Dayton native takes over Muse Machine arts organization
When schools are looking to tighten budgets, the arts are often at highest risk of elimination. Other schools, often in remote or rural areas, lack access to qualified instructors or enrichment programming for their students. Fortunately for these 76,800 pupils and their teachers in central and southwestern Ohio and Kentucky, Muse Machine brings the arts to their doors.
Since 1982, the nonprofit organization has been enhancing students’ arts and cultural experiences through in-school performances, elementary residencies, student-cast productions and professional development opportunities for educators.
In July, Ruth Reveal succeeded Mary Campbell Zopf as executive director of Muse Machine. Formerly the director of education and then chief learning officer of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, Reveal says stepping into this role was a natural synthesis of her professional training and past experiences. “We know that the arts play an important role in brain development of children,” she says. “Music, dance, drawing—there’s a reason that children experience such unabashed joy when they participate in these things.”
Act I – Setting the Stage
The Oakwood graduate credits her personal experiences with Muse Machine as one of the reasons she decided to pursue the role of executive director. “While I was in high school, I participated in the Muse Machine musicals and I was really transformed by that experience,” she says.
In college, Reveal double majored in neuroscience and music, but it wasn’t until her senior year that she combined those studies in a critical way. “I took a course at Emory in music cognition and started reading everything I could get my hands on about the impact of music on the brain,” she says. “I earned a master’s degree in Music, Mind and Brain from Goldsmiths College at the University of London, but ultimately decided I didn’t want to have a lab-based career. The more I learned about the impact of music on brain development, the more convinced I was of how essential arts education is.”
Reveal’s career path led her around the globe—Atlanta, Prince Edward Island, London and Chicago—but she says she always intended to return to Dayton. “Dayton is such a special place, full of innovation and really resilient people,” she says. “I was drawn back to Dayton to be closer to family, and I feel so grateful that I’ve gotten to contribute back to the arts organizations that had such a profound influence on my life.”
Act II – Music of the Mind
In her role with Muse Machine, Reveal will oversee programming for 114 schools and organizations with 600 teachers. These students likely would not have access to arts education outside of the classroom. About 64% of Muse-affiliated pre-K and elementary schools, as well as 45% of middle and high schools, are Title 1, which means they receive federal aid for being at-risk and/or living in poverty. At least 40% of students in these schools receive free or reduced-price lunch.
Muse Machine fills an important role for children in these schools. “Studies have shown that training in the arts leads to changes in the neural pathways formed in children’s brains,” Reveal says. “Brains may even develop faster, especially in the areas related to language and reading. And apart from the neurological benefits, there’s the ‘joy factor’ that the arts bring to education. The arts can help students remember new material and provide multiple points of access for students.”
Programming starts in preschool and elementary school through arts-integrated teaching residencies. Teaching artists partner with classroom instructors to create curriculum-based art with their students. In middle and high schools, students join Muse Machine as a club, and they gain access to in-school assemblies and discounted tickets to performances through partnerships with iconic arts organizations like the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dayton Opera and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. More than 100 young performers audition for roles and perform in musicals during the winter months—this year’s production is The Little Mermaid, which will take the stage in January 2023.
Perhaps most importantly, Muse Machine provides free professional development to educators throughout the year, during a weeklong summer institute led by world-class teaching artists, and in a six-day capstone trip to New York City, called the “Advanced Teacher Training Seminar.”
“Every person learns so differently; the arts can be a resource for teachers as they aim to engage every type of learner,” Reveal says. “We know in our hearts that kids should have access to arts education, and we also have the data to back it up. Muse Machine has had 40 incredible years of transforming lives through the arts. I’m excited to add my knowledge and experiences to Muse’s legacy.”
Act III – Plotting the Future
Reveal spent her initial time in her position orienting herself to the organization and being a sounding board for staff and volunteers.
“Getting to know the folks who love and support Muse Machine has been a highlight of these first few months on the job. From retired Muse Machine teachers to Muse musical alumni to former board members, I’ve been on a whirlwind tour of meetings,” she says. “I think it’s so important to build institutional knowledge when you’re entering a new organization. Muse has built an incredibly dedicated community of donors, volunteers, educators and young people. I’m so energized by the stories of how Muse has impacted peoples’ lives.”
Currently, Reveal and the Muse Machine team is developing a training program for artists to help them create curriculum with instructors. This type of background isn’t necessarily part of an artist’s professional experience, but it’s important for Muse’s residency program.
They plan to unveil the program in the spring. Reveal says she hopes it will become a staple offering from Muse. “We’ve seen a need for artists who are trained to work with teachers to integrate the arts into classrooms, so development of that training is in progress,” she says.
The Board of Trustees is also writing a new strategic plan, which will influence Muse’s programming over the next three to five years. “Muse has such a clear mission to transform young lives through the arts, and I’m excited to see how that mission informs our next steps together,” Reveal says.
The heart of Muse Machine programming will continue to be fostering appreciation and love for the arts. This principle has guided Reveal through her career and she says it will be a driving factor in how she leads the organization.
“The opportunity to lead Muse Machine felt like such a surreal and full-circle chance, which I knew I had to pursue,” she says. “The impact that Muse had on my life as a teenager is unrivaled. It feels like coming home.”
