GlobalGiving.org: Teaching arts to 28,000 students in Los Angeles

Fall 2011 After School Arts Program Report

Robin Manzer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:48:32 GMT

During the fall of 2011, 56 LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program sites celebrated the accomplishments of children in some of After School Arts Program’s (ASAP) most ambitious and diverse residencies yet! ASAP Culminating events showcased the talents of children and were attended by hundreds of friends and family members. Children at Bradley Magnet and Cienega Elementary learned the fundamentals of drawing with ASAP instructor Kenneth Beavers; for their culmination, these young artists exhibited self portraits and colorful still lives. At Flournoy and Weigand Elementary children were introduced to theatre and teamwork through residencies designed and led by Franklin Performing Arts.

Also in the fall, students from Cabrillo visited Slanguage Studio and participated in workshops led by Slanguage artists and founders Karla Diaz and Mario Ybarra Jr. (Slanguage is an artist group headquartered in Wilmington, California, a harbor area of Los Angeles. Currently, members make art, produce events, lead art-education workshops, curate and exhibit their work throughout the world.) Slanguage residencies are among some of the newest ASAP programs which will be being offered at LA's BEST sites, others include; drum-circle percussion, collegiate step, contemporary dance and chorus.

ASAP residencies consist of professional artist-educators providing one hour workshops in either the visual or performing arts for two groups of children, twice weekly for ten weeks. Each artist-educator designs and submits a unique residency curriculum that is aligned to the California Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards. The residency plan is then reviewed by ASAP staff to ensure it is consistent with the programming standards of LA's BEST. The current selection of residencies is varied and includes costume design, popular dance, print-making, Latin percussion, Cameroonian dance, sculpture, painting, drawing, mask making, Polynesian dance and photography. Once a residency has been approved, Traveling and Site Staff work with an ASAP Arts Coordinator to place the residency at a site.

Quarterly Report: July 1, 2011-Sept 30, 2011

Robin Manzer — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:29:14 GMT

ASAP String Project Performance

Although school is out of session for most students during the summer months, children involved in LA’s BEST have many opportunities to continue to develop academic and social skills and knowledge while having fun in a safe and supervised, engaging and encouraging environment. During the period of July 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011, LA’s BEST After School Arts Program (ASAP) provided more than 60 professional artist/educator lead visual and performing arts residencies benefiting 2,500 children ages five to 12 who attend under-resourced public schools, reside in low-income communities, and would otherwise lack access to arts education and exposure. Moreover, LA’s BEST leadership staff and partners in arts education planned for the upcoming school year, which includes expanding the ASAP String Project at one site and launching the Project at an additional site, so up to 100 more children in need will receive classical music education and instrumental instruction this academic year.

Over the summer LA’s BEST partnered with an organization called “Found Animals”, and participated in the “Animals Are Our Friends” Campaign, which engaged children in conversations about the important roles animals play in our lives and the need for people to treat animals with compassion. LA’s BEST ASAP students at 131 sites contributed over 1,000 works of art which illustrate the message, “Animals Are Our Friends”. Further, in partnership with the Skirball Cultural Center, LA’s BEST ASAP students helped paint 100 foam animals that were part of a Noah’s Arc exhibit.

During the reporting period, students in the LA’s BEST After School Arts Program visited a number of exciting locations to experience and enjoy art first hand, including the Norton Simon Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Tolerance, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, and the Skirball Cultural Center.

Quarterly Report (April 1, 2011—June 30, 2011)

Robin Manzer — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:30:13 GMT

During the period of April 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011, the LA’s BEST After School Arts Program (ASAP) continued to provide high quality, culturally-inclusive and meaningful visual and performing arts education and exposure during the after school hours for children ages five to 12 who do not have other avenues for arts experiences. In addition, the spring season was a time during which ASAP students had opportunities to showcase their talents to the community. In April, more than 300 ASAP students performed at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills for an enthusiastic audience comprised of their families and friends, as well as LA’s BEST stakeholders, in the LA’s BEST 17^th Annual Community Jam Against Violence—an event that celebrates non-violent approaches to emotional self expression. In addition, in June, the ASAP String Project Orchestra from Castelar Elementary School performed at the LA’s BEST 19^th Annual Family Brunch, demonstrating their gains in learning to play violin, viola and cello.

