About the Program
The endowed program offers a pre-service Arts Integration Conference, ArtsLINK, to provide students with the elements of arts integration, opportunities to practice collaborative planning, and practice instructing K-6 students. The endowment additionally shares exemplar integration with K-6 principals and educators across the region through a research symposium and provides fellowship opportunities.
In addition to endowed programming, we partner with the Utah State Board of Education to provide professional learning for K-6 BTS Arts educators through regional meetings, in-service workshops, and partnerships with university groups including the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Book Arts, and UtahPresents. For more information or to request professional development programming, please email
Read our story in Studio '24 about Beverley Taylor Sorenson and her incredible impact.
Meet the Team
Associate Dean, Kelby McIntyre-Martinez: Director of the Endowed Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP) | Kelby is passionate about establishing pathways to higher education through sustainable arts programming that allows university and school-aged youth opportunities to create new artistic works alongside cultural workers, artists, organizations, and arts advocates to encourage cultural democracy, ways of knowing, and the generation of new knowledge. She values the mutual exchange of creativity and the reciprocal benefits this research and learning model creates for all participants and the field of arts education.
Professional Development Partner (Dance), Ashley Boyack | Ashley received a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and a Masters degree in Education from the University of Northern Colorado. She began teaching for the Tanner dance program in 1991 and while there, presented at the daCi conference in Finland. Then she moved to Lawrence, Kansas and joined the Lawrence Arts Center. While there she was the Director of the Youth Dance Theatre and served as the Lawrence Arts Centers Dance Education Specialist. She helped write the Lawrence Arts Centers Modern Dance Curriculum, Boys sports dance class curriculum and helped to create the SmArt Moves program for the early childhood program. Since returning home, Ashley has taught in the schools as a Beverly Taylor Sorenson Dance Specialist and now serves as a professional development partner for the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts and Learning Program. In 2016 she received the Sorenson Legacy Award for excellence in Elementary Dance Instruction. Ashley has also been teaching an online dance education course for the Utah State Board of Education. In 2017 Ashley joined the Tanner Dance program as a full time Dance Specialist teaching in all areas of the program.
Professional Development Partner (Music), Sherise Longhurst: Sherise began her career in middle and high school choir and then found her way to the world of elementary general music through volunteering in her own children’s classrooms. She has never looked back! She is the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Music Specialist at Ridgecrest Elementary in Canyons School District. The Utah Music Educators Association named her the Outstanding Elementary Music Educator of the Year in 2023. She also received the Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts Education in 2024.
Sherise received a bachelor's degree in music education from BYU and a Master's in Teaching - Fine Arts from the University of Utah. She is a member of the Salt Lake Vocal Artists and has toured and competed with the choir in Spain and Taiwan.
Our Reach
The University of Utah works in partnership with the following districts to provide quality arts integrated professional development support (click on map to enlarge):
The University of Utah works in partnership with the following regional districts & charters: Salt Lake City, Granite, Canyons, Murray, Tooele, Park City, North & South Summit, Guadalupe, Canyon Rim Academy, Weilenmann School of Discovery, Dual Immersion Academy, and Ascent Academy West Valley.
Beverley Taylor Sorenson
“It’s what little children do. They sing, they dance, they create. We have a responsibility to help these children reach their full potential, and that can only be done by keeping the arts in education.” -Beverley Taylor Sorenson
Throughout her life, Beverley Taylor Sorenson was a tireless champion for the arts. She began developing an integrated arts teaching model in 1995 by collaborating with arts education professionals, state organizations, and higher education institutions throughout Utah. In 2008, the Utah State Legislature adopted the model, named it the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program in Beverley’s honor, and has since provided the funding needed to place the program in a portion of elementary schools across the state. Right up until her passing at the age of 89, Beverley was a fixture at Capitol Hill, and she committed her time and efforts to lobbying the legislature for more funding to ensure that every elementary child in Utah receives the benefits of an arts-rich education through this program. Learn more about Beverley Taylor Sorenson’s generous contributions to arts education in the state of Utah.
BTSALP Graduate Endowed Fellowship
The Endowed Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP) Fellowship is awarded to select outstanding graduate students in the CFA who are passionate about furthering arts education in research and practice. Applicants must provide strong evidence of school or community-based pedagogical experience working with young people and educators in grades K-12. For more information, go here.
BTSALP Undergraduate Fellowship
The Endowed Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP) Fellowship is awarded to select outstanding undergraduate arts teaching students in the CFA who are passionate about pursuing a career in arts education. Fellows train and learn from the best BTSALP educators located throughout the University of Utah region. Applicants must provide strong evidence of school or community-based pedagogical experience working with young people and educators in grades K-12. For more information, go here.