Downtown | Greater Baltimore
(At Abbot Memorial Church)
3426 Bank Street, 21224; 410-276-6207
Abbott Center for the Arts is a nonprofit community organization offering a variety of arts-related programming at the historic Abbott Memorial Church in Highlandtown. Programs include private instruction for piano, guitar, drums, and vocal music. Ballet instruction is offered for 4- and 5-year-old students. Both children and adults can partake in art classes (see Art Exposure, Inc.), and early childhood music classes are offered for babies and children through age 4 (see Music Together of Canton). The Abbott Center for the Arts is able to provide scholarships for children whose families demonstrate financial need.
Various locations; 410-404-3587
Art Exposure Inc. offers a tangible art experience in a wide variety of visual arts for children of all ages. All children in the Creative Messes (2–4 years old) and Ready, Set, Make! (5–10 years old) classes and in private instruction are introduced to drawing, painting, working with clay, paper mache, and creating collages and puppets. Adult instruction is also available in painting, drawing, and photography. Classes are offered at four downtown neighborhood locations: Messiah Church on Canton Square in Canton, Abbot Memorial Church in Highlandtown, Streetlite Christian Fellowship in Federal Hill, and School 33 in Federal Hill.
(At the Baltimore School for the Arts)
712 Cathedral Street, 21201; 443-642-5165
TWIGS is the community outreach program of the Baltimore School for the Arts offered to students interested in pursuing visual and/or performing arts. Children in grades 2–8 who reside in Baltimore City and who qualify by audition are eligible for this 25-week training program with professional artists. Classes in instrumental, vocal music, theater, stage production, visual arts, and dance are offered after school and on Saturdays. Ballet students in the program may also audition for BSA’s annual production of the Nutcracker. Many students from the TWIGS program acquire the necessary skills to later audition for enrollment into the BSA, one of the leading, pre-professional arts high schools in the country. Each year, approximately 30% of incoming freshmen are former students of the TWIGS program.
2900 E. Fayette Street, 21224; 410-585-8810
From youth activities to beautification projects, the community nonprofit organization Banner Neighborhoods is dedicated to efforts on the enhancement of 10 southeast Baltimore communities. In an effort to address unsupervised youth, Banner Neighborhoods offers several programs, including an art course consisting of three 10-week sessions throughout the year for children and youth to explore mural making, animation, and creating music and music videos. They may also learn to write, photograph, edit, and produce articles for The Radical, an independent, youth-produced art magazine that includes poetry, painting, drawing, photographs, stories, and collages. Other programs include a reading club and a football and basketball league. (See Sports > Sports Programming > Banner Neighborhoods Football and Banner Neighborhoods Basketball)
3134 Eastern Avenue, 21224; 410-276-1651
Creative Alliance at The Patterson is a multipurpose arts center in southeast Baltimore, with facilities that include two art galleries, a 250-seat theater, a classroom, and a media lab. The Alliance hosts kid- and family-friendly festivals and community shows and art workshops, bringing artists and audiences from diverse backgrounds together to experience the arts. In partnership with local libraries, middle schools, and community centers, the Alliance offers summer and after-school programs for children in art education and literacy. On Saturdays, families and children of all ages are welcome to drop in for art projects themed to the shows in their galleries.
847 N. Howard Street, 21201; 410-225-3130
The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center promotes the legacy of African-American art and culture in the city through exhibitions, programming, and educational activities. The center extends practical involvement in the disciplined arts to all youth by supplying low- to moderate-income residents with the opportunity to participate in drawing, painting, and design activities, as well as the study of drama, dance, and vocal music. Children interested in learning to play a musical instrument will learn music theory, improvisation, repertoire, and performance. Dance classes include creative movement for children 3–5 years old, two levels of tap classes for children 5 years old and up and 8 years old and up, and ballet and hip-hop classes for children ages 6 years old and up. Summer dance sessions are also available through the Rock Steady! program with renowned dancer and choreographer Damien Patterson.
756 Washington Boulevard, 21230; 410-366-2626
Located in historic Washington Village/Pigtown, Expressions in Motion is a brand-new full-service dance center offering dance instruction to children 3 and up through adults. The Petite Pas program for children 3–6 years old includes classes in creative movement, beginner ballet, tap, and hip hop, where the emphasis is placed on the joy of movement, development of body and spatial awareness, and the promotion of self-esteem. Children and youth 7–18 years old enter the technical program and may study dance forms to include varying levels of classical ballet, pointe, contemporary dance, tap, jazz, and hip hop all in their respective proper forms. Students participate in biannual recitals that occur at the end of the fall and spring sessions. Beginner and intermediate level adult classes are offered on a drop-in basis. Expressions In Motion is also home to the student company, The Ensemble, the pre-professional student company, The Corps, and the professional modern dance company, The Collective.
1300 Mount Royal Ave., 21217; 410-669-9200
The Young People’s Studio at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) offers a variety of extra curricular youth classes for elementary, middle school, and high school students. Tapping into the creative potential of children, the program refreshes an interest in art-making and can help prepare students for careers in art and design. Course examples might include multimedia sculpturing, drawing workshops, painting, innovative art from recycled materials, handmade paper art, artistic journaling, and other visual art forms. The program is offered during the fall and spring semesters on Saturday mornings and afternoons and groups students by grade levels. Summer camps are also offered throughout the summer.
