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UP CLOSE
BY JACQUELYN DE LONGE
Gabrielle Molina, lead teaching artist at the Franklin Elementary Music Program, guides her students through rehearsal before the courtyard performance
Taking a closer look at the people, places, and things that make Santa Barbara so unique. This freelance writer’s credits include newspapers, magazines, and copywriting. When Jacquelyn is not writing, practicing Pilates or yoga, you can find her chasing her two kids and dogs around Santa Barbara. Contact Jacquelyn at www. delongewrites.com
Think iCAN! Think iCAN! Members of the iCAN leadership team: Yvonne Leal, public relations director; Jeffry Walker, executive director; and Xóchitl Tafoya, music program director
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n our amazing culture-rich seaside city where art walks are held every month, museums and historic theaters line State Street, and numerous dance, musical, and theatrical performances are held year-round, I was surprised to find that Santa Barbara’s children have been the unfortunate bystanders of bureaucracy. It has been a long time since I was a kid in elementary school, and while I do remember hearing over the years that California’s public schools have made cuts to their programing (usually to the arts) due to limited budgets, I just didn’t realized how much had been cut – all of it. Art and music programs have been removed from almost all public schools, particularly in the neighborhoods of greater need. What a terrifying thought. The next generation missing out on the language of creativity, vital forms of thought process, and personal enrichment and expression. Ten years ago, local philanthropist Jim Kearns, recipient of this year’s HOPE award for his contribution to public education, felt much the same way. After recognizing the discrepancy between arts programing in schools such as Montecito Union School in comparison to Adalente Charter School, he stepped up and created the Incredible Children’s Art Network (iCAN), a nonprofit striving to bring arts education to every child in grades 1-6 despite their economic level. It started simple enough, with anonymous grants given to Adalente Charter for their arts department (Kearns preferred to keep his name out of the spotlight and keep focus on the cause). Within a short amount of time, the foundation blossomed into a beautiful partnership with Santa
Barbara Unified School District. In their agreement, schools contribute private classrooms and iCAN provides the credentialed teachers, assistants, and the art supplies. So successful has the Visual Arts partnership been that iCAN is now established at eight locations thoughout Santa Barbara County. These Title One Schools (classified by at least 40 percent of the students from lowincome homes receiving free or reduced lunch programs) are now able to give these kids, who often go without, a little more. The response to iCAN’s art program has been so positive that they have extended creative education to include a music program with free after-school lessons at two locations, Franklin Elementary and the Westside Neighborhood Center. Keeping students’ grades a priority, iCAN provides a tutor to ensure that homework is completed before the music lessons begins. These intensive tutorials require a serious, signed commitment from the students to participate three hours a day, five days a week, and even sometimes on weekends. Each one of the children who signs on is expected to live up to the program’s high standards – and they have been meeting every mark. This nonprofit is quite clear about what it looks to accomplish: The mission of the Incredibly Children’s Art Network (iCAN) is to bring high quality arts programs to the children of Santa Barbara County, particularly those least likely to receive them. Through sustained, creative learning opportunities that emphasize both artistic excellence and access, iCAN seeks to affect positive social change in the communities it serves. It’s a big undertaking, and so far iCAN has been able to provide services for every child who has applied – and while iCAN
The Sonos Montecito wind quintet of Westmont College: Bethany Stevens, Trey Ferrell, Joanne Kim, Andrea DiMaggio, and Paul Mori
Children of the Westside Neighborhood Center perform for parents and teachers thanks to the instruction and dedication of iCAN’s expanded music program
occasionally uses a waitlist, it has never turned down an eager student. With more than 3,000 children, 40 teachers, and eight locations, the program continues to expand. iCAN’s executive director Jeffry Walker passionately supports the founder’s vision. “We got here by policy, not accident. Now it is about ‘How do we turn the tide?’” By working together with other local institutions, iCAN has been able to secure high-quality guest artists through the support of the MCA and professional mentors via the Santa Barbara Arts Alliance. ICAN’s education extends past the classroom into real life cultural experiences and applications. There are field trips to museums, visiting artists, student exhibitions, and live musical performances. It is a chance for these children to put themselves into the spotlight, learn about professionalism, and gain the confidence necessary to be successful in life.
On the afternoon I attended the student performance at Franklin Elementary, the one-on-one attention these children receives was evident. It was a special day with a visit from the Sonos Montecito wind quintet of Westmont College. Gabrielle Molina, the lead music teacher, helped each of the children run through their pieces. “What note are we starting with?” asked Molina as the nervous students giggled. With a nod, she raised her hands to begin and again asked the question, “What note are we starting with?” A few horns blew off-key and they giggled again. One last time, she raised her hands with a slightly more serious look on her face, and the students rose to the occasion, overcoming their giggles and playing right on key. The four professional musicians of the quintet watched the children rehearse, giving them supportive advice about how proper posture directly