BELIEVE
We
We believe
the Performing and Creative Arts
(including but not limited to music, dance, drama, visual art, and creative writing)
are powerful tools for transforming individuals and communities.
WHY
We
EXIST
We are dedicated to cultivating progress at the intersection of the arts, education, public policy, and social justice.
At its best, arts education is pro-democracy and pro-sustainable leadership. Teachers who are inspired and well-equipped can take lessons about C-major scales, watercolors, or poetry and turn them into life lessons about individual versus collective needs, the non-linear shape of progress, and the importance of critical thinking and historical context.
…and more!
Unfortunately, the critics are sometimes right: at its worst, arts education is “glorified babysitting,” elitist, and/or abusive and harmful.
Multiple variables make up the difference between these two poles. The intertwining ecosystems of education and the arts involve questions of funding, stability and longevity of programs, demographics, political views, licensing requirements, state educational standards, and more.
There is no silver bullet. No single answer, no magic pill, no one-size-fits-all solution.
But we all have a part to play. At Zircon Arts, we choose to focus on supporting teachers, because we believe the student-teacher dynamic is an inflection point where small changes can yield enormous results.
Supporting teachers matters.
VALUES
Our
We celebrate the fact that learning is a lifelong endeavor. We can always discover more to learn, more ways to improve, more perspectives to consider. Curiosity (along with a balance of humility and confidence) in turn fosters creativity - an essential ingredient to solving problems of any size.
Inclusion and Expansion
- We believe students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities deserve access to quality education.
- We believe representation matters.
- We recognize and actively work against the classism, racism, and sexism often associated with the arts.
- We believe instructors across all artistic disciplines and pedagogical levels benefit from cross-pollination of ideas.
Excellence
We believe in both/and:
- Successful artistry and successful teaching can be measured both objectively and subjectively.
- Nurturing environments can both celebrate diversity of expression and hold students to high standards.
- Progress starts where we are and builds towards a noticeably different future.
WHAT
We
DO
“Forza Tutti” podcast - Listen Now!
Weekly episodes featuring conversations with experts in arts education, social justice, neuroscience, child development, and more. Includes the re-release of “The Intentional, Effective Music Teacher” – a 24-episode series recorded in 2020.
Mindful Music Teachers (launching January 2025)
A 12-week program designed to inspire and support music teachers. Featuring practical and philosophical exercises, peer discussions, and workshops with guest speakers.
Expand Your Audience for Teaching Artists (launching February 2025)
A 4-week workshop for teaching artists in any artistic discipline seeking to broaden their reach and develop new partnerships. Featuring step-by-step guidance through entrepreneurial frameworks and support from peers and professionals.
Join our mailing list to be the first to know when episodes launch and enrollment opens.
Your support ensures we can offer these programs for minimal tuition and increase our impact!
FUTURE PROJECTS
Include but are not limited to:
- Community Residencies (projected Fall 2025)
- Data – Gathering, Analysis, and Publication
- Curriculum development
PROJECTED IMPACT
We anticipate reaching over 1,000 teachers in our first twelve months. There is a wide range of teacher-to-student ratios in the arts; some instructors guide small studios of 10 or fewer students, while some public school teachers work with over 500 students per week in multiple classes. As such, we estimate our programs will impact at least 100,000 students in 2025.
FAQs
Not yet.
We're currently set up as an LLC. One of our projects for 2025 is pursuing 501(c)3 status or fiscal sponsorship, which will allow us to receive tax-free donations and apply for grants.
But we’re not letting that stop us from starting our work NOW.
Your sponsorship today is the seed funding that makes everything else possible.
What exactly do you do?
We support arts instructors through programs that address philosophical, pedagogical, and logistical challenges. Initial offerings in the first six months will include a multidisciplinary podcast, a workshop for music teachers, and an entrepreneurial incubator for teaching artists.
We've chosen these as our starting point because three of the biggest issues facing today's arts educators are deficits in training, community support, and information sharing.
We'll take feedback from these pilot programs, viewed through the lens our core values (curiosity, inclusion, expansion, and excellence), and determine our next steps. Possible projects include community residencies (short-term and/or long-term), workshops specific to dance/visual arts/drama/creative writing, data gathering and analysis, legislative efforts, and curriculum development.
Why is this work important?
Numerous studies have shown time and time again that arts education is positively correlated with academic and social success. Students in arts programs consistently demonstrate higher literacy rates, higher graduation rates, higher test scores, lower rates of gang participation, and lower rates of drug and alcohol abuse than average.
There are, of course, myriad reasons for this.
