Multicultural Music and Dance for 500 Students

As our school partners rapidly approach summer break, Young Imaginations is thrilled to have wrapped up our 29th year of arts education programs in Marin, serving thirteen schools in San Rafael, Novato and South County and five others in San Francisco, Sonoma and Siskiyou County.

Close to half of these schools comprise our "Model Project" in Multicultural Music and Dance - a multi-year project to improve arts equity in our public schools and provide equal access to underserved students. We have six amazing teachers supporting us on this journey, teaching everything from Mexican and Persian folk songs to hands-on instruction with zithers, to an integrated music and yoga unit.

Thanks to your incredible support, we have completed a full year of programming at three of these schools and a full semester at the other three, serving over 700 students. In 2017-18, two of these schools will expand to add third graders, and we will begin an entirely new program at Coleman Elementary in San Rafael. Combined, we expect to add another 500 students to YI programs in the fall!

We hope to see more breakthroughs like the one we saw this year at Strawberry Point School, where a group of young girls asked our teaching artist, Amy, how they could form a dance club on campus - watch out for the next generation!

We also held several recitals. These events draw hundreds of supportive parents and community members to watch their children perform - often for the very first time. Here is a sample from the Laurel Dell Winter Sing, where the children perform "Ay Yaar (Oh Beloved)" - indeed, they are loved, and thanks to your support, Young Imaginations is there every step of the way.

Thanks for all you do,

Travis Clarke

Links:

• Young Imaginations
• Young Imaginations' Facebook