VIDEO: Jaradoa Volunteers, Secrets Revealed

Find out how performers like you have turned their talents into service
with Jaradoa Theater! Check out this self-proclaimed hilarious video to find out what it means to be a  Guest Artist with our Play On! program.
Warning: this video may or may not contain chicken wings.

But what is Play On!, you might ask?
Play On! is a Jaradoa program that uses theater to teach literacy by turning classrooms into theater companies where students become actors and playwrights.

And how does this pertain to you?
One of Jaradoa’s goals is to help artists serve their community by using the theater skills they possess.  So if you’re a performer, you can come act or sing for 6^th-8^th graders, help them grow as people, and help them read and write better at the same time!

And what does a Guest Artist do?
Guest Artists present a song or monologue to a class which is analyzed and unpacked by students to improve their reading comprehension skills.  Then the Guest Artist helps out with the rest of the session, following the main instructor’s lead, which generally includes improv, games, and cold readings or small group discussions of students’ plays in progress.

So, you wanna come play with us?

We are currently recruiting artists for

Middle School 22 from Feb 9 – Mar 12^th. If you can’t do these dates but want to be a Guest Artist in  April or May, let us know!

Email Anika, our volunteer coordinator, at info@jaradoatheater.org

And hey, if you think you’re interested, but you’re a little nervous or unsure what would be expected of you, just ask!  Lots of folks have volunteered with us and would be happy to share their experience with you.

Brian asks “When people are starving and out of work, why should the government fund the arts?”

Hey, readers! Your weekly dose of the Jaradoa Blog is coming from Jen today:

Just yesterday, Brian, a friend with whom I studied theater in college posted this status on his facebook page:

“When people are starving and out of work, why should the government fund the arts?”

Now, Brian’s incredibly thoughtful and a great lover of art, and he asked the question in order to start a discussion on a topic that’s pretty vital in this economic climate. Unsurprisingly, it resulted in a wide range of comments:

Tim: “Because some people are artists.”

RJ: “And many artists are among the broke and starving…”

Brian: “I’m not trying to be generally patronizing. For example: Right now NYS has to cut every part of the budget–including basic health and education for children. I think it was easier to argue the value arts bring to society in times of prosperity. If a $20k production of West Side Story at a 501c3 could pay a cast and crew of college graduated theater artists for a month or a keep a few underprivileged families fed for a year… should I write letters to my local government asking to fund the theater? It’s a serious question.”

Jen: “Because the arts are for everyone to enjoy, not just those with money to burn. No government funding for the arts=arts only for the elite. In my book, most objectionable are cuts to arts education. Studies have shown that an education rich in the arts leads to better scores all around (and presumably, more well-rounded kids.)”

Brady: “I feel like art is important, but I feel that it should come after kids being fed. That being said, there are plenty of places for NYS budget to trim…the budget is flipping ridiculous, with lots of waste.”

Brian: “Jen — So arts=education? That’s something I could get behind. But why aren’t the arts valuable enough to the general population to pay for themselves the way commercial media does?

Brady: “That’s kinda what raised the question for me. When I left SUNY over a year ago, tuition money was already going to bail out other parts of the State (and not towards anything on campus, as students would expect). No cost of living raises for public employees (except where unions were able to push it through). Cuts in funding for mass transit led to MTA fare hike. We’ve heard about debt and cuts all year long. Now schools, hospitals, public services, and… at the end of the list… the arts. Where’s the fat?”

Mary: “Art education puts the rest of the world into perspective with a sense of history, creativity, and integrity . I think it is one of the genuinely most important subjects for a society.
Having said that, if all funding goes towards art education, and nothing towards job development or employment, where is the means to spread your education to those less-informed? You have to be able to take what you know and apply it.”

This led to so much discussion in the office — the economic impact of the arts, how our spending reflects our values, what it means to be human. Thoughts?

“Like Two Meatballs”: Celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah-Style, with a Jaradoa Radio Play

Jaradoa Radio Theater performed a live reading of a radio play, The Gildersleeve Christmas Show, for residents of a senior living facility, the Kittay House in the Bronx, on December 8, 2009. This was a little less than 61 years after the play originally aired, on December 22, 1948.

