The Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) in Mountain View, CA, recently received two majors grants from the Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation ($25,000) and the Cisco Foundation ($15,000). Funding from these grants will go to support the Arts4Schools programs at Lyndale Elementary School in East San Jose.

CSMA’s Art4Schools and Music4Schools programs continue to play an important role in bridging the academic gap in the five San Jose schools—all Title One Schools—that it serves. School principals repeatedly report that attendance increases on days that art lessons are offered, English language development is improved through the expression of language in visual imagery and the learning of new vocabulary. Math skills are enhanced through lessons on patterning, geometric shaping, measuring and spatial orientation. Lyndale Elementary School Principal, Gretchen Dietrich-Wynne, credits the program for driving dramatic improvements in the classroom. She says, “The art classes had a knock-on effect on the students, creating a higher level thinking of synthesis of information and making connections which carried over to regular schoolwork.”

About the Community School of Music and Arts
Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center is a regional center committed to providing Arts for All, regardless of age, level, background or economic means. Since its founding in 1968, CSMA has grown to be the largest non-profit provider of arts education programs in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties reaching 40,000 people of all ages (pre-school through adults) annually. CSMA’s international faculty of over 100 professional musicians, artists and educators provide on-site and off-site programs in music, visual and new media arts, including: classes, private lessons and camps; arts-in-the-schools (Arts in Action, Music in Action); and concerts, exhibits, lectures and multi-cultural outreach events.

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