The Young Artist Diploma Program provides up to six-years of tuition-free study designed to give students a critical set of skills they will be able to use in college and beyond. Through the intensive study of music, dance, theater, filmmaking/digital media arts as well as participation in our community’s civic life, the program challenges students to discover their individual gifts and build a vision of their direction in a complex world.
The Young Artist Diploma Program is broken into three 2-year periods. Here is a brief overview:
Years 1 and 2: All Diploma students complete the first two summers of intensive 5 week breadth work and cross training in music, dance, theater, filmmaking and digital arts as well as a minimum of 6 hours of study per week during the rest of the academic year.
Years 3 and 4: In consultation with staff and faculty, students are placed in more advanced courses according to their chosen discipline of study and commitment. Participation in the summer program continues and a minimum of 4 hours of study per week is required during the academic year.
Years 5 and 6: Students who have successfully completed four full years of program work requirements are guided to more advanced level training, college application preparation assistance, peer mentorship and leadership opportunities. If students continue, this will include participation in the summer program and in an ensemble during the academic year.
Commitment: Diploma scholarships are valued at over $9,000 per year, and include 43 weeks of instruction, public performance opportunities, college readiness and youth leadership/social justice engagement support. This is an intensive program requiring year-round commitment with important breaks and balance for rest, education and family life.
East Bay Center’s 60+ faculty members represent a spectrum of performing disciplines and culture-specific art forms. They mirror the richness of the Bay Area’s diverse populations, giving vigorous expression to our living artistic traditions. All are working artists, continually refining their own practice and repertoire. Individually, these artists contribute to the Bay Area’s rich cultural environment. As a group, they create a regionally unique cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary resource and underscore East Bay Center’s historical commitment to quality equity and access.
Dedicated staff provide academic support, counseling, and referrals for East Bay Center students and their families.
For our college-bound students, we help research and identify schools, programs, grants, scholarships, and financial aid opportunities. We also assist in creating and editing student personal statements and preparing audition videos/artistic documentation or other admission materials for college/scholarship applications.
Recent graduates have continued their studies at campuses throughout the country, including University of California and Cal State University systems, Barnard College (NY), Columbia College (Chicago), John Hopkins, Peabody Institute of Music, Sarah Lawrence, Stanford, Yale, Wesleyan, Howard, and Berklee College of Music (Boston), as well as other countries, including the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
