Artists Collaborate With Outreach Program to Create Connection Among Students

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Watson Elementary School students rehearse for a showcase presentation through Arkansas A+ pARTners After School Program.

A U of A outreach program, Arkansas A+, provides after-school arts opportunities for students in underserved schools in the Little Rock School District.

Now in its third semester, pARTners After School Program has expanded to serve students at Watson, Chicot, Mabelvale and Stephens elementary schools. The grant-funded project is a partnership between Arkansas A+ and Little Rock Community Schools. The goal of the program is to increase access to after-school care for families while providing arts enrichment opportunities for students. The spring semester was the first for the program at Mabelvale and Stephens elementary schools. The program will return to all four schools in fall 2023.

Each after-school program runs for eight weeks and includes performing and visual arts modules led by experienced teaching artists. At the close of this semester's program, Arkansas A+ sponsored a student showcase to share the students' work with their families and school communities.

Alyssa Wilson, executive director of Arkansas A+, held a professional development workshop with the program teams at which teaching artists worked with art teachers from each school to begin their planning. Wilson said, "During those sessions, the word 'connection' kept reappearing as important to our work with the program. Connections across our program team, connections with our program students, connections among the students and connections to the arts that were being explored. This realization led to our adopting 'Connection' as our overarching concept for the program."

Visual artists Jose Hernandez and Syd Carmichael explored layering, color, texture and subject matter with students by creating a mural. They shared, "Something that really stands out for us was the way in which the students both connected with each other and with us. At first, the students would be shy, but as the program went on, we saw them come out of their shells and really flourish. Both their abilities and their self-esteem grew."

Patty Oeste, a performing artist, focused on music with the students. They learned the Native American flute, composed a class piece and performed the piece with soloists who volunteered to improvise throughout the piece. Harnessing the energy and creativity of the students, they went on to play hand drums and choreograph their own drumline. At the end of the program showcase, students invited their families up to dance with them using a parachute and choreography they had created. One student said, "Music is my life. It is there when I am sad, afraid, happy or alone."

Arkansas A+ is a U of A College of Education and Health Professions outreach program. It provides schools with ongoing professional development, an intricate network of support and an active research component. In Arkansas A+ schools, teaching the state's mandated curriculum involves a collaborative, multi-disciplined approach with the arts — dance/movement, theater, music, creative writing and visual arts — continuously woven into every aspect of a child's learning. The hands-on curriculum ignites student learning and leads to higher achievement.