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. The Cornell University Summer Session traces its roots to summer courses in geology, zoology, and entomology that were presented in the late 1870s. The University offered these courses in the summer… Read more
  2. MIT INSPIRE was started in 2015 with a mission: to encourage young people to seek innovative solutions to global problems through rigorous inquiry in the humanities, arts, and social science fields.… Read more
  3. Talent Search Assessment - A research-validated program, Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS) utilizes above-grade-level testing to identify academic ability, measure… Read more
  4. The Clark Scholar Program is an intensive seven week summer research program for highly qualified high school juniors and seniors. The Clark Scholars Program is designed to attract gifted students… Read more
  5. During the summer you can: accelerate progress towards your degree; enroll in courses that are difficult to enroll in during the fall, winter or spring quarters; enhance your career prospects; enrich… Read more
  6. The Research Mentorship Program is a competitive, six-week summer program that engages qualified, high-achieving high school students from all over the world in interdisciplinary, hands-on,… Read more
  7. Summer at UMass Amherst is heating up. Pre-college programs at UMass combine all the major elements of college, including great academics, living in a residence hall, and eating in our award-winning… Read more