Educational Outreach

Mentors in Music and the Arts

Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) places high priority on the development of arts education initiatives.  We believe that all people are inherently creative - with the ability to appreciate, understand and make art. 

We are excited to continue and even expand our "Mentors in Music and the Arts" (MIMA) program.  Each season the UCPAC provides five MIMA workshops; three workshops geared toward middle school through high school age students, as well as two workshops for elementary school students. 

The Union County Performing Arts Center's "Mentors in Music and the Arts" program provides the opportunity for children of all backgrounds to come into direct contact with the arts - not just as a passive observer, but also as an active participant.  Participants work directly with professional artists, in the disciplines of music, dance, theatre and / or visual arts, who provide both motivational and educational support.  This program provides students with a unique introduction to the positive effects of arts participation.  Through personal contact with professional artists from diverse backgrounds, this experience:

• whets an appetite in the participants to further explore the arts as a vehicle towards academic, professional and personal achievement and satisfaction.  
  
• begins to alter the participants' attitudes  - about themselves and others; about the value of discipline, determination and motivation in overcoming barriers to personal success, achievement and self-satisfaction.
  
• fosters a cooperative and supportive attitude towards people from all backgrounds.

Each workshop highlights the unique aspects of the particular artist's craft.  Students who attend the workshop experience various aspects of the creative process that leads to a live performance.  The participants learn first-hand that by working together in harmony, disparate people, talents and activities can form a cohesive conclusion - a way of communicating, a performance, a successful collaboration.

UCPAC education initiatives support the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Visual and Performing Arts believing that "an education in the arts is essential for the achievement of human, social, and economic growth."  Students who participate in the MIMA program are introduced to (and encouraged to participate in) an environment where the arts provide:

• the ability to be creative and inventive decision-makers;
  
• varied and powerful ways of communicating ideas, thoughts and feelings;
  
• an enhanced sense of poise and self-esteem;
  
• the confidence to undertake new tasks;
  
• an increased ability to achieve across the curriculum.   

The Union County Performing Arts Center recognizes and thanks the Ronald McDonald House Charities for sponsoring this season's "Mentors in Music and the Arts" program. RMHC's generous gift supports the Arts Center and their continued efforts to bring arts educational initiatives to children and young adults.

For more information about the "Mentors in Music and the Arts" program, please contact Danni Rumsey at 732-499-0441 ext 221.