Many artists and arts lovers trace their initial spark of interest back to a middle or high school performing arts teacher. It’s from these teachers that students learned to express themselves, assert their individuality, collaborate with others—and most of all, discover that distinct sense of excitement and possibility many of us only get from the performing arts. Wolf Trap Grant Awards honors the teachers who make it all possible—particularly those creating innovative new programs.
2024-2025 Grant Recipients
Middle School
Chelsea Holmes – “Play On! A Collaborative Adventure to the Crossroads of Classical and Video Game Music”
Sterling Middle School (Loudoun County Public Schools)
The Videri String Quartet, an ensemble specializing in video game music, will coach small string ensembles, present a masterclass about communication in an ensemble, and perform side by side with the students for the school community. Students from various middle and high schools in Loudoun County will make connections between video games and classical music, explore careers in the arts, and discover how these two distinct forms intertwine in the arts, entertainment, and career opportunities.
Destini Collins – “Go-Go Browne”: Teaching Community and Resistance through the Arts
Browne Education Campus (DC Public Schools)
In “Go-Go Browne,” students will create an original Go-Go song under the guidance of professional go-go artists. In collaboration with the DC History Center and Teach the Beat, this initiative aims to deepen students' understanding of their local heritage, particularly the cultural and social contexts that shaped go-go music. Students will explore the history of go-go and engage in the creative process, producing an original song that reflects both their individual identities and collective experience as DC residents.
Dr. Faye Richie-Chandler – West African Dance Explosion
Friendship Armstrong Public Charter School (DC Public Charter School)
Through workshops with the DC-based KanKouran West African Dance Company, students will explore how natural phenomena, social issues, religion, and social and cultural traditions inspire dance in West African culture. Through their work, students will develop their own choreography to be later performed at a school and community performance. This project provides an intercultural exchange that will broaden students’ knowledge of the diverse African population within their community and school.
Kristen Friend – Chamber Winds
Mercer Middle School (Loudoun County Public Schools)
Chamber Winds is a student-driven program where students rehearse self-selected music in small ensembles to prepare for performances. Professional musicians will coach individual ensembles, providing an opportunity for students to gain musical understanding, receive targeted instruction and feedback, and open their minds to new perspectives. The students will perform at a local retirement community, allowing students to create and witness the impact that live music has within the community.
Dr. NiLa Austin – Latin Dance Workshops
Ida B. Wells Middle School (DC Public Schools)
Students will train with bilingual dance professionals from around the world and learn about the rich culture and history of Salsa and Bachata, culminating in choreography that will be performed at their school and local community center. This opportunity will bring culturally responsive arts education programming to a largely Hispanic student body, free of cost. The class will celebrate students’ cultural identities, expand their knowledge, and provide a sense of community.
Rebecca Svedin Tate – Every Child Can
Kenmore Middle School (Arlington County Public Schools)
Every Child Can will hire local musicians to work with beginner students to establish technique on string instruments. These musicians will provide the support and resources to allow every child in the program access to high quality small group music instruction. The program will also hire a composer to write harmonies of varying difficulty from the Suzuki repertoire. Through these efforts, the program will create more unity in the school and community as students create music together and share their art with family and friends.
Sophie Rosenthal – Synetic Theatre Physicality Workshops
Swanson Middle School (Arlington County Public Schools)
Synetic Theatre will work with four seventh-grade theater classes to assist in the character creation for a condensed Shakespeare play of their choice. Students will be encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and take creative risks. These skills—confidence, risk-taking, and perseverance—will serve them in future theatrical pursuits and beyond, leaving a lasting impact on their learning and personal growth.
Stacey M. Jones – “Reviving Ghanian Traditions Through the Blues” Workshops
Luther Jackson Middle School (Fairfax County Public Schools)
Students in Luther Jackson Middle School's advanced theater arts class will work with Kennedy Center Teaching Artist and Focus 5 Consultant Imani Gonzalez, to learn about Ghanian traditions, connecting the African culture to the African American tradition of the Blues. Studying the blues genre will allow students to explore and tell their own stories. Students will write monologues to connect with the long tradition of defiant storytelling in the face of adversity. Bringing this type of cultural integration into the classroom will strengthen students' sense of identity while promoting acceptance of other cultures through a better understanding of how we are all connected.
High School
Dr. CJ Redden-Liotta – 75th Anniversary Composer Residency
Falls Church High School (Fairfax County Public Schools)
In honor of the choir department’s 75th anniversary, student singers will collaborate with composer Sherry Blevins to create a piece reflecting their own cultures and experiences. Through creating a piece that honors and reflects the diversity of the school community, students will explore their agency and witness how their unique voices can be heard in their community. The final piece will be shared in the school’s spring concert.
Corinne Fox – All My Sons
Potomac Falls High School (Loudoun County Public Schools)
For a production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, the Potomac Falls theater department will connect with Loudoun County Veteran programs and senior living communities to facilitate conversations about returning to civilian life after serving in the military. Students will then attend masterclasses with the National Michael Chekhov Association to translate their conversations into character-driven performances. Through multiple departmental and community collaborations, students will connect theater, performance, and storytelling to greater aspects of social change, inequity, and community through artistic expression.
