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Youth and the Arts

Friend,

March is Youth Arts Month and there is a lot to celebrate in New Jersey!  Did you know that all applicants for Arts Council funding are evaluated, in part, by the impact they have on New Jersey's youth and that the Council supports numerous arts education organizations and youth initiatives all across the state?   These are smart investments.  Research proves that involvement in the arts is one of the best indicators for student success in school and in the workplace.  Children who participate in the arts are:

- 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
- 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
- 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
- 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
- 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem 
- 4 times more likely to participate in youth groups
- Twice as likely to read for pleasure
- Twice as likely to vote after high school
- 4 times as likely to perform community service

(Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations, Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 1998)

There are so many avenues for New Jersey youth to participate in the arts in their schools, in after-school programs, at local arts organizations, places of worship, community centers, summer camps and programs, social service or civic initiatives for youth, at their boy's or girl's clubs, the scouts, local libraries, Y's, as well as cultural festivals and street fairs.  The Arts Council is extremely proud to support quality arts programs for our children as a wise investment in the future.  Here are just a few of the many ways youth are involved in the arts in New Jersey with the help of state funding through the Arts Council.

Warmly,

Carol Ann Herbert
Chair, NJ State Council on the Arts

Youth and Theatre Arts

The New Jersey Theatre Alliance in Madison and its professional member theatres and partner organizations announce the eighth annual Family Week at the Theatre scheduled for March 5th through March 13th.  From Cape May to Teaneck to Jersey City to Netcong, there's something for every family as kids go free to over 100 performances and events offered by New Jersey's professional theatres.  In all 21 counties, young people ages 3-18 and their families will receive free or discounted tickets to main stage performances and special events including backstage tours, classes, workshops and more. Since its inception in 1998, this annual statewide festival has served over 100,000 young people and their families with professional, affordable, exciting and educational programming.

The Union County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, with funds from NJSCA, sponsors Restore Ministries, a weekly after-school theatre arts program that serves at-risk minority students.  Teams of students from ages 13 to 18 create drama performances that celebrate the cultural diversity in their community.  Based in Elizabeth, this community program includes Hispanic/Latino, African American and Haitian students who learn community building and teambuilding as they collaborate to create and perform presentations that emphasize the understanding of self and others with different social and cultural norms.  By utilizing the arts, students of all ages are able to express themselves in positive ways that build character, community, pride and respect.

The State Street Project, the educational arm of the Trenton-based Passage Theatre, also provides positive arts experiences that raise the aspirations for the future for hundreds of Trenton young people ages 8-21.  For example, an oral history program of the Project called "Word for Word," engages Trenton youth as well as senior citizens who share with the children their experiences of living in the city over time.  These histories as well as the children's own life stories will be turned into a new play written entirely by the children called Trenton Takes.  It will be performed as a staged reading in June.  When children see their thoughts, opinions and imagination validated through a professional performance, their self-esteem and confidence soar.

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Youth and Music

The whole entertainment world was the stage for The American Boychoir of Princeton when it performed with pop diva Beyoncé during the 77th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.  This came about when Miramax Films invited The Boychoir to perform at the U.S. premiere of Les Choristes in November 2004 and then to sing selections from the soundtrack at the January 2005 premiere party.  Miramax was so impressed that they recommended The American Boychoir to the producers of the Academy Awards.

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Youth and the Visual Arts

In Somerset County students from kindergarten through college were challenged to create original artworks based on the skills they learned over the school year as a springboard to further developing their artistic talents through personal experimentation.  Their artwork will be featured in a juried photography contest, entitled "TAKIN' THE CHILL OFF WINTER" and sponsored by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission as well as the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Superintendent of Schools.  This annual collaborative community partnership project is made possible in part by the NJSCA through the Local Arts Program to the thriving network of 21 County Arts Agencies of which the Somerset Commission is one.  Three years ago, these same partners created a Student Gallery exclusively dedicated to showcasing the creative artworks of County youth.  

Youth Engaged in All Aspects of the Arts

Engaging the minds, creative energies and spirits of Harding Elementary School students is the goal of the Spiritree artist residency of Carol Hendrickson and Marco Giammetti.  Entitled "The Woman Who Outshone the Sun" and funded through another County Arts Agency the Arts Council of the Morris Area, as part of its Arts Plus Residencies, it drew upon the Zapotec Indian legend of the indigenous people of Oaxaca, Mexico.  The project vividly conveys messages of accepting diversity and caring for our planet through music and art inspired by the Zapotec culture.  The students created every facet of the performance: the puppets, masks, scenery, programs, headdresses and flowers.  The children's total engagement characterizes all of the Arts Plus Residencies, each customized to individual school's curriculum and offering topics ranging from the circus to Shakespeare. Nearly 17 multi-week residencies have been booked this year by enthusiastic schools throughout Morris and neighboring counties.

Click here to learn about programs for youth funded by the NJ State Council on the Arts.