Questlove may currently live and work in New York City, but as any true Roots fan knows, the man's heart forever lies in Philadelphia. And as a way of giving back a little bit of the love, inspiration and support to his hometown, the man has just joined the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership--a group that helps to foster the arts education and development of young kids and teenagers throughout much of southeastern Pennsylvania.
Questlove's new role was announced Thursday, and in a press release he stressed that “Organizations like PAEP are the reason I am who I am, and I’m beyond proud to serve alongside them in my hometown of Philadelphia." The drummer went on to note that, at a young age, getting an arts-based education can be instrumental in the development of not just a child's skill set, but their entire mindset as a human being.
In a statement posted to PAEP's website, the group's CEO Pearl Schaeffer praised Quest as a wonderful addition to the organization's board. "As an educator and through PAEP’s work, I have witnessed firsthand the difference the arts make in young lives,” Schaeffer said. “None of these instances has been clearer than Ahmir, who I personally saw come alive through music in his youth.”
PAEP’s work is rooted in the belief that arts not only provide education enrichment but also enhance and improve student learning. The impact of PAEP’s quality arts education programming is widespread. Since its inception, more than 500,000 students throughout southeastern Pennsylvania have engaged in hands-on visual and performing arts experiences through PAEP artist residencies and programs.
PAEP recently concluded a four-year project called Arts Link, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, OII, which developed a methodology to build mathematics and science competencies through arts integration. In the final year of the project, mean scores on the Mathematics PSSA tests were 105 points higher for the treatment schools as compared to the control schools. Arts Link students also outscored the comparison group by 60 points in Science, and 40 points in Reading.
Spotted at: Philebrity
