Community Arts Schools and Conservatories
ACHF Arts Education
As its mission, Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program will continue to bring music training to the children and adults in Itasca County. A favorite tagline is “lessons in violin, viola, cello and string bass for ages 7-100.” To promote awareness of the arts, Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program initiated a collaboration of nonprofit arts organizations three years ago. Grand Rapids Arts is the result. Its online arts calendar was recently launched. Grand Rapids Arts and Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program will premier Grand Rapids’ version of First Friday on October 7, the Friday before the Common Chords residency. The evening will include the traditional gallery openings with music and entertainment provided by arts organizations. First Fridays will then be a fixture in the community. The goal is to bring an economic boost to the downtown and market Grand Rapids as an arts destination. Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program will continue to work with District 318 Indian Services to recruit its students. The Common Chords residency will include a fry bread/taco feast cultural exchange with parents of Ojibwe students. Hopefully, the evening will make orchestra music more accessible. Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program will continue to collaborate with Itasca Networks for Youth (INFY). INFY is in the process of developing indicators to measure the success of after school programs. This will assist a larger collaboration of the Itasca Area Schools Collaborative and the Blandin Foundation. Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program students and instructors will be a continued presence at the Children’s Fair. The Fair is free, open to all, ADA compliant and attracts thousands of children each year. Children who pass by the booth are handed a violin and cello to keep the beat on one string while they are accompanied by a fiddle tune. Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program is committed to breaking down the barriers to participation in arts learning activities for Minnesotans. Performance measures will be in place to gauge increase of involvement. The following have been practices in the past and will continue: tracking number of students enrolling and dates of enrollments, and conducting year-end student surveys, exit and staff interviews. Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program will implement the following to improve assessment and evaluation: training in Strategic Financial Planning for the executive director and one board member, training in evaluation of youth programs through Itasca Networks for Youth, surveying parents online using Survey Monkey.
Data recorded on First Fridays: five Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program student performances; partnerships formed with seven businesses, one non-arts nonprofit, and four agencies; an average of 152 attendees, based on a count taken at venues at 6:00 p.m. 2. Data kept by School District 318 Indian Education increase of two Ojibwe students (100%). 3. Evaluation of Out of School Time programs: With Itasca Networks for Youth is presently seeking outside sources for training. 4. Data on participants Children's Fair: Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program staff and two students attendees, 1,060 adult attend. 5. Orchestra and Strings Program enrollment: 21 Cohasset, 17 Bovey, eight Deer River, 85 Grand Rapids, 2 Marble, one Warba, one Hackensack, 12 Bigfork, 7 Coleraine. Survey Monkey implemented for evaluations, enrollment dates recorded. 6. Data on Strategic Financial Planning Trainings: 3/29, 4/17, 5/21 with Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program accountant, 3/21/21, 10/2/12 with Nonprofits Assistance Fund, 11/15/12 with Minnesota Council Nonprofits.
Other, local or private