Despite the shortened 2019–2020 performance season, The Lincoln Center Support League’s Arts Education Outreach program reached thousands of local students with live performing arts programs. During the 2019–2020 season, The Lincoln Center Support League connected 3,253 students and community members with world-class professional artists at 10 different educational events. These included:
• 700 elementary students enjoying hands-on musical and poetry workshops
• 2,100 elementary and middle school students taking field trips to The Lincoln Center
• 2 dance masterclasses at Colorado State University
• Local dancers featured in Canada’s Ballet Jörgen’s performance of Anne of Green Gables: The Ballet™ at The Lincoln Center
• 3 Classical Convergence music masterclasses at Colorado State University
• 12 local teachers participating in The Second City’s “Creative Pedagogy in the Classroom” workshop
• Complimentary tickets for Boys & Girls Club members to attend Magic Treehouse: Showtime with Shakespeare
Thanks to The Lincoln Center Support League’s Arts Education Outreach program utilizing The Lincoln Center’s season of nationally touring performers, local students connect directly with international artists who joyfully share their expertise and experience. Classroom visits and field trips deepen the engagement of young people in arts and culture, create empathy and understanding, as well as inspire potential careers in the arts.
A field trip to The Lincoln Center brings together professional artists, educators, students, city staff and volunteers to experience meaningful, educational and unforgettable moments. This season, these included the dynamic Ballet Folclórico Nacional de México performance for middle school students and Magic Treehouse: Showtime with Shakespeare connecting first, second and third-grade students to The Bard through hip hop music and dance. One student from Beattie Elementary school summarized it best: “This is the best day of my life!” Even the educators agreed! One first-grade teacher from Beattie stated, “As an educator, I am so thankful my students were able to experience the theater and all that it has to offer. Some of my students have never had the opportunity to attend a musical, and I am so grateful to you all for providing them with this opportunity!”
Beyond the performances students attend at The Lincoln Center, The Lincoln Center Support League brought in Alaskan poet and musician Ken Waldman on a three-day tour of nine elementary schools. Integrating music and poetry, he encouraged kids to write their own poems. Students loved how Ken could create acrostic poems on the spot, and enjoyed the stories he would tell about Alaska. One teacher at Laurel Elementary enthused, “Ken was a master at student engagement with the music he played and the playful way he worked with words. The students were engaged the entire time and still talk about it!”
There are so many meaningful, touching and educational moments that happen during The Lincoln Center Support League’s Arts Education and Community Outreach programs. There is magic in connecting highly accomplished performers with students of all ages. From the intense, individual attention of the master teacher in the dance studio to the astonished faces of students entering The Lincoln Center Performance Hall for the very first time, we are proud to have a strong outreach program at The Lincoln Center. The Lincoln Center Support League makes supporting arts education outreach a mission priority. You can help us continue our education and outreach efforts by supporting The Lincoln Center Support League with your time, talent or treasure. For more information about The Lincoln Center Support League and the programs visit www.lincolncentersupportleague.org or email The Lincoln Center Support League at info@lincolncentersupportleague.org.