Artists In The Schools Program

Vocalist Nancy King and pianist Steve Christofferson  with students at Crater High School in Central Point

The Siskiyou Institute Artists-in-Schools program began in the winter of 2006 with a small donation from the Ashland Schools Foundation and continues to grow. This program fills an important need for students and music teachers alike in the southern Oregon area who have been affected by continuing budget cuts to the Oregon public schools system.  Music and art programs are always amongst the first programs to be cut when budget money becomes tight.  Yet, music and the arts are a vital part of every child¹s well-rounded education and all disciplines overlap in many ways.  Music is intrinsically linked to poetry, history, mathematics, cultural traditions, drama and basic listening skills just to name a few.

This program gives students an opportunity to meet with, hear, interact and study with professional musicians and music educators from the Rogue Valley and beyond.  It also gives our music teachers the chance to further develop and enhance their teaching methods, compare and exchange ideas with other teachers and to learn about new teaching techniques.  This comprehensive education program is designed to utilize music to reinforce and expand basic curriculum through exposure to performances, hands-on workshops, and residencies with professional artists.

"Thanks so much for enriching the musical life of my son, an experience he will never forget. These opportunities are special and hard to come by in our rural location, and we are very grateful. We look forward to more in the future" - David Young


"It was an amazing experience to see such a fantastic group of musicians play together and get the chance to work with a guitar legend like Ralph Towner" - David Kelly - SOU student


"The Men of Worth gave us not only the chanced to listen to beautiful music and learn how it¹s played, but also a lesson in their rich cultural traditions.  Their visit was interesting, informative, and entertaining; certainly an experience worth repeating." - Ellizabeth Wood

"I can¹t say how much this has inspired my teaching and the way I present concepts to my students." - Kirsten Morton - AHS Director of Bands

The Artists-In-Schools program is made possible by:

The Jackson County Cultural Coalition of the Oregon Cultural Trust

The Sharkey Family Foundation

and

The Oregon Arts Commission

To make a contribution to the Artists In The Schools Program, please contact Ed Dunsavage, Artistic Director at 541-488-3869 or email info@siskiyouinstitute.com