The show was run by Jaradoa powerhouse Chris Harbur from a script that had been transcribed, adapted, and gender-equalized by Anika Larsen. (The star of the play, Throckmorton Philharmonic Gildersleeve, was actually a spin-off character from the radio sitcom Fibber McGee and Molly, and starred in dozens of radio plays and seven films in the ’40s, plus a short-lived 1955 TV sitcom.)

But enough backstory. Fourteen Jaradoans arrived at Kittay in the early evening to a crowd of about 75 seniors, attendants, and family members. Before we started, Anika and John confirmed our number-one priority as a cast: Keep the show moving. Given this directive, we naturally started by distributing hats among ourselves—one of Jaradoa Radio Theater’s greatest strengths. A suitcase containing a wide variety of old-school headpieces is schlepped to each play; hat distribution is cutthroat. I managed to secure a sweet tan fedora, and the veiled skullcap—there is probably a better word for this; in fact, I’m certain there is—was snapped up by Lena Moy-Bergen.

Lilli Wosk (also behatted) provided sight-read piano accompaniment, as well as musical sound effects (music box, etc.) via grand piano. All other sound effects (shoes walking, bells ringing) were provided by Garfield, who came well prepared with the appropriate props.

The Plot

Announcers Chris and Dani opened the story by setting the scene with an ad for the original Gildersleeve sponsor, Kraft, here promoting that Christmas staple, Parkay margarine.

The story focused on Gildersleeve, or Gildy (played by Jaradoa member Sol), the city water commissioner, as he prepared for Christmas. (Given the miniscule number of theater pieces about city water commissioners, the authors almost definitely ripped off Gildy’s occupation from Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People). Having recently adopted a baby girl found in the backseat of his car, Gildy proceeds to go about town to prepare for the family’s first Christmas with Baby (played with surprisingly meaningful goo-goos and gah-gahs by Anika Larson). Gildersleeve and his cousin, Leroy (Joshua), select a tree from new-to-town tree vendor Bob (also Chris, with a different hat). When Gildy can’t afford the tree they select, Bob reveals that the kindly Judge Hooker has already paid for it. This leads to Gildy’s line, “Well, fine old dame the judge is.” For unclear reasons, this brought the house down, and proceedings had to be put temporarily on pause.

Anyway, while prepping for his holiday celebration, the intensely private Gildy somehow gets roped into inviting several other town characters to his party, including his barber (Timothy), the Judge herself (Jenn), town pharmacist Mrs. Peavy (Elise), and Bob, that mysterious Christmas tree salesman. At Gildersleeve’s climactic Christmas party, Bob reveals that the baby is his, but that he didn’t have the means to take care of her when his wife died. His friend, the Judge, facilitated the baby being left in Gildersleeve’s car where Gildy would find her. They all agree to have Bob keep seeing his child even though custody will remain with Gildy, in an early ode to nontraditional family structure.

The Jaradoans love to perform, so in between scenes, they sang Christmas carols. Dani kicked off the first interlude with a beautiful rendition of “I Got Lost in His Arms” from Annie Get Your Gun, which brought a genuine tear to certain people’s eye. Lindsey did a smooth “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and Anika sang “O Holy Night,” nearly destroying the venue’s speakers with her power. Jenn followed up with “Embraceable You,” a George and Ira Gershwin song made famous by Billie Holiday in 1944; sure enough, at least three seniors were seen mouthing every word with her. Joshua wrapped up by singing “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” with Chris and Anika, inspired by his soulful take, providing impromptu interjections.

Post-Show

After wrapping, the plan was to keep the evening going by distributing a sheet of Christmas carol music for a group-sing. So the entire cast (except Lilli, who continued to woman the ivories) headed into the audience. After every verse of “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls,” we ended with a roof-raising rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” plus an unplanned a cappella rendition of “Silent Night.”

Immediately after that, we chatted with the residents for a good hour—and most were happy to stick around. One of the reasons Jaradoa enjoys playing in homes like these is that it seems that the residents don’t get talked to, or talked with, very often. The home, Kittay House, isn’t too easy to get to from most boroughs (it’s pretty far up, parallel with the northern tip of Manhattan). A lot of the residents’ conversations with the staff are, by necessity, purely functional. That’s where Jaradoa comes in. We just chatted with them, doing a lot of listening, and heard some amazing stories as well as positive feedback. When polled informally, most said their favorite part of the evening had been hearing Jaradoans sing their solos, but hastily added that they also loved everything else about the show. A few remembered listening to similar radio plays when they were kids.

