With its world-class musical, theater, and dance performances, the University Musical Society (UMS) is often touted among faculty as a signal benefit of living in Ann Arbor. But did you know that UMS can also be a rich resource for your teaching? Thanks in large part to a three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, UMS has been devoting significant resources toward the goal of infusing performing arts into the curriculum across campus. Their initiatives to support U-M teachers in connecting their courses to particular performances include:

• The guide "Arts in Context: UMS in the Classroom" (this season's is available here in pdf) provides detailed guidance about each performance, including a list of disciplines with which it might intersect, some key topics or themes, resources for exploring and contextualizing the performance, and even reflection questions to guide student responses. The guide also highlights some themes that are shared across several performances, helping faculty think about clusters of events that might be incorporated into their syllabus.
• Campus Engagement Specialist Shannon Fitzsimons is available to meet with faculty individually to design ways to incorporate one or more UMS performances into their courses. You can contact her at skfitz@umich.edu or 734-764-3903.
• UMS's student ticket programs reduce the cost to students to attend performances; group discounts are available as well. 
• The Arts at Michigan program provides $500 grants to support arts-related learning activities in courses across the curriculum. Funds can be used to buy student tickets to UMS performances integrated into a course. 
• The Faculty Institute on Arts Academic Integration provides more extensive training and resources for faculty fellows who seek to incorporate performance and arts-based learning into their teaching.

Whatever new assignment or experience you're considering for your courses, it's always helpful to plan carefully around your specific learning goals for your students. These resources on course design and planning can complement the guidance offered by UMS for integrating performance into your courses.

U-M faculty have already found myriad ways to take advantage of the rich resource UMS provides our campus community. Whether you teach courses focused on technology, gender, disability, history, world cultures, psychology, math, philosophy, or organizational studies, UMS has thought of ways their performances can help enhance your students' learning experiences. And they are ready to work with you to create those connections.