Christopher Tiffany is the associate director of development, foundation relations at the University of Michigan School of Education.

Students learning about radio hosting during DSA’s summer workshop on media arts.

School is out for the summer, but student activities continue at the Detroit School of Arts–a Knight Arts Challenge winner that was awarded a $2,250,000 grant to bring visiting artists to its classroom, after-school and summer programs.

Starting on July 14, a six-week summer workshop brought in more than a dozen DSA students to explore communications through media arts. The workshop will run until Aug. 20. Through hands-on projects led by experienced instructors, combined with a full slate of visits from working professionals in the field, students will learn all aspects of film, television and radio development and production. Visiting artists will include directors, filmmakers, radio and TV producers, as well as marketing and television news professionals.

During the six-week program, students will gain hands-on experience working on a variety of projects, including:

• Safe Campus: a promotional video produced, scripted and performed by students. This video will be shown to schools around Michigan
• The REveAL: a new radio show where students will select a subject, research it and discuss it with Dr. Sabrina Jackson, who will act as the program’s moderator
• Selecting subject matter for teen talk shows Can U Relate, MOMENTUM and SIS
• Assisting with research for a new radio/TV show featuring female doctors discussing topics of interests to people of color

Workshop participants may also have the opportunity to participate as extras in a new movie being filmed in Detroit.

DSA students learning about radio production.

DSA is also gearing up for its 2015 JumpstART Academy—an interdisciplinary summer program designed to help new students understand the school’s culture and expectations, while also exploring their identities as scholars and artists. This year’s program will feature:

• Poetry in Motion workshop: a collaboration of English, dance and video production teachers working with University Musical Society artists-in-residence. Students will discover how they can use dance, poetry and video to explore identity and cultural representations of identity
• Midtown Car Show workshop: bringing together history, video production and broadcasting, students will explore how the art of the auto industry has impacted lives in Detroit and gain hands-on experience with creating artistic pieces and videos
• Music of Math workshop: through a blend of math and vocal music, students will explore how fractals play out in familiar music pieces

These workshops are designed to enhance arts-academics collaboration. They allow students to work directly with artists and teachers to produce artistic pieces while becoming acclimated to the culture of an arts school. JumpstART, which will run for two weeks in August, also features field trips, master classes, special guests, and student performances and exhibits.

Through alliances with organizations like the University of Michigan School of Education (which partners with DSA on JumpstART) and Knight, the Detroit School of Arts provides resources and opportunities for students to explore and excel in the fields of voice, orchestra, band, dance, visual arts, theater, music tech, and radio and television broadcasting.