School Outreach

Masters of Soul performing for students from several schools at Amentum Center for the Performing Arts

As part of the Aiken Performing Arts (APA) strategic plan to give back to the community, an agreement was reached with the Aiken County Schools to bring performers to spend time in local schools to share their talents and experiences. In collaboration with Aiken Performing Arts, the Aiken County Schools assist in making arrangements for each student interested in music, band, chorus, or theatre available for on-campus performances.

Since 2005, APA’s Educational Outreach has impacted more than 11,000 students in Aiken County. Through the efforts of APA, participating students have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of musical programs. Their interaction with the performers is not only educational, and informative, but also fun and memorable.

In mid-April 2016, a group from Canada, Jim Witter and his band, entertained a group of students in North Augusta. His specialty was music from the 1960’s and 1970’s. Jim thought the music from this period would not resonate with his attendees. He decided to sing songs from the Beatles. Surprisingly, the students knew a lot of these songs, and with the help of the teachers, were able to sing along. This was followed by a question and answer session. It was surprising how many of the students raised their hand, and the high quality of their questions.

A survey was taken of the teachers who were in attendance. They unanimously rated the experience “excellent” and requested we do more in the future!

Our plan for the future is to continue our Educational Outreach programs for the Aiken County Schools, public and private. Funding for the APA outreach program comes from ticket sales, private donations, and from interested community sources and grants. If you would like to help support this innovative program, please contact our office at 803-643-4774.

instruments in the attic

In the spring of 2009, APA initiated a new type of Educational Outreach Program by sponsoring an exciting drive known as “Instruments in Your Attic” (IYA). The purpose was to collect unused musical instruments from individuals in the community, to repair the instruments, if necessary, and to donate them to Aiken County Public Schools and to USC-Aiken. With schools’ budgets for the arts greatly reduced or non-existent, the need for instruments is critical.

Please help us to continue to bring music to the students of Aiken County by donating your unused musical instruments.

Instruments may be dropped off at any Security Federal Bank branch, which acts as a depository until they can be picked up by volunteers.

In the first years of the program, IYA was enthusiastically received by the people of Aiken County receiving more than 150 instruments. Some of the instruments from the IYA drive have been loaned to band and orchestra students. Other instruments will stay in the schools to be used in their music programs.

Over the past eleven years, Aiken County residents have donated more than 300 musical instruments to Aiken County Public Schools through the Instruments in Your Attic program.

“APA is formally beginning its next season of its Instruments in the Attic program, and we are continuing to ask people to contribute instruments they no longer use. Instruments of all types are needed. We accept not only instruments for band and orchestra, but guitars and digital keyboards as well.”

Mark Hollingsworth
Program Coordinator