One is that studying and practicing the arts is a whole-brain endeavor. It is analytical and emotional, logical and creative, art and science, all wrapped up together, activating the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Another factor is the amount of physical and mental focus the arts require. In today’s world, where the average attention span is 8.25 seconds, arts education provides a vehicle to practice sustained concentration. And on a practical level, a student who participates in the arts is simply unavailable for “riskier” activities. A student in an after-school arts program isn’t left to their own devices at home or on the streets. Every minute an individual is practicing piano, writing poetry, or painting a canvas is a minute they aren’t playing video games or scrolling social media.
Beyond the academic and social impacts of arts education, the arts are important because they are a fundamental component of the human experience. Our capacity and desire to create and enjoy art in its many forms is one thing that sets us apart from all other animals. As our world becomes increasingly powered by technology, it is imperative that we double down on that which only humans can do.
Are there any perks to donating?
Yes! So glad you asked.
All supporters of our $100k seed campaign will be publicly acknowledged as founding donors.
In addition, donors will receive:
Up to $200
Personalized thank-you gift
Up to $1,000
Virtual mini-concert or mini-workshop (15 minutes)
Up to $2,500
Virtual short-form concert or workshop (45 minutes)
Up to $5,000
House concert - in person, anywhere in the contiguous United States (75 minutes)
(surcharge for international events)
Up to $10,000
3-day residency
Up to $25,000
One-week residency
Any of these sponsorship benefits can be enjoyed by you or gifted to another individual or organization.
Workshops, Concerts, and Residencies provide a window into what we offer to teachers and students through our signature programs.
We will work directly with you to curate concerts and workshops to meet your individual needs.
House concerts will include guest artists selected by us based on programming requirements.
Residencies can include (but are not limited to) any of the following: house concerts, school assemblies, corporate workshops, ceremonial events, master classes, and more.
Thank you for your support!
If you have any questions regarding sponsorship or would like to build a custom support package, please email Nicole at nicole@zirconarts.com
Are you a 501(c)3?
Not yet.
We're currently set up as an LLC. One of our projects for 2025 is pursuing 501(c)3 status or fiscal sponsorship, which will allow us to receive tax-free donations and apply for grants. But we’re not letting that stop us from starting our work NOW.
Your sponsorship today is the seed funding that makes everything else possible.
What exactly do you do?
We support arts instructors through programs that address philosophical, pedagogical, and logistical challenges. Initial offerings in the first six months will include a multidisciplinary podcast, a workshop for music teachers, and an entrepreneurial incubator for teaching artists.
We've chosen these as our starting point because three of the biggest issues facing today's arts educators are deficits in training, community support, and information sharing.
We'll take feedback from these pilot programs, viewed through the lens of our core values (curiosity, inclusion, expansion, and excellence), and determine our next steps. Possible projects include community residencies (short-term and/or long-term), workshops specific to dance/visual arts/drama/creative writing, data gathering and analysis, legislative efforts, and curriculum development.
Why is this work important?
Numerous studies have shown time and time again that arts education is positively correlated with academic and social success. Students in arts programs consistently demonstrate higher literacy rates, higher graduation rates, higher test scores, lower rates of gang participation, and lower rates of drug and alcohol abuse than average.
There are, of course, myriad reasons for this.
One is that studying and practicing the arts is a whole-brain endeavor. It is analytical and emotional, logical and creative, art and science, all wrapped up together, activating the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Another factor is the amount of physical and mental focus the arts require. In today’s world, where the average attention span is 8.25 seconds, arts education provides a vehicle to practice sustained concentration. And on a practical level, a student who participates in the arts is simply unavailable for “riskier” activities. A student in an after-school arts program isn’t left to their own devices at home or on the streets. Every minute an individual is practicing piano, writing poetry, or painting a canvas is a minute they aren’t playing video games or scrolling social media.
Beyond the academic and social impacts of arts education, the arts are important because they are a fundamental component of the human experience. Our capacity and desire to create and enjoy art in its many forms is one thing that sets us apart from all other animals. As our world becomes increasingly powered by technology, it is imperative that we double down on that which only humans can do.
Are there any perks to donating?
Yes! So glad you asked.
All supporters of our $100k seed campaign will be publicly acknowledged as founding donors.
In addition, donors will receive:
Up to $200
Personalized thank-you gift
Up to $1,000
Virtual mini-concert or mini-workshop
(15 minutes)
Up to $2,500
Virtual short-form concert or workshop
(45 minutes)
Up to $5,000
House concert - in person, anywhere in the contiguous United States
(75 minutes)
(surcharge for international events)
Up to $10,000
3-day residency
Up to $25,000
One-week residency
Any of these sponsorship benefits can be enjoyed by you or gifted to another individual or organization.