However, the residents did have some gentle recommendations for improvement. One woman commented, “Next time it should be longer, and have alcohol.” We conceded that both modifications would sit well with us. When Anika pressed further—“Like champagne?”—the response was, “No, like a bottle.” We’re pretty sure she meant some harder liquor was in order—in the holiday spirit, of course. By the way, this advice came from someone who called herself “Caroline—like two meatballs.” Which begs the question: What other type of Caroline is there?

On our way out, we were offered fond parting tips, including “Don’t get drunk on the way back to the train.” We changed plans and did not (for once).

As we packed up our hats and got ready to head back to the subway, the final plot twist arrived, much like Bob’s revelation that it’s his baby Gildy has adopted. Several residents advised us: “Maybe next time, you could sing some Hanukkah songs.” We agreed—next time, we’d try to do that.

“No, seriously,” the residents insisted, “We really enjoy Hanukkah songs.” We asked around our contingent, but no one really knew more than the first stanza of “I Have a Little Dreidel.” Again, we promised to learn some for next time. Still, they kept persisting.

At this point we looked around the room a bit more carefully, like a newborn puppy when it first opens its eyes. This time, we couldn’t help but note the lack of any Christmas tree—there were just menorahs, really. Also, there was a preponderance of mezuzahs. Wait a second. As realization set in on us, Sixth Sense-style, a kindly resident finally clarified matters: “You could sing some Hanukkah songs—because it’s a Jewish home.” Whoops.

Despite the social gaffe (and this actually was the troupe’s second time performing at Kittay House!), we hope we brought some attention, conversation, stimulation, and joy to the seniors we performed for, sang with, and spoke to—even if we missed the entire religious affiliation of this place, even if we didn’t bring any liquor, and even if your name happened to be Carol, like two meatballs.

We Did It! and Play On!

WE DID IT! Our goal was to raise $14,000 to take our Play On! program to 2 middle schools in the South Bronx, and thanks to viewers like you, we raised $16,175! This money was donated by 99 different people in sums large and small. So now we’ll be at MS 223 in February, and MS 22 in May. Thank you so much!

Here’s our Member Telly’s firsthand account of doing Play On! in a school last semester:

Play On!
By TELLY LEUNG

I’ve been away from my Jaradoa family for a while. Since January, I’ve been on tour with the national company of Rent, traveling the country (and the world – with stops in Tokyo and Seoul) with a show I love. But, I really missed my Jaradoa peeps and all the fun things we do with the company.

So as soon as I got home, I jumped back into Play On!, an innovative program created by Jaradoa that uses acting and playwriting to improve reading and writing skills in the classroom.

April, Daryl and I got to work with four enthusiastic 5th grade classes — first by putting on our imaginary costumes to transport the kids from the classroom setting to a collaborative, theater environment where creativity is encouraged, and ideas are safe for sharing. We taught them how to play “Zip Zap Zop”, a popular theater
game used to warm up the senses. Then, we dove right into the lesson.

I was the Guest Artist of the day. The day before, Amanda was the Guest Artist and performed a monologue from A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the students. (You heard me. Shakespeare for 5th graders. And they totally dug it!) It was their job to observe, listen, analyze the text and find clues to answer questions about the dramatic action: Who’s talking? When? Where? What’s the conflict? I had picked a song that was also challenging for the kiddies: “Not While I’m Around” from Sweeney Todd. (Yes. Sondheim for 5th graders. And they totally dug it!) Most of the students had never heard of Shakespeare or Sondheim, but they had NO problem analyzing the text and making very educated guesses about the dramatic action and characters in the pieces. Afterwards, I revealed to them the
actual scenario of my song in the show (minus the blood, gore, and guts of a murderous street barber who cuts up his victims and bakes them into pies! They are, after all, 5th graders.)

Now, to the real work… April asked for volunteers to come in front of the class to talk about the characters they’d created. She led them in the creative process of deepening the first character, developing a second character, and creating a conflict for the two-person scene. After the students gave a summary, Daryl or I would do a short improvisational scene with the students to get them started on the actual dialogue.

