Harlem School Of The Arts Inc

THE HARLEM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS' MISSION IS TO EMPOWER AND ENRICH YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS FROM HARLEM AND BEYOND THROUGH DIRECT EXPOSURE TO, AND TRAINING IN, THE CORE DISCIPLINES OF DANCE, MUSIC, THEATER AND VISUAL ARTS.

HUMAN RESOURCES: AN ADDITIONAL SECURITY GUARD WAS ADDED TO OUR TEAM TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE COVERAGE FOR OUR CAMPUS. A PLAN WAS PUT INTO ACTION REGARDING THE PROTOCOL AND GUIDELINES FOR THE REMOTE WORK POLICY.STUDENT SERVICES: THE STUDENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT IMPROVED REPORTING TO SENIOR LEADERSHIP BY COMPILING MONTHLY REPORTS THAT INCLUDED INFORMATION ON ENROLLMENT, FINANCIAL AID, AND TUITION ASSISTANCE. THE TEAM ALSO PULLED BIWEEKLY ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE REPORTS FROM ASAP TO IMPROVE BILLING PROCESSES. THE ASAP SUPPORT TEAM HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN HELPING THE STUDENT SERVICES TEAM TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MORE BENEFICIAL FEATURES OF THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM AND HAVE HELPED SOLVE SYSTEM ERRORS THAT ARISE.MARKETING: WITH RESTRUCTURING IN FY22, HSAS MARKETING DEPARTMENT WAS WELL-POSITIONED TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAMMING AND INSTITUTIONAL GOALS OUTLINED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN. JOHN STOLEN WAS HIRED AT THE END OF NOVEMBER AS DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, AND HE AND TERRY DEVELOPED INTERNAL PROCESSES AND IMPLEMENTED STRUCTURES THAT ENABLES THE DEPARTMENT TO OPERATE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY. JOHN AUDITED HSAS DIGITAL MARKETING PRESENCE AND PRACTICES WITH THE USE OF MARKETING TOOLS SUCH AS THE EBLAST PLATFORM CONSTANT CONTACT, AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT PLATFORM HOOTSUITE, AND BEGAN TO LEVERAGE AGGREGATED DATA TO INFORM MARKETING STRATEGY, AND OUTLINE BEST PRACTICES. THIS YIELDED RESULTS IN THE FORM OF AN EXPANDED AND MORE ENGAGED DIGITAL AUDIENCE, DRIVING BOTH REGISTRATION AND DONOR SUPPORT. BEST PRACTICES AND GUIDELINES WERE ALSO SHARED WITH HSA DEPARTMENT CHAIRS SO THAT EACH DEPARTMENT COULD RECEIVE APPROPRIATE MARKETING SUPPORT. WE HAVE HAD A BUSY FY22 WITH IN-PERSON EVENTS THAT ALL SHOWCASED THE INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE AT HSA! THE SPRING BLAZE IN APRIL SHOWCASED STUDENTS FROM THE HSA DANCE AND THEATER PREP PROGRAMS TO A SOLD-OUT AUDIENCE; A SEMI-STAGED, COSTUMED, WORKSHOP PRODUCTION OF SHAKESPEARE'S A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM SET THE STAGE FOR HSA THEATER AND MUSIC PERFORMANCES; HSAS MEDIA & DESIGN STUDENTS DISPLAYED THEIR WORKS IN THE BLACK & BLUE EXHIBITION (CURRENTLY STILL ON VIEW IN THE CAFE AND ROOM 112); AND MOST RECENTLY, THE SECOND ANNUAL (FIRST IN-PERSON) A-TRAIN ARTS FESTIVAL BROUGHT STUDENTS FROM HSA MUSIC, DANCE, THEATER, AND MUSICAL THEATER INTO A 4-DAY EVENT WITH EXCEPTIONAL GUEST ARTISTS AND FACULTY PERFORMANCES INCLUDING STEPHANIE POPE LOFGREN, JEREMY JORDAN, ALUMNI AMAR SMALLS AND CURTIS STEWART, AND THE PREMIERE OF ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE ADEGOKE STEVE COLSONS LATEST COMPOSITION SUITE HARLEM, WHICH GARNERED HIGH PRAISE IN THE NY TIMES. THE MARKETING TEAM CRAFTED PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS TO SHARE THESE EVENTS WITH OUR COMMUNITY VIA EMAIL, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND PRINTED FLYERS. WHILE ATTENDANCE WAS VARIED, MARKETING DEPLOYED POST EVENT SURVEYS TO GET FEEDBACK ON EACH