Workshops, Concerts, and Residencies provide a window into what we offer to teachers and students through our signature programs.
We will work directly with you to curate concerts and workshops to meet your individual needs.
House concerts will include guest artists selected by us based on programming requirements.
Residencies can include (but are not limited to) any of the following: house concerts, school assemblies, corporate workshops, ceremonial events, master classes, and more.
Thank you for your support!
If you have any questions regarding sponsorship or would like to build a custom support package, please email Nicole at nicole@zirconarts.com
ARE
We
WHO
Nicole has performed in venues from coast to coast including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Miss America stage. As Miss Minnesota 2006, Nicole developed a guest-artist-in-residence program entitled “Music is Instrumental,” engaging over 20,000 students at 84 schools across the state and country during her year of service. Innovative freelance endeavors have included performances at the Academy Awards Governors Ball and multiple appearances on American Idol.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicole hosted and produced “The Intentional, Effective Music Teacher,” an interview series featuring prominent voices in music education, neuroscience, and mindfulness. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Music and Minor in Journalism from the University of Minnesota and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn School Conservatory of Music. In 2021, Nicole expanded the breadth and depth of her expertise at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, receiving a Master’s degree in Management with a Certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation.
The name Zircon Arts has been deliberately chosen to represent this initiative for several reasons:
- Natural zircon is one of the oldest minerals on earth, dating back over 4 billion years. It symbolizes the enduring importance of the arts as an elemental aspect of our shared human experience.
- As December’s birthstone, blue zircon celebrates both Nicole’s birth month and the launch of our programming.
- The abbreviation “ZA,” formed by the bookends of the Roman alphabet, reflects our commitment to offering a broad spectrum of perspectives and serving a diverse array of constituents.
Zircon Arts is the visionary initiative of musician and educator Nicole Swanson, reflecting her commitment to the transformative power of the arts. Nicole has built a multifaceted career over decades, including roles as Assistant Principal Violist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Symphony San Jose, Teaching Artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Manager of Community Engagement Programs at the Colburn School, and viola faculty at the University of Minnesota.
Nicole has performed in venues from coast to coast including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Disney Concert Hall, and the Miss America stage. As Miss Minnesota 2006, Nicole developed a guest-artist-in-residence program entitled “Music is Instrumental,” engaging over 20,000 students at 84 schools across the state and country during her year of service. Innovative freelance endeavors include performances at the Academy Awards Governors Ball and multiple appearances on American Idol.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nicole hosted and produced “The Intentional, Effective Music Teacher,” an interview series featuring prominent voices in music education, neuroscience, and mindfulness. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Music and Minor in Journalism from the University of Minnesota and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn School Conservatory of Music. In 2021, Nicole expanded the breadth and depth of her expertise at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, receiving a Master’s degree in Management with a Certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation.
- Natural zircon is one of the oldest minerals on earth, dating back over 4 billion years. It symbolizes the enduring importance of the arts as an elemental aspect of our shared human experience.
- As December’s birthstone, blue zircon celebrates both Nicole’s birth month and the launch of our programming.
- The abbreviation “ZA,” formed by the bookends of the Roman alphabet, reflects our commitment to offering a broad spectrum of perspectives and serving a diverse array of constituents.
HOW
YOU CAN
HELP
We need your support in any or all of the following ways:
DONATE
Financial contributions of any amount will allow us to efficiently scale our impact. Your support funds technology, guest speakers, administrative costs, and pursuit of 501(c)3 status. Workshops for teachers and teaching artists are offered at low tuition rates thanks to your support.
Exciting sponsorship benefits are available and outlined in our FAQs.
Donate today via Venmo @zirconarts, via GoFundMe, or use the QR code below. Thank you!!!
NOMINATE
Do you know a music teacher, teaching artist, or community arts organization that could benefit from support? OR do you know someone whose voice deserves to be amplified on our podcast?
Send us an email (or complete the form below) and tell us more!
PARTNER
If this work strikes a chord with you (pun intended) and you’d like to roll up your sleeves and join us in any capacity, send us an email (or complete the form below). We’re a lean operation with big dreams, and we can’t wait to connect with you!
SEND MESSAGE
Message:
Email:
Name:
We are committed to the security and protection of any information you provide. Your name, contact information, and inquiry will not be shared with or sold to any third parties.
COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FORM TO BE ADDED TO OUR EMAIL LIST
AND/OR TO SHARE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR SUGGESTIONS!
We'll be in touch as soon as we can!
