Visual and Performing Arts
Five-Year Visual and Performing Arts Plan
The Glendale Unified School District (GUSD) has developed a new Five-Year Strategic Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Plan.
In the spring of 2026, the district convened a VAPA planning committee composed of district leaders, educators, and community stakeholders to develop a new five-year strategic plan for 2026–2031. The district has intentionally aligned arts education goals with current School Board Priorities and official Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) goals, reinforcing the structural role of the arts in supporting student achievement, engagement, equity, and whole-child development.
After a public comment period, the final version of the 2026-2031 Strategic VAPA Plan is to be presented to the Board of Education for approval on August, 11 2026.
View the VAPA Strategic Plan (2026-2031)
A Vision in Motion: The Future of GUSD Visual and Performing Arts
At Glendale Unified, we are not just teaching art; we are cultivating the next generation of creative thinkers and cultural leaders. Our Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) programs are in a season of unprecedented growth. We are expanding our team of specialized VAPA educators to ensure that students have access to a world-class visual and performing arts education during their time in GUSD.
Our primary goal is to provide comprehensive access to all five VAPA disciplines—Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts. At the elementary level, we are integrating a model where dedicated VAPA educators lead students through each discipline, while our secondary schools continue to broaden and expand their advanced offerings. To learn more, visit the resources below.
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Visual and Performing Arts Resources
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Glendale Unified’s TK–6 VAPA Framework is the roadmap where crayons meet curtain calls, and curiosity gets a rehearsal schedule. Think of this as your family’s guide to how arts learning actually happens in our elementary classrooms: what students make, how they perform, why they reflect, and where those creative habits show up in the real world.
GUSD has built a shared elementary arts model that combines credentialed VAPA Itinerant Teachers, classroom educators, VAPA Assistants, instrumental music teachers, and school-based programs. Together, these resources are coordinated so students experience dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts throughout the year.
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Our curriculum is built upon four artistic processes. These aren't just steps in a lesson; they are the framework that elevates GUSD VAPA, transforming the arts from a "special activity" into a rigorous cognitive discipline.
- Creating: Students don't just follow instructions; they learn to conceive and develop new artistic ideas. By learning the "why" behind the "how," they gain the agency to express their unique voices.
- Performing / Producing / Presenting: Whether it’s a stage performance, a digital film, or a gallery showing, students learn the discipline of sharing their work with others. This builds the confidence and technical mastery required to bring a vision to life.
- Responding: We teach students to perceive and analyze artistic work critically. By learning to interpret intent and evaluate quality, they develop a sophisticated "visual and auditory literacy" that applies to every aspect of the modern world.
- Connecting: This is where the arts meet the psyche. Students relate their artistic ideas to their own personal experiences and to the broader societal, cultural, and historical context. This process ensures our students see themselves in the discipline they study and understand their place in a global community.
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Developed by GUSD Arts Learning Leaders during the 2024–25 school year, the Arts “I Can” Statements describe what students should know and be able to do in dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts at each grade level. Teachers use them before, during, and after instruction so students can understand, discuss, and reflect upon their artistic learning.
Example of Elementary “I Can Statements”
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Contributed and developed by Glendale Unified School District elementary school teachers, these core-subject lessons integrate the artistic process directly into the learning experience. They are designed to support the core curriculum rather than serve as standalone Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) lessons.
Proposition 28 Annual Report
Proposition 28 establishes a funding guarantee for arts education in California's PK-12 public and charter schools. It ensures a minimum annual funding source to support and enhance arts programs. Click here to view GUSD’s Prop 28 Annual Report