Opportunity Guide I Summer, Enrichment & Activities Guide

If your child loves singing, dancing, acting, playing an instrument, composing music or painting and designing, she will find a plethora of outstanding fun and instructional programs where she can develop her talents and meet people who love what she does. Check out extracurricular arts activities, including performance opportunities, at your child’s school or at local community centers. Specialized private weekend classes and summer programs for students of all levels are sponsored by various art institutes, music festivals, universities and professional music and dance companies.

To perform at the highest levels, many arts, especially music and dance, require private lessons and enrichment. If your child likes to perform, look for audition opportunities at local fairs, festivals, community orchestras and theaters. Many professional theaters and ballet companies sponsor summer intensive programs from talented youth. A child who enjoys competing may be interested in participating in arts contests where her work can earn recognition and win awards. The best students compete, at national arts contests that offer scholarship prizes.



  1. American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Summer Intensive
    The curriculum of the ABT Summer Intensive includes advanced technique classes and critical lecture courses to contribute to the development of a complete dancer. ABT’s teaching philosophy is to… Read more
  2. Choate Rosemary Hall Young Artists Study Abroad
    Our programs in France, Morocco, and Spain extend an invitation for students to immerse themselves in the language, daily routines, and cultural habits of another country. Your time abroad with… Read more
  3. Deutsche SchülerAkademie
    On 5 July, the first student academies started this year. It started with Braunschweig and Grovesmühle. Waldenburg and Torgelow followed on July 12, and the Academy in Rossleben on July 19. Further… Read more
  4. Digital Media Academy
    It’s our mission to foster a learning community of diversity and excellence through memorable and innovative educational experiences led by the highest-quality instructors; building skills and… Read more
  5. Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP)
    The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a nonprofit organization that has served over 2.8 million academically talented students in grades four through twelve since 1980. Each… Read more
  6. The Experiment in International Living
    The Experiment in International Living is the nation’s most experienced and respected provider of international education and experiential learning for high school students. For 85 years, our summer… Read more
  7. EXPLO Summer Programs
    EXPLO summer programs allows students to investigate subjects they’re not likely to encounter during the school year. Our courses aren’t for credit and are ungraded. They encourage students to step… Read more
  8. Institute of Competition Sciences (ICS) - Listing of academic competitions
    ICS maintains a listing of hundreds of academic competitions in order for students to get ranked in their ICS Global Academic Champions Ranking. Since 2012, ICS has been defining best-practices in… Read more
  9. Joffrey Ballet School
    The Joffrey Ballet School is the only ballet school in New York City that offers a well-rounded dance curriculum that includes serious training in both classical ballet (technique, pointe, variations… Read more
  10. National Geographic Student Expeditions
    National Geographic offers student travel programs around the world each summer that aim to inspire and educate middle school and high school students ages 13 and older. Get into the field on an… Read more
  11. National Student Leadership Conference Summer Programs
    Since 1989, the National Student Leadership Conference has invited a select group of outstanding middle school and high school students to participate in its fast-paced, high-level, interactive… Read more
  12. US Performing Arts Camps
    US Performing Arts was founded in 2001 to provide the very best training in the performing arts and digital media for pre-college students ages 11-19. USPA set out to create summer programs that… Read more
  13. Splash Programs (Spend a day taking college classes)
    Splash! is a yearly academic outreach program by many universities that invites high school students to attend classes created and taught by students, alumni, and local community members. Splash was… Read more
  14. Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG)
    With 33 years of experience, SIG designs a multi-week program that combines challenging academics with social, cultural, and recreational opportunities to nurture students’ social skills, as well as… Read more