When I was sixteen, I went to a wonderful public school that was filled with art. It had an art gallery, a hall of dance studios, a modern theater with a fly rail and a full lighting system, a costume shop, a black box theater, orchestra rehearsal halls, practice rooms and a recital hall with recording equipment. Although the facilities were spectacular, what really made the place unique was the relationship between the students and our teachers. Each student was respected as an artist and given a chance to express him or herself. Calculus teachers encouraged mathematical projects that brought music into the classroom, and history projects became interdisciplinary artistic explorations that brought the material to life. The student body was comprised of all races, from all parts of the city and all backgrounds, but we were united by our passion for expression. From the artistic world that was opened to us, we learned that creativity and discipline are not mutually exclusive, and that concentration, teamwork, and passion (the core values of any arts ensemble) facilitate success in all arenas of life.

Once a month or so, the school would bring in professional artists to perform for and collaborate with the students. I always looked forward to those days and I remember being so inspired, the professional performances resonating in my own practice during the days that followed. Jazz musicians, gospel singers, actors, mimes, painters, dancers, puppeteers and opera singers: they all shared their talent and insight. These "Informances", as they were called, allowed me to open my mind and to dream, and they truly changed the course of my life.

Among the students who graduated with me, many have gone on to successful careers in the arts: performing in plays on Broadway, singing opera in Europe, acting in film and television, playing in orchestras, writing novels, and creating works of visual art that have been exhibited world-wide. Many other graduates have gone on to become teachers, social workers, doctors, lawyers, secretaries, and corporate executives. All continue to be creative thinkers and active audiences who support the arts today. What we share now, two decades after graduation, is the memory of a unique place that taught us to appreciate one another, to tolerate and even embrace difference, to work with discipline and passion, and to see the beauty and truth of a life with art.

Young at Arts was born with this model in mind, in the knowledge that art colors life and provides hope and direction for young people at their most crucial developmental time. We know that art creates a more focused and goal oriented student. In the long term, we believe that art can create a more tolerant and enlightened citizen and even, perhaps, foster peace in this world. We hope that you will support us in our efforts.