Alumni

Where are they now?

ArtistYear alumni are actors, educators, arts administrators, composers-in-residence, touring dancers, medical students, PhD candidates, orchestral musicians, photographers, freelance designers, soloists, teaching artists, and instillation artists.

Manuela Romero, ArtistYear '19

Manuela is a full-time music teacher at her former partner school in the School District of Philadelphia.

Robert Conselatore, ArtistYear '18

Robert is Communications Manager at Settlement Music School in Philadelphia.

Rebecca Arthur, ArtistYear '19

Rebecca Arthur is a Fulbright Scholar in Photography in France.

Impact Spotlight: Aqil Rogers, ArtistYear '18

A Maker Space for Executive Functioning:

ArtistYear Alum, Aqil Rogers, is a metalsmith and product designer who graduated from Drexel University and served at Mastery Charter Harrty Upper School in West Philadelphia.
Aqil collaborated closely with the school’s executive functioning teacher to add creativity, art, and design thinking into the course. This class is for students who struggle to fully integrate into school culture and who need additional tools and support to self-regulate their emotions and behaviors. Through Aqil’s background as a metalsmith and product designer, students found a new way to engage in learning. While the Harrity community managed a particularly difficult semester after the arrest of a trusted staff member, Aqil’s students designed and created “light boxes” to remind themselves and others that they still hold the power to create beauty and hope for their school.
Today, Aqil is a full-time teaching artist in a Philadelphia school, increasing arts offerings for underserved students.

Where are they now?

ArtistYear alumni are actors, educators, arts administrators, composers-in-residence, touring dancers, orchestral musicians, photographers, freelance designers, soloists, teaching artists, instillation artists, and graduate students.

Tomal Hossain, ArtistYear '19

Tomal is a Doctoral Candidate in Ethnomusicology at the University of Chicago.

Michael Blumenthal, ArtistYear '19

Michael was hired by his ArtistYear partner school as a visual and media arts teacher in the School District of Philadelphia.

Stanislav Chernyshev, ArtistYear '17

Stanislav is Principal Clarinetist of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

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“As a result of ArtistYear, I realized the most rewarding work I can do with my art centers around a counseling lens. I am now attending NYU Steinhardt's Drama Therapy Program, thanks in part to recommendations from my ArtistYear City Lead and the Principal of my service year school. ”

“During my service year, I was able to teach dance and movement to students, bring forth a different from of kinesthetic learning, combine disciplines, and dive into cultures, through dance and visual arts. It was a year full of not only teaching but also constant learning, whether that be the newest dance moves or challenges, or about how to better my teaching. Every day was a joy with new experiences and I'm extremely grateful to have been part of this program and school!”

“ArtistYear opened my eyes to the world of teaching artistry and its possibilities as a sustainable career. After my service year, I know that I want to continue working with children in the arts field. I have grown in my confidence when teaching, my comfortability leading a class, and my abilities to connect with new students.”

“For many of my students this was their first exposure to the arts. It warmed my heart to see my students take risks, and develop their sense of self-worth and confidence--From the glow on their faces when they discovered they could tackle what they had thought was impossible, to them realizing they now have a new, positive outlet to express their emotions and feelings. I hope that through arts education and instruction I have transformed the way my students see themselves and the world.”

Impact from Colorado! Andrew Medina, ArtistYear '19

“When I was a high school band student, I had a hard time relating to the music I was playing in class.  As a Teaching Artist in the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado, I have been able to sprinkle in my own arrangements of Latinx and Latin American music into the band program. The Basalt High School performed two of my salsa tune arrangements requiring an understanding of Afro-Latinx rhythms, basic forms and functions of the genre, and everyone sung the chorus section in Spanish. Being able to share one of my favorite genres to play with a motivated high school group was an amazing experience.

Impact from Philadelphia! Caleb Wiebe, ArtistYear '17

Recorder Kung Fu!

Trumpeter and Curtis Institute of Music alum Caleb Wiebe invited his K­4 grade students at Philadelphia’s Samuel Powel Elementary School to take up a new instrument and a new martial arts form during his year of service: Welcome to “Recorder Kung­Fu,” where classes worked together as a team to reach the next level of musical achievement.
Collaborating closely with the school’s veteran music teacher, Mr. Carroll Kelly, Caleb identified this course as a way to deepen musical learning, split large class sizes in half, and support the school­-wide thematic unit of study on Chinese culture and history. Caleb’s mission was to enhance student life at Powel through music, fostering the leadership skills and self-­confidence necessary for a healthy school community. Caleb’s Classes performed at two family community concerts with many parents attending the school for the first time.
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