Lauren Combs, VAPA Manager, LaurenCombs@Berkeley.net
Diana Lee, VAPA Technician, DianaLee@Berkeley.net
Jay Whittington, VAPA Family Support & Diversity Equity Inclusion Specialist, JayWhittington@Berkeley.net
2110 Browning Street Berkeley, California 94702
Hours: Monday – Friday | 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM | 510-644-8831
Welcome to the BUSD Visual and Performing Arts!
All Berkeley Unified School District elementary schools provide a rich variety of visual and performing arts experiences for kindergarten through 8th grade students, as well as support BHS arts programming.
Thanks to the voters of Berkeley, a special tax measure (E1) allows the Berkeley Schools Excellence Program (BSEP) to provide $2 million annually to fund nearly all elementary and middle school music and arts programs and many of the BHS offerings.
We also thank our many community partners for their contributions to the arts in BUSD schools: The Schools Fund, Cal Performances, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, the Kennedy Center Partners in Education, Cazadero Music Camp, Cal student group The Music Connection (TMC), BIPOC Music Parent Group, BMIE (Berkeley Music for Inclusion and Equity action team), and BAESC (Berkeley Arts Education Steering Committee).
Elementary Music grades K-5
All Berkeley students take Music grades 3-5. Third graders receive one class per week of General Music- singing together, music games, note and rhythm reading, learning to play simple melodies on the recorder, and playing instruments like Orff instruments and ukuleles. All BUSD 4th and 5th grade students choose an instrument and receive two classes per week in small instrument-alike groups that focus on learning the basic techniques of their instruments not only as an introduction to the instrument, but to prepare them for the heterogeneous instrumental ensembles offered in middle school. Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, and TK-2 Music programs may look different at every school based on the school communities Arts priorities.
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- National Core Arts Standards
- Grades 4 and 5 Curriculum:
- Band Instruments: Essential Elements
- String Instruments: String Basics
Middle School Music grades 6-8
All BUSD students are invited to participate in ensemble music classes. Band, Orchestra, Chorus, and Jazz Band (also Mariachi at Longfellow). Curriculum is mostly made up of Music literature/repertoire and supplemented with method books. BUSD music teachers are committed to selecting pieces of music from diverse composers and sources that reflect the rich variety of cultures, racial/ethnic backgrounds, geographic origins, and gender that is available to us in today’s academic music literature. Every middle school aims to provide Dance, Drama, and Visual Arts pathways for students, but programs may vary per school based on school community priorities.
- Ensemble classes use teacher-selected repertoire or literature Ensemble classes use Books 2 and 3 of Standard of Excellence and to supplement their main ensemble music literature.
High School Music grades 9-12
Students can take many classes and levels of Band, Orchestra, Jazz, Chorus, Guitar, Electronic Music, and Music Theory. The school offers classes for new musicians, intermediate offerings, and even AP and IB music classes.
Proposition 28: The Arts and Music in Schools (AMS)
The State’s The Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) initiative provides additional funding for arts education in California public schools.
BUSD Prop 28 Arts and Music in Schools (AMS) Reports
For additional information about AMS: https://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/prop28artsandmusicedfunding.asp
