Blog
The Power of What If?
Dear Friends, What if we invested in artists at this time to dream up new ways to teach and reach children? One of the things I admire about artists is their ability to envision and create without constraint. They…
COVID-19: An important update from Young Audiences
Dear Friends, Young Audiences continues to monitor the news around COVID-19 and is actively following the directions of the Maryland Department of Health, Governor Larry Hogan, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon, the Maryland State Department of Education, and…
Young Audiences’ Free Summer Arts & Learning Academy to Expand to Nearly 2,600 Children After Study Shows it Reduces Summer Learning Loss
Arts-integrated program for City Schools students expanding to nine sites in 2020 after program successfully reduced summer learning loss in math BALTIMORE – Young Audiences’ Summer Arts & Learning Academy–the free, five-week arts integration program for Baltimore City Public School…
Access for All Awards Granted
We know that students who have regular access to arts opportunities outperform their peers in virtually every measure. And thanks to generous donors, Young Audiences’ artists and programs are available to high-need Baltimore City Public Schools at up to 80%…
#GivingArts4Learning: Micaela’s Story
Our staff at Young Audiences do not just come to work. We come to support a mission: to transform the lives and education of our youth through the arts by connecting educators, professional artists, and communities. And we come with…
#GivingArts4Learning: Femi’s Story
Our artists know how to use their art form to draw kids into the work, to get students to challenge and surprise themselves and proudly show off their achievements. They see how arts integration engages and motivates even the most reluctant…
#GivingArts4Learning: Shannon’s Story
Alice’s year at Summer Arts & Learning Academy (SALA) meant so much to her. The program helped bring clarity to math concepts my daughter was struggling with through an art form she loves, she felt confident, and she felt like…
#GivingArts4Learning: Barbara’s Story
I have been a volunteer for Young Audiences for seven years now, ever since discovering them when Colette was in 10th grade, and was asked to speak at their Impact Breakfast. I learned then how much YA had already impacted…
#GivingArts4Learning: Alex’s Story
Young Audiences has played a pivotal role in Alex’s life, both past and present. As a child, he discovered his love of writing during a YA artist residency in his public elementary school. Nearly two decades later he works as a…
Arts & Learning Days: A Taste of Summer in the School Year
A whole-child approach to learning puts significant focus on the social and emotional needs of students. And as we’ve seen in our Summer Arts & Learning Academy (SALA), the arts and arts integration pair naturally with social and emotional learning (SEL).…
Innovative Program Brings Arts Integration to Early Childhood Education in Baltimore
Baby Artsplay!™ provides multi-sensory learning at Judy Centers with funding from Saul Zaentz Foundation BALTIMORE – Beginning this month, hundreds of Baltimore’s youngest children, their families, care providers, and educators will engage in hands-on, arts-integrated programs at five Baltimore City…
Passion Is Contagious
Written by Barbara Krebs, Young Audiences volunteer and Sunburst Society member Recently I toured Ireland, circumnavigating this gorgeous island from the Republic of Ireland, to Northern Ireland before returning to Dublin. If you have half a day, I’ll be happy…
Sowing a Big Idea: Growing Up Green
Some big ideas are meant to be shared. It is through partnership and collaboration that the big ideas grow roots and become an integral part of something even bigger. In 2015, Pat Cruz, YA’s then-chief innovation officer, and educator Mary…
Hear Scott Paynter on smARTbeats!
