Culminating a year-long endeavor that demonstrates how youth can connect to each other, their schools, and their community, elementary school students and community members of the Santa Clarita Valley come together to celebrate a broad, innovative partnership base of individuals and organizations dedicated to publicizing and supporting the need for sustained arts programming for each and every student.
Beat the Odds is a drum circle-based activity that seeks to maximize creative expression while building social and emotional skills, emphasizing the process of learning over performance. It is inclusive, culturally relevant, and does not bear the stigma of therapy for children with emotional or social struggles. With hopes of breaking a world record and fundraising for the PAC K-12 Arts Education Outreach Program, the event aims to raise awareness for dwindling arts programs in schools due to cuts in funding. The PAC K-12 Arts Education Outreach Programs provides opportunities for the youth of Santa Clarita through valuable partnerships with major arts organizations in California and across the nation. The program uses College of the Canyons’ cultural and community resources to expose Santa Clarita’s student population to top-tier, visual performing arts standard-based arts activities and integrated performing arts learning opportunities.
Rock the Rhythm: Beat the Odds is a tribute to the vision of community members and their continuing efforts to build strong, sustainable partnerships from teachers and Administrators of local school districts to the College of the Canyons and the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center to local businesses. From an idea to a nationally spotlighted event, Rock the Rhythm: Beat the Odds reflects Santa Clarita’s response to a growing need for prioritizing Arts Education in its schools, and the critical importance of an entire community’s participation and conversation in that mission.
Join the movement on Friday, May 18 at 11 a.m. in College of the Canyons’ Cougar Stadium. The event is free and gates open at 10 a.m.. Come support your local arts programs.
For more information, visit www.rocktherhythm.org.