ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM
SOAC’s Arts Education Program (AEP) enhances the education of underserved, low-income children and youth in East San José through culturally specific arts engagement activities and instruction.
Annually, SOAC serves 900 students (ages 6-18) through their AEP who would not otherwise have access to high-quality arts education, helping them to not only learn about a craft or instrument, but to also connect them to their peers, their families, their neighborhood, and their heritage.
AEP implements two channels of delivery: Summer Camp and the School-Year Program. In alignment with best practices outlined by the California Department of Education, SOAC has evolved its Arts Education Program to include a “developmental pathway” to learning approach.
The Summer Program includes two, 4-week Summer Camps. Summer Camp provides 9 daily hours of arts engagement opportunities for youth ages 6 to 12 over a four-week period. Students explore offerings across the arts spectrum.
The School-Year Program aligns with the academic year, and is divided into Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. Classes meet weekly over the course of ten consecutive weeks and engage students in a longer-term progressive skill-building experience, culminating in a demonstration at the close of each quarter. Courses include instruction in violin, trumpet, guitar, percussion, and traditional mariachi instruments such as vihuela and guitarron. Classes in Mexican folkloric dance includes a long-term partnership with Cashion Cultural Legacy (CCL).