Education

Our Approach

Strike Anywhere’s approach pairs classroom teachers with teaching artists who co-plan and co-teach dynamic, project-based lessons tailored to each group. Together, they build scaffolded, replicable units that leave a lasting impact.

Students engage in ensemble-building, improvisation, writing, physical theatre, acting, design, and Soundpainting—the universal sign language for live composition. Music, movement, and visual tools deepen participation and understanding.

Rooted in culturally responsive teaching and social-emotional learning, our programs foster inclusive, student-centered classrooms where creativity and connection flourish.

Programs

WINDOWS AND MIRRORS

Participants work with a playwright and actors to craft and perform personal narratives highlighting pivotal moments. The workshop focuses on the elements of an engaging story and connecting with an audience through solo performance. Reflection activities foster empathy and active listening. The intensive culminates with participants performing their own stories accompanied by live music from Strike Anywhere’s musicians. 

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

Students collaborate on a multidisciplinary project that blends writing, performance, and design. Over the course of the residency, participants take ownership of every stage—brainstorming, creation, rehearsal, and presentation—while developing teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills. Each project is tailored to the classroom’s goals and culminates in a shared performance or showcase.

SOUNDPAINTING RESIDENCIES

Participants dive into the art of Soundpainting, the universal sign language for live composition. Through ensemble-building and improvisation, students remix “palettes” of text, songs, and movement—or improvise on a theme—while contributing through spoken word, acting, music, and dance. In this workshop-performance hybrid, they perform alongside Strike Anywhere’s professional ensemble as a conductor shapes the piece in real time with hand signals. The experience fosters listening, collaboration, and the thrill of creating something from nothing.

ACTIVATING CURRICULUM

Core academic subjects and arts courses come to life through theater, music, design and movement. Strike Anywhere’s teaching artists collaborate with classroom teachers to design arts-integrated lessons that deepen comprehension and engagement—whether exploring history through roleplay, science through game design, or literature through performance. The result is an active, memorable learning experience.

Photo: Justin Weiner (2023) MS 839 “Newsies”

UNIVERSITY RESIDENCIES

College students engage in masterclasses, workshops, and collaborative projects that introduce them to professional ensemble practices, Soundpainting, and devised theater. Residencies may culminate in a performance with Strike Anywhere artists, giving students firsthand experience in collaborative creation while bridging academic study and professional artistry.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 Strike Anywhere offers training for educators, teaching artists, and arts organizations in arts integration, Soundpainting, and creative classroom strategies. Workshops emphasize collaboration, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed, and culturally-responsive practices, equipping participants with replicable tools to engage students and build dynamic learning environments.

Partners & Clients

  • Academy of Arts and Letters

  • All City Leadership Secondary School

  • Boerum Hill School for International Studies

  • Brooklyn High School for the Arts

  • Brooklyn International High School

  • Fort Greene Preparatory Academy

  • Gotham Professional Arts Academy

  • International High School for Health Sciences

  • Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School

  • Lycée Français de New York

  • Manhattan International High School

  • MS 839

  • PS 16

  • PS 18

  • PS 31

  • Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts

K-12 School Partners

  • County Prep High School (NJ)

  • Nathan Hale Middle (CT)

  • Orange High School (NC)

  • Roton Middle School (CT)

  • Timber Creek High School (TX)

National School Partners

  • Actor’s Studio Drama School (NY)

  • Brown University (RI)

  • Bucknell University (PA)

  • Circle in the Square Theatre School (NY)

  • City University of New York (CUNY)

  • Conservatorio di Milano (Italy)

  • Dartmouth College (NH)

  • Drew University (NJ)

  • Drexel University (PA)

  • Escuela Municipal de Música y Danza de Alcobendas (Spain)

  • Hood College (MD)

  • Lehigh University (PA)

  • Moravian University / Touchstone Theatre (PA)

  • Muhlenberg College (PA)

  • New York University — Tisch School of the Arts (NY)

  • Oberlin Conservatory

  • PACE University (NY)

  • Penn State University (PA)

  • Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (UK)

  • Rutgers University (NJ)

  • S.U.N.Y. Buffalo, Albany & Sullivan County (NY)

  • Trinity College (CT)

  • Université de Tours (France)

  • Whitworth University (WA)

University Partners

  • Alliance of Resident Theatres/NY

  • Arthur Miller Foundation

  • BAM Education Department

  • BRIC Arts Media

  • Brooklyn Arts Council

  • Chandler Arts Center

  • Het Nationale Theater

  • Irondale Ensemble Project

  • Lincoln Center Theater

  • Mark Morris Dance Center

  • McCarter Theatre Company

  • Network of Ensemble Theaters

  • New Victory Theater / New 42nd Street

  • NYC Arts in Education Roundtable

  • One Community

  • Queens Theatre

  • Roundabout Theatre Company Education

  • Theatre Development Fund

  • The Poetry Foundation

Cultural Partners

  • Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation

  • Herb and Rita Gold Charitable Trust

  • NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

  • NYCPS Arts Office

  • NY State Council on the Arts

  • TD Charitable Trust

  • Two Trees / Walentas Family Foundation

Support