Where Tradition Meets Innovation | Building Tomorrow's Artists
Welcome to Muskegon Public Schools' Fine and Performing Arts programs, where artistic expression becomes the foundation for lifelong success. As part of our Innovation Academies of Muskegon (I AM) and Portrait of a Graduate framework, our arts programs develop the essential skills every Big Red Graduate needs to thrive in college, careers, and life. Fine and performing arts education cultivates critical thinking, collaboration, cultural awareness, and creative problem-solving—through music, theater, visual arts, and dance, students don't just develop artistic abilities, they build the foundational competencies that lead to success in any field.
Building Big Red Graduate Traits Through the Arts
Our arts programs directly develop each competency in Muskegon's Portrait of a Graduate:
Persistent Professional
Students learn discipline, accountability, and resilience through rigorous practice schedules, performance preparation, and commitment to artistic excellence.
Collaborator/Relationship Builder
Ensemble music, theater productions, and collaborative art projects teach students to work respectfully with diverse groups toward shared goals.
Creative Problem Solver
Every artistic challenge—from conveying emotion through color to bringing characters to life—requires innovative thinking and resourceful approaches to complex problems.
Adaptable Communicator
Students master multiple forms of expression—visual, musical, dramatic, and written—learning to tailor their message effectively for any audience or situation.
Responsible Citizen
Arts education builds cultural competency, global awareness, and ethical reasoning while connecting students to their community through performances and service.
Connected to Your Future
Fine and performing arts create the foundational experiences that prepare students for success in any Innovation Academy pathway they choose. Whether students enter Health & Human Services, Public Service & Education, Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing, or Business & Entrepreneurship academies, the creative thinking, collaboration skills, and cultural competency developed through arts education provide the essential foundation for thriving in their chosen field and beyond graduation.
Through the preparation, performance, and production experiences that define arts education—from rehearsing for concerts to creating visual art projects to staging theatrical productions—students develop both artistic skills and the innovative, collaborative mindset that drives success in college, careers, and life.
