Don't miss the Pops Concerts

May 18th and 21st in the PAC

at 7:30pm.

All Seats are General Admission and Suggested Donation is $5 for all seats. 

"Songs Our Parents Know"

promises to be a blast from the past and will feature a first ever, Group of Parents of Seniors performing on both Concerts 

See you There!

Once Upon A Mattress on the Web!

Visit the Lamorindaweb.com to read the behind the scenes story of putting on the annual Musical at Acalanes.

Director's Notes

Happy New Year! 

We start 2012 off with two great events. Bella Voce will be competing in the 2012 Women's Golden State Choral Competition on Saturday Februry 25th at LOPC. Our performance time is 1:15pm and the public is invited. Please come out and support this stellar ensemble. The second event is our annual Musical. This year's production is of Mary Rodger's "Once Upon a Mattress". Performances will take place on Feb. 29, March 1,2, and 3. We have a talented and dynamic cast and ensemble and will be employing the talents of our StageCraft class on the technical side of things this year. More news to come!

ADVOCACY for THE ARTS

Now is the time of year when students are deciding which classes to take next year. With the competition for college admissions at an all time high, a strong foundation in the arts while you're in high school can give you the edge you need to get into the college of your choirce.

Here are some interesting facts about the benefits of Arts Education:

The benefits of student learning experiences in the arts are:

I. Academic • Reading and Language Skills • Mathematics Skills 

II. Basic • Thinking Skills • Social Skills • Motivation to Learn 

III. Comprehensive • Positive School Environment 

"The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to

create." President Barack Obama

Benefits of Arts Education

• Student involvement in the arts is linked to higher academic performance, increased

standardized test scores, greater involvement in community service and lower

dropout rates.

• Arts education fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and

innovation.

• Students who attend schools where the arts were integrated into classroom

curriculum outperform their peers in math and reading who did not have an artsintegrated

curriculum.

Creativity and Innovation

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Albert Einstein

• 1,500 CEOs surveyed by IBM ranked creativity as the most important leadership

quality they are looking for in their workers.

• One out of six jobs in Southern California is now in the creative industries; and the

creative economy is the second largest regional business sector.

• Multiple independent studies have shown increased years of

enrollment in arts courses are positively correlated with higher

SAT verbal and math scores. High school students who take arts

classes have higher math and verbal SAT scores than students

who take no arts classes.

So what are the arts good for?

In 2007, Het­land and Win­ner pub­lished a book, Stu­dio Think­ing: The Real Ben­e­fits of Visual Art Edu­ca­tion, that is so far one of the most rig­or­ous stud­ies of what the arts teach. Work­ing in high school art classes, they found that arts pro­grams teach a spe­cific set of think­ing skills rarely addressed else­where in the school curriculum—what they call “stu­dio habits of mind.” One key habit was “learn­ing to engage and per­sist,” mean­ing that the arts teach stu­dents how to learn from mis­takes and press ahead, how to com­mit and fol­low through

The Importance of Arts Education

Knowing and practicing the arts disciplines are fundamental to the healthy development of children's minds and spirits. That is why, in any civilization--ours included--the arts are inseparable from the very meaning of the term "education." We know from long experience that no one can claim to be truly educated who lacks basic knowledge and skills in the arts. There are many reasons for this assertion:

• The arts are worth studying simply because of what they are. Their impact cannot be denied. Throughout history, all the arts have served to connect our imaginations with the deepest questions of human existence: Who am I? What must I do? Where am I going? Studying responses to those questions through time and across cultures--as well as acquiring the tools and knowledge to create one's own responses--is essential not only to understanding life but to living it fully.
• The arts are used to achieve a multitude of human purposes: to present issues and ideas, to teach or persuade, to entertain, to decorate or please. Becoming literate in the arts helps students understand and do these things better.
• The arts are integral to every person's daily life. Our personal, social, economic, and cultural environments are shaped by the arts at every turn--from the design of the child's breakfast placemat, to the songs on the commuter's car radio, to the family's night-time TV drama, to the teenager's Saturday dance, to the enduring influences of the classics.
• The arts offer unique sources of enjoyment and refreshment for the imagination. They explore relationships between ideas and objects and serve as links between thought and action. Their continuing gift is to help us see and grasp life in new ways.
• There is ample evidence that the arts help students develop the attitudes, characteristics, and intellectual skills required to participate effectively in today's society and economy. The arts teach self-discipline, reinforce self-esteem, and foster the thinking skills and creativity so valued in the workplace. They teach the importance of teamwork and cooperation. They demonstrate the direct connection between study, hard work, and high levels of achievement.  

• The U.S. Department of Education recommends the arts to college-bound middle and junior high school students asserting, “Many colleges view participation in the arts and music as valuable experience that broadens students’ understanding and appreciation of the world around them.”

• Participating in fine arts such as band, choir, or drama will communicate that you are a well-rounded individual with a creative side, and that you have multiple ways of expressing yourself.