Local advocate continues to champion the arts in Tupelo
Jan. 9—TUPELO — The arts community has long been the heartbeat of Tupelo.
With arts education integrated into public schools and countless outlets for dance, theater and music, Tupelo has made it a priority to make arts experiences tangible for all ages.
Mary Frances Massey is a product of these efforts. A vocalist, dancer, instrumentalist, and arts advocate, Massey attributes her success to the fruitful environment Tupelo offered her as a child and adult.
"We have all of these awesome programs with choir, show choir, wonderful art teachers and theater as well," Massey said.
She also recognized how theater and dance contribute to Tupelo's arts scene, allowing children and adults alike to experience performing arts.
As the current director of North Mississippi Dance Centre, Massey said her job is to continue the tradition of well-rounded dance instruction at the family-run studio, established by her mother in 1988.
"I travel back to Tupelo about two or three times a week to teach dance and also work with Start with the Arts, a project through CREATE Foundation and United Way," she said. "We go to eight area daycares in Lee County and teach dance, music, art, and storytelling."
Start with the Arts is just one of several projects in the Tupelo area that increase arts awareness and offer learning opportunities for children.
Massey recognized the importance of introducing young minds to the arts at an early age. She said failing to do so can negatively affect children, restricting them from exploring their artistic talents and abilities.
Research has consistently shown the positive impact arts education has on school-aged kids, increasing academic achievement in a multitude of subjects, including math and reading.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reinforced that the arts are a "core academic subject." Yet for many schools, a lack of funding can prompt arts subjects and activities to be cut first in order to save money.
However, Massey believes that Tupelo is on the cutting edge of arts education in the classroom and beyond.
The Tupelo Public School District offers unique arts instruction as a part of the curriculum for core subjects. Every school in the district, with the exception of Tupelo High School, has partnered with Mississippi Whole Schools, an initiative of the Mississippi Arts Commission to increase arts learning through academic subjects.
With arts instituted before students even begin kindergarten, children have a higher likelihood of finding success surpassing just academics and athletics. If anything, the arts aid in academic and athletic performance.
Although Tupelo's arts community continues to thrive, Massey recognized that the arts aren't as accessible to some children and families as they are for others. This reality fuels her passion to continue championing for arts exposure in the classroom and outside of it.
In addition to contributing to the Tupelo arts community and advocating for arts education in schools, Massey is part of the musical duo Massey Tate with partner Paul Tate. She is also a teaching artist with the Mississippi Arts Commission as a dance instructor and on the artist roster as a singer.
Massey is also a wife and mother of two children. She recently relocated to Germantown, Tennessee, with her family but still calls Tupelo home.
BROOKE BULLOCK BURLESON is a digital producer for the Daily Journal. Contact her at brooke.burleson@djournal.com.