Attachments:

LAs_BEST_Annual_Family_Brunch_Photos_2011.07.22_rm.doc (DOC)

Quarterly Report (January 1, 2011—March 31, 2011)

Robin Manzer — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:26:41 GMT

From January 1, 2011 to March 31, 2011, donations made through Global Giving continued to support the After School Arts Program (ASAP). ASAP is a vital component of the enrichment programming provided by LA’s BEST in efforts to wholly prepare children in need for success in both school and in life, and a prime example of the organization’s innovative approach to gaining and sustaining the interest of student who can often otherwise become disinterested in their education. Almost 2,500 children who have no other access to education around and exposure to the arts participate in ASAP with LA’s BEST.

During the reporting period, staff and students involved in ASAP geared up for the 17^th Annual Community Jam Against Violence, which was held on April 5 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. More than 300 students led by enthusiastic staff members at 26 LA’s BEST school sites were selected to showcase performances in this year’s event. In the weeks leading up to the Community Jam, staff encouraged students to explore creative, non-violent avenues for emotional self expression, and produced dance, song, drama and spoken word performances intended to promote peace, health, happiness and a sense of community. Dedicated ASAP students rehearsed tirelessly, designed and built props and sets, and created costumes in preparation for the exciting, energizing on-stage display of young talent.

Attachments:

LA's BEST 17th Annual Community Jam (DOC)

Quarterly Report (Oct 1, 2010—Dec 31, 2011)

Robin Manzer — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:52:43 GMT

From October 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010, generous contributions made via Global Giving helped LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program provide meaningful, innovative and engaging visual and performing arts experiences to nearly 2,500 children ages five to 12 through the After School Arts Program (ASAP). Below, please find a synopsis of activities and accomplishments during the reporting period.

Theatre Arts Residency: Students from Grant Elementary school participated in special theatre arts workshops conducted by Theatre Phoenix, an arts organization that has provided more than 100 ASAP residencies since first partnering with the program in 2003. For two hours twice per week over the course of a 10-week timeframe, students learned improvisation techniques and acted out stories based on diverse world mythologies. Moreover, students learned “behind-the-scenes” components of performing arts, including creating sets, masks and costumes, and making props. Consistent with other ASAP residencies, the theatre arts workshops are designed to encourage participants to develop a strong sense of themselves through the facilitation of self-expression and promotion of self-confidence. Portions of this residency were filmed, and will be used by LA’s BEST’s Student Services Department to train others on how to use art experiences and alternative teaching strategies to help children—particularly those with special behavioral needs—express themselves in positive ways.

Castelar Elementary Strings Program: The ASAP strings program at Castelar Elementary School provided 60 second through fifth grade students with sectional and orchestral music training for six hours each week. Participants learned to play the violin, viola and cello, and were taught basic music theory, as well as introductory chorus and percussion. On December 17, the Castelar Elementary School LA’s BEST Orchestra performed their first public concert to a packed house of enthusiastic family members, teachers and peers.

Field Trips: Although funding to cover costs associated with transportation is scarce at this time, generous contributions through Global Giving enabled ASAP to provide 20 arts-related field trips. Students visited a number of the City’s most renowned arts institutions, including the Skirball Cultural Center, the Petersen Automotive Museum, the Norton Science Museum, the California African American Museum and the USC Fisher Museum. Nearly 800 LA’s BEST students, staff and parents attended these trips.

New Residencies: LA’s BEST added residencies in Collegiate Step, Brazilian Dance and Slanguage Studio to ASAP’s array of professional artist-educator led workshops for Los Angeles’ most vulnerable children.

Art for 50,000 Innercity Elementary Students

Harold Haizlip — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:32:15 GMT

The LA's BEST After School Arts Program (ASAP) was launched in 2003. Since then, more than 55,000 underserved elementary school students at 180 LA's BEST After School Enrichment Program sites across Los Angeles have successfully completed 1,300 ten-week art residencies in Visual Arts, Music, Dance and Theatre Arts taught by experienced, professional artist/teachers following the State of California's Visual and Performing Arts content guidelines. Each residency class enrolls 20 students in Grades K-2 and 20 in Grades 3-5. Artist/teachers design a special curriculum for each residency and vet these in advance of the residency with ASAP staff. Classes then meet for one hour twice weekly for 10 weeks, at the end of which students offer a special Culminating Event to demonstrate and share their new artistic skills and abilities with school faculty and staff, parents, siblings and friends. To extend and improve quality art education opportunities for all LA’s BEST students, ASAP also provides arts related field trips and staff development opportunities.

