Program Vision, Mission, and Purpose |
Our Vision |
Our Mission |
No youth in
San Francisco will feel
helpless or hopeless as a result of
the social or economic situation they
were born into, but will be empowered
by a cultural revolution of scholarship
and creative self-expression to fulfill
their dreams.
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The Roots & Rhythm
Playhouse of San Francisco is a community-based organization dedicated
to inspiring creativity and acheivement among under-served children
through organized performing arts opportunities.
Roots & Rhythm Playhouse was founded with the belief that
the performing arts have tremendous potential to positively influence
the entire learning learning and development process.
o Inspires
active engagement in learning
o Enhances
individual self-confidence and poise.
o Fosters
a creative, committed and exciting school environment.
o Builds
an awareness of the larger community and a broader
culture beyond the confines of everyday life.
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Why are the performing arts so important?
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Research
has shown that involvement in the arts significantly improves
academic achievement, and helps increase self-confidence
and motivation -particularly among children from low-income
families.
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o High
arts participation makes a more
significant difference to students from
low-income backgrounds than for high-
income students. Further, sustained involvement
in particular art forms-
specifically theatre and music-are
highly correlated with success in
mathematics and reading (footnote 1). |
o In
14 high-poverty schools in which the
Chicago
Arts Partnerships in Education
(CAPE) had
developed innovative arts-
integrated curricula,
students advanced
more quickly and showed
a more
significant narrowing
of the gap in
acheivement along many dimensions
as
compared to the "arts-poor" schools
in
the same neighborhoods (footnote 2). |
| o A
10-year study of after-school programs
found that art-based programs had a
more powerful, positive effect on young
people than sports or community service
programs. Although the youth in the arts
programs were actually at greater "risk"
than those in the other programs, the
researchers found that arts programs
offered the best opportunity to develop
communication, complex thinking, and
problem-solving skills (footnote 1).
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When well taught, the arts provide
young people with authentic learning experiences that
engage their minds, hearts, and bodies-the type
of education we must prioritize. |
1. Catterall, J., Chapleay,
R. & Iwanga, J. 1999 Involvement in the Arts and Human Development:
General Involvement and Intensive Involvement in Music and Theatre
Arts. UCLA
2. Brice Heath, S. & Roach, A.
Imaginative Actuality: Learning the Arts During Nonschool
Hours Stanford University and Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
3. Catterall, J. & Waldorf, L.
Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education: Summary Evaluation UCLA
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