Through a partnership with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education Program and our affiliation with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts, The Tobin Center provides training for classroom teachers in arts integration.
CPE TEA Provider # 902-752
Click here to join our Generation NEXT email list for Professional Development opportunities through the Tobin Center.
Every participant will take home a goodie bag of ways to BRING THE MUSIC to their classroom!
Latin Grammy-winning duo 123 Andrés shows teachers how music and movement can transform early learning. In this joyful session, educators experience first-hand how rhythm, bilingual traditions, and playful activities can build community, spark curiosity, and deepen literacy skills. In this session, Christina and Andrés from 123 Andrés lead educators through games and movements that will wake us up, calm us down, and to engage with texts – whether it's to "show what we know" after reading informational texts, or explore character and setting in stories. 123 Andrés offer ideas for incorporating arts and music into your teaching and participants will leave with easy-to-use strategies to energize or calm a classroom, strengthen connections between music and text, and bring joy to everyday lessons.
This workshop is designed for teachers of PK–3rd grade, offering arts-integrated tools that align with reading, writing, math, history, social studies, music, theatre, and physical education TEKS. By attending, teachers will:
• Explore how music and rhythm support language and literacy development.
• Learn how movement strategies connect with comprehension and focus.
• Discover how storytelling through song fosters cultural understanding and inclusion.
• Leave with ready-to-use strategies that energize learning and help their students thrive—academically, socially, and emotionally—through the arts.
Music makes learning stick—and brings joy into every classroom.
TEKS Connections
Subject | Grade Bands | TEKS Codes |
| ELAR | PK–3 | 110.2–110.5 |
| Theatre | PK–3 | 117.103–117.111 |
| History & Social Studies | PK–3 | 113.11–113.14 |
| Mathematics | PK–3 | 111.2–111.5 |
| Music | PK–3 | 117.102–117.107 |
| Physical Education | PK–3 | 116.2–116.5 |
| Health | PK–3 | 115.2–115.4 |
One lucky participant from the photography workshop will take home a Polaroid camera and film!
One lucky participant from the reading workshop will take home a magnifying presentation pointer/remote!
(K-8)
Every young writer has a compelling story to tell. Using tools already in your classroom, this workshop helps students find their voice and organize their thoughts through a visual and kinesthetic process that supports writing expectations across many areas of the curriculum. Learn how students can create storyboards and conduct photo shoots that naturally lead to peer conferences with constructive feedback. When it comes time for drafting, students will have developed clear ideas, organized details, and a strong sense of audience—skills directly connected to writing, reading, and oral language. Bring your devices and experience how this collaborative practice engages and supports learners at all levels.
This workshop equips teachers with practical, creative strategies that strengthen core instruction. By attending, teachers will:
Storytelling becomes a shared adventure—and every student has a story to tell.
TEKS Connections (Grades K–8)
Subject | Grade Bands | TEKS Codes |
| ELAR | K–8 | 110.11–110.24 |
| Theatre | K–8 | 117.111–117.118 |
| Technology Applications | K–8 | 126.14–126.20 |
| Social Studies | K–8 | 113.11–113.20 |
| Social Skills | K–8 | 113.11–113.48 |
| Visual Arts | K–8 | 117.102–117.114 |
| Health | 2–5 | 115.4–115.7 |
| Health | 6–8 | 115.22–115.24 |
Boost student engagement and performance by integrating visual art and drama into reading and writing instruction! This interactive workshop equips teachers with creative strategies to help students analyze paired reading passages and develop stronger written responses. Participants will explore practical, standards-aligned activities that make test preparation more meaningful and enjoyable while fostering critical thinking and expression.
This workshop empowers teachers with arts-based strategies to transform test prep into meaningful learning. By attending, teachers will:
Arts integration doesn’t just prepare students for the test—it prepares them to think, create, and communicate for life.
TEKS Connections (Grades 3–8 & High School)
Subject | Grade Bands | TEKS Codes |
| ELAR | 3–8 | 110.21–110.28 |
| ELAR | HS | 110.31–110.39 |
| Theatre | 3–8 | 117.111–117.118 |
| Theatre | HS | 117.312–117.315 |
| Visual Arts | 3–8 | 117.111–117.118 |
| Visual Arts | HS | 117.302–117.305 |
| Social Studies / History | 3–12 | 113.14–113.48 |
| Health | 2–5 | 115.4–115.7 |
| Health | HS | 115.22–115.24 |
One lucky participant from each of Maria’s workshops will take home a magnifying presentation pointer/remote!
Experience the transformative power of sneak previews and ignite a passion for reading in your language arts classroom! Join Brazilian Theater Specialist Maria Schaedler-Luera in this immersive residency tailored for grades 2-8 teachers. Discover the art of narration and pantomime, as you learn to bring stories to life, creating an immersive experience that will leave your audience yearning for more. By unleashing your students’ creativity, fostering critical thinking, and cultivating a deep love for literature, you can revolutionize your language arts instruction. Join us for this dynamic professional development experience and embark on a journey of enchantment with the captivating world of sneak previews.
This professional learning experience equips teachers with ready-to-use drama strategies that make literacy instruction engaging, joyful, and standards-aligned. By attending, teachers will:
Sneak Previews invite learners to step into stories, and when students own stories, students own their learning.
