Arts Education

In close partnership with local education agencies, Performance Santa Fe’s award-winning education programs bring the vibrant world of music, dance, and theater to life for the young people of our community. These programs seek to enhance the role of the performing arts by inspiring greater awareness of their educational, cognitive, and emotional power. By encouraging an active and experiential study of the arts, Performance Santa Fe advances the belief that all human beings are inherently creative. These programs are designed to build on that creativity by equipping schoolchildren with the skills necessary for a life-long engagement with the arts and an understanding of their essential contribution to enlightened citizenship. Every year, we provide inspiring performances, innovative programs, and life-changing interaction with world-renowned performing artists to more than 3,000 students in 24 local schools. These programs serve as a catalyst for academic achievement, enriched creativity, mental well-being, and personal growth. Performance Santa Fe offers all its education programs at no cost to participants, reflecting our mission to bring joy and enrichment to community members otherwise unable to access top-tier arts education. These programs are funded entirely by foundations, grants, and individual donors. Performance Santa Fe offers discounts to its year-round performance season to students, educators, families, and patrons under 30.

Masterclass Series

Through the Masterclass Series, aspiring young musicians, dancers, and actors in Northern New Mexico have the unique opportunity to interact and work closely with the internationally renowned artists we present in an intimate master class setting.

These intensive experiences, offered to intermediate and advanced students pursuing the arts, allow hundreds of students each year to receive individualized instruction from artistic luminaries, inspiring them to dream of a career in the arts. Performance Santa Fe has offered several master classes during the with artists including Daniel Ulbricht, Aaron Diehl, Alisa Weilerstein, Mark Morris Dance Company, and more.

Performance Santa Fe’s education programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs. We also acknowledge Beth Beloff and Marc Geller; Selby and Douglas Key; Enterprise Bank and Trust; Thornburg Investment Management; The Life Center Foundation; The Lineberry Foundation; Los Alamos National Labs Foundation; Santa Fe Hestia Fund; The Synàkos Foundation, as well as the many supporters who generously underwrite these free programs. We are grateful to the involved and community-driven Education Committee for their dedication to bringing these programs to life.

Arts for Life Mentorship Program

Arts for Life supports existing chorus, band, world music, orchestra, guitar, dance, and theater programs in the Santa Fe Public Schools by engaging professional Teaching Artists to work alongside the classroom teachers, providing individualized instruction, support, and technical expertise to students. In 2022/23, Arts for Life will provide over 600 hours of mentoring while serving Aspen Community Magnet School, Capital High School, El Camino Real Academy, El Dorado Community School, Gonzales Community School, Mandela International Magnet School, Milagro Middle School, Nava Elementary School, Nina Otero Community School, Ortiz Middle School, and Santa Fe High School.

Arts for Life Teaching Artists serve the same classrooms every week! This consistent presence, technical expertise, and one-on-one evaluation increases the students’ musical skills, self-confidence, and creativity while promoting curiosity, teamwork, and engagement in other curricular disciplines.

Our Teaching Artists

  • Victoria Schaevitz

    Flute

  • Michael Chavez

    Percussion

  • Michael Burt

    Bass / Orchestra

  • Pat Malone

    Guitar

  • Gregory Heltman

    Trumpet / Brass Band

  • Jeremiah Weimer

    Woodwinds

  • Carolyn Taylor

    Strings

  • Travis Bregier

    Voice / Choir

“I’m teaching for Performance Santa Fe about six hours a week, and what’s fascinating is I teach at all levels, from fifth grade beginners, this is all on the flute, I have a middle school group, and some of those are beginners, some of those are a little more advanced, and then I have some high school students, and some ninth graders that are beginners, and I have some eleventh graders that are very advanced, and perform in the honor ensembles throughout the state. I’m really proud of those kids, all of them, from beginning to end.”
— Vicki Bell Schaevitz
“I think the greatest thing about Performance Santa Fe supporting schools is that (by way of us professional musicians) the kids experience not just the expectations of the teachers, but the perspective of someone committed to personal excellence and accountability at music. I like for my students to understand that they shape my personal success as well. So if I get booked a part or have a concert I try to be as transparent as possible about the process of work I am putting in and obviously they are invited to come to concerts or shows if they can!! Through PSF I have aided many kids to making All-State orchestra and band on various instruments, Superior ratings at festival and MPA’s, and at this point entrances in some great schools: Oberlin, U-Cal, North Texas, University of Denver to name a few. I am just truly grateful to be a part of this amazing organization.”
— Michael Burt, Jr.