The
exposure of children varies to the exciting world of professional
performing artists, either
locally or from around the world.
We have taken upon ourselves as an organization the challenge
to start the "fires of artistic learning" in all
of the children in our community. This is accomplished
through
the sponsorship of outstanding artists who visit our community
and either work directly
in the classrooms with students
or work with larger groups that are 'bussed-in' to the
Eastern
Arizona College auditorium. During these activities, students
have the opportunity
to interact with and learn from specialists
in music, drama, dance, prose and the visual arts.
In a
recent ten-year period, over 90,000 students kindergarten
through community college age
participated in our residency
programs.
Research
documents that there is a positive relationship between
success in academic
subjects and participation in the arts.
Our ultimate goal is to inspire individual students
to further
explore the world of the arts, and thus expand their horizons
for personal
achievement, self-expression and perhaps professional
development.
