By Evy Schiffman, Marketing & Communications Director, Community School of Music and Arts

For teacher Celeyce Matthews, the words – “Witnessing the transformational power of the arts” – really ring true. Celeyce teaches in the Art4Schools program of the Knight Arts-funded Community School of Music and Arts at Lyndale School, part of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District serving low-income families in East San Jose, CA. “I have taught art at many elementary schools, but Lyndale is the school of my heart,” says Celeyce. “The children are really in need of attention and they open like flowers in my classes. Art is a totally new enterprise for most of these kids.

“When I first began teaching at the school, I saw assignments pinned to the classroom wall about what students dreamed of being when they grew up. Examples ranged from becoming a dental hygienist to a truck driver, admirable pursuits, but clearly students had a very limited sense of their own potential. Now, after a few months of art classes, they have a broader view of themselves and speak to me of becoming an artist, a book illustrator or even an art teacher!”

The “transformational power of the arts” has touched more than 1,000 children in grades K-8 at Lyndale School in San Jose and at Costano School in East Palo Alto. These students have benefited from weekly instruction from CSMA art educators due to the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In all, CSMA’s in-school programs (Art4Schools, Music4Schools) serve over 8,500 children at 35 schools throughout Silicon Valley.

“Art4Schools weekly lessons break down barriers of class, race and culture and impart a sense of expanded possibilities and raise students’ expectations of themselves.” says Celeyce.

Celeyce works closely with Lyndale classroom teachers to incorporate art into other curriculum areas, including math, language arts and science, to enrich and expand students’ ability to learn on multiple levels. And Lyndale teachers are enthusiastically supportive of CSMA’s Art4Schools program and appreciate the positive change they witness in their students.

“Most of my students are English learners,” says second-grade teacher Kathleen Conway. “Art has no language boundaries; art class is the time many of my students are completely free.” Mary Ann Fernandez, another second-grade teacher, adds, “Students learn to be more accepting of the differences in people through studying art from many cultures. Most importantly, all the students have an immense sense of accomplishment, which has boosted their self-esteem.”

When Celeyce says of her students, “Their innate intelligence and beauty are blossoming in my art classes,” she truly is “witnessing the transformational power of the arts!”