Arts in the Schools
ACHF Arts Education
The goal of this program is to increase the quantity and types of arts learning opportunities for youth.This new project will provide an additional form of music education and performance to students in upper-elementary grades, a population currently only partially served by an elective band program in grades 5 and 6 and community theatre opportunities when they arise on a semi-annual basis. No community or school choirs currently exist for this age level; thus, simply creating and sustaining a quality ensemble will accomplish the goals of this program. More specifically, this project's goals are to not only encourage young singers to participate in elective music instruction in grades 4-6 and gain additional content knowledge, but to ease a transition from classroom music instruction at the elementary level to ensemble performance offerings at the high school level. Additional evidence of success may be found in increased student participation in the 7-12 choirs at Tracy Area High School. Further, the community-building aspects of participation in this elementary choir will foster positive relationships among its members that may well last through high school and beyond.
The primary objective of this project was to create a new ensemble as an additional offering to students not currently served by an existing fifth and sixth grade band program and not old enough to participate in existing school choirs. This goal has already been achieved. Further demonstrable outcomes would be increased musical skills and/or growing participation in secondary choral ensembles in grades 7-12, though baseline measures were not taken and no formal assessment of skills was intended.