Act One fills an education equity gap
For most Arizona schools, the arts fall into the “extra” category. While some Arizona school districts and schools continue to integrate the arts into their curricula, others have reduced or cut arts programs in the face of tightened budgets and testing requirements. For students — especially those in schools that have a high percentage of students on free and reduced lunch — this means no field trips and no specific arts classes.
156,696
Have attended Act One Field Trips
Since we were founded in 2011, Act One has brought nearly 157,000 students and their chaperones from Title 1 schools on educational arts field trips. In 2017-18, 37,257 students attended Act One field trips.
The Importance of Arts in Education
For hundreds of thousands of Arizona students, arts field trips have disappeared from their school days. Many Title 1 schools where most of the student body receives free/reduced lunch don’t have budgets to transport students to arts venues or funds to pay for tickets. This creates an equity gap among students whose schools can afford these experiences and those who are unable to attend field trips to museums, theater productions and music performances. Studies show that the arts enhance learning, and field trips open worlds to students they may not otherwise ever encounter.
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“[My 8-year-old student] could not stop talking about the different kinds of instruments. The next day she told the class about her own creative story she wrote about going to the orchestra and participating herself. Seeing all of the instruments on stage made her want to take up a musical instrument. The young girl turned in paperwork to join band for the following year! The symphony was very inspiring for her!”
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Culture Pass Arts Partners
Sixty Culture Pass arts partners generously provide more than 500,000 opportunities for people to visit museums and attend performances in Metro Phoenix, Tucson and Northern Arizona.
Culture Pass: Giving Access to the Arts for All
For many Arizona families, going to a museum or seeing a play seems beyond their reach due to the cost of tickets. But through the Act One Culture Pass, arts organizations have generously given free admission passes to the community, providing an opportunity for everyone with a library card the chance to experience the arts.
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