K-12 School Day Performances
From music to theater to modern dance, UMS School Day Performances feature some of the world’s best performing artists and use the arts to ignite student imagination and support student growth and development.
Available to kindergarten through high school students, performances are complimented by UMS learning guides to facilitate meaningful connections to classroom curricula.
In the 2024/25 season, we continue our commitment to igniting student imagination and supporting student development through the arts by offering a season of both in-person and digital School Day Performances with live streaming options for select performances (Digital and Livestream School Day Performances will be announced in the fall).
Upcoming School Day Performances
School Day Performance
School Day Performance for Grades 2-6:
Reality Revolution: The Kids Vote by Oliver Pookrum
Detroit Puppet Company
Learn about the process of voting and why it’s important to have your voice heard. After the performance, students will experience the power of puppetry in a hands-on puppet-making workshop, where they will make their own hand puppets to take back to the classroom for even more puppet adventures!
School Day Performance
School Day Performance for Grades 6-12:
Etienne Charles: Earth Tones
Earth Tones, multimedia jazz performance, invites students into a sensory journey that includes sounds, video, stories, and musical idioms from at-risk coastal communities, depicting the effects of global warming from tropical islands to the Louisiana Bayou.
School Day Performance
School Day Performance for Grades K-12:
Third Coast Percussion
This interactive performance will engage students and introduce them to the building blocks of music and the incredible range of percussion instruments that can be found in cultures from around the world.
School Day Performance
School Day Performance for Grades Pre-K-5:
Sonia De Los Santos: Música
You’ll dance right out of your seat as you take a joyful journey of Latin American music ranging from the joyous, energetic sounds of Afro-Peruvian music to the percussive beats of Colombian rhythms and the beautiful melodies of traditional Mexican folk.
School Day Performance
School Day Performance for Grades 8-12:
Shamel Pitts | TRIBE: BLACK HOLE – Trilogy and Triathlon
Engulfed in an evocative soundscape of original music, sound samples, and spoken word, the dancers embark on an hour-long, uninterrupted journey in movement, in which their tenacity and grace are emphasized by cinematic video projections and stark, monochromatic lights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome back to another school year! We recognize that you may have questions about protocols to assure the safety of audiences attending in-person School Day Performance events. We have put together a list of our most frequently asked questions below. If you have a question that doesn’t appear on this list, please feel free to reach out to our Associate Director of Education and Community Engagement, Terri Park, at tepark@umich.edu.
UMS will continue offering Digital and Livestreaming options for School Day Performances at no charge for our K-12 audience and the public.
When registration is open, ticket requests may be submitted at any time. However, ticket demand often exceeds availability and UMS reserves the right to cap ticket requests per school for each performance.
School Day Performance tickets are $7 for each student, teacher, or chaperone, unless otherwise noted (please allow at least one chaperone per 15 students). $6 tickets are available for schools where at least 50% of students qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch. There is a 10-ticket minimum per performance.
A 50% nonrefundable deposit is required for your reservation.
All performances are subject to change or cancellation.
New Performance Playground units and additional Learning Guides will be added in the coming months, so check back later this fall to see the latest offerings.
School Day Performance Plus (SDP+)
UMS Artist Facilitators In Your Classroom
Formerly called pre- and post-show in-class workshops, SDP+ is presented in conjunction with UMS School Day Performances. UMS collaborates with highly skilled and knowledgeable artist facilitators to create an arts-integrated workshop that will prepare your students for the performance.
The 30-45 minute workshop (in-person or digital) connects directly to your school curriculum. Students actively explore, experience, and express the art form and themes from the performance right in your classroom. And the learning does not stop there — after the performance, the UMS artist facilitator returns to lead students in discussion to help them synthesize their learning experience.
Good news! These workshops are offered FREE of charge. When you register for a School Day Performance, please indicate if you are interested in having a UMS artist facilitator visit your classroom.
Ticket & Transportation Grants
Thanks to the U-M Credit Union Arts Adventures program, UMS is able to provide a limited number of grants to defray the cost of a UMS field trip. Funds can be used for transportation or to reduce the cost of School Day Performance tickets.
The application deadline is Friday, January 17, 2025 for all School Day Performances.
We receive applications on a rolling basis. Please reserve your tickets for the School Day Performance FIRST in order to complete your application. All applications without a reservation will be ineligible to receive funding.
Eligibility Guidelines
- Applicants must be from an accredited Michigan K-12 public or private school.
- A certified teacher must be the primary contact.
- Funding must be used to attend a 2024/25 UMS School Day Performance (cannot be transferred to next season).
- Priority will be given to schools where one or more of the following apply:
- At least 50% of students qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch.
- The school does not have a full-time arts/music teacher.
- The classroom primarily serves students with disabilities or special needs.
- First time attending a UMS School Day Performance.
Other Possible Funding Sources
We recommend exploring the following funding opportunities to help defray the costs of field trips. Have a suggested addition to this list? Email us at umsyouth@umich.edu.
Arts and Culture Trek Grants (transportation)
MCACA Arts in Education Residency Program
Ann Arbor Awesome Foundation
Field Trip Grants from Target
The Meemic Foundation
Public School Foundations
Ann Arbor | Birmingham | Canton | Chelsea | Dearborn | Detroit | Dexter | Farmington/Farmington Hills | Monroe | Plymouth | Saline | Troy
Learning Guides
UMS Learning Guides help teachers extend the impact of our School Day Performances beyond the walls of the theater into the classroom. By providing educator-specific information about the performance, artist, genre, as well as resources and lesson plans, UMS strives to make meaningful connections between the performance and curriculum. The content and design of the guides are informed by the State of Michigan Education Standards and by our UMS K-12 Education Manager.