CVESD VAPA Coordinator Earns State Honor
Lauren Shelton, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, Chula Vista Elementary School District, was recently named the California Music Educators Association’s 2018 CMEA Outstanding Administrator for the state of California. Lauren has been instrumental in the implementation of the partnership between SDYS and CVESD for rebuilding the district’s music education infrastructure.
What Learning Looks Like: Creating A Well-Tuned Orchestra In Your Head
Music education really DOES change how students learn…and SDYS is at the forefront of research that proves it! Check out this breaking story from KPBS featuring SDYS and our research collaboration with UCSD’s John Iversen to learn more about what learning – in the presence of music education – looks like.
SDYS’ Community Opus Project is a Featured Success Story at National Forum on Education Policy
Student musicians from San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory’s Community Opus Project will be performing on the second day of the Education Commission of the States 2017 National Forum on Education Policy being held in San Diego June 28-30 at the Hotel Del Coronado.
SDYS Awarded NEA “Arts Works” and California Arts Council “Artists in Schools – Extension” Grants
SDYS has been awarded $45,000 and $18,000 respectively in two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council to further programs in Chula Vista.
In Conversation: Katie Wyatt and Dalouge Smith
Dalouge Smith, CEO and President of SDYS and Katie Wayatt, Founder and Executive Director of KidzNotes and the Executive Director of El Sistema USA, sat down for a conversation at the invitation of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is featured on their blog “Seen & Heard”.
Their conversation provides insight into the challenges and successes of working with public schools to achieve community goals, the potential policy implications and challenges that are facing this work today, and the gap between rural and urban environments.
UCTV and SDYS Premiere New Video on Value of Music Education
San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory (SDYS) recently announced that its newest video making the case for the importance of music education in our schools will debut on UCTV, the week of April 17, with prime time airings at 6:30PM and 9:30PM PDT on Thursday, April 20.
San Diego Arts Leaders React to Proposed NEA Funding Cuts
Since 2011, SDYS has received annual NEA grants totaling $115,000 for its Community Opus Project, which brings teams of teaching artists into Title I schools (those with a high proportion of students from low-income families) in Chula Vista for after-school orchestra and band programs. The NEA funds make up at least 10 percent of the budget for the program. If they were to go away, “we would be confronted with weighing one of two possibilities: (The program) would go to fewer students, or it would reduce the intensity to students.”
Achieving Scale and Equity in Arts Education
Dalouge Smith recently presented at “Achivieving Scale and Equity in Arts Education”, an Arts Education Innovation Lab conducted by Arts for All/Los Angeles County Arts Commission. His 7-minute talk focused on how SDYS changed its beliefs and behaviors in order to achieve the remarkable outcomes of the Community Opus Project in the Chula Vista.
First Person: Syrian Sisters Dedicated To Music
Student musicians Carla and Christine Chehadeh are featured today on KPBS’s “First Person” midday edition, discussing their past in Syria and their present passion for playing with SDYS.
Inside California Education: Creative Classrooms
Students improve in many areas once music education is introduced to school curriculum. Inside California Education highlights the Opus Community Project in their story on creative classrooms at Wolf Canyon Elementary, part of the Chula Vista Elementary School District.
NAMM Show Spotlights the World of Music & Music Education
Over 100,000 NAMM members will attend the 117th annual National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). Learn more about NAMM’s higher purpose of furthering music education in this article which highlights SDYS work in Chula Vista.
Local Coverage: Ulli Reiner Selected as 2017 Grammy Music Educator Finalist
Ulli Reiner, 2017 Grammy Music Educator Finalist, Poway Unified School District music educator and SDYS Symphonic Strings conductor since 2011, is profiled by our local CBS8 in this in-depth video clip.