Among notable recent ASAP activities:

1) With support from a commercial enterprise, students from six different schools painted a mural depicting their their dreams for tomorrow with a personal message and self-portrait. 2) A 3rd grade ASAP student won the Go Green Expo 2010 Children’s Art Contest, was featured in The Los Angeles Times, and cut the ceremonial ribbon to signal opening of the Go Green Expo event.

2) To enable more students to participate in ASAP Dance Residencies, ASAP received a major donation from the Dizzy Feet Foundation recently founded by Nigel Lithgoe, co-creator and executive producer of the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance", along with choreographer Adam Shankman and Carrie Ann Inaba of "So You Think You Can Dance". The new foundation aims to boost dance education in the U.S.

3) ASAP students created original artistic interpretations of furniture by U.K.-born furniture designer Christopher Guy in honor Brit Week in LA. A student's rainbow rendition of Guy's wing chair won first prize.

4) The Israeli Consulate and LA's BEST joined forces to bring LA's BEST students together with students from Jewish Day Schools to launch deeper interactions among the students, create awareness of different lifestyles, holidays, traditions, and launch the concept of family between the two groups. The students created an oversized artful dove mural to celebrate their accomplishments and signify their new understandings of, and respect for, each other and their separate communities. More interactions, more individual and group art projects, and more understandings and friendshipsf to come.

Essential to the student art projects described above is the need for bus transportation. Unfortunately, as a result of a cost-saving initiative, LA's BEST lost nearly all of its transportation budget for this year. The LA's BEST After School Arts Program (ASAP) also has a significantly reduced budget for field trips and will not be able enrich student experiences in ASAP residencies though field trips to museums, theatre performances, dance concerts and other life-changing events outside their home communities. The average cost of roundtrip bus transportation for 40 students and 10 adult supervisors participating in a 3-hour field trip is $450. All donations will be welcomed with extraordinary gratitude.

Links:

LA's BEST After School Enrichment Program

Attachments:

LA's BEST After School Arts Program Newsletter (PDF)

Keeping Arts Education Alive

Laura Martinez — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:13:02 GMT

Since the After School Arts Program (ASAP)'s inception at LA’s BEST in 2003, ASAP has hosted 1,290 10-week art residencies and has served over 50,000 children. Each year, ASAP continues to reach its goal in keeping arts education alive for LA's BEST students!

ASAP residencies consist of professional artist-educators providing one hour workshops in either the visual or performing arts for two groups of children, twice weekly for ten weeks. Each artist-educator designs and submits a unique residency curriculum that is alights to the California Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards. The residency plan is then reviewed by ASAP staff to ensure it is consistent with the programming standards of LA’s BEST. The current selection of residencies is varied and includes costume design, popular dance, print-making, Latin percussion, Cameroonian dance, sculpture, painting, drawing, mask making, Polynesian dance and photography.

28,660 children served to date.

Harold Haizlip — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:45:34 GMT

The LA’s BEST After School Arts Program (ASAP) continuously seeks professional visual and performing artists, industry and studio executives, craftsmen, venue managers and others to support the ASAP program by underwriting 10-week residencies for two groups of 20 students per site; by volunteering their time, talent, access and other resources to enhance or showcase student achievement; by mentoring talented students; by arranging and participating in field trips to theatre performances, museums and other art venues; by assisting artists during classes; and by otherwise helping ASAP cultivate the next generation of visual and performance artists. To date, more than 28,660 LA’s BEST students have participated in at least one ASAP activity. Our goal is to enable all LA’s BEST children to participate in at least one ASAP 10-week residency.

The “LA’s BEST After School Arts Program (ASAP) Exploratory Program Evaluation” is one of the major studies of arts education within an enrolled K-5 after school program (August 2006). The study’s author, UCLA’s Dr. James Catterall, one of the pre-eminent evaluators of arts programs in the U.S. and a lead researcher in the landmark Critical Links study, states, "the ten-week program brings high quality and well organized arts teaching to children, encourages many to move toward active engagement, and provides them with new skills."