Luther Burbank Center for the Arts Launches ARTISTS IN THE SCHOOLS: MUSIC MATTERS Pilot Program at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School

Continuing its commitment to underserved youth in the North Bay, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (The Center) has launched a new pilot program of its arts-integrated classroom learning initiative, Artists in the Schools, which has been a key component of The Center's Education Through the Arts programs for more than 14 years. With Artists in the Schools: Music Matters, The Center is seeking to make a deeper impact on participating students by providing focused instruction over a longer period of time, and applying those new skills to core subjects in the classroom.

The Artists in the Schools: Music Matters pilot program will feature instruction from musician, artist and teacher, Andrew DeVeny. DeVeny has over 20 years of experience instructing children of all ages and currently teaches music in public schools, bringing weekly classes to more than 1,500 children in 12 different schools throughout Sonoma County.

"The goal of Artists in the Schools has always been to introduce arts concepts and artists into the classroom, complementing core curriculum," said Rick Nowlin, The Center's President & CEO, "but with this new pilot program we are looking to achieve deeper learning, better retention, and increased engagement both in the music area, as well as in the learning of core subjects."

The program will serve all 4th and 5th graders at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Santa Rosa, which comprises approximately 90 students from four classrooms and includes a "special day" class for students with behavioral, emotional or cognitive challenges. Instructor DeVeny will teach weekly in each classroom for 50 minutes for 12 weeks. The 12 weeks will begin with instruction on basic musicianship, instrument care, tuning, and playing the ukulele. Next, students will learn new songs, and finally, the student's will apply their new skills to compose and learn a collaborative class song integrated with their geography and literature lessons. There will be a culminating performance for students and parents at the end of the program. Students will also record their original composition and receive a CD of their work.

The Artists in the Schools program places teaching artists such as DeVeny into local classrooms to integrate the arts into learning. By combining hands-on experimentation with theory, and using the arts as a dynamic tool for teaching, students comprehend lessons more deeply and retain information longer. The Center's focus on programs such as Artists in the Schools underscores The Center's belief that by participating in and utilizing the arts as a tool, learning is strengthened.

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts is able to offer the Artists in the Schools: Music Matters pilot program at no cost to the participating schools and students thanks to generous support from the Santa Rosa CHOICE Mini-Grant Fund and Kala Brand Music Co.

About Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts is home to world-class performances, nationally recognized education programs, contemporary visual art, and many popular events. The Arts Center is located in the heart of the Sonoma wine country and ranked among California's top performing arts presenters. Together with its resident companies, the Center presents more than 100 performances in music, dance, theater, renowned speakers, and comedy; provides education programs serving 30,000 children and adults; and hosts more than 1,000 community events a year. Owned and operated by the Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation, the Center relies on charitable community donations to achieve its mission - to enrich, educate, and entertain.