December 5, 2006 – First Act announced a major donation to the Boston Arts Academy Strings Outreach Program today. This year’s donation of $53,597.00 continues a partnership that started three years ago when First Act initiated the project with BAA, bringing their total donation to more than $133,000. The program funds music teacher salaries in three Boston public schools. First Act also donated 200 string instruments at the inception of the program.
“First Act is proud to support what we believe is a very important program,” said Bernard Chiu, Chairman of the Board at First Act. “Every student should have the opportunity to learn and play music. We are thrilled to see the continued success of this project.”
Boston Arts Academy Headmaster Linda Nathan says: "First Act and Boston Arts Academy have been working together for three years to reach students all across the city with a first class arts experience. Our partnership with an entrepreneur and visionary like Bernard Chiu and First Act has enabled us to bring a classical music education into our public schools and to build Boston’s future musical audiences."
The String Outreach Program was started to address the lack of string instrument instruction Boston Public Schools, and was launched in 2004 at the Richard J. Murphy School, the John W. McCormack Middle School, and the Paul Dever Elementary School, all in Dorchester, all serving predominantly low-income children.
Boston Arts Academy is the city’s first and only public high school for the visual and performing arts. As a pilot school within the Boston Public Schools, BAA is charged with being a laboratory and a beacon for artistic and academic innovation. The Academy prepares a diverse community of aspiring artist-scholars to be successful in their college or professional careers and to be engaged members of a democratic society.