Report To The Community 2022

new ways to
nurture talent
NJPAC’s innovative, holistic approach to
arts education encourages young people
to be their best selves
“To develop a good artist, you have
to develop the entire human being.
Education doesn’t just happen in the
classroom. It requires a community
and a support network …”
– Jennifer Tsukayama
Every Saturday during the
school year, Franklin Torres
drives his three kids from
their home in upstate New
York to the Center for Arts
Education on NJPAC’s Newark
campus. It’s a round trip of
almost three hours — but
Torres has no plans to stop.
Nor do his three children
who have participated in
Arts Education programming
for more than two years.
“I don’t regret it one day,”
says Torres. “The work that
they’re doing with these
kids is unbelievable.”
The Torres family is one of
hundreds whose children are
enrolled in Arts Training programs
at NJPAC. While education has
been a tenet of the Arts Center
since its opening 25 years ago,
the programs have expanded
and deepened into a national
model for arts instruction, one
that goes beyond a specific skill
set to creating a toolkit for young
people to succeed in any field.
The department is firmly
student-centered. In weekend
Arts Training programs, summer
programs and in-school
residencies, NJPAC’s arts
education offerings — staffed
by 69 professional teaching
artists — spotlight the stories
students have to tell, and
provide them with a platform
to tell those stories.
NJPAC’s acclaimed weekend Arts
Training programs include classes
focused on dance, jazz, theater,
hip hop arts and more.
“At NJPAC we focus on the
whole student,” says Jennifer
Tsukayama, Vice President of
Arts Education. “We see our
students as citizen artists and
help them discover the depths
of their potential as creatives
and individuals. This is what
every young person deserves.”
In 2022, NJPAC’s Saturday
Arts Trainings included its
long-running TD Jazz for
Teens (JFT) program, as well
as acting and musical theater,
hip hop arts and culture and
beginner band programs. All
classes have opportunities for
performance and collaboration
between students in other
classes. In addition, participants
can opt into a mentoring
program (Creative Coaching)
and another program called
In the Mix, where students
across disciplines conceive
and develop creative projects
around social justice topics
that are meaningful to them.
SchoolTime performances —
live shows on NJPAC stages
during the school day —
are another avenue for
engagement. The Arts Center
also reaches students through
in-school residencies and
professional development
workshops for educators.
Torres says he appreciates the
nurturing faculty and students’
exposure to the business side
of music. He also likes how
the faculty respects what the
students want to pursue. For
example, his daughter Abigail
entered JFT as a drummer
but is now a vocal student.
“They take the talent to
another level,” he says.
Unlike a conservatory-style
program, the Arts Education
department is not an exclusive
training program for musical
education: collaborative learning through the arts
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