After-school Montclair program helping young people enjoy music and the arts

June 4, 2009

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
by Suzanne Sproul, Staff Writer

MONTCLAIR - Music and the arts should have a place alongside math and science with today's students.

And, together, the Inland Pacific Ballet, Ontario-Montclair School District and the city of Montclair, have made that happen for 300 students in the afterschool programs at Monte Vista Elementary School, Montera Elementary School and El Camino Elementary School.

For the past 12 weeks, youngsters have spent two hours a week, twice a week, learning about body movement and expression. Along the way, whether they knew it or not, they also learned about taking risks, challenging themselves and embracing the joy that comes with having worked hard to accomplish something.

Instructors Brandon J. and Michael Szanyi have been their every step of the way to introduce these children to segments of the performing arts, hoping to ignite their interests.

By the looks on their collective faces at their recent program-ending performance at El Camino, that mission was accomplished. A portion of the students who have rehearsed so much performed ballet and hip hop segments for their delighted families.

"With music and the arts not available in so many schools, we feel this program is very important," said Annette Johnson, who coordinated it this year and similar ones in the past that dealt with painting and drawing.

A generous $9,600 grant from the California Arts Council to the Inland Pacific Ballet helped make it happen. The Montclair-based ballet company partnered with the city of Montclair and the Inland Empire United Way to bring the arts to these children in grades first through sixth.

"Over the past three years, this program has reached 550 kids and what we wanted to do is to introduce them to possibilities. We want these children to learn creative skills and to use their imaginations. The arts do that. All the studies show that being involved in the arts helps a person be a good problem solver and helps them engage in their lives. Not all students are at their best with tests and worksheets. The arts give young people an opportunity to excel and everyone deserves that," Johnson said.

Szanyi is a dancer with the Inland Pacific Ballet. This was the first time he's taught youngsters and he clearly enjoyed it.

"What we worked on was trying to have the kids express themselves through movement. Once you get their attention, I think kids want to learn more about dancing and expressing themselves. But you have to convince them, too, that it's okay to move and that in this class it was safe to try," said Szanyi.

During the segment he helped the students with the children spelled out their names using their bodies and dance steps.

"At first it was a little hard. There was that shyness factor and some of the kids were afraid to try, but then I think they got into it," he said.

Brandon J is a dancer and instructor at Inland Pacific Ballet. He agreed with Szanyi that once he got the students' attention, they were eager to learn.

"With kids this age, I have to be honest, you have to be a little creative in trying to keep them engaged. But it worked," he said.

"With no arts education in the classroom, some of the first things the kids had to learn was how to act and the etiquette involved in dance classes. Then we moved on from there."

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