OUR BLOG

Subsidized Tuition Makes Summer Arts Institute Affordable for Low-Income Families

Of course, the Institute of Music for Children loves the arts. We love the arts because they help us discover the world from new perspectives, explore our own feelings and emotions and share our experiences with others.

The arts are also a great tool to build community, develop communication skills and relate to one another on a deeply personal level.

A big part of our mission is to use the arts to develop happy, healthy and engaged children who are equipped to be successful in a complicated world that continues to have challenges for youth of color, with systemic barriers that are hard to overcome.

We, at the Institute of Music for Children are laser focused on providing our urban youth with the same access to high-quality arts learning as their suburban counterparts. This requires a well-maintained facility, access to instruments, supplies and equipment to facilitate a large and varied list of offerings, strong teaching artists and personal supports that help overcome barriers to learning and engagement.

Suburban arts programs typically costs the same amount for a two-week session as our program costs our families for the full five-week immersion program. And our policy of never turning a child away due to financial reasons ensures that additional financial assistance is available to those who need it.

With more than 40 options to choose from, campers will be able to select six art forms to focus on during their five weeks with us. This includes both "clasical" art forms like violin piano and theater, to culturally relevant art forms like African Drumming, Hip Hop and Anime. We also have some surprises like Young Farmers, Meditation and Explorer's Club.

Campers may also choose our six-week Production program which will culminate in a full-scale staged production in Kean University's Wilkins Theater.