Mission Statement
Rosie's Broadway Kids is an arts education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the arts. Using professional teaching artists, Rosie's Broadway Kids offers classes in dance, music, and drama and a professional theater experience for children who might otherwise not have the opportunity. Its goal is to inspire excellence, motivate learning, uplift the human spirit, and instill a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
Description
Overview
Founded in 2003, under the leadership of Artistic Director Lori Klinger, Rosie's Broadway Kids began with a pilot project at one school with 30 students and has expanded to serving 1700 students at 22 schools.
In just five years, RBKids has become one of the largest arts-in-education programs serving New York City public-school students, and one of the only organizations that provides services at no cost to the student or school.
Programs
PS Broadway
The fifteen-week in-school program consists of instruction in music and dance for fifth graders along with their visit to the Broadway show. PS Broadway reached over 1700 5th graders in 22 public elementary schools this year
• 17% are English Language Learners
• 80% come from low-income families
• 98% have never before seen a Broadway show
ACTE II (A Commitment To Excellence)
ACTE II is RBKids scholarship program, which serves outstanding graduates of PS Broadway, providing intensive training in musical theater to students in grades 6 through 12.
Participants attend after-school sessions two to three days per week from September to June, and take part in a 4-week Summer Intensive during the month of July at no cost to them. Each year, a new class is added to the ACTE II roster, and those in good standing may remain with the program through high school. In addition to classes in tap, jazz, ballet, voice, drama, and music, students are provided with free dancewear and shoes, taken to Broadway shows, and offered Master classes from Broadway professionals.
ACTE II includes high school tutoring and audition preparation, and will eventually provide college admissions preparation for our students, in a supplementary program called A+ (Arts Plus).
Spotlight on Fitness
Spotlight on Fitness is RBKids' newest program, and is currently being piloted at PS 51 in Manhattan. In its full form, it will take place in Maravel Arts Center. Its goal is to reach all grades in a particular school with rigorous, sequential instruction in dance, music and theater in order to fulfill state and local curriculum requirements in both the arts and physical education.