AUDIENCE'S EXPERIENCE; SURVEY RESULTS WERE OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE, WITH 100% OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTING THAT THEY WOULD ATTEND AND INVITE OTHERS TO FUTURE EVENTS AT HSA. DEVELOPMENT: WITH SIGNIFICANT RESTRUCTURING IN FY22, THE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HIRED TED TAYLOR AS DIRECTOR OF INDIVIDUAL GIVING AND LOIS HENRY AS DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL GIVING. INDIVIDUAL GIVING GREW SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE YEAR, AS DID INSTITUTIONAL GIVING. WE HOSTED MULTIPLE SITE VISITS AND INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS WITH INDIVIDUAL DONORS, FOUNDATIONS, AND CORPORATIONS. DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTED A YEAR-END FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN THAT YIELDED OVER $500,000, ALLOWING THE DEPARTMENT TO FAR EXCEED THEIR FY22 GOAL. OPERATIONS: THE HSA STAFF AND FACULTY ENGAGED IN CPR/ AED TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION AS A MEASURE OF SAFETY PREPARATION FOR OUR STUDENTS. ALSO, ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING WAS HELD IN AN EFFORT TO PREPARE STAFF AND FACULTY ON WHAT TO DO TO KEEP THEMSELVES AND STUDENTS SAFE. A REVISION OF THE STRUCTURE IN PLANNING THE ANNUAL CLASS CALENDAR AND ALL CALENDAR EVENTS IS CURRENTLY BEING DISCUSSED AND CONFIRMED.FACILITIES: A LONGSTANDING WATER LEAKAGE ISSUE CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY RESOLVED ON THE COURTYARD. THE HSA THEATER UNDERWENT A FEW UPGRADES AND NECESSARY REPAIRS, INCLUDING COMPLETE RENOVATION OF THE RESTROOM FACILITIES.INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: HSA HAS SIGNED ON WITH VERIZON AS THE NEW PROVIDER FOR OUR PHONE AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WITH UPGRADES TO INCLUDE SPEAKERS IN THE MAIN HALLWAYS AND THEATER OF OUR CAMPUS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE OVERALL PRODUCTIVITY. IT'S SECURITY AND THE WI-FI NETWORK HAS BEEN EXPANDED.COVID RESPONSE & HSA SAFETY PLAN: HSA UPDATED THE GUIDELINES AND PROTOCOLS REGARDING COVID-19 IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CDC. A SAFETY PLAN WAS PUT IN PLACE WITH EVOLVING UPDATES TO REFLECT THE LATEST BEST PRACTICES IN HEALTH AND SAFETY. HSA WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR OFFICIAL INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CDC AND PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES REGARDING BEST PRACTICES IN PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19. HSA WILL CONTINUE TO INCORPORATE THE USE OF THE MERV-13 FILTERS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF VENTILATION AND AIR FILTRATION. IF ADDITION, WE HAVE INCREASED THE TIME BETWEEN CLASSES TO ALLOW FOR CLEANING AND AIRING OF EDUCATIONAL SPACES.PROGRAMS: HSA REACHED OVER 620 STUDENTS AND OVER 4,000 FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN FY22 THROUGH OUR CORE PROGRAMS: CHILDREN'S ENRICHMENT GROUP AND PRIVATE INSTRUCTION IN MUSIC, DANCE, THEATER, AND MEDIA & DESIGN; HSA PREP TUITION FREE, CONSERVATORY-LEVEL PRE-PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTION FOR ARTS-CAREER-FOCUSED STUDENTS AGES 8-18; SUMMER INTENSIVES IN DANCE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS AGES 8-25; HARLEM SUMMER ARTS EXPERIENCE FOR CHILDREN AGES 5-12; AND FAMILY PROGRAMS PERFORMANCES, WORKSHOPS, EXHIBITIONS, AND EVENTS. MOST HSA STUDENTS COME FROM UPPER MANHATTAN (52%) AND THE BRONX (17%), WHERE MEDIAN INCOMES FALL WELL BELOW THE NYC METRO AVERAGE, AND 89% OF STUDENTS IDENTIFY AS AFRICAN