Executive Summary. Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts

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1 Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts Mrs. Suzanne Livesay, Director 1010 North W.C. MacInnes Pl Tampa, FL Document Generated On February 27, 2017

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 6 Additional Information 7

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? The Patel Conservatory, established in 2004 as a conservatory for performing arts training, is located on the campus of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts center south of the Kennedy Center. Utilizing approximately 30,000 square feet of its over 40,000 square foot building, the conservatory building features 5 teaching studios, 6 private lesson studios, 2 teaching classrooms, a state-of-the-art black box theater which seats 175, dressing rooms, costume shop, scene shop and Chairmen's Library. The Straz Center's remaining 4 theaters, rehearsal hall and theater lobbies are additional spaces used for camps, classes, rehearsals and performances. In addition, through our partnership with Tampa Preparatory School, we utilize their dance room as a satellite venue for classes throughout the week. Between 800-1,000 students are enrolled in our classes, depending on the instructional session. Located in the heart of downtown Tampa, Florida, the Conservatory serves the Tampa Bay area which encompasses eight distinct counties: Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota. The Conservatory is surrounded by a rich mixture of cultures, interests and varied socioeconomic communities. Students hail from neighborhoods throughout Tampa, including downtown, Channelside, New Tampa, Riverview, Carrollwood, Lutz and other areas within Hillsborough County. In addition, many students cross the bridges from Pinellas County, specifically from the St. Pete, Clearwater and New Port Richey areas. Based on research conducted by the Tampa Bay Partnership, Tampa's 2015 population was an estimated 4,439,363 and is projected to grow to 4,677,997 by Hillsborough County Demographic distribution is as follows: White - 71%, Black or African American - 17%, American Indian and Alaska Native - 0.4%, Asian - 3%, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander - 0.1%, Other/Two or More Races - 8% and 25% identify as Hispanic or Latino. Patel Conservatory student demographic distribution is as follows: White %, Black or African American %, American Indian and Alaska Native %, Asian %, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander %, Other/Two or More Races - 8% and 10.4% identify as Hispanic or Latino. The Straz Center employs 136 full-time staff; 181 part-time staff, including adjunct faculty, 761 volunteers and a 60 member board of trustees. Patel Conservatory employs 27 full-time staff; 18 part-time staff members (including adjunct faculty); 34 private lesson instructors; 108 volunteers; and a Board Education Committee of 16 members. There are 15 full-time faculty members, all of whom have performed or continue to perform professionally in their fields. 2 hold Master's Degrees, 2 hold Doctoral Degrees and all others hold Bachelor degrees or elite dance training. The Education leadership team consists of the Vice President of Education (Head of School), two Department Chairs, one Theater Managing Director, a Finance Manager, Manager of Community programs and Technical Director. Patel Conservatory offers instruction and training in Music, Theater and Dance to students age 3 to adult. Music offerings include ensembles, classes, camps, intensives and private lessons in instrumental and vocal music. The Theater program includes classes, camps, intensives and productions in theater, acting and musical theater as well as a Theater Certification program in Theater Arts (Jr.), Musical Theater (Sr.) and Theater (Sr.) The Dance program offers 4 divisions: Next Generation Ballet (NGB), a pre-professional ballet company which enrolls approximately 40 trainees throughout the school year for 2 and 4 years of advanced ballet training; Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet (PCYB), a structured after-school program for serious young ballet students; Patel Conservatory Popular Dance (PCPD), a track for dancers to learn contemporary styles; and the open dance program, for high-school and adult drop-in students. All departments produce end-of course/camp showcases including concerts, recitals and performances within their genre. Page 2

5 Our Community Programs and Outreach Department provides arts education throughout the community through on-site offerings such as "Day at the Straz", Open Dress Rehearsals and Master classes and off-site through our Artists in Schools and Community Partnership Programs. Potential partner organizations apply in the Spring of the previous year and a process is in place for application review, interviews and site visits culminating with assignment to a specific level of partnership and corresponding services. The Patel Conservatory facilitates instructors and curriculum for these programs. Currently, we have 36 active partners for the school year. In addition, our Conservatory to Go program allows outside organizations to utilize our curriculum and instructors on a pay-per-service basis. We currently partner with 4 organizations in this capacity. During the school year, most on-site classes meet between 3pm and 9pm on weeknights and 9am-5pm on Saturdays. NGB trainees take core academic courses in the mornings through a variety of options: an online provider such as Keystone or Florida Virtual School, or with one of our partner schools: Hillsborough County Schools Arts Magnet--Howard W. Blake High School or Tampa Preparatory School. An online learning lab and facilitator is provided in our Student Affairs office from 8:00am - 12:00pm. Trainees then attend dance classes as early as 11:00am on weekdays. Our homeschool program, introduced in 2014, runs from 9:30am to 1:30pm on Wednesday mornings. During the summer, we offer camps and intensives from approx. 9:00am-4:00pm on weekdays and Saturdays. Summer classes follow our 4pm-9pm weekday and Saturday school-year schedule. Pre and post camps are offered from 8am-9am and 4pm-6pm during the summer. Blake High School serves as a satellite venue for our summer programming. Over the past three years, the Downtown Tampa area has experienced tremendous growth as more residents relocate to urban areas seeking a vibrant place to live. Professionals, retirees and families are flocking to the area, and construction of housing options and business development in the area reflect this trend. Construction within the downtown area is constant, and road closures seem unending. Unique issues we face are the parking and transportation gaps affecting the Downtown Tampa area at large. Parking can be scarce, which makes our programs less accessible and sometimes inconvenient to parents and students. In 2016, one of the most viable parking areas with over 300 spaces, closed to make way for an apartment building and garage. Mass transit is under-developed, so a better sampling of our true community demographic is often prevented access due to lack of viable transportation options. In contrast, with the continued expansion of the Tampa Riverwalk, our campus is highly accessible to downtown residents by foot, bike, and even boat. Because of the unique layout of Downtown Tampa, residents can walk or bike to the campus in a matter of minutes from most downtown locations. Page 3

