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UC Irvine Extension Partners with the OC Performing Arts Center, Bringing the Richness of the Arts to K-2 Students

OC Teachers Explore how Music, Theatre and Dance can Build Literacy and Strengthen Overall Academic Performance

Irvine/Costa Mesa, CA – June 1, 2005 – UC Irvine Extension has partnered with the Orange County Performing Arts Center to present The Center’s Arts Teach “Building Literacy through the Arts – Summer Teacher Professional Development Seminar,” a four-day, interactive, professional development program designed to provide K-2 teachers with a deepened understanding of performing arts for the enrichment of the classroom experiences of their students.  Though first-hand engagement, teachers will see how the arts link to listening, reading, writing, and students’ personal creativity and overall potential for achievement.  The program will be offered at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. July 6th through 8th. A follow up session will be held October 19th. 

“UC Irvine Extension is committed to the goal of providing training for Orange County teachers in an effort to develop strategies and tactics to strengthen student literacy and learning abilities,” said Morgan Appel, director of education at UC Irvine Extension. “Because we recognize the intrinsic value of the arts as a foundation for success and academic achievement, UC Irvine Extension will continue to partner with high-caliber Orange County arts and education institutions to bring programs such as the ‘Building Literacy through the Arts – Summer Teacher Professional Development Seminar’ to our teachers so they may incorporate the arts into classroom curriculum.”    

Seminar highlights include a preview talk, Q & A session with the cast and showing of the Tony® Award-winning musical, Movin’ Out, as well as presentations by, and the opportunity to meet staff from arts and education providers including: Center’s Arts Teach, Orange County Department of Education, Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Orange County’s Pacific Symphony and Southern Counties Arts Project. 

Speakers will demonstrate how dance, theatre and music can connect to the State of California Visual and Performing Arts and English/Language Arts content standards with cross-curricular applications in other core subject areas.   Participating teachers will create, discuss, and implement grade-level appropriate, standards-based lessons in the performing arts. 

A follow-up session on Wednesday, October 19th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. will provide participants with an elegant meal and time for fellowship.  Participants will review lessons taught in their classrooms and share how the information was presented to and received by their students. Teachers will also be given the opportunity to attend a Pacific Symphony and/or a Philharmonic Society performance.  

"This is a first for The Center. We've never held a summer arts and literacy seminar before. This also marks our first collaboration with the education departments of two of our partners – Pacific Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, and the first time we have been able to partner with UC Irvine Extension to create a credit-bearing course designed specifically for teachers to integrate the arts into curriculum and instruction," said Nancy Warzer-Brady, director of education. "Our plan is for this to be an annual institute in the future as part of our expansion of what we offer to teachers for professional development."

Teachers attending the “Building Literacy through the Arts – Summer Teacher Professional Development Seminar” will:

  • Deepen their understanding of dance, music and theatre content standards
  • Connect the arts to teaching English/Language Arts
  • Learn how integrating the arts into teaching will engage and motivate students
  • Meet representatives from many arts organizations in the area and discover educational resources available to teachers and students. 

To register for this event or for more information contact Stephanie Hamburg at (714) 556-2122 x 4288 or e-mail shamburg@ocpac.org.   Registration and an online brochure are also available at www.ocpac.org/education.  The registration deadline is June 17th, 2005.  The fee for the program is $125.  This includes materials, meals, a ticket to Movin’ Out on July 7th, and attendance to a Pacific Symphony and/or Philharmonic performance.

The seminar is offered for 3 continuing education units available through UC Irvine Extension at an additional fee of $95.  For details, please contact Morgan Appel at (949) 824-2033 or e-mail appelm@uci.edu.   

As the continuing education arm of the prestigious university, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a transforming learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities.  UC Irvine Extension continues to provide a university-level learning experience to all students.  

For more information about UC Irvine Extension visit them on the Web at www.extension.uci.edu.