Education
About BAM Education
1. School-time Performances and Screenings
BAM Education ignites imagination and ideas, helping you connect education and creativity in your classroom and curriculum. We prepare your students for every world-class performance and film screening by providing:
1. Pre-show workshops with our inspiring BAM teaching artists
2. Comprehensive, standards-aligned online teacher study guides at bam.org/education
3. Informative post show Q&A sessions with artists to answer student questions about the show or film
Your class is guaranteed a truly memorable experience with every visit to BAM. Your students could experience a post-performance dialogue with actors such as Patrick Stewart, Ethan Hawke, Fiona Shaw, or Cate Blanchett, see the best of British theater live in HD, or learn more about Civil Rights history through the eyes of award-winning documentary filmmakers. With BAM Education your students will walk away with their eyes opened, their assumptions challenged, and their imaginations sparked with possibility. BAM Education programs are flexible to your needs, and incorporate the Common Core Learning Standards, New York State Learning Standards, and the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts.
“The Poetry Performance impacted me by wanting to write more about what I felt that time! Also when the Slam Team performed it makes me feel more important in this community as a lady!” —11th Grade Student, Brooklyn, NY
“I feet encouraged and motivated to not follow the normal guide lines of acting. The actors performance pushed me to step out of my comfort zone in acting in school.” —12th Grade Student, Brooklyn NY
“The BAM teaching artist who conducted the in-school workshop did a wonderful job developing curiosity for the performance. She was wonderful at presenting a hands-on experience for the students.” —Middle School Educator, responding to pre-show workshop of Bleu!
“Your educational programming is of the highest quality with great attention to the attention spans and interest of my students, an incredibly diverse group of low income NYC high schoolers. ” —Assistant Principal, Manhattan high school
1. Pre-show workshops
Before every school-time performance or screening, one of BAM’s teaching artists will lead an arts-focused workshop in your classroom to prepare your students to more deeply engage the artistic work they will see at BAM. Through group discussions, theater games, writing exercises, and more, your students will be activated as artists and gain invaluable background information about the production or film. Pre-show workshops are the length of the class period (approx. 45mins).
Pre-show workshops are included for each class registered for a school time performance or film. After registering, a BAM teaching artist will follow up to schedule the workshop(s) no less than three (3) weeks prior to the performance or screening. Schools outside of Greater NYC-area may not be eligible for a pre-show workshop due to distance.
2. Post-show and post-screening Q&A sessions
Immediately following every performance and film, BAM Education provides a live Q&A session in the theater, featuring a special guest (varies by event). Past guests have included film directors, cast members, experts in specific subject matter areas, and related artists. Q&A sessions are facilitated by a moderator and provide students with the opportunity to offer feedback and have their questions answered. Q&As run 15-20 minutes immediately following the film or performance.
2. In-School Residencies
Through workshop-style programs for teachers and students, BAM brings the transformative power of the arts to schools. With programs in Shakespeare, African dance, poetry, and more, residencies help develop a deeper understanding and greater appreciation of the arts
3. After-school programs for high school teens
These free programs cover a range of interests, from critical viewing and writing about performance and film, to dancing and choreography, to examining issues of social justice.
Click here for Education Reservation Policies