You may create a residency of your very own or choose one of a number of residencies YAV has developed for other schools systems listed below.

Coming to America
This residency uses performing arts as a tool to help students and staff focus on multi-cultural issues while incorporating curriculum materials in language arts, history and the use of modern technology. The multi-cultural theme brings into focus the immigrant experience in America at the turn of the century. Students sample the heritage and traditions of the Chinese, Russian, Jewish, Austrian, German and Spanish people involved in this wave of immigration.

Creative Adventures
Beginning with a book or source material already introduced and read in the classroom, Young Audiences' ensembles work with students to create a "story musical" derived from the written material. Students learn about the process of creating a theatrical production and the many artistic disciplines involved including script writing, acting, directing, dance and movement, musical composition and production, set and lighting design.

Share The World
Using music, dance and storytelling, this residency provides a rare chance to introduce your students to world cultures and the common bond they all share--the universal need to record their heritage with words and express themselves through dance. The repertoire Young Audiences offers in this program is as diverse as the cultures that make up the United States and includes the following countries and continents: Africa, North America, South America, China, India, the Middle East, Ukraine, the Caribbean, Polynesia, Korea and Russia.

The Classics
This residency builds a bridge between popular culture and the world of classical music. Students will learn the connection between classical music and language, visual art, dance and theater as well as their everyday lives. The Virginia Symphony has collaborated with Young Audiences to bring percussion, woodwind, string and brass ensembles into local schools. Each ensemble will teach students about melody, harmony and rhythm, as well as the structure of an orchestra. Students who participate will have the opportunity to attend a Virginia Symphony concert.

All residencies include the active involvement of both school staff and students. Long-term student learning relies on the faculty's full involvement from planning to assessment. In this way, even short-term residencies can have long-term effects.

Where Do I Start?
Young Audiences will work with you in designing the academic and educational scope of a residency to meet your needs. You can create your own theme or replicate one of the residencies listed in our catalog.

How Long is a Residency?
Any multiple of days or weeks are available to schools. We may tailor the length of the residency to fit your exact needs and budget. A residency can be condensed to fit the tightest school schedule or be spread out over months for a more relaxed approach.

How Do I Plan a Residency?

• The school chooses the subject matter of its residency.
• The budget is decided. Costs vary depending on length of residency, number of students and number of artists involved.
• The schedule for the residency is outlined by the school.
• The following questions are answered in the planning:
  • How many children will be served?
  • How many artists will be involved?
  • What kinds of materials will need to be created?
  • What types of publicity and planning materials will be produced?
  • What is the completion time for the project?
  • Does the school have a grant or corporate community partner available?

How Does a Residency Help Teachers?
YAV provides workshops for the classroom teachers in each residency plan. Using the teaching staff's expertise and input, these workshops fine-tune the scope of the residency and the activities presented to the children.

What Do the Artists Do in a Residency?
Students view a live performance and experience the result of artists working together creatively. The performance is interactive and specific to the project goals. As follow-up, the artists focus on the theme chosen and create hands-on workshops for the students.

How Do I Know If the Residency Made a Difference?
YAV provides an evaluation packet that measures the value of the residency in terms of student learning. Including student and teacher evaluation tools, this packet is reviewed by the YAV staff and artists.

Young Audiences of Virginia has had an explosion in the number of residency requests from schools throughout the state. Four of these projects stand out:

1. Through a generous gift from First Coastal Bank, Clara Byrd Elementary in Williamsburg and Seatack Elementary in Virginia Beach had the opportunity to work with professional artists in residence at their schools in a uniquely designed residency that combined the performing and visual arts. These two residencies involved students and teachers in hands-on work sessions and provided opportunities to focus intensively on creative projects under the guidance of Young Audiences' artists. Students worked with artists well-versed in theater, dance, music and storytelling who in turn worked closely with the art teachers at each school to create visual arts pieces that reflected the learning that took place during the residency. The visual art pieces will be installed in local branches of First Coastal Bank.

2. At the Hebrew Academy in Virginia Beach, YAV created a four-day, multidisciplinary residency studying diversity entitled "Coming To America". This residency used performing arts as a tool to help students and staff focus on multicultural issues while incorporating materials in language arts, history and the use of modern technology. The theme brought into focus the immigrant experience in America at the turn of the century. Students sampled the heritage and traditions of the different cultures involved in this wave of immigration through working with professional dancers, vocalists, musicians and actors from the Young Audiences roster. The culmination of the project was a student-generated final performance.

3. Young Audiences of Virginia developed a multicultural residency for Mary Calcott Elementary entitled "Creative Diversity". The project included workshops and performances for the entire school and specific sessions for a core group of students from each grade, 2-5. These students worked in depth with storyteller Lynn Ruehlmann and the History Alive! ensemble in creating a special performance for the opening celebration of the Mary Calcott Multicultural Center. The unique aspect of this residency was that a significant portion of the student population was mainstreamed, visually and hearing impaired students. Meeting the needs of these students and using the arts to bridge physical diversity added an exceptional aspect to the project.

4. In Richmond, through a gift from the Carpenter Foundation, YAV was able to provide residencies to two inner-city schools with large populations of at-risk students; Fairfield Court and Chimborazo Elementary. These residencies were designed around the concept of "How to Stimulate Reading and Increase Comprehension through Theater and Music" A large part of these projects was teacher and parent training sessions that accompanied the work done in the classroom and on stage by YAV artists with students. Through participatory workshops, classroom teachers were able to: Identify areas of reading curriculum where the arts can be infused; discover tools which can be used to increase comprehension; prepare for the upcoming performances and share ideas. These residencies are the result of a multi-year gift from the Carpenter Foundation that provided incentives for growing involvement and financial commitment from the school. The commitment for this year is already in place.

All these residencies are examples of innovation in education: teaching through the arts and finding new ways to reach and challenge students. They also reflect the importance of partnerships between the for-profit and non-profit worlds that must take place to improve education.

The following guidelines will enable you to successfully plan a residency for your school. All residencies include the active involvement of artists, Young Audiences staff, school administrators, music, art and classroom teachers. The school staff's full involvement from planning to assessment activities will ensure that even short-term residencies can have long-term effects. In a special pre-residency work session, the artist and teachers discuss the residency outline, special needs and provide a "hands-on" activity to introduce which art form(s) will be emphasized throughout the project.

All residencies include the following components: Planning and Design; Teacher Centered Work sessions; Artist Performance/Demonstration; Student Centered Work sessions; Teacher and Student Assessment Activities. These components can be grouped into four planning phases.

Phase I: Planning and Design

Phase II: Teacher Centered Workshop

Phase III: Performance/Demonstration and Student Centered Workshops

Phase IV: Teacher and Student Assessment Activities

Making a Budget
Budgeting is also a part of this phase. Each residency has specific funding needs depending on the following:

• How many children will be served?
  
• How many artists will be involved?
  
• What kinds of materials will need to be created?
  
• What types of publicity and planning materials will be produced?
  
• What is the completion time for the project?
  
• Does the school have a corporate community partner pr grant available?