3rd Annual
Prelude in the Park
A Celebration of Music at Pittsford Park

The City of Lake forest in partnership with the El Toro High School Instrumental Music and Pageantry Boosters are proud to present a spring concert featuring the award winning El Toro High School String Orchestra, Symphonic Bands, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and Color Guard.

The concert selections will consist of a wide variety of music ranging from English orchestra to traditional American wind band to modern Jazz.

Where: Pittsford Park, 21701 Pittsford Dr., Lake Forest, CA 92630
When: Sunday, May 23, 2010 5:00-8:00pm.

Mission Viejo Presents Night of the Arts
Mission Viejo High School proudly presents the Sixth Annual Student Art Show, which features a variety of works from Ceramics, Photography, Drawing and Painting students.  The show runs from Tuesday, April 20th, through Thursday, April 22nd, with a community reception on April 22nd from 6:00PM to 8:00PM in the MVHS MPR.

The Performing Arts Department will present an open rehearsal with the cast and orchestra of the upcoming all school spring musical 42nd Street featuring over 70 student performers singing, dancing and acting in the newly modernized Performing Arts Theater.  The production of 42nd Street runs April 29-May 1 and May 6-8 at 7pm.  Tickets to the performances are Adults $15 and children and senior citizens $12.  They can be purchased at the open house on April 22nd or online at www.mvhsdrama.com.


Daniel Pink Presentation
For someone who claims that he was not especially into the arts as a kid, best-selling author Daniel Pink has managed to become one of the most persuasive evangelists for creativity the world has ever seen! He did a great job in presenting example after example of how it's the right side of the brain that's going to save the future of America. He certainly had nearly 1,000 people in the palm of his hand at his lecture at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, presented by ArtsOC, OC Department of Education, OC Performing Arts Center and 4th District PTA. Three breakouts after the presentation were packed (more than 1/3 of the lecture attendees remained for them) and included panels, a video/PowerPoint presentation from ArtsOC, and Q&A sessions. This event is a re-invented reprise of his appearance in OC two years ago, which reverberated with the community so strongly that it merited a command performance again this year. It has again created a buzz that we hope will translate into action: advocacy, improved management practices in business, arts organizations and education, as well as more generous philanthropic support to make it all happen. Check out more photos of the event here. If you attended the event, please feel free to comment here--or on the Creative Edge arts education blog.

25th Anniversary Imagination Celebration Applications
The Imagination Celebration is entering its 25th year! The theme, Imagination Opens the Door, holds a promise of a bright future for our students through the arts.
In support of The Imagination Celebration, Saddleback Valley Unified School District high schools will hold special nights of the arts. These celebrations will display the creative talents of students in the Saddleback Valley in the areas of visual arts, music, drama and technical arts. Students from local intermediate and elementary schools have been invited by some of the high schools to experience the rich arts activities and to set up their own displays as part of the celebration. The celebrations are scheduled as follows:

Arts Advantage Program
Over the past school year Arts Advantage districts' educators throughout Orange County, including SVUSD, were busy revising the standards-based curriculum for Visual Arts. The K-6 lessons were designed to build off each other from one grade level to the next so that students will learn and experience the Visual Arts curriculum with increasing depth and sophistication. 

This year we will have 42 SVUSD teachers representing 7 schools participating in a workshop during January 6th of this school year. During this workshop our teachers will meet in grade level groups with teachers from other Arts Advantage districts to learn Unit 1 (there are 3 units) of the Visual Arts curriculum. They will return on March 3rd and again on April 29th to receive Units 2 and 3. A teacher specializing in Visual Arts will present lessons for each unit. The funding for this project is a combination of private grants and Title II.

2009 Report on the Creative Economy
The Otis College of Art and Design commissions an annual study to report on the creative economy in Los Angeles and Orange counties. It highlights that the arts are an important sector of our economy that provides jobs for many. The fast facts about the arts and the economy:

See "Visual and Performing Arts News & Research" section for more information

Boeing Company invests $100k in Arts Advantage
The Boeing Company donated $100,000 to Arts Advantage to support district efforts to restore and maintain arts education. The monies are being used to provide professional development for teachers and administrators as well as for materials and curriculum development. This is the fourth year Boeing has contributed to the Arts Advantage district alliance. Arts Advantage is open to all districts in Orange County.