FY23 School for Law & Justice

Jun 21

Written By Ben Houghton

FAST FACTS

School Name: Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Programs: Acting/Musical Theater, Podcasting, Dance

Participants: 70

Duration: 17 hrs/week, in school, year-long

Teaching Artists: Juanita Castro-Ochoa, Patty Als, Emily Boghossian, Ashleigh Stoneman, Megan Lomax, Chuchi Samuel, Brett Tubbs

Partnered with BAE since: 2019

VIDEO COMING SOON
VIDEO COMING SOON
VIDEO COMING SOON

REVENUE & EXPENSES

Programming was made possible thanks to support from the NYC Department of Education (DOE), Adams Street Foundation, Anna and Stephen T. Kellen Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York City Department of Education, Sing for Hope, Tiger Baron Foundation, Music Man Foundation, LesPaul Foundation, and Surdna Foundation

IMPACT REFLECTION

Around 70 student artists and learners at the School of Law & Justice had the opportunity to engage in Podcasting club, Dance class, Acting class, and Musical Theater with BAE. At the beginning of the year, BAE witnessed quickly through pre-surveys and reflections that students were very hesitant towards taking risks and setting interest-based goals beyond “be successful” and “get good grades”. During class activities, Teaching Artist’s observed that students struggled to engage with art when it was communicated in unfamiliar methods for students. For example, one Acting class did not engage enthusiastically or consistently with typical theater activities and warm-ups. Another Acting class expressed desire for Musical Theater, but no space existed on campus to explore this interest. As a whole, the campus community experienced challenges in finding adequate space to meet for their class size based on what rooms were available.

In response, the community worked together to problem solve ways to work together and explore their artistic interests. One teacher donated their classroom space to be used during their planning time so that students could meet more comfortably. One acting class, participants pivoted towards critical film discussions by analyzing modern movies, what is communicated in their patterns, and social commentary made by filmmakers based on evidence in the film. Another acting class pivoted towards Podcasting, made possible with shared equipment from the Podcasting club. Getting to use this equipment was a fun way to have deeper conversations with each other about film and art. In the Spring semester, another Acting class was transformed into Musical Theater, taught by Teaching Artist Megan.

BAE Teaching Artists’ used classroom discussions to affirm to students that their interests are worth exploring. They also found opportunities to explain how various art forms interconnect to communicate ideas. They also used movies, documentaries, and field trips to broaden students' artistic interests and affirm that art is accessible.

By the end of the year, we saw that all of our arts programs enhanced student’s understanding and exploration of various storytelling techniques, enhanced their public speaking skills, and cultivated media literacy skills. Having a space carved out during the day to engage in fun discussion gave students a fun way to think critically and practice sharing their opinions clearly. In post-surveys, students reflected that BAE classes were a “chill” space to talk about things interesting to them and explore new places with field trips.