Arts integrated into daily teaching with help of consultant at Cedar Rapids’ Johnson STEAM Academy

CEDAR RAPIDS — Johnson STEAM Academy arts integration coordinator Christina Farrell is guiding educators at the elementary school in infusing art into their lessons daily.

Farrell is a part-time consultant with the magnet school that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. One of her tasks is design and deliver a social emotional learning curriculum that incorporates drama, music, dance and other art forms.

“Learning the arts is fundamental to a well-rounded education,” Farrell said. “It’s not an extra … it’s as critical to education as math or any other core subject. And music — there’s so much evidence to show how it supports brain function. Rhythm and steady beat regulates our heartbeat, singing with a group of people creates a sense of well-being. It’s a critical human experience.”

Johnson Principal Jennykaye Hampton said the addition of Farrell has been “transformational” for students and staff.

“Because of Christina’s presence, students experience learning that is more hands-on, inquiry-based, and expressive. They might explore math through movement, science through sculpture, or literacy through drama and storytelling. She also coordinates school-wide arts experiences — from visiting artists and museum partnerships to grade-level performances and integrated showcases — that bring learning to life. These opportunities help students see themselves as creators and problem solvers, not just consumers of information,” Hampton said.

Farrell, who graduated from Jefferson High School in 1993, has firsthand experience of how strong arts and performing arts programs in K-12 schools can be “life-changing,” she said.

“The experience I had in the public schools (in Cedar Rapids) was so extraordinary, and I really appreciated that once I left and went to Carnegie Mellon University In Pittsburgh — an elite university for music — and recognized my public school experience far exceeded what some of my peers had received,” she said.

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That’s why Farrell wants to continue to foster the arts at Johnson STEAM Academy, which has an enrollment of about 400 students in K-5th grade.

One of the ways Farrell incorporates art into every day lessons is through tableau or by students demonstrating a concept through a “living picture.”

A second grade teacher used tableau in her poetry lesson by having students create a static, silent scene representing the poem they studied. A history teacher last year had students create tableaux during their study of the War of 1812.

“Those strategies really move kids into a place of critical thinking, problem solving, asking good questions and collaborating with each other,” Farrell said. “It can be a powerful tool for learning.”

This is Farrell’s third school year as a consultant for Johnson STEAM Academy. Her contract for the 2025-26 school year — approved by the Cedar Rapids school board in August — specifies she is to provide 45 hours a month of on-site professional development and consultation supporting arts integration into the school.

Farrell is being paid $52,000 for the 2025-26 school year. Her position is funded through a 2022 grant the Cedar Rapids district received from the U.S. Department of Education’s Magnet Schools Assistance Program.

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The magnet school grant was almost $15 million to be distributed to the district over five years and also is supporting the enhancement of magnet programming at Cedar River Academy, Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, McKinley STEAM Academy and City View Community High School.

The district received a second almost $15 million grant from the Magnet Schools Assistance Program last year.

Johnson has a long-standing tradition of providing art-infused instruction, including music lessons and after-school enrichment in the arts. When the school transitioned to a magnet school a decade ago in 2015, the arts remained a focus.

Magnet schools offer theme-based learning — such as science, technology, engineering, arts and math; or leadership and entrepreneurship, for instance. Each year, families can choose a magnet school for their child through the lottery process.

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Farrell is a master teaching artist and arts integration specialist who provides arts integration professional learning, educator mentoring and teaching artist training. In addition to consulting at Johnson, she works as a teaching artist for other schools and organizations across the country, often traveling for work.

Her home base, though, is Cedar Rapids.

“I feel like my job is to gather all these wonderful things people are doing across the country and bring them back here to Iowa,” Farrell said.

Farrell also invites local artists to Johnson STEAM Academy to talk to the students and give them insight into different professions, she said. The students have learned from a comic book artist, hip-hop and jazz musicians, theater performer, puppeteer and spoken word poet in the last couple years.

The school still has dedicated music and art teachers, Farrell said. “Those are critical. Sometimes, people ask if arts integration replaces those classes. Absolutely not,” she said.

Arts integration “is not about being an artist necessarily but how to think like an artist, how to look at things with curiosity, with an understanding that there might be multiple perspectives on how something is perceived or can be expressed, understanding some questions don’t have just one answer and how we deal with things that are unclear or uncomfortable or messy,” Farrell said.

No matter what professional career the students pursue, “that type of thinking is beneficial,” Farrell said.

Farrell said studies show students at schools with arts integration have fewer tardies, absences and office referrals.

“We are working toward that at Johnson,” she said. “It takes a long-term commitment to get those results, but that’s what we’re aiming for.”

“When students are actively creating and collaborating, off-task behaviors naturally decrease. We’ve seen fewer office referrals tied to classroom frustration or disengagement, and students are showing greater persistence and pride in their work. While we still have goals around attendance and tardiness, arts integration has helped strengthen students’ sense of belonging and motivation to be here each day,” Hampton said.

Teachers at schools with arts integration have stronger job satisfaction, Farrell said.

“They get to be more creative and play in meaningful and intentional ways. When we feel empowered to be creative, we feel more fulfilled, we feel more seen,” she said.

The teachers at Johnson are “enthusiastic and willing to try new things,” Farrell said. They are beginning to incorporate little things like singing songs when walking with students through the hallways to get their attention and keep them on task.

“We’ve seen renewed excitement among teachers who feel empowered to innovate and connect learning to student interests and strengths,” Hampton said. “For staff, Christina has provided the structure, support and inspiration to take risks, try new strategies, and rediscover joy in teaching.”

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Older students in the building are showing leadership by trying new things that might feel a little “risky,” like dancing and performing in front of their peers, Farrell said.

The younger students “light up with joy,” when they see Farrell and recognize her as the “lady who does the songs,” she said.

“If we’re singing, we’re happy. Kids have a sense that every day starts with a joyful experience at Johnson STEAM Academy, and I think that has a huge impact,” she said.

Farrell said she has observed how in “many” school districts, there was never a fine arts program or those programs over time weaken.

“There are many ways for the arts to die,” she said. “We have the good luck (in Cedar Rapids) of having had momentum — years and years of support for this — and we have to keep advocating for it,” Farrell said.

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