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When the 2020-21 school year begins on August 31, it will be in a distance learning format. We will continue
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officials supports a safe transition back to learning on site in classrooms.
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CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT

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84 East J Street , Chula Vista , CA91910

Phone 619-425-9600

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Encore: ‘Best Communities for Music Education’ 

Chula Vista Elementary School District / News / What's New / Encore: ‘Best Communities for Music Education’
 Encore: Chula Vista Again Makes List of ‘Best Communities for Music Education’
Posted on 04/22/2019


For the second consecutive year, the Chula Vista Elementary School
 Alerts District has been honored with the “Best Communities for Music
Education” designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding
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music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best
Communities designation, CVESD answered detailed questions about funding, graduation
requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program,
and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed
by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
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“We are very proud of the efforts that our arts partners, community leaders, staff and Board of
Education have made to ensure music education is supported throughout our District,” said CVESD
Superintendent Francisco Escobedo, Ed.D. “This award is a shared achievement, involving
numerous arts organizations, students, and families. We couldn’t be prouder. Winning this two years
in a row is no accident.”

In 2010, CVESD collaborated with the San Diego Youth

Symphony (SDYS) and Conservatory to establish an after-
school music program in two high-economic need
elementary schools. Called “Community Opus,” the
program was inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema music
education initiative and was an immediate hit in the pilot
schools. Six more campuses followed with Opus programs
of their own. By 2014-15, the Board of Education
announced the District would hire full-time arts instructors and provide VAPA instruction during the
school day for all students.

Today, nearly 90 VAPA teachers provide programs in Music, Dance, Theater, and Media/Visual Arts.
The investment in VAPA was among the services funded by the District’s Local Control and
Accountability Plan.

Chula Vista’s arts initiative has attracted a host of high-profile partners, such as the VH1 Save the
Music Foundation and Grammy Award-winning band Switchfoot, among others. Recognition has
flowed Chula Vista’s way as well, with honors from the prestigious Yale School of Music. In addition,
in 2016, the Board was recognized by the California School Boards Association (CSBA) with a
Golden Bell Award for excellence in VAPA. Most recently, Guitars in the Classroom has helped
support music teachers in utilizing ukuleles for students with Special Needs. A grant from the Rotary
Club of Chula Vista Eastlake will provide additional professional development and training to help
grow Guitars in the Classroom in CVESD.
 “It is because of partners like Rotary, like NAMM Foundation, like Guitars in the Classroom, that we
have been able to really build our programs

and foster our growth,” said Lauren Shelton,
 Alerts the District’s Coordinator for VAPA. “We can’t
do it without our partnerships. We’re so
 New SCHOOL YEAR TO START IN DISTANCE fortunate our partners help us get what our
LEARNING MODEL
children really need and that we cannot get
When the 2020-21 school year begins on August 31, it will beourselves.
in a distance learning for
It makes format. We willimpact
a deeper continuewhen
to work towards transitioning to in-person instruction but will only do so when guidance from local health
we know the community is rallying for us,
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helping us serve and meet our students’
needs and interests.”

The Best Communities for Music Education

award, the latest in a string of honors for
CVESD, recognizes that Chula Vista schools are leading the way with learning opportunities as
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outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislation guides implementation in states
and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was often criticized for an overemphasis on
testing-while leaving behind subjects such as music. ESSA, meanwhile, recommends music and the
arts as important elements of a well-rounded education for all children.

That’s music to the ears of Dr. Escobedo. He said music spurs students’ innovation and creativity.
“When you make the arts a priority, you help transform students—and the entire community,” Dr.
Escobedo said.

About the Chula Vista Elementary School District

The Chula Vista Elementary School District is the largest Transitional Kindergarten through Grade 6
district in California. CVESD serves more than 29,600 students at 49 schools, including charters, in
southern San Diego County. In 2010, the District and the San Diego Youth Symphony and
Conservatory launched the “Community Opus Project” as an after-school program at two schools
with high populations of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. Community Opus grew to
six campuses. Today, in addition to after-school arts programs, Visual and Performing Arts teachers
provide instruction in Music, Dance, Theater, and Media/Visual Arts as part of the instructional day.
The District’s investment in VAPA was among the services funded in large part by its Local Control
and Accountability Plan.

About The NAMM Foundation

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music
Merchants and its approximately 10,400 members around the world. The foundation advances active
participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic
giving, and public service programs. For more information about the NAMM Foundation, please visit
www.nammfoundation.org.

CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT

 84 East J Street , Chula Vista , CA91910
Phone 619-425-9600
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