Contact:
Evan Smith
Director of Outreach
(434) 528-3256 x114
For Immediate Release:
06/14/02017
ACADEMY CENTER OF THE ARTS LAUNCHES NEW SUMMER ARTS WEEK IN ALTAVISTA
(Altavista) Through the support of the English Foundation, the Academy Center of the Arts is proud to launch the first 2017 Summer Arts Week in partnership with the Altavista Area YMCA. Both organizations are excited for the opportunity to work together as they strive to make meaningful impact on the lives of youth in the Altavista community.
Last summer, the Academy was fortunate to provide six weeks of arts programming onsite for 150 youth as part of the Central Virginia YMCA’s Summer Learning Loss & Prevention program. In an attempt to reach more youth, particularly in more rural communities, this new Summer Arts Week in Altavista we will reach approximately 350 youth and will engage them in both visual and performing arts.
The Academy will bring the program Kid Pan Alley to the region as a part of the week. Kid Pan Alley teaches song structure, rhyme scheme, and collaboration. In two ninety-minute sessions, the children brainstorm, write a song, and rehearse their songs. There will also be a final concert performance of each groups’ original song in front of the community that will be held on Friday, June 23, 2017, at 7:00pm at Altavista High School. We expect over 90 children will be able to participate in Kid Pan Alley.
The program will be taught by Paul Reisler, the founder and artistic director of the Kid Pan Alley™ Children’s Songwriting Project. Kid Pan Alley has inspired 35,000 children across the US to write and perform over 2,500 original songs. Some of those songs have been recorded on three commercial CDs featuring artists including Sissy Spacek, Delbert McClinton, Kix Brooks, Cracker, Amy Grant, The Nashville Chamber Orchestra and many others. The albums have won numerous awards including a WAMMIE, Parents’ Choice Gold and Silver Honors, and NAPPA Gold Award, as well as a Grammy nomination.
Children at the satellite sites of Tomahawk, Leesville Road, Rustburg, Yellow Branch, and Concord Elementary will receive two 90-minute sessions of arts activity. These activities will differ and will include improvisation, dance, theatre, and creative writing. The Academy has hired 6 arts instructors to teach at the various sites. The Academy expects that over 260 children will receive arts programming through the satellite sites.
The Academy has also scheduled an onsite field trip to the Academy for children participating in the arts week. Children will be able to see a dress rehearsal of the Disney’s Aladdin Jr. theatre camp. This field trip will ensure that every child knows where they can go to further their artistic passions.
It is essential that children have the opportunity to explore the arts. Creative instruction helps children realize their tremendous potential. The arts inspire confidence, which often transfers to other areas of study. Studies show that the arts can improve overall educational experiences, especially those of low socio-economic statuses. This has special importance in Campbell County where 44% of public school students receive free or reduced lunch.
The impact that the arts can have is real. Whether a child is from a low-income household or from a financially secure family, the arts can benefit all youth in positive ways that tangibly result in better academic performances, improved personal growth, and a thriving community. Through the Academy’s partnership with the Altavista Area YMCA, we will impact youth with arts programming they may not have had otherwise, and we expect this partnership to remain and grow hereafter.
This program has been made possible with assistance from the W.C. English Foundation.
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Summer Arts Week
Where:
Altavista YMCA, YMCA satellite locations in Tomahawk, Leesville Road, Rustburg, Yellow Branch, and Concord Elementary School
When:
June 19, 2017, through June 23, 2017
Kid Pan Alley Performance
Where:
Altavista High School, 904 Bedford Ave., Altavista, VA 24517
When:
Friday, June 23, 2017 at 7:00pm
For more information: www.academycenter.org or call 434-846- TIXX (8499)
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The Academy Center of the Arts, anchored by the historic Academy of Music Theatre, is greater Lynchburg’s multi-facility center for arts, culture and community building and occupies 1.25 blocks on Main Street in downtown Lynchburg. The Academy Center of the Arts, previously known as the Academy of Fine Arts, was formed in 2003 from the merger of the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center and the Academy of Music Theatre, Inc. Built in 1905 and closed in 1958, the Theatre is one of the few surviving Beaux-Arts style theatres in Virginia.
Serving our Community through Arts and Culture.