The imagination of a 5th grader is astounding. Characters have ranged from talking mice trapped in refrigerators to grumpy people who live in giant noses. One student’s play was of particular note. He was reluctant to get up and tell us about his controversial character in front of the class because it was a Nazi. He said it was a “bad” character, and we told him that characters, like people, aren’t inherently “good” or “bad.” Characters (and people) are three-dimensional with justifiable wants and desires, and it is our job as actors and playwrights to understand them better. After the Jaradoans and the classmates encouraged him to dig deeper into this character, he developed a play about a Nazi doctor who truly didn’t want to fight for Hitler, encountering an injured American soldier on the battlefield at the famous D-day battle. The student went from not wanting to share his idea with the class to creating the beginning of what could be a meaningful, deeply moving play, all with the encouragement of his classmates and the guidance of artists asking the right dramatic questions! And no doubt he will use the reading comprehension skills he learned in creating his play the next time he reads a book or writes a short story! Theater and literacy — working hand in hand. Play On!

A Musing

By Anika

Tonight was my last performance of Avenue Q. I love the show — it was the best job I’ve ever had — but I’d done it a year and a half and it was time to move on and make time for other projects. Like Jaradoa stuff!

I didn’t want to make a big deal out of my last show, I just wanted to “go gentle into that good night.” So last week I told our stage manager that I didn’t want a goodbye cake or for everyone to sing “Happy Trails” to me at half hour. But a couple days beforehand, I realized that I did want my last show to somehow be noted by the people in my world. Just then I got an email from my fellow Jaradoan Eileen. I kinda timidly wrote back asking if she’d be willing to wait in line at the box office on my last day to get front row rush tickets, and she said sure!

So tonight Eileen came to the Q and brought along another Jaradoan, Kevin. They sat smack in the front row, which is so close that it almost felt like they were a part of my show. I could always see them peripherally and I was doing the show for them. And they laughed and smiled at everything I did, making me feel so supported and loved.

Tonight was a really sweet night filled with cards, gifts, and well wishes from folks offstage (Sala, who plays Christmas Eve, made me granola! Like from scratch!).  And there were lots of special moments onstage: Maggie, our second hander, made Princeton give Kate a kiss on the head before he spooned her, and I got meaningful, loving looks from fellow cast members like Danielle, who plays Gary Coleman, which means a lot in a show where people don’t ever look me in the eye (they’re supposed to be looking at my puppet).

Now, I’m a weeper, it’s easy to get me to cry, but the thing that helped me keep it together was the sound of Eileen and Kevin’s laughter. Because in a business where you are constantly leaving groups of people you’ve had an intense creative experience with and you have grown to love, it’s hard to find people that are a constant, a foundation. And the good folks of Jaradoa are that for me. I feel so lucky tonight. It’s scary to start a new phase of life, but I have the luxury of knowing that my extended Jaradoa family — and not just Members, but also Allies and all the other people who come alongside us — will remain in my life.

Thanks, guys.

The Jammy Party Recap

Some people stayed for an hour, some stayed for 7. Some wore jammies, some did not, some still insist that what they were wearing was jammies, but the judges still rule that they were not.

Some folks ate pancakes with chocolate and peanut butter chips with no maple syrup. Some ate waffles with real maple syrup. No one ate the Mrs. Butterworth’s maple syrup. And even vegetarians ate the bacon.

The First Annual Jaradoa Jammy Party was a fabulous time! Lovely people came and went, meeting new folks and reconnecting with ones they hadn’t seen in a while. If they asked for bacon, often they ended up flipping it themselves (most notably Eileen Rivera, who was apparently voted Best Bacon Flipper of her 2005 group trip to somewhere I don’t recall).

Seth Rudetsky, his partner James, and James’ daughter Juli arrived directly from Julia Murney’s annual pancake party, wearing the t-shirts to prove it, but they still gamely put away a waffle apiece.

And as the day wound down, Timothy Michael Cooper’s greatest 2010 wish finally came true, and we played his variation on “Celebrity” called “Salad Bowl”, where you don’t just use famous people’s names, you can write down anything at all, as long as it begins with the chosen letter. It was way more fun than I think anyone expected, even if at one point it was perhaps borderline racist. The judges have still not ruled on that, we just know that Penelope Cruz is not Mexican and therefore should not be acted out as wearing a sombrero and eating a taco.

What did we learn? That in 2-K-10, we are going to google it, and google it hard. Why, you ask? Not sure, exactly, but that’s what this year is going to be about. Although I did also hear that 2-K-10 is really 2-K-Men, so I guess the two sides of that debate can duke it out. All I know is we started the year right…

Happy Birthday Jaradoa!

