Creativity is alive in the Boston Public Schools. Come take a look! BPS students have access to a wide range of arts opportunities, both in schools and through our arts partners. Together, arts teachers and community artists help Boston youth to think creatively and critically, discover possibilities, and express ideas. The BPS Visual & Performing Arts Department supports this work through district-wide resources, BPS Arts Expansion, and a host of partner programs.​

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42nd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

WHEN: Saturday, January 25th, 2025 | 1:00 to 2:30 PM
WHERE: Josiah Quincy Upper School auditorium | 900 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111
FREE ADMISSION
 
The Boston Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts Department invites the public to attend the 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration featuring dance and music performances from BPS students. The performances will celebrate and reflect on Dr. King’s words and legacy as we live it today, and connect with the civil rights leader’s overarching themes of non-violence, justice, hope, community, and equality.

We are excited to once again feature winners from the BPS Humanities Department's annual poetry competition as they recite their compositions!

PARTICIPATING ENSEMBLES
Boston Arts Academy Hip-Hop Ensemble
Boston Latin Academy Alberts String Ensemble
Chittick Elementary Choir
Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: DEAFinitely Crew
Josiah Quincy Upper School Concert Band

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The Arts Advantage: Impacts of Arts Education on Boston Students

Released in May 2021, this research study highlights the role that increased access to arts education has on student engagement as measured by reductions in absenteeism; increases in parent engagement; and the strengthening of school climate. Read the report here.

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"The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation."
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES