MEDIA ADVISORY
April 25, 2018
UC San Diego Partners with San Diego Unified to Create the Next Generation of San Diego Musicians by Pledging $100,000 to Arts Education
More than 100 Student Musicians will celebrate the new collaboration with an honors concert at Copley Symphony Hall on Sunday.
WHAT: The creative collaboration will make San Diego Unified the only school district in San Diego County with an arts partnership with the University of California San Diego. The partnership includes a pledge of a $100,000, a commitment to increase arts education opportunities for students and establishes a bridge between San Diego Unified and UC San Diego, a premier learning institution in our country and the world.
"San Diego Unified and UC San Diego have a shared vision. We believe that students should not have to leave San Diego to receive a world-class education. Our collaborative commitment to arts education will give rise to our quality neighborhood schools and foster a new wave of creative thinkers, well-rounded leaders, college and career ready graduates that will have a positive impact on the San Diego of tomorrow." said Cindy Marten, San Diego Unified Superintendent.
The official announcement of the $100,000 sponsorship will take place at the San Diego Unified high school Instrumental Honor Concert on Sunday April 29 where 122 students from 12 San Diego Unified High Schools will celebrate the new relationship. Student musicians have been selected by audition to perform. The participating high schools are: Hoover, La Jolla, Mira Mesa, Mission Bay, Morse, Patrick Henry, Point Loma, SCPA, Scripps Ranch, San Diego, Serra and University City.
"The San Diego Unified School District and UC San Diego share a strong commitment to the arts, and we are pleased to partner to increase art education and opportunities for young students," said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. "The arts are a foundational and dynamic part of the university's transformative multi-disciplinary environment, where we teach our students to think critically and express themselves creatively."
A few examples of how the $100,000 sponsorship to San Diego Unified's Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Foundation will impact San Diego Unified students include co-created neighborhood arts showcases. These showcases of student creativity and achievement in dance, music, theater arts, and visual arts, will bring together young artists from all disciplines to share their work with families, the community, local policy makers, and the media. The new partnership will also offer many opportunities for San Diego Unified students to attend a variety of UC San Diego visual arts, dance and theater productions.
Russ Sperling, San Diego Unified Visual and Performing Arts Director, said: "We are thrilled to begin this new partnership with UC San Diego that allows us to cultivate, nurture and strengthen our student's arts education, furthering our shared commitment to transforming lives through the arts."
In addition to the new and exclusive opportunities the sponsorship will offer San Diego Unified students, it will also increase the commitment to teacher and student VAPA scholarships, awarded throughout the year.
WHEN: Sunday,April 29, 2018 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Jacobs Music Center Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St, San Diego, CA 92101
VISUALS: Several hundred student musicians performing at the prestigious Jacobs Music Center Copley Symphony Hall. Student rehearsals and "behind-the-scenes" coverage available upon request.
SPEAKERS/INTERVIEWS: UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten, San Diego Unified Director of Visual and Performing Arts Russ Sperling, San Diego Unified Board of Education President Kevin Beiser.
BACKGROUND: In 2016, San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) adopted a Strategic Arts Plan. The goal of this Plan is to transform lives through learning in visual and performing arts -- VAPA. The Mission Statement commits SDUSD to promoting "artistic literacy, innovation, creativity and excellence in the arts by providing a high quality, sequential, TK-12 arts experience for all students." Unanimously approved by the SDUSD school board, this Plan reconfirms the arts as a core subject and mandates a commitment to providing students "the highest quality arts education in dance, music, theater and visual arts, and providing services to teachers in curriculum and instruction, professional development and community collaboration.
The VAPA Foundation:
Educators, community members and SDUSD stakeholders established the VAPA Foundation in 2017 to support the goals set out in the Strategic Arts Plan. The VAPA Foundation supports the goals of the Strategic Plan via:
• Grants for Teachers – Grants ranging from $500 to $2,500 allow teachers to go beyond the
school budget to offer artist in residencies, field trips, professional development, or VAPA related
materials or equipment. Applicants submit proposals and budgets outlining how
funding enhances arts learning, aligns with core arts standards, and provides unique
opportunities for creativity and innovation.
• Targeting Needs/Data Collection – Using data collected by SDUSD, VAPA will work to
target programs in schools that demonstrate the most need.
• Creating Collaborations – The San Diego community brims with institutions, organizations
and artists and organizations committed to connecting students with transformative arts
learning. The VAPA Foundation will serve as a bridge to creating important connections and
opportunities for SDUSD students.
• Resources – The Foundation will act as a resource for teachers looking for instruction,
professional development, and materials.
• Raising Awareness – The VAPA Foundation will join in the important work of informing the
community about the importance of a VAPA-rich education
MEDIA CONTACT: Isabella McNeil, San Diego Unified School District, 619-341-2343 Imcneil@Sandi.net<mailto:Imcneil@Sandi.net>
ON-SITE MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew Sharp, San Diego Unified School District PIO, 619-252-6848