Jason Mraz attends Winter Program at Burbank Elementary

Students at Burbank Elementary had a special guest in the audience for its recent Winter Program – Grammy-award winner Jason Mraz.

Mraz was on-hand at the school’s dress rehearsal earlier in the day, and returned that evening to attend the formal program.

During the dress rehearsal, the singer-songwriter listened to the students sing various holiday songs, one of which included Mraz’ own rendition of “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland.” He also shared advice with students on how to manage nerves during their upcoming performance that night.

Mraz has been working with Burbank Elementary School since May 2014 as part of the Turnaround Arts CA program, a signature affiliate program of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The school is one of 10 in California to be paired with a national musician or artist mentor over a two-year period.

Turnaround Arts is a public-private partnership launched by the White House in 2012 designed to help failing schools develop and implement high quality arts education that will be used specifically to effectively address and turnaround the pervasive and persistent problems found in high-poverty, chronically underperforming schools. By using the arts as a strategic tool in failing schools’ turnaround efforts, students are engaged while they learn 21st century skills critical to their success.

For more information on Turnaround Arts, please go to http://turnaroundarts.pcah.gov

See more at: http://sdusd-newsfeed.blogspot.com/2014/05/burbank-elementary-becomes-part-of.html

or visit Burbank Elementary's website.