Professional Development & Curriculum Development: ETA helps fund professional development workshops for FSSA's teachers. ETA also supports curriculum development work at the school to allow for continuous assessments and improvement of curricula, focusing not just on the arts but also on their integration into the academics. To this end we have brought in experienced teaching artists and curriculum experts to collaborate with FSSA's faculty and administration.

The Tony Bennett Apprenticeship Program: The Tony Bennett Apprenticeship Program enables outstanding FSSA students to experience the "behind the scenes" workings of an arts organization as a way to explore alternative career opportunities in the world of arts, develop basic workplace skills, forge mentoring relationships with creative professionals, and gain exposure to emerging and established artists and works. Program participants serve as interns at some of New York's most outstanding cultural organizations, and through their apprenticeships, our students have had the following opportunities: to sing in concert with the Collegiate Choral at Carnegie Hall; to assistant-teach dance classes for young children at American Ballet Theatre; to observe private rehearsals of the New York Philharmonic orchestra; to attend openings at The Drawing Center gallery; and to assist The Noguchi Museum's curator and archivist on major museum projects.

Career Night: ETA organizes an annual Career Night at FSSA, hosting guest speakers who have established successful careers in the arts. Among the diverse group of speakers we have had: graphic designers, orchestral musicians, arts administrators, freelance writers, Broadway dancers, and fashion designers. At Career Night, the students have an opportunity to dialogue one-on-one with their favorite guests.

Exploring the Arts with the Masters: Exploring the Arts with the Masters curriculum centers on the following questions: Do all art forms share a common language? Where do artists get their inspirations? What role does tradition play in the process of innovation? What can a lifetime spent working in the arts look like? Most exciting of all, this course is taught entirely by a series of visiting guest artists, all of whom present their work and then engage in lively discussion with the students. Guest artists have included Tony Bennett, a Guggenheim Museum curator, members of The Sweet Plantain String Quartet, actors from Epic Theatre Center, a fashion and landscape designer, and a dancer/choreographer duo from Chamber Dance Project.

The Tony Bennett Scholarship: Every year ETA gives out a handful of college scholarships to seniors at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. This year, we will be rewarding the scholarships to students who believe in "giving back," who can demonstrate a strong commitment to their community, and who possess the desire to use their higher education in an effort to better the world around them.

Supporting Other Partnerships: ETA sponsors projects that allow FSSA and its students to partner with outside arts organizations in which, for example, the outside partner will run workshops in the classrooms or put together a piece for the students to perform at a professional venue. For more information on our collaborating partners and their projects, click here.