This fall, Wake County students will be exposed to Japanese storytelling and origami, African dance, opera performances and much more. The United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County is providing a total of more than $103,000 to 133 Wake County public, private and charter schools for the 2009-2010 school year to help schools and PTAs bring professional artists into schools.

The United Arts grant money is combined with PTA funding to pay the artists for the programs they offer in the schools. Total combined funding for the program this year is $325,638. For 30 years, the program, a partnership with the Wake County Public School System, has helped Wake K-12 schools bring professional artists to their campuses for curriculum-based performances, residencies and workshops.

Kuniko Yamamoto performed at Lincoln Heights Elementary on Nov. 3. Kuniko’s performance consists of dramatic, educational storytelling of myths from Japanese origin that are designed to educate and entertain. Yamamoto specializes in Japanese origami, music and drama.

Kuniko Yamamoto will perform at Ballentine Elementary on Nov. 5 and at Fuquay-Varina Elementary School on Nov. 17. Kuniko Yamamoto performed at Rand Road Elementary on Nov. 2.

Bay Street Brassworks will be performing at Timber Drive Elementary School on Nov. 10. The performance will engage students in a musical history of the brass family, past to present, with small and large brass instruments. Symphony Winds will be performing at Aversboro Elementary School on Dec. 4. This virtuoso woodwind quintet leads an entertaining journey of discovery for the audience that teaches listening skills and an appreciation of classical music.

Eileen Heyes will be visiting Fuquay-Varina Elementary School on Dec. 7. Her programs focus on the process of being an author, including revision, contracts, editing, illustration, book, design, and promotion. Heyes is the author of two nonfiction novels for young adults.