Information courtesy of the Hollister School District and San Benito County Arts Council:
The Hollister School District recently hosted San Jose Taiko for two performances held at Maze Middle School made possible through support from the San Benito County Arts Council.
It took place in the school gym and was well received by the students. Taiko is an art form that includes many Japanese percussion instruments.
Principal Diana Herbst said: “I’m so glad that our students were able to experience this performance. It was uplifting and inspirational.”
The district has established agreements with many organizations like San Jose Taiko to bring cultural assemblies to our campuses. These experiences enrich the educational programs for all children.
Artistic Coordinator Yurika Chiba was involved with coordinating the performance.
She said this the organization had a “great time sharing the art form of taiko with HSD students and teachers.”
“We were so impressed on how well-behaved the students were,” she said. “We are grateful to the Maze staff for their help and enthusiasm!”
It was made possible through the Arts in Education Program. The San Benito County Arts Council receives arts funding from the school district to provide these kinds of programs.
The Arts Council was awarded a Cultural Assemblies Grant from the California Arts Council to match district funding for these assemblies.
The organization has an arts education catalog online, and meets with school staff to schedule performances and residencies for the year using this funding.
Maze Assistant Principal Anissa Dizon said it was “wonderful to see the students embrace a new culture through the arts.”
The Hollister School District looks forward to future school assemblies that educate students about the many amazing cultural experiences in our region.For more information, contact Superintendent Diego Ochoa at [email protected].
For more information from the arts council on programming, contact Amanda Chiado at [email protected].
