Education.
We’d love to hear your feedback on Arts Explorer Streams! We share this valuable data with our funders to we can continue to provide these programs to schools and homeschools. Fill out our survey here.