Courtney Betzel – Dance Masterclasses at West Potomac HS Academy
West Potomac High School Academy (Fairfax County Public Schools)
Partnering with ClancyWorks Dance Company, students will participate in lectures and dance instruction to understand the cultural and historical fundamentals of Hip Hop genres and classical Indian dance styles. Students will then work with artists to choreograph a piece that celebrates the similarities and differences between the genres to be later showcased at a spring performance. Through this project, students will gain a better understanding and appreciation for the diversity and richness of dance across cultures.
Hope Lambert – “Building Bridges”
H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program (Arlington County Public Schools)
H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program and The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program, two secondary programs housed in the same building, will utilize the power of storytelling to connect their school communities and celebrate the gifts of all students. The H-B Woodlawn Theatre Department will join forces with ArtStream Teaching Artist Patti Woolsey to write and produce an original play to be performed by students from the Shriver Program, a secondary school for students with special needs. H-B Woodlawn students will gain invaluable experiences in leadership, mentorship, and collaboration across multiple age and peer groups, while Shriver students will have an opportunity to share their talents and growth with their school community.
Kelsey Meiklejohn Bowen – Theater For Young Audiences: Dandelion Magic
Bowie High School (Prince George’s County Public Schools)
In collaboration with teaching artist Ryan Sellers, students will write and perform an original production of the picture book “Dandelion Magic” at local preschools. Students will explore themes of imagination, growth, and discovery, ultimately bringing the story to life on stage to tour and perform for young audiences. Students will enhance their communication, collaboration, creativity, self-expression, and innovative thinking–all essential skills for success in the classroom and beyond.
Kendra Smith – Fostering Relationships Using Intergenerational Techniques (FRUIT)
John F. Kennedy High School (Montgomery County Public Schools)
Collaborating with ClancyWorks Dance Company and Jewish Council for the Aging: InterAges Program, students will participate in weekly classes with a mixed group of older adults, using creative movement to share stories from their own lives. This interaction will help students to express themselves through dance, more actively participate in the arts, and build connections with mentors from a different generation.
Details
For the 2025-2026 school year, Wolf Trap will award grants of up to $5,000 to a select number of public high school teachers and up to $2,500 to a select number of public middle school teachers who are working to bring new and exciting performing arts experiences to their students. Online applications for the 2025-2026 school year will be available in the spring of 2025.
Most grant projects provide instruction through one or more of the following methods:
Artist Residencies – Wolf Trap will support residencies with professional performing artists to assist and supplement classroom work. Residencies provide instruction from one or more artists over an extended period.
Master Classes – Wolf Trap will support visiting guest artists to teach master classes in conjunction with class study. Master classes provide opportunities for students to work closely with professional artists to learn about a finite skill or topic in a single session.
Commissions – Wolf Trap will support a teacher, student, or visiting guest artist in the creation of an original dance, music, or theatre piece in collaboration with a specific group of students.
Additionally, teachers are encouraged to think about projects that follow one or more of Wolf Trap’s education priorities:
Technology in the Arts – Wolf Trap will support technological improvements that may allow for further educational opportunities in the arts and encourage technical and media applications in instruction.
Arts and the Environment – Wolf Trap celebrates the relationship between art and nature, using the arts to help protect the environment. Grantees are encouraged to consider “green” projects and to create a culture of environmental responsibility in their performing arts programs.
Arts Integration – Wolf Trap will support collaborations that explore core subjects or STEM classes through an artistic discipline. Grantees are encouraged to work with teachers of different disciplines to find innovative ways to reach learning goals and display student learning.
Arts and Social Change – Wolf Trap values the impact the arts can have in addressing community inequalities. Grantees are encouraged to center their projects around a student-identified issue of concern within their community and use the performing arts to raise awareness, inspire dialogue, and offer solutions.
Eligibility
- All grant projects must take place during the 2025-2026 school year.
- Applicants must be a public high school or middle school teacher of music, dance, or theater currently teaching in Washington, DC; Montgomery County, Maryland; Prince George’s County, Maryland; Loudoun County, Virginia; Arlington County, Virginia; Falls Church City, Virginia; Alexandria City, Virginia; or Fairfax County, Virginia.
- Award will not exceed $5,000 for high school projects and $2,500 for middle school projects. The majority of the grant money must be used for student instruction and learning. With prior approval from Wolf Trap, minimal funds may be used to purchase equipment if it is a major component of the project.
- Teacher grantees and their schools will be responsible for the design and implementation of proposed projects, which includes the selection of participating performing artists and works. Wolf Trap is not able to secure artists and/or permissions.
- Projects must culminate in a performance or presentation of student learning. Grantee schools will be invited to attend a performance and reception at the historic Barns at Wolf Trap in the spring of 2026.
Questions
Email
edugrants@wolftrap.org.