AMERICAN, LATINX, OR MORE THAN ONE RACE. IN FY22, APPROXIMATELY 27% OF STUDENTS RECEIVED NEED-BASED FINANCIAL AID AND 78% OF FAMILIES TOOK ADVANTAGE OF PAYMENT PLANS AND ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS FOR EARLY REGISTRATION, MULTIPLE COURSES, AND ENROLLING MULTIPLE CHILDREN.SELECTED PROGRAMMING: SUMMER THE HARLEM SUMMER ARTS EXPERIENCE RETURNED TO IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING FOR SIX WEEKS IN JULY/AUGUST TO STUDENTS AGES 5-12 FOCUSING ON INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMMING IN MUSIC, DANCE, MEDIA & DESIGN, THEATER, AND MUSICAL THEATER. THE CAMP THEME WAS THE SUMMER OF SOUL WHICH CELEBRATED THE RICH ARTS HERITAGE IN THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORS OF HARLEM DURING THE 1970S. PRIVATE LESSONS WERE EXTENDED THROUGH THE SUMMER SEASON, AND EXPANDED FROM MUSIC ONLY TO ALL DISCIPLINES, ENABLING INTERESTED STUDENTS TO CONTINUE HONING THEIR CRAFT THROUGH INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION FOR THE DURATION OF THE SUMMER. THE SUMMER DANCE INTENSIVE OFFERED A DEEP-DIVE IN DANCE TRAINING FOR STUDENTS AGES 12-25. COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS EVENTS INCLUDED WORKSHOPS IN ESSAY WRITING, A COLLEGE SEARCH SESSION, FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH SESSION AND AUDITION PREPARATION.FALL AND SPRING PROGRAMMINGCHILDREN'S ENRICHMENT PROGRAM SERVED NEARLY 400 STUDENTS, AGES 3-18, IN FY22, WITH STUDENTS ATTENDING THREE CLASSES PER YEAR ON AVERAGE. CLASSES RETURNED TO IN PERSON ON WEEKDAYS AFTER SCHOOL HOURS, AND ALL-DAY SATURDAY, FOR 32 WEEKS FROM SEPTEMBER THROUGH JUNE. MANY ENRICHMENT STUDENTS HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE THEIR WORK WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS THROUGH MID-YEAR PERFORMANCES IN DANCE, THEATER, AND MUSICAL THEATER, AS WELL AS MUSIC RECITALS IN PIANO, VOICE, STRINGS, AND JAZZ ENSEMBLES. THE DANCE PROGRAM RETURNED WITH THE SPRING BLAZE EVENT AND THE MUSICAL THEATER STUDENTS GAVE A PERFORMANCE OF THE THE WIZ. TO FINISH THE YEAR OUT THE THEATER PROGRAM PRESENTED MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM AND THE HSA A-TRAIN FESTIVAL HOSTED PERFORMANCES IN ALL DISCIPLINES FOR A FOUR DAY STRETCH. THIS WAS THE FESTIVAL'S SECOND YEAR.PRIVATE LESSONS WERE EXPANDED THIS YEAR FROM MUSIC ONLY TO OFFER ONE-ON-ONE INSTRUCTION IN ACTING, DANCE, AND DRAWING; AS WELL AS VOICE, STRINGS, PERCUSSION, GUITAR, PIANO, WOODWINDS, AND BRASS INSTRUMENTS. HSA ENGAGED 155 UNIQUE STUDENTS IN PRIVATE LESSONS THIS YEAR, WITH 188 TOTAL ENROLLMENTS. IN FY22, HSA PREP, OUR TUITION-FREE, PRE-PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM, ENROLLED A TOTAL OF 70 STUDENTS AGES 8-18 ACROSS HSAS ARTISTIC DEPARTMENTS. STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A MINIMUM OF TWO TO EIGHT COURSES OF PERSONALIZED INSTRUCTION AND PRIVATE LESSONS PER WEEK FOR TWO 16-WEEK SEMESTERS, SEPTEMBER THROUGH JUNE. PREP PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EVENTS INCLUDED: COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS WEEK, WITH DAILY WORKSHOPS ON TOPICS SUCH AS PERSONAL STATEMENT WRITING, PREPARING FOR AUDITIONS, PLANNING A PORTFOLIO, AND HOW TO RESEARCH COLLEGES AND FINANCIAL AID; A MASTERCLASS AND TALK BACK WITH THE RADIO CITY ROCKETTES; TWO MASTERCLASSES FOR JAZZ STUDENTS PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LINCOLN CENTER JAZZ ; PREPARING FOR COLLEGE AUDITIONS, A WORKSHOP PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL; A MASTER CLASS FOR STRING STUDENTS WITH HARLEM CHAMBER PLAYERS AND NEW YORK YOUTH SYMPHONY AND FOUR MULTIDIS