Arizona State Seal of Arts Proficiency
The Fine Arts Seal is awarded to graduating high school students who complete an Arizona Fine Arts Pathway and engage in additional fine arts or career and technical education courses; fine arts-related extracurricular activities and community service, and the presentation of a Fine Arts Capstone Project.
Mesa Public Schools is proud of your commitment to the arts and is excited to provide this opportunity to acknowledge your hard work as an artist.
Requirements for the MUSD Fine Arts Diploma Seal
An Electronic Portfolio to include the following:
1) Qualifying arts/career and technical education (CTE) courses with a final GPA of 3.0 or 4.0 in each. (Minimum credit requirements can be achieved in ONE of the following ways):
a. A minimum of 4 credits in ONE artistic discipline: (dance, music, theatre, visual arts, or media arts)
-OR-
b. 3 credits in one artistic discipline; and 1 credit in a qualifying creative industries CTE credit or separate discipline.
-OR-
c. 2 credits in one artistic discipline, and 2 credits in a qualifying creative industries CTE course or separate artistic discipline.
2) 80 hours of qualifying Extra-Curricular and Community Service Activities
Qualifying Extra-Curricular and Community Service Activities in Music, Theatre, Dance, and Visual Arts are defined as: Any arts participation above and beyond the regularly scheduled school day for which the student is NOT receiving course credit.
Please make sure that all activities/community service events are approved by your fine arts supervisor (teacher). You will need to submit an Extra-Curricular/Community Service Validation form with the appropriate signatures within the required electronic portfolio.
Examples of qualifying Extra-Curricular and Community Service Activities. (This list is not exclusive or exhaustive)
Music
Marching Band extra rehearsals ● Ensemble Practices & Performances ● Master Classes ● Community Band/Orchestra/Choir Group ● Participation in the Orchestra Pit of a Musical ● Band Council
Visual Art
Studio Hours ● Community Classes ● Workshops ● Public Art Creation ● Internships or Apprenticeships ● Art Clubs
Theatre
Community Theatre ● One Act Competition ● Speech & Debate ● Improvisation Performances ● Costume/Prop/Scene Shop Hours ● Drama Club ● Arizona Thespian Leadership
Media Arts
Internship at a local TV station ● Video Production lab hours ● Summer Classes or Camps ● Participation in an Animation Festival ● Designing Media for a School Production ● Student short film festival
Dance
Community Dance Classes ● Master Classes ● Festival Performances ● Step Team ● Choreographing Performances ● Studio Training (off campus) ● Student Teaching (if not paid) ● Dance Honor Society
3) A student capstone project - a multifaceted assignment that serves as a culminating academic and intellectual experience for students. Most capstone projects are long-term investigative projects that culminate in a final product, presentation, or performance. Evidence of a qualifying capstone project will be a required element of the student’s electronic portfolio.
Example Capstone Projects
Listed are some examples of the types of student projects that could qualify as a student capstone project. This list is not exhaustive or exclusive and it is important that the project be meaningful and relevant to each individual student while meeting the rigorous standards of each LEA to demonstrate a culmination of a student’s artistic learning. Note: Students may choose to work individually or as a group on one project. Students may choose to focus on one artistic discipline or work inter-disciplinarily.
Visual Arts
- Student curated art exhibition in a gallery or coffee shop
- Research into the historical context of a specific visual art medium culminating in a portfolio of original work
- Public Art Project (Mural, Mosaic, Installation, etc.)
- Creating original visual art lesson plans and teaching an art class at a community space or classroom
- Self-publishing a book of photography & poetry
Music
- Composing, annotating, and performing an original song
- Writing a research paper about a composer & creating a recorded portfolio of pieces of their music
- Producing a local music event in the community
- Creating an original underscore for a film or performance inspired by themes of the work
- Researching acoustics of spaces and experimenting recording sound in different places
Theatre
- Writing and performing an original monologue or one act
- Designing costumes, lighting, or set for a school or community production
- Designing a workshop meant to engage people in dialogue through theatre techniques
- Devising an original show with an ensemble
- Directing a student one act production or producing an event
Dance
- Choreographing a number for a musical or stage production
- Researching a form of dance and presenting a community lecture
- Creating a methodology for annotating movement
- Creating an original dance film
- Studying a choreographer and creating a video catalogue of signature movements
Media Arts
- Creating a social media campaign that responds to a social issue
- Producing and premiering an original film
- Animating a short cartoon
- Researching film or media publication and writing an opinion piece about media
- Representation in that medium in a blog or other publication
- Designing digital media for a theatre production, performance, or installation
4) Electronic Portfolio Assessment – Each student’s electronic portfolio will use a rubric for final evaluation.
Timeline and Due Dates
On or before April 1st – Electronic Portfolio must be submitted to your supervising Fine Arts Instructor.
On or before April 15th - Student will be notified if they have met all the requirements and a list of names will be submitted to the Arizona Department of Education.
Prior to graduation schools will receive seals to affix to the student’s diploma.
Reminder: Deadlines are not flexible and must be followed to allow time for portfolios to be assessed and seals to be distributed.
Willaim Patrick Walsh Scott Burgener Lydia Phelps
Director, Arts Education Music Ed Specialist Visual Arts Specialist
wpwalsh@mpsaz.org smburgener@mpsaz.org ljphelps@mpsaz.org
Theatre and Dance Music Visual Arts