Arts for Learning Massachusetts Inc
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Mission Statement
The mission of Arts for Learning Massachusetts (AFLMA) is to educate, inspire and empower youth through the arts. We believe that the arts are an essential component of both formal education and youth development, and that every child, regardless of background, talents or special needs, deserves access to the rich educational opportunities inherent to arts learning.
About This Cause
AFLMA was established in 1962 from a belief in the transformative power of the arts and in response to an enduring concern that arts were considered an ancillary enrichment opportunity, disposable during lean budgeting times, rather than an indispensable component of educating the whole child. We implement and develop programming that introduces traditional and contemporary art forms from cultures around the world to: • strengthen learning and social skills • bring curriculum vibrantly to life • inspire imagination and develop creativity • promote cultural understanding • introduce students to powerful modes of self-expression • encourage students to create, risk, explore and discover their unique potential We seek out the region’s best performing and teaching artists, vet, develop, promote and coordinate their programs, and partner with schools and other learning centers to bring them directly to students during school-time. All programming is selected and adapted to meet the learning goals and special needs of each partner. Programs: Our more than 100 program offerings for PreK–12 graders include in-person and online remote versions of: • inspiring performances that introduce large audiences to an art form, its cultural context and its applications to school curriculum • hands-on workshops in which small groups of students practice an art form with the guidance of a teaching artist in a focused environment • in-depth residencies, in which a series of progressive, skill-building workshops culminates in a final student performance or project In 1998, AFLMA introduced our Expanded Arts Access programming. Developed in response to community needs and informed by the national education policy agenda, these programs bring adaptive arts learning to those who face the greatest barriers to arts access, yet often have the most to gain from them, including youth at risk and youth with physical and mental disabilities and challenges. Current Expanded Arts Access programming includes: • Expanding Horizons Through Music – Our yearlong literacy-through-music residency program for children experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty in preschool programs at Horizons for Homeless Children in Roxbury and Nurtury preschools in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Cambridge. The value Horizons has placed on our program was evidenced by Horizons' selection of our Program Director to receive the 2013 Sue Heilman Award for Excellence. • Year-Long Residencies – Weekly direct arts instruction in multiple genres for at-risk K–12 graders attending underserved Boston public schools that lack classroom arts teachers. Teaching includes cultural contexts and performance opportunities and is inclusive of students with special needs. •StoriesLive – Our “Story Slam” residency which trains at risk students to write, adapt and perform true stories from their lives for their peers. With story prompts based on the common college application, this program helps to prepare students to apply and interview for college and for employment while building empathy and community. • Healing Arts For Kids – Our nationally recognized initiative, started in 2004, which provides arts learning for physically and emotionally challenged children in hospitals and hospital schools to further educational and cognitive development and physical wellness (Greater Boston). In March of 2020, we adapted our programs for remote learning online, including live programming via virtual conferencing applications, and pre-recorded video for flexible viewing with live follow-up artist Q & A sessions in order to continue engaging students with arts learning during pandemic related school closures.