800-728-2692
Music Together is a research-based and internationally recognized early childhood music and movement program for babies through kindergarten-age children and their parents or other primary caregivers. Based on the premise that all children are musical and have the same innate ability to learn music and language, Music Together classes explore diverse musical modes through singing, moving, rhythmic chanting, listening, and discovering musical instruments. Song selections come from different heritage backgrounds, with words often sung in foreign languages. Song selections also provide a unique take on familiar nursery rhymes. The program facilitates adult and child movement in an informal, non-performance-oriented environment; parents can expect to fully participate with their child. Two non-affiliated Music Together programs are offered downtown.
(At the Abbott Memorial Church)
3426 Bank Street, 21224; 410-276-6207
Music Together of Canton offers 10-week semester programs at the historic Abbot Memorial Church in Canton. Classes are for children birth to 4 years old, and tuition includes weekly 45-minute classes, two copies of a CD with class music, Parent Education Night, and a songbook.
(At Old Otterbein United Methodist Church)
112 W. Conway Street, 21201; 410-825-3881
Music Together of Charm City offers 10-week semester programs at four locations in the city; one of which is located downtown at the historic Old Otterbein United Methodist Church. Classes are offered for children 2 months through 4 years old. Tuition includes weekly 45-minute classes, a songbook, two copies of a CD with class music, and weekly parent education emails from the Music Together of Charm City director. New families will also receive the parent DVD, Music Together at Home: Helping Your Child Grow Musically.
(At Salem Lutheran Church)
1530 Battery Avenue, 21230; 410-837-0971
Musical Artists Theatre offers 10-week children’s acting and dance instruction at the Riverside Stage, located within the Salem Lutheran Church in the Riverside neighborhood of South Baltimore. Classes in both art forms are catered to children 8–12 years old; however, parents of children outside of this age range should call the program to discuss the suitability of a particular class for their child. Dance instruction will introduce a high-energy fusion of ballet, jazz, and lyrical/contemporary styles taught by Jason Kimmell, who has performed on Broadway, CBS-TV, and with the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre. Acting instruction will allow students to utilize exercises, monologues, improve, and theater games as they rehearse a play directed by Jose de la Mar, a professional actor and graduate of Bucknell. No prior training is required for either class.
21 E. Mount Vernon Place, 21202; 410-234-4630
The Peabody Institute, a division of the Johns Hopkins University, is located in Mount Vernon Square and is nationally and internationally recognized as a leading cultural institution. Professionally trained musicians and dancers train performers from preschool-age children through seasoned adult professionals. Each year, the Peabody stages more than 800 musical and dance performers in Baltimore and other U.S. cities as a testament to the students’ hard work and dedication. Children can be formally trained in the areas of ballet and contemporary dance; brass, wind, and percussion instruments; piano; and vocal music to include choir, chamber, and private instruction.
The Peabody Children’s Chorus provides vocal training to children and youth 6–18 years old. Ear training and music-reading skills are emphasized as levels of training in treble music, by age, become more challenging and sophisticated. Art and folk music from different cultures, languages, historical periods, and styles are rehearsed and performed. Public concerts are performed at least twice per year, and the students often perform with distinguished organizations, such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
The Young Children’s Program for 3–6-year-olds focus on the creativity and basic foundation of ballet in preparation for more comprehensive and technical training later. Classes are centered on strengthening movement skills, flexibility, rhythmic awareness, and expressiveness; 5- and 6-year-olds are introduced to basic fundamentals of ballet, such as placement, port de bras, footwork, and simple vocabulary. The Young Children’s Program presents four annual outreach performances at local nursing homes or assisted facilities. Children 7 years old and up may enter the Pre-Professional Program by audition. This is an intensive training curriculum and graded study in ballet and contemporary dance, designed to help motivated and artistically gifted students meet the highest standards within the dance arena.
Preparatory Early Childhood Music offers programs for toddlers and preschool-age children. During classes, children absorb, imitate, and model the developmentally appropriate musical behaviors from the instructor through listening, singing, movement, and play. Participants of the program receive tapes and songbooks from Sally’s Music Circle, which include a rich collection of world culture music specifically chosen for young children.
The Peabody offers varying ways of studying the piano, including Suzuki, jazz, and traditional piano. It is mandatory that all students have a piano in their home to practice on. The Peabody does not consider electric keyboards a good substitute for an acoustic piano. Younger children or a beginning older child can learn the Suzuki method through listening, imitation, and repetition. Repertoire classes are also available on Saturdays.
1427 Light Street, 21230; 410-396-4641
School 33 Art Center, located in the Federal Hill neighborhood of South Baltimore, is a community art center for contemporary visual art. The Center offers work space for both established and emerging artists, who often privately offer educational, and community art workshops or theme-based summer camps for children. Information about various art programming can be found on the School 33 website; however, the individual artists must be contacted directly for more detailed information.