6 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The mission of The Patel Conservatory is to provide the finest performing arts training in an inspirational setting. The vision of the Patel Conservatory is to give students the tools to: dream, reach, discover and create the performing arts; integrate them into everyday life; and contribute to the community. The mission was created as a high, yet, achievable standard which guides the purpose, curriculum, institutional growth, administration and faculty in all areas of education and operation. The mission is lived-out through our artistic philosophy and daily actions of the faculty and staff both within the classroom and through our partnerships, currently 36 schools and organizations, within the community. The Straz Center's organizational core values are the foundation for this endeavor: Value the arts, respect, welcome all, strive for excellence, practice passion with patience and resolve to solve. Communication of the mission and vision are addressed throughout our materials, on our website, included in our school brochures and within student and faculty handbooks. The Patel Conservatory mission holds a prominent place in most marketing communications. The current strategic plan and school improvement plan, which includes goals for 2016 through 2020, incorporates our mission throughout, as does the curriculum for each discipline: Dance, Music and Theater. Additionally, the mission statement is posted in various places throughout the Conservatory to highlight it as the backbone of the school and to drive student performance. Artistic Philosophy The Patel Conservatory: - provides a home where creativity is celebrated, honored and revered. - respects traditional performing arts and embraces new art forms. - encourages students to experience all artistic disciplines as they develop their own unique style. - listens to our students and helps them realize the practical steps necessary to make their vision a reality. - instills in our students a sense of pride that accompanies disciplined work habits and self-determination. - offers diverse arts experiences for all ages and interests. - provides a safe space for exploration and development. - reinforces the guiding principle that artistic growth never ends and that unrealized ideas are natural components of artistic growth. - develops a common artistic vocabulary that communicates across disciplines. - reinforces the principle that art is process, not product. - serves as a leader in arts education. - maintains these values throughout its community partnership offerings. Our mission is embodied in our beautiful setting, which students and families hail as their "second home". Through our course offerings, curriculum development, faculty performance and pedagogical expertise, quality of production product and graduate success, the quality of the educational program at the Patel Conservatory is well-represented. In our unique setting, student performance is measured within each department through performance based assessments, evaluations and other assessment tools. We strive to provide specific benchmarks throughout a given course and are refining our sequential curriculum Page 4

7 vertically to build upon skills and concepts within the genres of Dance, Theater and Music. We pride ourselves in making student performance the goal of each class, camp or production process. These opportunities are often linked to performance based assessment in either an open classroom forum or an end-of-course showcase, both during and outside of class time. The level of assessment utilized within each course varies depending on the desired outcomes of the particular course. Each course has clearly stated objectives, which are reviewed throughout the duration, and formative and summative assessments are attached to course objectives. Students do not progress to the next level of a specific curriculum area until mastery of necessary skills and concepts are demonstrated. The Patel Conservatory predominantly uses performance based assessments which are project or performance based evaluation, including placements, auditions and juries, but also include verbal and, on occasion, written assessment. Page 5

8 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. The Patel Conservatory's most notable achievements in the past three years include our highly successful, seasoned professional staff of teaching artists who bring joy and creativity to their work and have transitioned successfully to the guidance offered by new leadership in every department. A stable leadership structure, which has yielded consistency and clarity of vision particularly in the past year. The many accomplishments of our students, including acceptance into leading professional ballet schools, professional programs, university programs, professional performance opportunities--such as Broadway and national tours--and multiple awards at Youth America Grand Prix, other dance competitions, music competitions and theater festivals. A robust scholarship program, providing over $300,000 in scholarships to create training opportunities for those who need tuition support. An impactful outreach program bringing performing arts education outside of our conservatory walls to 36 partner organizations and schools in the community. Continuously providing the opportunity for students to perform in professionally produced productions that celebrate the highest standard of excellence in the performing arts. Access to world class performing artists, designers and production staff. A highly diverse and complex student body that is the foundation for a blossoming culture of a sense of place for students and families. Areas of improvement we hope to achieve in the next three years include, the acquisition and transition to an appropriate school management software, further refinement and articulation of curriculum, including improved student assessment and record-keeping, which we feel confident the appropriate management system will support. We also look forward to a successful transition as we expand our conservatory facilities to the 4th floor of the current building. Page 6

9 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. The Patel Conservatory is unique both locally and nationally. Very few, if any, performing or community arts schools impact the number of pre-k through adult students we do, offer training and over 25 production opportunities annually in all three genres, offer classes both internally and externally through programs like Conservatory-to-Go, host a pre-professional dance training program and are attached to a world-class non-profit performing arts center. These qualities make benchmarking a challenge while allowing us to pioneer new programs and strive for excellence in performing arts education. Page 7

Executive Summary. Saint Francis Xavier

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