Her career path pointed to the arts
Adrienne Valencia understands the joy and rigor that come from pursuing an arts practice. Growing up, her family encouraged a love for the arts: Her father loved mariachi and Big Band music. Her mother had taken voice lessons when she was younger, took painting classes before the COVID-19 pandemic and used to cart the kids to museums, community theater and concerts in the park. Valencia and her sisters were encouraged to experiment in the kitchen and learn a craft, were given dance and piano lessons, sang in their school choirs and were in their high school theater productions.
When it was time to choose a career, though, she was nudged down a more traditional path.
“My dad said: ‘Pick something stable. I don’t want to support you for the rest of my life.’ While that might sound unsupportive, I think he was really just looking out for me. It forced me to really consider whether a life in the arts was what I wanted,” she says, recalling that she majored in biology in college before switching to business, but those things never felt quite right.
“I would always take a music class, though, and felt completely at home in the music department. It was energizing to be around so many creative and passionate people. I finally changed my major to music on the recommendation of my college piano teacher, and I’ve never looked back.”
Returning to the arts led to degrees in music, piano performance and arts administration — and a career with close to 30 years of managing and directing music education programs for symphonies and orchestras in California and New York (including her work as former director of education and community engagement with the San Diego Symphony).
Today, Valencia, 56, lives in University Heights and is executive director of Arts Education Connection San Diego, a nonprofit providing arts programming in dance, music, theater, visual art and literary arts throughout San Diego County for students, teachers and families. She took some time to talk about the organization’s work, the ways that the arts intersect with other core subjects, and her love of crafts.
Q:You’re an artist with degrees in music and you previously worked as a music teacher. Can you talk about the role the arts have played in your own education?
A:
Participating in the arts as
a child gave me a means for self-expression and connection. The arts provide a pathway to know and be known, and most of my closest friendships were nurtured through some sort of artistic endeavor. The arts created community for me in school, being in a group of people who shared the same interests. Even now, I am an active choral singer in San Diego and have that community for friendship and support.
Q:
Arts Education Connection
San Diego was previously affiliated with Young Audiences Arts for Learning, a national arts education nonprofit with affiliates in multiple states. Why did your organization leave that national network?
A:
This was primarily a financial decision, as we valued our relationship with the national office and the staffs of each affiliate. They are a wonderful group of people, all singularly dedicated to bringing arts education to their communities. However, there is a cost to being a YA Affiliate (equal to 1.25 percent of the organization’s annual operating budget) and when we did a cost-benefit analysis, we found that it would make more sense for us, financially, to leave the network.
Q:
Can you talk about some of
the differences in what a program looks like when, say, dance is offered in school versus when dance is provided to teachers, and then to families?
A:
It’s about the impact that
we can have. When our teaching artists go into schools, they are working with students directly, teaching them concepts, vocabulary and skills of an artform that will last them a lifetime. When we provide professional learning opportunities for classroom teachers, the impact is different. They learn meaningful and manageable ways to incorporate the arts into their daily teaching practice. This means that, while they are not experts, they can still introduce the arts to students. When parents and children learn alongside one another, it gives them an opportunity to “unplug” and focus on a creative activity that was fun and might have been new to them. Families reported that they felt more connected to one another and to their community after participating. We see these experiences as bonding opportunities through the arts.
Q:
There have been, and continue to be, numerous studies about the impact of arts education programs, pointing to improvements in students’ critical thinking, writing skills, communication, self-confidence, creative problem-solving and more. Can you talk about what you’ve seen at Arts Education Connection San Diego and the feedback that you’ve received from parents and teachers about their children and students?
A:
We get a lot of positive feedback from students, teachers, principals and parents. One principal stated, “I have never seen my students more enthused or happy. Now they have a way to express themselves. Children that I have never seen speak are empowered, and teachers love it. This
What I love about University Heights ...
I like taking a quick stroll to Trolley Barn Park for some exercise and people watching, or meeting up with friends at various restaurants down Park Boulevard. I love the quaint, older Craftsman houses that are so unique. I love home improvement, so it’s fun for me to see what people do to their houses. University Heights is a very lively part of town, but my apartment is far enough from the action that it doesn’t disrupt my day. It’s also close to most freeways, which makes it super easy to get anywhere I need to be quickly. program provides a way for the students to have a break in their daily struggles.” When we shifted our programs online at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents told us that their students were very excited to be able to continue their arts classes. Both parents and teachers get to see their students in a different light; they recognize talents that might have been hidden until the student participates in an art class. They see more enthusiasm, engagement and excitement in learning. What could be better than that?
Q:
What’s been challenging about your work in arts education programming?
A:
The arts bring fun, energy and life to learning, but they are also academically rigorous.
One aspect of arts education that I’m not sure people understand is that the arts are the summation of all things — math, language, culture, science, social studies — so when students are studying the arts, they are also studying those subjects. While most school personnel and parents like the idea of arts education, we know that we still have work to do to have them truly understand the benefits. Yes, there are numerous studies about the value of arts education for students, schools, families and communities, but principals often have difficult decisions to make in terms of how to allocate funding. We must continually advocate for the value of arts education to schools and districts, and can serve as a resource to help them develop their own district arts plan.
Q:
What has this work taught
you about yourself?
A:
I have learned that I’m
tenacious, a good problemsolver, a creative and logical thinker, and can withstand a good deal of stress.
Q:
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A:
Never let them see you sweat! Also, don’t make decisions out of fear and desperation.
Q:
What is one thing people
would be surprised to find out about you?
A:
That I love crafts! I can sew,
knit and do various types of embroidery. I can also cook, so I’m basically a domestic goddess.
Q:
Please describe your ideal
San Diego weekend.
A:
Well, this is a little difficult,
given the present situation, but I would have my friend, Amy, visit from Washington state and start out with breakfast in my favorite neighborhood restaurant, Parkhouse Eatery (even though it’s closed for renovations right now). Their staff is super friendly, the menu is delicious, and I love the homey feel of the converted house. Balboa Park is a must! I was once given a “backstage tour” of the park, and it totally changed how I saw this unique treasure in our community. We’d definitely take in a museum or two, and I’d want to show her Coronado Island for a little window shopping. Since Amy and I are both fair-skinned redheads, I’d avoid the beach until the evening when we could take in one of San Diego’s spectacular sunsets. And, of course, we’d take in a performance or two of live theater or music. We’d also have drinks at Top of the Hyatt in the evening to enjoy the city lights at night.