The Lasting Value of Arts Education

When I was a student at Duquesne University, my plan was to be a music teacher. I play piano and viola, and I wanted to share my love of music with students. I got that chance as a student teacher right here in Pittsburgh at Taylor Allderdice High School and McAnulty Elementary School. 

My career ultimately went in a different direction, but arts education has always been close to my heart. Today, I get to support that work in ways I never could have imagined back then. It’s one of the most meaningful parts of my job—and one you may not know much about. 

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust means many things to many people. You may know us for the shows we present, the theaters and galleries we own and operate, our festivals, or Arts Landing. Behind those experiences is a team that also spends its days working with teachers, visiting classrooms, and helping young people explore the arts throughout our region. 

School students performing with Disney Musicals in Schools

Each year, our arts education and community engagement programs reach approximately 50,000 students, educators, and community members across more than a dozen counties and 80 school districts. Through 16 different programs, we bring teaching artists into classrooms, welcome students to live performances in the Cultural District, and connect the arts with subjects like science and technology. For many kids, these Cultural Trust programs help them discover something new about themselves or provide their first experience in a professional theater. 

One of my favorite programs is Disney Musicals in Schools, which helps elementary schools develop their own musical theater programs. Our teaching artists work alongside teachers and students to produce a musical together. Some educators begin with no theater experience, so there’s plenty of learning along the way. 

After weeks of rehearsals, problem-solving, and collaboration, students have a production they can be proud of, and their teachers have the skills to do it again. At our Student Share Celebration, participating schools bring a number from their musical to a professional stage in the Cultural District for a culminating performance in front of family, friends, and one another. 

Western Pennsylvania School For The Deaf students perform with Disney Musicals in Schools

This program can open doors in unexpected ways. Through our partnership with the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, the Trust became the first presenting organization nationwide to implement Disney Musicals in Schools at a school for the Deaf. What we’re learning together can help other schools for the Deaf offer this experience to their students, and we’re excited to build on that work this year. 

Disney recently produced a video about our work with the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. It tells this story better than I can, through the voices of the students, educators, and teaching artists who made it happen. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch. 

I’m grateful to the teachers who take this on while juggling so many other responsibilities. And I’m proud of our education and community engagement team and teaching artists, whose care for students comes through in everything they do. 

My career may have taken me outside the classroom, but my belief in the value of arts education has stayed with me. I’m fortunate to lead an organization that helps make these opportunities possible for young people throughout our region. It’s a reminder that the Cultural Trust’s impact reaches far beyond the stages and spaces many people know best. 

To learn more about all of the arts education programs the Cultural Trust manages, visit TrustArts.org/Education.