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Therefore, SHOWAbility is seeking the help of involved and active parents of students with disabilities, to encourage them to reach out to us to learn more about the program, for which a virtual orientation is set for September 14, 2024.
An Atlanta-based nonprofit committed to advocacy, accessibility and opportunities for the disability community in the performing arts arena, SHOWAbility designed the hybrid Saturday SPOTLIGHT Music and Acting Enrichment Academy, to change the career trajectory and life possibilities of marginalized disabled students with performing arts talent.
“Of the thousands of students registered in metro-Atlanta schools (public and private), we know there are many talented middle and high school students on a 504 plan, which is a blueprint for a child’s education experience in school factoring in their uniqueness, who would benefit greatly from our SPOTLIGHT Music and Acting Enrichment Academy,” says SHOWAbility’s Founder/Executive Director Myrna Clayton. “There’s no better place to start than with middle school students, which is a time when most students are introduced to band, chorus and theatre, so we want to make sure parents and caregivers learn about the program, so they can register their students,” she said.
Clayton says participating students would be assessed based on their skill level and interest. Programmatically they would collectively be introduced to or expand knowledge of musical instruments, singing or acting taught by teaching artists who are esteemed industry professionals, in addition to skill development, confidence, self-esteem building, and improvement in focus and grades.
The SPOTLIGHT Music and Acting Academy is part of a five-year pilot program developed by SHOWAbility, which has had consultative conversations with the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., disabilities-oriented organizations in metro-Atlanta and key disability stakeholders, including parents, arts teachers, and artists with disabilities, to create and design the program methodology.
According to Clayton, there is not another program like this that exists anywhere else in the southeast, which is designed to be transformative for participating students. It is curriculum-based, and led by professional teaching artists, developed by academic professionals and supported by inclusive coaches, assistive technology, and individualized accommodations grounded in and utilizing ongoing sound research practices.
“SHOWAbility’s SPOTLIGHT Music and Acting Enrichment Academy is an extremely unique and customized program that not only offers students music and acting experiences where students can hone their talents, but also offers impactful journeys toward self-discovery, empowerment and realized dreams for students in six through twelfth grades across the disability spectrum that are cognitively within those grade levels, who have displayed and expressed interest in musical instruments, singing, and/or acting,” shared Clayton, who is also an international jazz performing artist known as America’s Songbird and a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department. “Children with disabilities have dreams like everyone else, and we’re hoping that parents of these talented students will get involved like booster parents and help us support their kids to realize their dreams,” she said.
Norma Stanley
SHOWAbility
+1 678-508-3744
email us here
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