festival educational outreach
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Educational Outreach For the past few years performance poets from the Toronto area have been contracted to deliver workshops to Huntsville High School students, initially teaching them the basics of performance (Slam) poetry and then critiquing their works in an open mike workshop environment. One of the Festivals more ambitious investments has been in the 'Kaleidoscope in the Schools' program. This is a Kindergarten to Grade 8 intensive performing and visual arts program that aligns local and area artists with specific classes over six three hour sessions culminating in a school wide performance. The program was successfully introduced to Pine Glen school in 2005 and was presented at Spruce Glen School commencing March 2007. A further variation was piloted at Spruce Glen school in the spring of 2008, in conjunction with the Arts Council of Muskoka and the Muskoka Lakes Music Festival. The eventual plan is to present a ‘Kaleidoscope style’ program to all the area public schools. The Festival has worked with the local high school to underwrite theatre recital costs for a number of student performances, from HHS Band Concerts to the successful Song Project initiative. They have also supported an annual film festival and have underwritten the cost of creating various Group of Seven murals. The murals are painted by senior High School art students and are mounted on the outside of the school, bringing the school into the Town’s mural project. All in all the Festival has budgeted approximately $10,000 annually to assist primary and secondary school arts initiatives. The Festival is always on the lookout for partnership opportunities that benefit local youth and encourage their involvement in the arts. Funding for these programs comes from general donations and mainstream programming. |
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