TEKS Connections (Grades 2–8)
Subject | Grade Bands | TEKS Codes |
| ELAR | 2–8 | 110.12–110.24 |
| Theatre | 2–8 | 117.104–117.118 |
| Social Studies | 2–8 | 113.13–113.20 |
| Health | 2–5 | 115.2–115.7 |
| Health | 6–8 | 115.22–115.24 |
Dive into the exciting world of improvisation and discover how it can revolutionize math education in your classroom. Join drama specialist and improv queen Maria Tereza Schaedler-Luera for a playful workshop designed for K-5 teachers. Discover a collection of interactive game-like learning structures that make math concepts come alive. From engaging activities that reinforce number sense, ordering, and mental math skills to creative explorations of geometry and measurement concepts, these dynamic games will transform your math lessons into exciting and interactive experiences. Enhance students’ critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and overall mathematical proficiency as you infuse your classroom with joy, collaboration, and a love for math!
This workshop equips teachers with innovative, standards-aligned improv strategies that make math more engaging, joyful, and meaningful. By attending, teachers will:
Math becomes more than numbers—it becomes movement, connection, and discovery.
TEKS Connections (K–5)
Subject | Grade Bands | TEKS Codes |
| Mathematics | K–5 | 111.2–111.7 |
| Theatre | K–5 | 117.102–117.112 |
| ELAR | K–5 | 110.2–110.7 |
| Social Studies | K–5 | 113.11–113.16 (Citizenship, cooperation, civic responsibility) |
| Health | K–5 | 115.2–115.7 (Self-control, respect, cooperation, empathy, decision-making) |
Through the generosity of our donors, Generation NEXT will offer a full day of professional learning at no charge to teachers! These inspiring workshops pair a curricular subject area with an art form, providing STEAM strategies that can be used immediately.
SAVE THE DATE: JUNE 15TH!
All workshops are available August 5, 2025 and close June 30, 2026
(PK—12)
This session unpacks the definition of arts integration and explores the characteristics of quality integration that align with best practices in education. What does quality look like in practice? Join the co-author of the Kennedy Center’s internationally adopted definition for an informative, practical, and inspiring workshop that helps teachers and administrators deepen their understanding of how to weave the arts into core instruction with purpose and impact.
Teachers and leaders who attend will:
Arts integration is more than adding an art project—it’s a way to transform learning so that students see, feel, and experience knowledge in powerful new ways.
TEKS Connections (PK–12)
English Language Arts & Reading (110.2–110.39)
Social Studies (113.11–113.48)
Science (112.11–112.39)
Mathematics (111.2–111.47)
Theatre (117.102–117.318)
Visual Arts (117.102–117.318)
Music (117.102–117.327)
Dance (117.102–117.329)
Health (115.xx)
Crossover TEKS Highlights
(PK-12)
This step-by-step approach integrates engaging aspects of drama with effective elements of classroom management to empower students to take ownership of their own behavior. Used in classrooms across the country, these strategies help students develop the behavioral literacy needed to concentrate, cooperate, collaborate, and establish a sense of calm, focus, and balance in the classroom. Teachers will learn drama-based tools that support responsibility, focus, and positive participation.
Teachers who attend will:
Drama isn’t just performance—it’s a powerful tool for building the calm, focused classrooms where students thrive.
TEKS Connections (K–12)
English Language Arts & Reading (110.2–110.39)
Theatre (117.102–117.318)
Social Studies (113.11–113.48)
Health Education (115.2–115.24)
Physical Education (116.2–116.52)
Health (115.xx)
Crossover TEKS Highlights
The process of writing stories can be challenging for young authors. In this workshop, teachers will explore how students can use scissors, glue, and construction paper to create artwork that bridges the gap between unformed ideas and unique, descriptive stories. By working with elements of art—shape, color, and space—students make concrete connections to story components like character, setting, events, main idea, and details. Participants will leave with workable, accessible tools to help students generate ideas, think divergently, and write creatively.
This session gives teachers practical, arts-integrated tools to make writing accessible, joyful, and inspiring for all students. By attending, teachers will:
Art unlocks storytelling—and helps every child see themselves as an author.
TEKS Connections (Grades K–6)
English Language Arts & Reading (110.2–110.16)
Visual Arts (117.102–117.111)
Social Studies (113.11–113.16)
Health (115.xx)
Crossover TEKS Highlights
(PK-12)
Our emotional states shift throughout the day, often in response to stress, transitions, or social dynamics. This workshop offers a step-by-step process that uses movement and breath to support self-regulation, body awareness, and expressive release. Participants will learn how to use creative movement and mindful breathing to help both students and teachers manage emotions in healthy, constructive ways—building habits that support attention, calm, and focus.
Teachers who attend will:
Movement becomes more than exercise -- it becomes a pathway to balance, resilience, and clarity for both students and teachers.
TEKS Connections (PK–12)
Health Education (115.2–115.24)
English Language Arts & Reading (110.2–110.39)
Social Studies (113.11–113.48)
Dance (117.102–117.329)
Health (115.xx))
Crossover TEKS Highlights
Combining his training as a pilot and choreographer, Harlan Brownlee leads you through an interactive exploration of weather that you can bring back to your classroom. Learn strategies that connect motions of the body and elements of movement to the structure of the earth’s atmosphere and to cloud formations that create wind and weather conditions. This workshop helps students embody science concepts while building collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Wear comfortable clothes for movement!
This workshop gives teachers creative, TEKS-aligned tools to make weather concepts tangible and exciting. By attending, teachers will:
Weather is all around us—this workshop helps students see it, feel it, and understand it through the power of movement.
TEKS Connections (Grades 3–6)
Science (112.11–112.20)
English Language Arts & Reading (110.2–110.22)
Dance (117.102–117.116)
Health (115.xx)
Crossover TEKS Highlights
