Celebrate Student Artists 2021
New York City’s talented student artists from schools throughout the city have continued to explore their world, respond to challenging times, develop their skills and express themselves creatively. Supported by dedicated school leaders, inspired arts educators and nurturing family and friends, student artists pre k to 12 demonstrate their resilience and talents as well as the transformative power of the arts. With the greatest pride, we present Celebrate Student Artists 2021. You can visit our Citywide Arts Celebrations, check out the Arts Festivals by borough, and you can also see work from each of the arts at the DOE: Music, Dance, Visual Arts, Theater, and Media Arts.
Citywide Student Performances and Exhibits
Welcome to the citywide celebrations of arts education for dance, moving image, music, theater, and visual arts in NYC public schools. The DOE supports students’ creativity and artistic voices, and offers ways for students to share their visual and performing arts.
Borough Arts Festivals
The Borough Arts Festivals are year-end events taking place in each borough to celebrate the talents and creativity of students and their teachers through arts exhibitions and public performances. Borough Arts Directors and support staff collaborate with community superintendents and the Field Support Centers to highlight the local excellence and student achievement in the arts. These festivals engage thousands of student artists, their families and friends and members of the school community.
Music
The All-City High School Music Program
All-City High School Music Program invites NYCDOE public school students in grades 9-12 to receive Saturday music instruction and perform alongside peers from all five boroughs in the following citywide ensembles: Chorus, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Latin Ensemble, Marching Band, and Orchestra.
Salute to Music
The Salute to Music Program invites NYCDOE public school students in Grades 4-8 to receive Saturday music instruction and perform alongside peers in borough-based ensembles. Concert bands are available in every borough. Orchestras rehearse in the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island and choruses rehearse in Queens and Manhattan. A Citywide Jazz Ensemble welcomes students from all five boroughs. We are also proud to announce the Spring 2021 addition of Guitar Ensemble!
NYC Song of Hope Project
The The NYC Strong Project. To begin this interactive citywide songwriting and dance project, student songwriters began by crafting the song's chorus. Student dancers then choreographed a group dance for the chorus and contributed dance solos. Inspired by the dancers' work, student songwriters wrote verses, a pre-chorus, and a bridge to complete the song. Through this "dance-inspired-by-music-inspired-by-dance" experience, students leaned into their joy and strength and modeled determination as they created this original song and original choreography that proclaim, “Nothing is going to stop me!"
NYC Strong Project
Building on the New York City Song of Hope Project, the NYCDOE’s Office of Arts & Special Projects worked in partnership with the Songwriters Hall of Fame to engage over 200 students across the city (Grades K-12) in The NYC Strong Project. To begin this interactive citywide songwriting and dance project, student songwriters began by crafting the song's chorus. Student dancers then choreographed a group dance for the chorus and contributed dance solos. Inspired by the dancers' work, student songwriters wrote verses, a pre-chorus, and a bridge to complete the song. Through this "dance-inspired-by-music-inspired-by-dance" experience, students leaned into their joy and strength and modeled determination as they created this original song and original choreography that proclaim, “Nothing is going to stop me!"
Remote Music Instruction
Remote Music Instruction is a short film that shows the successful and inventive ways in which NYCDOE music educators and their K-12 students keep making music while teaching and learning remotely.
Dance
Dance Connects
Dance Connects is a virtual dance sequence that includes brief solos choreographed and performed by K-12 dancers with the support of their NYCDOE dance teachers. Dance Connects was generously supported by Jody and John Arnhold / Arnhold Foundation.
Arnhold New Dance Teacher Support
The Arnhold Foundation provides a variety of supports for new dance teachers in their first and second years of teaching in New York City public schools including the
Arnhold New Dance Teacher Support Program.
The Dance Professional Learning Website
Here you will find a ‘one stop’ shop for dance education including professional learning events, curriculum, resources and more. Visit the Dance Professional Learning Website.
Remote Dance Instruction
During the COVID 19 pandemic NYCDOE schools closed requiring K-12 dance educators to teach remotely. Despite all the challenges students continued to participate in their dance classes, improving their dance technique, creating original dances and engaging in discussions about a wide variety of dance forms, dance artists and their work. This three min video, Remote Dance Instruction includes excerpts of students participating in remote instruction and dance teachers' insights on remote dance and teaching.
Donating to Dance!
You can make a donation to ensure Dance programs remain strong across NYC’s public schools, through the Fund for Public Schools by visiting www.fundforpublicschools.org/donate and entering ‘Dance NYC’ in the gift designation box.
As the non-profit partner to the NYC DOE since 1982, The Fund is uniquely positioned to facilitate philanthropic support to quickly respond to emerging needs. This includes helping to ensure all students have access to a high-quality arts education, by working in partnership with the NYC DOE’s Office of Arts and Special Projects. The Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization which makes all donations tax-deductible.
If you have any questions contact info@fundforpublicschools.org.
