Bring the Arts to Your School with Young Audiences of Northern California

Young Audiences of Northern California offers quality educational arts programming, professional development and arts planning services. The annual Program Guide introduces a complete menu of educational arts programming that engages students and meets teachers’ learning objectives. Our programs can be aligned with school and district educational goals and objectives. All Young Audiences of Northern California’s programs address the Visual and Performing Arts Framework for California Public Schools. Download a copy of the California Content Standards at www.cde.ca.gov.

Programs for Students and Teachers:

Young Audiences of Northern California offers the following programs, all of which can be either scheduled separately, or can be combined to create an integrated arts program for a school:

Assemblies
A professional artist or ensemble will present a 45-minute performance demonstration program in an auditorium, cafeteria or library before a maximum of 300 students. Assembly artists on the Young Audiences roster represent a variety of artistic disciplines and a wide diversity of cultures. All assembly programs are interactive and include a strong educational component. Curriculum guides provided to the school prior to the performance are designed to assist teachers in using the arts experience to enhance student learning.

Workshops
Students work with an artist in a classroom setting for a single session. In general, workshops are 45 minutes to one hour in length, with an artist-to-student ration of 1 to 30. Workshops may be scheduled as stand-alone programs or in conjunction with an assembly program.

Teacher Professional Development
Professional teaching artists build teachers’ arts skills and teach them strategies for integrating the arts into classroom curriculum. This is most effective when included as a component of a residency.

Residencies
A professional artist spends a series of classroom sessions that engage students in the creative process. Residencies of at least 8-12 weeks can provide unique learning opportunities for students. Classroom sessions are 30 minutes (K-1) to 1 hour in length. Teacher participation is integral to the residency’s success. The residency might culminate in a presentation of student work, which might take form as an exhibition, an anthology, or even an informal performance demonstration for parents or other students in the school. There are two essential components to a residency:

• Planning Meeting between artist and teachers. This is the time when teacher and artist establish mutual residency goals, discuss expectations of classroom management, set schedule, etc. This meeting can be facilitated by YANC program staff.
• Arts Instruction that aligns with classroom curriculum.

Other components may be included in a residency, depending on the objectives of the project, school budget and timeline. For example, a residency might be expanded to include:

• a student culminating event
• some teacher professional development
• workshops in other classrooms
• an all-school assembly

Schools are encouraged to select the program components that best meet their educational goals. Young Audiences staff is available to help design an appropriate program.

Programs for Teachers and Artists

South Bay Arts Education Collaborative: Since 2002, Young Audiences has been a key partner in the development of the South Bay Arts Education Collaborative, a group of arts education providers dedicated to increasing their capacity to provide high-quality arts education to South Bay schools. Members of the Collaborative share best practices and resources in arts education by presenting training for teaching artists, creating networking opportunities among arts providers, and establishing a forum for the local arts education community. In 2006-07, the SBAEC will offer two day-long and two shorter artist training workshops, as well as a series of roundtable discussions for artists and educators. For more information about the SBAEC and its upcoming programs, please visit www.ci-sv.org/cep_SBAEC.shtml.

Programs for Families

Community Programs: Young Audiences collaborates with multiple venues around the Bay Area to showcase artists who present artistically excellent programming that has a special appeal to children. Call 415-974-5554 for more information.