We’ll give you 150 reasons.
For 150 years, 92NY has been a catalyst for the arts, nurturing and inspiring generations of students.
92NY’s arts education initiatives extend far beyond our doors. We believe that access to high-quality arts education is a right, not a privilege. For more than three decades, 92NY has been a key provider of the highest quality arts education to New York City’s public schools through 92NY School Engagement in the Arts (School Engagement).
In 1988, Maya Angelou met with a group of NYC public school students at 92NY before she gave a reading — thus launching a literary program that now serves 1,000 students each year. Today, School Engagement transforms young lives through the arts by creating in-depth programs, performances and talks for thousands of K-12 students and their teachers in New York City public schools — and now nationwide through its online offerings.
Through sustained engagement with school communities, we connect students with celebrated artists and thought leaders from around the world via in-school residencies, in-person experiences at 92NY, and internship programs for youth to explore careers in the creative industries.
Award-winning tap dance company
Innovative award-winning orchestra collective
Poet, activist and author of “Black Girl Magic”
Grammy-nominated percussionist
Award-winning hip-hop and house dance choreographer and performer
Celebrated illustrator of children’s books
Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist
Prize-winning tap dancer and choreographer
Multi-award-winning author
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist
Bestselling writer and essayist
92NY School Engagement in the Arts collaborates with partnering schools to meet the individual needs of that school community.
Learn more about the Teaching Arts and Staff that make these programs possible.
92NY School Engagement extends across New York state and reaches schools nationwide through our virtual professional development offerings.
School Engagement believes that learning should be hands-on, inquiry-based and fun. We believe in a developmental approach that builds on students’ inherent strengths and interests at different stages of their growth. Our programs strive to help students develop higher level thinking skills as they engage with exhilarating works of art and inspiring artists from around the world.
We aim to help children grasp ideas in a transferable way, taking what they learn in class and applying it across domains. Our first principles of good teaching include engaging students’ prior knowledge, being who we are as artists in our teaching, and encouraging classroom teachers to bring their own background and expertise to the work at hand.
School Engagement values, promotes, exemplifies, and pursues diversity and inclusion in order to enrich our understanding of each other and our world. Our values include:
“We worked with Dorrance Dance. The children were mesmerized. I kept saying, ‘This is like working with LeBron James on a basketball clinic.’ Parents couldn’t believe their children had this opportunity. I explained the virtual Young Leaders Series program to them — they were astounded. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience.” Cynthia Waddell, Dance Teacher, Stone Academy of Communication Arts (Greenville, South Carolina)
“We worked with Dorrance Dance. The children were mesmerized. I kept saying, ‘This is like working with LeBron James on a basketball clinic.’ Parents couldn’t believe their children had this opportunity. I explained the virtual Young Leaders Series program to them — they were astounded. It was a wonderful, wonderful experience.”
“92NY’s Young Leaders Series has helped raise students’ engagement, foster their sense of curiosity and wonderment about the different genres of music, and improve overall attendance.” Greta Hawkins, Principal, P.S. 90 (Brooklyn, NY)
“92NY’s Young Leaders Series has helped raise students’ engagement, foster their sense of curiosity and wonderment about the different genres of music, and improve overall attendance.”
“We did events with Zadie Smith, Roxane Gay and Claudia Rankine. Wonderful that they’re all women, that they’re women of color, that they’re contemporary writers. In high school we focus on a lot of dead people. It was great for [the students] to see people who are writing now and writing about what we’re going through now.” Erin Cook, English Teacher, Edward R. Murrow High School (Brooklyn, NY)
“We did events with Zadie Smith, Roxane Gay and Claudia Rankine. Wonderful that they’re all women, that they’re women of color, that they’re contemporary writers. In high school we focus on a lot of dead people. It was great for [the students] to see people who are writing now and writing about what we’re going through now.”
“[Our 92NY School Engagement Teaching Artist] was SO FABULOUS. My students and I already miss her. She was so engaging, wonderfully prepared and knowledgeable during each visit. She was fun and patient as well as supportive, considering all of the varied learning styles and language barriers that exist in my class. My class and I feel so fortunate to be a part of this experience and this program.” Classroom Teacher, P.S. 16 (Queens, NY)
“[Our 92NY School Engagement Teaching Artist] was SO FABULOUS. My students and I already miss her. She was so engaging, wonderfully prepared and knowledgeable during each visit. She was fun and patient as well as supportive, considering all of the varied learning styles and language barriers that exist in my class. My class and I feel so fortunate to be a part of this experience and this program.”
“The 92NY in-person trip was an amazing experience. From the security guards to the lady who checked our class in just before being led into the theater, it was a pleasant and smooth experience for all our kids. Furthermore … your carefully designed interactive books to on-site integrated teaching of dance, songs, and musical instruments were just top-notch.” Jin Rhee, Classroom Teacher, P.S. 114 (The Bronx, NY)
“The 92NY in-person trip was an amazing experience. From the security guards to the lady who checked our class in just before being led into the theater, it was a pleasant and smooth experience for all our kids. Furthermore … your carefully designed interactive books to on-site integrated teaching of dance, songs, and musical instruments were just top-notch.”
“The 92NY performance was an amazing experience. It definitely surpassed my expectations. The performers and musicians worked seamlessly together and captured and maintained our attention from start to finish with their infectious energy and well-crafted moves.” Rajihah Coaxum, Classroom Teacher, CPE II (East Harlem, NY)
“The 92NY performance was an amazing experience. It definitely surpassed my expectations. The performers and musicians worked seamlessly together and captured and maintained our attention from start to finish with their infectious energy and well-crafted moves.”
To learn more about 92NY’s School Engagement in the Arts, contact:
All donations until June 30, 2024 will go twice as far thanks to two anonymous donors in honor of this milestone anniversary.
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