Some milestones are a little surprising to me — and today’s certainly falls into that category.

Just a few short months ago, Jaradoa was in a donated office in another company’s space. Then we got our own little office, which was small, but it was ours. A few weeks ago, our small office was so packed with people that Anika and I had to sit on the floor! What?! In our old space, there was no room to grow in the cramped, borrowed quarters of another company , but now we have more and more volunteers in our new office stepping up and taking on roles that we had to make a schedule for the two “extra” desks.  Something about that has made me feel like we have grown more than anything else.  It also makes me think we are gonna make it.  Most new businesses fold within the first 3 years.  But guess what?!  Jaradoa turns 3 today!

I can hardly believe the company that has grown from the mission statement I wrote just over 3 years ago.  How far we have come since the 13 page PowerPoint presentation that I would take with me to all the coffee appointments I set up to see who would join me on this new adventure.  It’s funny, you have to truly believe in something  before you can start it, but you don’t really know what it is going to be or what it will look like, so you don’t really know what exactly you’re believing in.  I just knew that storytelling was powerful and that I wanted to use it to serve the city.  I knew that artists had so much love and skills to serve but needed more opportunities that fit their passions, gifting and schedules.  Looking back there was A LOT I didn’t know, which I won’t get into here, but what I will say is that I didn’t know Anika Larsen would be able to partner with me. And I didn’t know that people would respond to our mission as they have and that we would be able to stay alive during one to the worst economies of our generation.  Whether I knew them at the time or not, those things happened plus much more. 

 I cannot begin to say how grateful and impressed I am with all of those that have made Jaradoa what it is today.  In only three years, we have a membership of 18, over 250 people who have volunteered with us, and over 200 people who have contributed to us financially.  The sheer number of people that have come to work and play alongside us almost takes my breath away,  but when you add to it how lovely and generous all of those people have been then I really start to feel it.  On New Year’s Day, we were having our Jammy Party for all Jaradoans (members, friends, volunteers etc) and we were playing a game and at one point I just started to laugh because although we all wanted to win, it was the most encouraging group of people I had ever seen – no matter what team you were on.  We talk about the “Jaradoa Way” and have a hard time trying to figure out what exactly that means.  I think it was coined by Adam, stage manager of our first musical, when he saw Anika, who was co-producing and the female lead, taking home the dirty laundry to wash for tomorrow’s show.  Sometimes I joke that I hope people don’t just think the “Jaradoa Way” is people doing stuff for free!  But I think it holds so much more than good sportsmanship or doing dirty laundrey.  I think of it when I see so many people hold ownership of Jaradoa, when new comers feel welcomed, or when we invest in each other’s lives.  We are still trying to define exactly what the “Jaradoa Way” is, but I think it is about love, or I guess showing mercy, beauty and truth toward each other.  If you haven’t been part of the“Jaradoa Way,” and don’t know what I am talking about, come find out.  If you have been, maybe you could share what you think it is! 

I would like to extend the deepest gratitude to every single person that makes Jaradoa what it is.  I am so very humbled by the talent, energy, dedication, and resources that have been shared with us; you are all part of Jaradoa.  Thank you, and  Happy 3^rd Anniversary to all Jaradoans out there!
April

Unity of Humanity

I’m thinking about how little it takes to bring humanity together sometimes; that we are all connected and most of us are happy about it. Sunday at 5 am I was in line for 3 hours at JFK and every flight was cancelled and people were grumpy, but we were somehow more together that morning than we are when all goes well. Yes, there were those who bickered about their place in line, but many more were like those who held my spot so I could get a cup of coffee and the person I handed my phone to when I had finally got through to American Airlines. We were sharing something. Then later, back in the city walking around Central Park, usually anonymous New Yorkers were all talking with each other just because of the snow. We took pictures of each other, shared comments about the man on skis being pulled by his dogs, iditarod style, we cheered on the couple who were trying to create a new sled path in the fresh powder but kept sinking instead. We made eye contact, smiled, and laughed simply because it snowed. These are the moments when we remember we are all the same. I’m so glad my flight was cancelled and I got this chance to experience the unity of humanity in NYC.

Happy Holidays,

April Nickell

Donate this week and double your money!

