SDYS Named “A National Example” by National Endowment for the Arts

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SAN DIEGO  – San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory (SDYS) received recognition at this year’s Arts Education Partnership National Forum for their ongoing success in restoring music education to schools in San Diego County.
At the Arts Education Partnership National Forum in Pittsburgh, the National Endowment for the Arts Chair Jane Chu highlighted SDYS’ Community Opus Project in her opening remarks as a national example:
“At the San Diego Youth Symphony: we supported their Community Opus Project, which offers free after-school music instruction at two schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. At the time, Chula Vista did not have a music education program of its own. But after seeing how students benefitted socially and academically from the program, the school district asked Community Opus to expand. By the end of this past school year, Community Opus was providing free in-school and after-school music classes to 3,000 students in 18 schools. And on top of that, school district leaders have made a commitment to reinstate music instruction at all of their 44 schools over the next 10 years,” said Jane Chu at the Arts Education Partnership National Forum.
This acknowledgement came just two weeks after SDYS’ Community Opus Project was featured on the NEA Blog highlighting their story as one “not just of individual impact, but of systemic change.”

“It was exciting to have SDYS and Community Opus Project held up as a national example of effectively addressing the opportunity gap that exists between students who have and don’t have access to music and arts education learning experiences,” says Dalouge Smith, SDYS President and CEO.
Dalouge Smith attended the Forum to speak on a panel titled “Restoring Arts Education Capacity to California’s Largest K-6 School District: El Sistema and the Community Opus Project” with Russell Sperling, Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, San Diego County Office of Education, Dr. John Nelson, Assistant Superintendent, Chula Vista Elementary School District and moderator Heather Noonan, Vice President for Advocacy, League of American Orchestras.
In 2010, SDYS piloted the Community Opus Project, a free after-school music program, at two CVESD schools. Before the end of the first year the District was astounded by the positive effects learning music had on the students and their families. They invited SDYS to expand the Opus Project to six schools in 2011-12 and then to pilot an in-school program for third-graders at all six schools. In 2013, CVESD committed to returning music education at all its schools.

Now that a music program will be available to elementary school students during their school day, SDYS’ Community Opus Project is shifting from teaching introductory  instrumental instruction to leading free after-school District Orchestras and District Bands for all CVESD students wishing to advance beyond in-school music.
More information at www.sdys.org/community-opus-project

Read the Phase One Report at https://www.sdys.org/files/OpusYear4Report-SDYS%20website..pdf