River East Elementary School and the 92nd Street Y’s Schools Partnership Program in 2009-2010 marks the second year of implementation for a choral program and ceramics program. Both programs encompass the entire school, with every child in every grade receiving hands-on instruction and the opportunity to create meaningful work through the medium of clay, and perform in a choral ensemble. In addition, River East has participated in the 92nd Street Y’s Musical Introduction Series program since 1999. This program marked the beginning of the relationship between the 92nd Street Y and River East, and continues to be an integral component of the partnership.  92nd Street Y Teaching Artists serving River East include Jennifer Florez, chorus and Musical Introduction Series, grades K-2; Bonita Labossiere Mohney, chorus, grades 3-5; and Carol Lewis, ceramics, grades K-5.  

In the choral and ceramics programs, teaching artists visit their respective classes once per week from October through June. Choral instruction at River East Elementary is designed to reflect and affect the school and surrounding community, through repertoire that addresses students’ academic and social needs and through performing at the school’s Friday morning Town Meetings, which are designed to bring the school together as a community.  Ceramics instruction is designed to address student’s ability to express themselves through the medium of clay, and approaches student learning using three core elements: drawing, working with clay, and writing. The Musical Introduction Series provides 12 teaching artist visits per participating classroom, and attendance at four professional concerts at the 92nd Street Y throughout the year.  The overarching goal of the partnership over the next several years is to build a comprehensive arts education program that is infused into the fabric of the entire school.

Our partnership vision is that students, teachers and teaching artists will learn the vocabulary and principles of various arts disciplines, gain experience with working collaboratively, design units of study that incorporate significant elements of both the arts and non-arts disciplines in balanced ways, and progressively incorporate arts-based and non-arts based concepts, skills and processes into academic and artistic studies. 

Achievements:

• River East classroom teachers have embraced the opportunity to continue their arts education through classes at the 92nd Street Y in painting, watercolors, instrumental instruction, Spanish and Yiddush languages.

• Through this partnership, the 92nd Street Y Educational Outreach Program has launched its first visual art program initiative in ceramics.

• The entire school, with every child in every grade, receives hands-on instruction and the opportunity to create meaningful work through the medium of clay and perform in a choral ensemble.