Think Together and OCSA Bring Arts Programs to OUSD Students
Tucked into the school’s multipurpose room, the students are waiting in their colorful skirts, silently practicing their steps before their performance. For most of these students, this is the first time that they have had the opportunity to not only learn how to dance, but also perform in front of an audience. They filter out the door single file and catch their first glimpse of the crowd filled with family and friends. The moments before the music plays, the students hold an excited breath before the energetic melody fills the silence and their precise, coordinated steps they’ve been practicing for months take over.
Students have reached the culminating event after learning about ballet folklórico for the last 10 weeks. Lilia Muniz, OCSA Instructor for the past seven years, has been teaching students on the fundamentals of the dance style alongside the cultural significance of ballet folklórico.
“I have seen them grow so much over this short 10-week period. They’ve learned so quickly and, even though students don’t like to admit it, I think they’ve liked the structure,” Lilia shared.
Fifth-grader Gianna has participated in the folklórico program since day one and has enjoyed the experience. For Gianna, this is her first time performing outside of a couple cheerleading performances. This performance will be different, since she is going to perform for her dad who danced ballet folklórico when he was younger. When asked how dancing folklórico makes her feel she shared, “I like dancing because I can express a lot of emotions in tiny moves.”
Another fifth grader in the program, Kira, has been getting out of her comfort zone. She shared how she’s nervous to perform, but also excited to show how much she has learned. “I like it because I’m learning a bunch of new stuff, including new things about Mexico. I like learning the different types of footwork and the culture behind it. I’ve seen performances, but it’s a different experience learning to do the dances now myself.”
Both Kira and Gianna shared that even though Miss Lilia is strict, she’s strict in the best way because she has encouraged them to always try their best. Other students echoed the sentiment, and as much as they are excited for their performance, they don’t look forward to the end of their weekly lessons.
OCSA is well-known for the rigorous curriculum for students and pushing them to achieve their full potential. Lilia shared how teaching students in the community over a short period of time can be challenging, but it is so rewarding to see students grow their confidence. “I hope they feel proud about what they’ve learned, ballet folklórico is a beautiful dance culture and an art form that I am excited to see people embrace and appreciate.”
Think Together has documented the entire 10-week program, and Lilia hopes that you take away from the video below the joy it has been for her and the students to learn together.
Creating a Collaborative Experience
Think Together, in partnership with Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), has launched our Arts Accelerator program which delivers engaging arts programming to students in grades K-6. The 2022-2023 course offerings include Theatre Arts Exploration, Dance Exploration, Visual Arts Exploration, and Musical Arts Exploration.
Currently, the program is being piloted at four school sites in Orange Unified School District (OUSD), with 180 students participating. OUSD leveraged Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) grants to bring the Arts Accelerator program with aims to bring hands-on, engaging learning experiences to address the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs and interests of students.
By leveraging the expertise of OCSA’s decades of involvement in arts educational spaces alongside Think Together’s years of partnering with school districts to develop quality afterschool programs, the two organizations have come together to create a unique and dynamic arts educational experience for elementary school students. The new collaboration aims to bridge the need for specialized educators and the increased demand for arts and enrichment for students.
“We are thrilled to work with Orange County School of the Arts to bring the best of both of our programs – arts and afterschool – to students who traditionally aren’t exposed to this kind of learning,” said Randy Barth, founder and CEO of Think Together. “This collaboration allows us to expand our collective reach and provide students with the opportunity to explore and develop their artistic talents while receiving a quality education.”
Bringing Art to Students
Parents and principals have been so excited, particularly about the performances. It’s an opportunity to bring the community together in celebration of the arts. Both parents, principals and stakeholders are also so excited to see how the students have been progressing with skill development and appreciate the caliber of talent provided by OCSA.
“This meaningful partnership with Think Together is a mission-aligned program for OCSA. We believe deeply in the power and value of a quality arts education for all students,” said Teren Shaffer, president and CEO of Orange County School of the Arts. “It is a privilege to collaborate with the visionary leaders at Think Together and within Orange Unified School District to increase access to the arts for deserving young students.”
Students are walking away with not only accelerated arts skillset but learning about the history and cultures that align with the programs they’re participating in. Programs like these create equity and access to high quality instruction that students may not otherwise have access to for free. Learn more below about what Think Together students will be learning!
Theatre Arts Exploration
Students in the Theatre Arts Exploration course will gain experience and insight into the world of theatre arts through the exploration of acting, character development, blocking, original storytelling, artistic choice, finding their voice, improvisation, scene work, ensemble building, and teamwork. They will learn foundational skills, theatre vocabulary, and the importance of all the roles involved in a theatrical presentation.
Dance Exploration
Students in the Dance Exploration course can expect to be introduced to a wide spectrum of dance styles, where they will develop and refine dance techniques. Each class consists of warm ups, skill introduction, and developing technique that increases the student’s skills, practice, appreciation, and knowledge of dance. Choreography is taught through the lens of various dance styles and the students work on their own group choreography and performance skills as well.
Visual Arts Exploration
In the Visual Arts Exploration course, students will learn about a variety of visual art making mediums and experiment with their own style. Focus is placed on foundational visual arts skills and the importance of artistic choices through the creative process.
Musical Arts Exploration
Students in the Musical Arts Exploration course will embark on a musical journey which acquaints them with the foundational skills necessary to understand, appreciate, and participate in making music with their voices, musical instruments or a combination of both. Each class incorporates engaging activities to help students along their journey of learning music, which may include introduction and refinement of musical technique, musicianship, and expansion of foundational music skills and understanding.
Looking to the Future
In addition to building up this robust program with OCSA, Think Together is partnering with other organizations to bring the arts to students across the state. We partner with Building Beats, Global Cultural Foundation, Versa-Style, Segerstrom Center for the Arts “Arts Teach,” Arts Learning Conservatory, Silicon Valley Creates, Music Center and Afterschool Music Academy to bring a variety of creative curriculum to over 60 schools benefitting around 2,400 students annually.
Our hope at Think Together is to work with our curriculum, corporate, and foundation partners to bring more elevated experiences to students and provide them with well-rounded opportunities to explore the arts, STEM and sports.