AT&T Contributes $50,000 to Atlanta Opera to Support Community Engagement Program

AT&T* today announced a $50,000 contribution to the Atlanta Opera's Community Engagement Program for students and teachers in Grades K-6 to expand and strengthen its effectiveness with more in-classroom education and additional outreach to the general public. Specifically, this contribution will be supporting The Atlanta Opera Studio Tour, which introduces thousands of school-aged children to the art form of opera through a touring production and an education guide to be used in classrooms to prepare students for the opera experience. The Atlanta Opera education guides feature information about the opera including synopsis and composer information, as well as cross-curricular lesson plans and activities corresponding to Common Core Georgia Performance Standards.

The Community Engagement Program provides music education for children and youth and cultivates future advocates for opera and the arts. With the support of AT&T, the Atlanta Opera's Community Engagement Program seeks to serve 29,736 K-6 students by partnering with over 100 schools and service organizations. Of the students served, approximately 90% will be enrolled in City of Atlanta Public Schools and metro Atlanta's many city and county school systems. More than 50 percent of students will be enrolled in Title 1 schools and will be considered underserved and/or at-risk.

The Atlanta Opera's Community Engagement Programs' goals are to:

· Introduce children and youth of all economic and cultural backgrounds to opera through programming of high artistic quality that is integrated with Common Core Georgia Performance Standards and National Standards for Arts Education

· Provide interactive experiences through which children and their families can experience opera together

· Provide professional development opportunities for artists at the high school level

"Arts education is often limited for many students, but it is so important to the overall education of Georgia's young people," said Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens. "I commend The Atlanta Opera for this wonderful partnership with our schools and AT&T for their continued support of education in Georgia."

"The mission of The Atlanta Opera is to enrich lives through the power of opera and the Education Program is an important foundation of our work," said Emmalee Iden Hackshaw, Director of Community Engagement for The Atlanta Opera. "We know how important arts education is to our young people and the positive impact it can have on keeping more students in school and on track for graduation."

More than a decade's worth of research and study demonstrate the role of arts education in the academic success of students enrolled at all levels of K-6 education. For instance, it is known that:
· High school students participating in arts education average 100 points higher on their SATs.

· The high school dropout rate is four times higher for students who receive no arts education.

· Arts education improves skills essential for reading and language development.

Music education improves math achievement and proficiency. Arts education aids achievement of the "core competencies" needed for employment.

"Education is our primary philanthropic focus at AT&T and our goal is an America where every student graduates high school equipped with the knowledge and skills to succeed and strengthen the nation's workforce," said Don Barbour, regional director for AT&T Georgia. "We are pleased to support The Atlanta Opera and its efforts to expand arts education for our young people."

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

© 2012 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 4G not available everywhere. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives, AT&T has a long history of supporting projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. In 2011, more than $115 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs.

Founded in 1979, The Atlanta Opera is one of the finest regional opera companies in the nation. By producing live, mainstage performances of the highest quality and impactful community engagement experiences, The Atlanta Opera enriches lives through the power of opera. The company also works to attract the finest international, national, and regional singers, conductors, stage directors and designers. Each season, The Atlanta Opera presents three productions at the Cobb Energy Centre.

To post a comment, you must register and login.