Allie D'Amico Writes from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Allie D'Amico (M.M. '19, music education) has spent the summer as an intern at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the VSA and Accessibility Office, where she is on a team committed to making the arts accessible to all.

Since June, I’ve been interning at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in the VSA and Accessibility Office in the Education Department. The center is a leader in accessibility for performing arts organizations around the country, and summer is a very exciting time to be here.

In addition to gaining valuable work experience and world-class networking opportunities, and also taking in some of the strongest performances to hit the stage, I have the honor of being on a team that is driven to make the arts accessible to everyone—much like my colleagues in Berklee’s music education program and the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs.

My VSA team has been working tirelessly in preparation for the 2018 VSA Intersections: Arts and Special Education Conference, which will be held on August 7 and 8. This conference provides professionals in the fields of arts education and special education an opportunity to share current information and research and serve as a catalyst for change.

Additionally, the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs, in collaboration with Moore College of Art and Design and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will be hosting an invitation-only convening called The Arts and Special Education: Imagining the Future of Pre-Service Teacher Training. This one-of-a-kind event is calling attention to the need for more in-depth knowledge of special education for pre-service arts teachers.

It’s been such a thrill to come to this conference with so many of my colleagues. I have a truly special role here, serving as a bridge between Boston Conservatory and the Kennedy Center. This experience has given me a wealth of new knowledge, polished administrative skills, and set the foundation for budding professional relationships in and around arts administration.