ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Young artists dream about one day getting to train at The Juilliard School in New York City.
Now, thanks to a new partnership, Allentown School District students will get the chance to learn about the performing arts from the prestigious conservatory’s professional dancers, musicians and actors on site in Allentown.
“Most of us have probably heard of The Juilliard School, and when we think of that, we think of the best of the best."Ryan Yurchick, ASD’s director of arts and wellness
“Most of us have probably heard of The Juilliard School, and when we think of that, we think of the best of the best,” ASD Director of Arts and Wellness Ryan Yurchick said.
Allentown school directors on Thursday approved the $1.14 million partnership with Juilliard. The agreement runs from next month to June 30, 2028.
The programming won’t begin next month, but the district and Juilliard will begin their planning phase, mapping out details for the new partnership, officials said.
Action plans and timelines will be solidified and shared publicly later.
What the collaboration looks like
The partnership will provide professional development opportunities for district educators — both those who teach the arts and those who teach other subjects.
Juilliard’s experts will teach non-arts educators different strategies for how to spark creativity in the classroom.
Juilliard also will provide staff and students with in-person workshops and hands-on mentorship. ASD staff will get monthly virtual coaching and mentorship from the school, too.
Additionally, the partnership will provide ASD with access to the Juilliard Creative Classroom, an online curriculum.
High school students will have the opportunity to enroll in advanced, Juilliard-led courses.
“By building teacher capacity and inspiring students through direct engagement with professional artists, this partnership lays a foundation for transformative, system-wide impact,” Yurchick said.
Allentown Schools Superintendent Carol Birks said ASD began discussing the possibility of a collaboration with Juilliard two years ago.
Birks and a couple of school directors met with Juilliard leaders at the time as part of ASD’s involvement with Digital Promise, a global education nonprofit organization, and itsLeague of Innovative Schools initiative.
ASD is a member of the League of Innovative Schools, and Birks sits on the league’s national advisory board.
ASD also participates in the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools program, a partnership between Digital Promise and the telecommunications company Verizon that equips secondary students with iPads and internet access.
A 'unique' partnership
While Juilliard works with school districts around the country, the Allentown project is “unique” in its “level of intentionality,” Birks said.
Birks has been a champion of the arts during her tenure in the district. She hired more than 30 new educators to teach the related arts and spent at least $1.4 million on new instruments in recent years.
"I know what that does for children, and so we want to create other pathways for our students to excel.”Carol Birks, Allentown Superintendent
“I believe in the arts,” Birks said.
“I’m artistically inclined myself. I know what that does for children, and so we want to create other pathways for our students to excel.”
The superintendent has traced her own achievements back to her time as a student in choir and theater programs.
Birks said arts programming helps students gain “developmental assets,” which are a set of “40 research-based, positive experiences and qualities” that help students succeed in school and life, according to the Search Institute, a youth-focused research organization.
Additionally, Birks said, many Allentown families have expressed a “great interest in the arts.”
School Director Phoebe Harris praised Birks for securing the Juilliard partnership.
“No superintendent has ever done this,” she said. “This is amazing.”
