#CAArtsChampion Debora Wondercheck
Debora Wondercheck
M.S., Ed, is the Founder and CEO of the Arts & Learning Conservatory (ALC). She counts it a true privilege to serve children, their families, and the community with successful and inspiring programs that develop confidence and creativity for life. In addition to leading ALC, and growing its programs, since 2004, Debora is Director of Music at the Waldorf School of Orange County—a unanimously superior-rated orchestra of SCSBOA. She continues to embrace her community by participating on the Orange County Department of Education Music Arts Administrators Board, she serves as a panelist for the CA Arts Council in Sacramento, is on the ArtsOC Board, and is an Arts Consultant to many School Districts.
Debora is an accomplished Master Teacher of string pedagogy, having taught at Vanguard University (her Alma Mater), Irvine Unified School District, and Newport Mesa Unified District. Among her significant accomplishments, Debora has received honors from many organizations for her dedication and creation of effective arts and education programs to youth. Some key awarding organizations include: Disneyland Community Arts, Farmers and Merchants Bank, Arts Orange County and Links Incorporated.
Submitted by
Morgan Holcomb, Social Media and Communications Specialist, Arts & Learning Conservatory
About Arts & Learning Conservatory
Our program offers high-quality arts education to the children of Orange County. We work with 10 school districts and cater to over 1200 students. We also firmly believe that arts education should be available to all and have therefore offered more than 600 scholarships to children in need.
How does your program affect its neighborhood and the community at large?
The ALC has existed now for 16 years, offering over 600 scholarships to disenfranchised students. With programs having reached into 10 school districts serving over 1200 students a year.
We have received numerous awards for our outreach to youth by providing arts classes in schools when most programs were being eliminated. Some of our awards include "Influencer for Good ( Leadership Institute, Segerstrom Center)" "Outstanding Arts Organization of the year (from ArtsOC)", "People You Can Count On", "Lynx: Outreach Youth".
We are partners with: Pacific Symphony, Segerstrom Center of the Arts, Disneyland Community Partner, local Universities and more. These partnerships allow our students greater opportunities to experience professionals in the field of the arts as well as tours, tickets, and masterclasses with our nation's greatest instructors.
What are you seeing right now as far as the COVID-19 impact on your program and the communities that you're serving?
We have seen a large increase in cancellations and financial hardships in the community. Our shows have been postponed or canceled. However, it has propelled us into online learning and we are still committed to offering high-quality arts education. Now more than ever, people in the community seem to be searching for the emotional reprieve that theatre and the arts provide.
Why are these art organizations going to be important when we rebuild the economy?
It has been proven that people involved in performing arts are able to engage the mind, emotions, and body in ways that allow them to properly flow through real-life situations with empathy, understanding, emotional intelligence, and confidence, as well as to communicate with their friends. They are able to foster and develop themselves by allowing their imaginations to thrive. For children that are more reserved, creativity in the performing arts might help them develop their ‘voice.' All of this will be paramount when we come out of this with the shared emotional burden of this experience. The arts will help us process and rebuild in a creative and empathetic way.