All donations made in the next week towards the Play On! program in two middle schools in the South Bronx will be matched by a Board member (That means $150 becomes $300!).

CAN I GET A WITNESS?

“Our youth are some of the toughest to work with and it thrilled me to see them move from what looks like boredom, attitude, fear, into releasing their own brilliance, creativity and intelligence.”
-Ruben Austria, BronxConnect, a youth alternative-to-incarceration program.

“One student refused a turn because he was ashamed of his own creative ideas. ‘But it’s your idea,’ I said. ‘If it’s your idea, then it must be good.’ When he finally shared we all had tears in our eyes, and he was proud!”
- Telly Leung, Jaradoan and Play On! Guest Artist

“I was so thrilled to see how encouraged the kids were. It was such a satisfying experience to see them having such a positive and enlightening discovery of the work of writing, directing, and acting.”
-Benjamin Howes, Play On! Guest Artist

“The work Jaradoa is doing is exactly what we want our students to do in the classroom: lift the lines from the page and bring them to life.”
- Renee Houser, Columbia Teachers College Reading and Writing Program

“Students who don’t necessarily shine in other aspects, they get to shine here.”
- Ms. Kibler, 5th grade teacher

WHY ARE WE RAISING MONEY AGAIN?

We’re takin’ the D train
to the South Bronx,
but not without your help.

We need to raise
$14,000 to take our Theater and Literacy program to
2 middle schools in
1 of the 5 poorest neighborhoods in the country.

…AND WHAT’S PLAY ON!?

Play On! is a playwriting and acting course that transforms participants into members of a theater company and teaches them the elements of drama, while cultivating personal development and effective communication skills.

Over the course of the program, Play On! Theater Company members prepare and rehearse monologues and write their own short plays. At the beginning of each class, our Guest Artists perform a monologue, scene, song or dance, which the group then analyzes to reinforce the curriculum.

Play On! culminates with these budding actors and playwrights performing their monologues and short plays!

The Arts CAN Teach. Believe It.

We believe that the arts can teach. Do you?

Our Play On! program has proven to our educators and students the power of teaching literacy through arts. If you do believe that the arts CAN teach, help Jaradoa bring this program to two middle schools in the South Bronx.

THESE TEACHERS BELIEVE IT:

“It is essential that we allow arts programs to be integrated throughout our curriculum.

Students like mine at MS 22 have a desire for the arts and would greatly benefit from this educational approach.

They thrive in music class and love to participate in improvisation games and activities.  Education programs that incorporate the arts in their standard curriculum often find improvement in standardized test results and increased motivation for success in core classes.  These artistic activities allow students who work best in those disciplines to connect with the material in a way that they were not able to previously.

Arts education ought to be a platform for learning!”

Larry Fogarty
Bilingual Special Educator
Jordan L. Mott Middle School 22X

“We, at Middle School 223 in the South Bronx, would greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with the Jaradoa Theater group during this school year.

On November 16th, April Nickell visited our school and taught a spectacular lesson that had our children eager to learn more about literacy through theater.  We would like them to continue to have these types of experiences, but unfortunately, with a fourth round of budget cuts in the NYC Department of Education, we will be unable to fund the program at this time.

Our arts program is relatively new and we have been searching for opportunities to give our children authentic and engaging arts experiences. We would appreciate anything you could do to help us fund this program and give our children the experience we believe it will provide.”

Rose Greco
Literacy Coach/Arts Coordinator
M.S. 223

WHY WE BELIEVE IT:

·Arts education has had a measurable impact on at-risk youth in deterring delinquent behavior and truancy problems while also increasing overall academic performance (US Department of Justice.)

·More specifically, researchers found that learning in and through the arts:

·   Contributes to improved critical thinking, problem posing, problem solving and decision-making.

·   Involves the communication, manipulation, interpretation and understanding of complex symbols, as much as do language and mathematics.

·   Fosters higher-order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

·   Regularly engages multiple skills and abilities.

·   Develops a person’s imagination and judgment.

(Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning.)

___________________

·Only 8% of elementary schools in New York City meet state standards for arts instruction (Arts Education Partnership, General Accountability Office.)

·22% of school districts surveyed by the Center for Education Policy have reduced instructional time for art and music.

·Teachers at schools with a higher % of low-income or minority students report a greater reduction in time spent on the arts (Center for Education Policy.)