I was lucky to have teachers who cared about my artistic development in high school. Instrumental music, chorus, and drama were all stressed, and important parts of of my life. I also attended summer Arts enrichment programs – such as the Vermont Governor’s Institute on the Arts, where I discovered Salsa music with the help of Jacob Edgar, and learned to paint with acrylics under the guidance of Wosene Kosrof. I also studied at the 5-week program at Berklee College of Music, which helped me decide to go to college in a city (and Boston, specifically).

Some students have mentors who will push them to learn about themselves through art, but many do not.

Will you be that mentor?

You don’t have to be an artist or musician yourself to be that someone for a young person. Encourage them to take photography or composition classes. Subsidize their lessons if you’re financially able. Buy their finished artwork. And help them to find peers.

In Vermont, I’m now the Director of the Governor’s Institute on the Arts, that seminal place in my life. We offer an intensive 2-week program covering art forms as diverse as Drawing, Writing, Music, Puppetry, Stone Carving, and many more. If you know a motivated student entering grades 10-12 in Vermont, please send them to our website for more information: http://giaofvt.org/ComeToGIA.html

Across the country, there are great arts programs. View a list from the National Conference of Governor’s Schools, and leave a comment here with links to other great programs.