Visual Arts
The DiverCity Lens Photography Program
This citywide visual arts program honors middle and high school students’ voices through their photographs and writing. Connections the 2021 catalogue also will be posted on WeTeach along with last year’s catalogue.
The Judiciary and the Arts
This middle and high school program supported by a 3-year grant from the Matisse Foundation, engages students with the judiciary as a civic institution. Working with judges, lawyers and research librarians in the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse, students choose to study court cases, the lives of notable judges, or court architecture and demonstrate what they have learned through visual arts projects. Student artwork is posted on the Justice for All website. After June 15th please access student work related to landmark court cases. And access artwork related judges and courthouse architectural designs.
Art History Research Fellows Program
Supported by Studio Institute, the program promotes art history scholarship for high school seniors, connects them with Museum of Modern Art educators, shares Studio Institute resources for college-bound students, and grants awards to exemplary researchers. Information on our 2021 researcher will be available at the end of June.
Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition
Ezra Jack Keats Foundation encourages students in grades 3 - 12 to engage in author and illustrator studies, and to experience the imaginative solutions involved in creating picture books. The annual Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition produces hundreds of student-made picture books . The program will resume in the Fall of 2021. View the 2020 catalogue.
The Dedalus Foundation
The Dedalus Foundation rewards college-bound graduating seniors from New York City public high schools who have shown excellence in fine arts and are furthering their studies in fine arts or art history. Portfolios selected to receive the 2021 Dedalus awards may be viewed at www.dedalusfoundation.org.
Mark Rothko Scholarships
This portfolio competition rewards exemplary portfolios of NYC public school graduating seniors.
The 2021 recipients of the Rothko awards also may be viewed at www.dedalusfoundation.org.
The School Art League
Since 1909, The School Art League has supported the visual arts education of New York City public high school students through programs and services that advance their knowledge and skills. The Saturday Art Career Workshops at The One Club for Creativity and the artist- led workshops at The Society of Illustrators introduce students to career opportunities in the arts. The School Art League also provides scholarships and awards to graduating students, and presents historical bronze medals to sophomores, juniors, and seniors for excellence in artistic achievement. This year the scholarships and awards will be presented during a virtual ceremony on June 11. The School Art League expects to resume its annual ceremony at The Met in June 2022. After June 15 visit https://schoolartleague.org to view the 2021 award and scholarship recipients.
Theater
All IN(clusive) All-City Theatre Teen Ensemble
All IN(clusive) All-City Theatre Teen Ensemble is an innovative & dynamic program for NYC high school student artists from diverse races, ethnicities, gender identities, abilities, and points of view to collaborate, compose, devise, rehearse and perform an original musical.
Arthur Miller Foundation Theater Teacher Fellows Program
The Arthur Miller Theater Teacher Fellows Program provides significant mentorship, training, resources, and support for new theater teachers, increasing the number of New York City public school students with access to dedicated theater education.
Digital Theatre Project
Digital Theatre Project is an intersection of applied theater, new media, and social justice virtually connecting NYC students to peers around the world. Push-Pull Tech illustrates our student digital theater mapping work, exploring why and how we migrate.
Broadway League Theater Management Teen Diversity Intensive
Broadway League Theater Management Teen Diversity Intensive Supports the next generation of diverse theater designers, producers, and administrators.
Remote Theater Learning showcases the innovative ways in which theater teachers continue to engage students in theater learning and production even when remote.
The Virtual NYC Theater Educator Tutorial Series
The Virtual NYC Theater Educator Tutorial Series is a series of engaging and practical tutorial videos support in-person, blended & remote theater teaching and learning across diverse content, technique, teacher expertise, student abilities, and grade levels. Spanning videos on mindfulness, building community, producing theater virtually, lesson planning, theatrical design, process drama, and more, teachers expand their own instructional repertoire as well as direct students to videos for asynchronous technique support.
The Virtual Teen Arts Audition Prep Site
This
dynamic site of tutorial videos and coaching insights guide middle and high school student artists as they navigate the audition/portfolio process in a chosen field (Dance, Moving Image, Instrumental Band, Strings, Theater, Visual Arts, or Vocal Performance). The site’s focus expansively supports our young artists to navigate the process and focus on what is in their control, with intention. First and foremost a valuable and equitable resource for many students who might not otherwise have access to audition support, this comprehensive site also provides arts educators with multiple entries to activate these resources for a truly blended and vibrant arts curriculum.
Media Arts
NYC Public School Film Festival
NYC Public School Film Festival This third annual festival premiered 32 short films created by public school students. Produced by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and NYC Department of Education (DOE) in partnership with Magic Box Productions, students submitted short films in categories including Animation, Experimental, Short Narrative Feature, Documentary and PSA/Advocacy. This year’s Festival has an added bonus, beyond the films themselves. Six student filmmakers were chosen by teachers to conduct on-camera interviews with leading film industry professionals.
Previous Celebrations (Archive)