9/13/2023
Education and Outreach
When Melanie Jupp discusses middle school students, she knows they face a challenging age.
“It can be harder to feel that sense of community at school,” says Jupp, director of education and outreach at The Smith Center. “Unless you have an area of interest that you’re studying, like the arts or sports, it’s hard to find that place of belonging.”
Fortunately, with The Smith Center’s help, middle schoolers can now embrace a new theatrical outlet.
As a nonprofit, The Smith Center will expand its Disney Musicals in Schools program this year to middle schools. Previously offered only at elementary schools, this initiative helps under-resourced schools create their own sustainable musical-theater programs.
This involves Smith Center teaching artists guiding schools on every aspect of putting on a student production — including teaching students to sing, dance and act — and helping them put on an adapted Disney musical for their inaugural show.
With The Smith Center providing this program at no cost to schools, participants laud how it boosts students’ self-esteem, teamwork and academic performance.
“Expanding this program to middle schools marks a significant milestone for The Smith Center,” Jupp says. “Our Disney Musicals in Schools initiative has made a meaningful impact with elementary schools, and we look forward to helping an older age group embrace the creativity and collaboration of theater.”
A Positive Partnership with Disney
The Smith Center has helped grow the Disney Musicals in Schools program for many years.
Disney selected The Smith Center as the second organization in the country to implement this initiative in 2013. Since then, the center has helped over 40 Southern Nevada schools create theater programs.
Disney also tapped The Smith Center as one of the first organizations to expand Disney Musicals in Schools to rural communities, and the center hosted a global summit for the program in 2019.
“We always appreciate having the backing from Disney Theatrical Group and their education division,” Jupp says. “They create opportunities for anyone in the network to expand their program.”
When Disney Theatrical Group successfully piloted a middle-school program, The Smith Center immediately asked to implement it in Southern Nevada, Jupp adds.
“It was really just a decision made out of necessity. We’ve had a lot of interest over the years from middle schools,” she says. “When (the opportunity) finally arrived, we decided to put our hand up.”
Adapting for a Different Age Group
The middle school program for Disney Musicals in Schools will look “very different” from the elementary version, Jupp notes.
While the elementary program unfolds over 17 weeks, the middle school initiative will last at least 20. Elementary schools rehearse twice a week for 90 minutes, and middle schools will rehearse three times a week for two hours, with their production twice as long.
“Music Theatre International and Disney are very intentional (with their student shows),” Jupp says, adding that student musicals are adapted to “match the developmental level” of the youths.
Middle schoolers will learn more complex choreography, adds Smith Center teaching artist Edith Ellithorpe, and “script interpretation will be deeper.”
After implementing this program for years at elementary schools, Ellithorpe will tailor her approach to address the “unique challenges and changes” middle schoolers experience, she says.
“My plans include teaching techniques to regulate stress levels, and providing plenty of positive reinforcement, support and encouragement,” she says. “The joy of performing and its positive effects are my focus, as well as coaching and modeling empathy, compassion and kindness.”
Impacting Students’ Lives
Disney Musicals in Schools can benefit middle school students in numerous ways, Ellithorpe says.
It offers a creative outlet, she points out, as well as an opportunity for personal connection.
“Musical theater is a great place to strengthen self-esteem and confidence, help with social and communication skills, and assist with identifying, processing and expressing emotions,” she says.
She has seen elementary students discover new talents and a “renewed sense of togetherness” through this program, she adds, and she hopes middle schoolers enjoy that on an elevated level.
“It is such an amazing program that benefits all parties on so many levels,” Ellithorpe says. “If it brings the schools just half the amount of joy it brings me, it's going to be incredibly magical and wonderful.”
LEARN MORE
To learn more about The Smith Center’s Disney Musicals in Schools program, CLICK HERE.