Disney Musicals in Schools Celebrates its 15th Anniversary

On June 4th, Disney Musicals in Schools celebrated its 15th Anniversary at Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre with more than 430 students from nine local New York Schools in attendance. The featured schools included PS 106 Edward Everett Hale Elementary School, PS 748 The Brooklyn School for Global Scholars, PS 306K The Ethan Allen School, PS 143Q The Louis Armstrong School, PS 57 James Weldon Johnson, Family Life Academy Charter School, Dos Amigos Elementary School, PS 109 The Glenwood Academy, and PS 939 Sunset School of Cultural Learning. Disney Theatrical Group started the Disney Musicals in Schools program in 2009 to support under-resourced public schools by providing access to the Arts. Since then, Disney Musicals in Schools has engaged with more than 102,000 students in 650 schools in the U.S. and U.K.!

Watch highlights of the outstanding student performers in the Disney Musicals in Schools 15th Anniversary Student Share Celebration.

About Disney Musicals in Schools

Schools participating in Disney Musicals in Schools receive a free license to a Disney KIDS musical. All Disney KIDS shows come with a ShowKit of materials including detailed step-by-step instructions to create the production. The Director’s Guide offers suggestions for casting, rehearsals, costume, set, and props design. Choreography DVDs advise how to stage and choreograph the musical numbers. Accompaniment, rehearsal tracks, and reference guide vocals help students learn their parts. Additionally, Disney Theatrical Group provides Teaching Artists, industry professionals with background and training in both performance and education, who support students and faculty at each school and support successful productions with learners of every age and level. The mission of Disney Musicals in Schools is to create lasting theater programs in under-resourced schools.

Students Shine at the 15th Anniversary Celebration

At this milestone Student Share Celebration, students from the nine New York schools made their Broadway debuts, presenting musical numbers from a selection of Disney KIDS shows including Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and Aladdin. The show opened with the young performers singing “It Starts with a Dream,” a song written by Disney Legend, Alan Menken, for the Disney Musicals in Schools program. Each performance was introduced by school staff and Disney Teaching Artists.

One staff member from PS 939 shared, “Making musical theater together gives us the space to know that we matter, to know that what we have to offer is enough. Theater reminds us that our skills and our minds are ever growing and that who we are is supported and nurtured.” The celebratory evening concluded with a surprise performance by Broadway veteran Michael James Scott (currently performing as Genie in Broadway’s Aladdin) alongside his fellow Aladdin cast members, underscoring the program’s commitment to inspiring young artists.

The students also received a special shoutout from Whoopi Goldberg during a segment of The View showcasing the program’s 15th anniversary.

Disney Musicals in Schools continues to support schools across the US and UK to launch new theater programs, inspiring the next generation of diverse storytellers, artists, and audiences. The Student Share Celebration spotlighted the program’s impact, emphasizing the joy and skills gained by students. One student said, “My favorite thing about making Finding Nemo is that it has given so much joy to everyone.”

To learn more about Disney’s commitment to the next generation of storytellers, visit impact.disney.com.