Professional Development Teaching Artists

Melanie Rick (Focus 5, Inc.) is a National Board Certified Teacher, a certified Reading Specialist, and an arts integration consultant. Melanie designs and leads workshops, in-depth courses, and summer institutes focused on arts integration, specifically addressing how to integrate visual art and poetry throughout the K-8 curriculum. 

She works in museums, schools, and arts centers across the country and is a course leader and coach for the Kennedy Center's Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) program in Washington, D.C. Melanie has served as a consultant to the CETA, working with teaching artists to develop and evaluate workshops presented at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Melanie was an elementary classroom teacher, middle school special education teacher, and arts integration resource teacher before becoming a national consultant with Focus 5, Inc.