The Iowa Council gave the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center a project grant for $10,000 to fund a performance series for K-12 students and teachers called “the Kaleidoscope Series.” UNI student-led classroom lessons enhance the performances.
The Kaleidoscope Series’ main goals include providing youth many chances to experience a wide range of the performing arts, serving rural communities and serving over 30,000 young people each year, said Amy Hunzelman, director of educational and special programs for GBPAC.
This project began in 2000. GBPAC has provided programs on campus and throughout Iowa. It is able to reach K-12 students with the Kaleidoscope Series.
Kaleidoscope topics are developed as supplements for school curriculum including children’s literature, history and music. Hunzelman said these funds support bringing in artists from well-known national theater companies and UNI students to teach lessons surrounding the performances.
Through “Kaleidoscope with UNI elementary education,” theater for youth majors and faculty from UNI's College of Education, teachers and faculty-supervised UNI students plan and implement a lesson before and after each classroom performance. The goal of the program is to develop, apply and evaluate lesson plans to be used as enrichment to the Kaleidoscope performances.
The Kaleidoscope Series will soon have reached over 400,000 young Iowan students since its beginning by the end of their 2014-2015 season. The GBPAC sets ticket prices for “the Kaleidoscope Series” at $1 each. Performing Arts Centers across the state of Iowa support their efforts.
Project evaluation is necessary to allow the program to improve, according to Hunzelman.
Hunzelman said, “The series is measured by ongoing ticket sales and waiting lists, thank you letters from students (including drawings and written reviews), teacher evaluations and tracking of school participation by district and county.”
The GBPAC continues to meet its goals and fulfill its promise to contribute to the arts in education, said Hunzelman.