smARTbeats returns to WTMD on Saturday, October 19 during the weekly children’s program Young At Heart! On this month’s segment, host Lisa Mathews talks with Scott Paynter, or Scotty P as he’s known around town, one of our talented teaching artists from Summer Arts & Learning Academy (SALA). He…
Meet the Principal: Aleesha Manning
Mrs. Aleesha Manning, Principal of Cecil Elementary, began her teaching career in Baltimore City in 2003 as a Kindergarten teacher at Lakewood Elementary. The following year, she joined the Cecil family/community and served as a teacher and assistant principal. She…
Meet the Principal: LaShella Stanfield
The arts in LaShella Stanfield’s school have proven to be a catalyst for students’ academic success. That’s one reason Mrs. Stanfield, Principal of Cross Country Elementary/Middle School, is participating in Young Audiences’ inaugural Principal Fellowship Program. Through the program, she…
Meet the Principal: Rochelle Machado
Mrs. Rochelle Machado believes every scholar has the potential to be great. The principal of Arundel Elementary Middle School and winner of the 2016 Heart of the School Award wants to make a difference in the Cherry Hill school community…
Meet the Principal: Monique Reese
In January 2020, Bay Brook Elementary Middle School will move into a 21st Century school building! Monique B. Reese, Principal of Bay Brook told us that along with the move, her school is adopting an arts integration model. During her first three…
SummerREADS: An Internship Like No Other
Written by Soni Kunwar, 2019 SummerREADS Intern When I was looking for a summer internship during my spring semester at college, I came across an internship for the SummerREADS program at Young Audiences of Maryland. What caught my eye about…
Voices for a Relevant Future: 2019 Bloomberg Arts Internship
This week, 35 Bloomberg Arts Interns—all rising seniors in Baltimore high schools—will be winding down their travels in and out and through our city’s marvelous historic and contemporary art-filled spaces. We are lucky, here in Baltimore, to have such esteemed…
The Tangible Intangible: A Witness to the Power of the Arts
Written by Alan Hoff, Young Audiences Board of Directors, Vice Chairman The arts are not just nice, they’re critical to the development and well-being of our communities. I am both excited and proud that Baltimore County has continued to recognize…
Art Inspires Math Inspires Art: The Ripple Effect of Arts Integration
What does learning look like in June? It’s hot, kids are getting restless, and classes don’t typically get any easier academically. Quite the opposite, in fact, for Algebra 1 students and teachers at North County High School in Anne Arundel County…
Imagine the Connections…
Written by Barbara Krebs, Young Audiences volunteer and Sunburst Society member “What does the artist do? He draws connections. He ties the invisible threads between things.” —Anselm Kiefer, German painter and sculptor A few weeks ago, Young Audiences hosted an…
Belonging
Written by Stacie Sanders Evans, President and CEO of Young Audiences/Arts for Learning Belonging. That’s the word that has been on my mind. Our founder, Nina Collier, understood belonging. She felt music belonged in schools, that artists belonged in a…
Internships – A Crucial Stepping Stone for Success
Written by Barbara Krebs, Young Audiences volunteer and Sunburst Society member Classes may be just about to wrap up, but for 33 Baltimore students who have accepted positions in the Bloomberg Arts Internship this summer, a different kind of learning…
Preparing for Improvisation
Written by Barbara Krebs, Young Audiences volunteer and Sunburst Society member The thing I like most about Young Audiences’ Impact Breakfast is that I never know what new insight I will take away from it. Sometimes I go home and…
I Am Ready: Early Learning and the Arts
When Quynn Johnson steps into the Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms at Margaret Brent Elementary School in Baltimore City, she is met with hugs and big, bright smiles. The students love that they’ve been learning to tap with the artist and…
The Power of Community: Professional Development in the Arts
An inaugural Arts Integration Conference held at the Chesapeake Arts Center (CAC) showcased the strength and excellence of the Arts Empowered Minds Initiative (AEMI)‘s collective knowledge and resources. Over the course of the day, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS)…
2019 Bloomberg Arts Internship Worksites Announced!
This summer, rising high school seniors in Baltimore City Public Schools will have the opportunity to work and learn in one of Maryland’s stellar and well-respected arts and cultural organizations through the Bloomberg Arts Internship, a program designed to challenge and inspire students. The…
Wring, Fling, Bling, and Sing
Written by Barbara Krebs, Young Audiences volunteer and Sunburst Society member As a Young Audiences volunteer, I’ve been fortunate enough to watch a variety of artists at work in the classroom. And the results always amaze and humble me. Whether…