Teaching arts to 28,000 students in Los Angeles

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.