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Impact Story
Da Vinci RISE High
Building creative education pathways for students whose educational journeys don't always follow a traditional path.
- Schools
- Community
From 2018 to 2026, Music to the Ears served as an industry partner to Da Vinci RISE High, supporting the development and delivery of creative education experiences designed around the unique needs of its students. RISE High provides a responsive, holistic learning environment for young people navigating foster care, housing instability, probation, and other circumstances that may have disrupted their academic journeys.
The opportunity
Students navigating nontraditional educational pathways deserve the same access to creative learning, technology, industry exposure, and career opportunities as their peers. Doing that effectively requires more than bringing in a workshop. It requires programming and infrastructure designed around the realities of the students and the school serving them.
The Music to the Ears approach
- Serve as a long-term creative industry and education partner (2018-2026)
- Deliver on-site Creative Pathway programs and hands-on student workshops
- Collaborate with DVR students, staff, and consultants to develop and build a portable BEAT Lab prototype for flexible creative learning
- Provide industry field trips and career-connected experiences
- Deliver teacher training, professional development, and education workshops
- Work alongside Academix, Da Vinci RISE staff, and students to develop a CTE Arts, Media & Entertainment (AME) curriculum and pathway
The experience
Over time, the partnership evolved from a music program into a broader school-based model connecting students, educators, curriculum, technology, industry, and career exploration.
Students participated in hands-on creative programs, summer camps, and field trips, while educators received training and professional development to strengthen the school's capacity to deliver creative learning. The portable BEAT Lab prototype provided another way to bring professional creative tools directly into flexible learning environments.
Together, Academix, Music to the Ears, Da Vinci RISE staff, and students also helped shape a CTE AME pathway designed to connect creative interests with academic learning, practical skills, and future careers.
The impact
- Creative education and industry experiences designed for a nontraditional school environment
- Development and implementation of a portable BEAT Lab model
- Teacher training and professional development supporting long-term capacity
- Industry field trips and career-connected learning opportunities
- Collaborative development of CTE Arts, Media & Entertainment curriculum and pathways
- A model demonstrating how creative education can become part of a school's infrastructure, not simply an occasional program
- Story type
- Impact Story
- Partners
- Da Vinci RISE High, Academix
- Community served
- Students in non-traditional and alternative education
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Year
- 2018-2026
- Categories
- Schools, Community
About Da Vinci RISE High
Incubated at Da Vinci Schools, RISE High was one of only 10 schools nationwide selected for an XQ: The Super School Project grant to help reimagine what high school can look like for young people whose needs are not adequately served by traditional models.
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