Exposure to the arts has been proven to enhance children’s mental and cognitive abilities, so it’s no surprise that the leadership team of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is making education and outreach a significant focus – well before the Center opens in 2012.

According to Candy Schneider, director of education and outreach, The Smith Center has forged two key national partnerships that will help to make arts education accessible to a greater number of students in southern Nevada.  

The first such partnership is with the John F. Kennedy Center - Partners in Education Program that features national and international artists who conduct workshops for teachers and students, connecting the arts to all areas of the curriculum. The Smith Center is one of only 100 organizations to enjoy this special relationship with the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and its equally renowned education program.

The second partnership is with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Virginia.  This organization is internationally recognized for their Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts program, which enhances preschool education by training teachers how to incorporate creative music, theater, dance, and storytelling into their curriculum.  The Smith Center serves as one of sixteen regional sites that replicate this work in southern Nevada.

The Smith Center is also actively engaged in fostering an arts-integrated curriculum throughout the valley with professional development workshops. Currently, The Smith Center is partnering with two schools: C.V.T. Gilbert Magnet School and West Prep Arts and Humanities Academy for grades 6-8.  According to Schneider, who has more than 37 years’ experience as an arts educator and school administrator in Clark County, the net effect of using the arts to teach basic concepts and principles is no less than astounding.  

“I’ve seen firsthand, over and over again, just how much learning can be enhanced with an arts-integrated curriculum. The arts require a high level of engagement and easily leave a stronger imprint on memory and understanding.  It’s all very exciting and we hope to eventually expand the program to include more and more schools.”

Schneider, who believes that education is a life-long process, is also working on the development of arts programs for all ages.  “We have big plans to ensure that everyone – regardless of age or income – has the opportunity to experience exceptional performing arts.”  

Photo provided by The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Candy Schneider: Kimberli Boyd at Clyde Cox Elementary School on April 16, 2010. Learning the writing process through movement. "Dancing between the lines."