VSA arts
Vision, Strength and Accessibility
Youth in Arts is the Marin County affiliate of VSA
arts California, an international, nonprofit organization
founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society
where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and
enjoy the arts. VSA arts is committed to driving change, changing
perceptions and practice, classroom-by-classroom, community- by-community,
and ultimately changing society.
Youth in Arts VSA arts programs offer visual and performing arts
instruction to students with special needs in classrooms in and around the North
Bay. We serve students of all abilities from preschool to post-secondary,
providing highly skilled mentor artists in special needs and “at risk”
classrooms to teach music, dance, theater, visual and media arts.
Youth in Arts VSA arts can adapt nearly any of our AIS Courses
(see pages x-y) for special needs students. Just a few possible adaptations
include:
- Tailored musical repertoire
(i.e. to emphasize social interaction or language development)
- Adaptive art tools (i.e.
ball-handled paintbrushes, texture plates for visually impaired students)
- Guided movement activities
Our VSA arts Mentor Artists are specially
selected based upon their experience working with special needs students
and their ability to successfully adapt their programming for all abilities.
How to Get VSA Arts in Your Classroom
If you work in a classroom that serves
students with special needs and are interested in having an artist work
in your classroom, please do the following:
1. Consult the “Artists in Schools
Course Listings” in this Educators’ Guide;
2. Select a program you would like adapted
for your classroom;
3. Submit a program application informing
us of your need;
4. Submit a VSA arts
Teacher Intake Form so that we can better serve your students.
VSA
arts Pricing and Program Structure
Our VSA arts program offers the
same options as our AIS classes including: workshops; Assemblies; arts
courses lasting 6-30 sessions; Teacher In-Services; and Professional
Development in Arts Integration. VSA arts program costs can be
calculated at the same rate as AIS programming. Youth in Arts
offers subsidized programming at a discounted rate for the following
classrooms:
- Special Day Classrooms within Marin County
- County programs that serve
students who are “at risk” and/or students who are not able to attend
mainstream classrooms within Marin County.
If your classroom fits one of the above
descriptions, Youth in Arts will subsidize the majority of the program
costs and the program fee will be $200 per artist providing up to 8
classroom sessions. Subsidized programming will be granted on
a first-come first served basis as funds allow. Our goal is to
reach as many students as possible with limited funding. Schools
that request extended VSA residencies should calculate programming at
the same rate as AIS Courses
Click here
for VSA arts Application
