At the core of TAPA’s model is the artist mindset. Through the development of this artist mindset, students learn to use artistic skills like self-reflection, creativity, continual practice, creation, collaboration, critical thinking, and community-making in their academic classes. They also learn resilience through a “show must go on” mentality that makes them better artists and scholars, who have the ability to see setbacks and failures as opportunities to grow and strengthen their craft. The school builds artist-scholars who use their voices, their talents, and their lifelong love of learning to transform communities and the world. Leaning on the artist’s mindset, TAPA educators create interdisciplinary teaching and learning experiences that are rigorous and supportive. These experiences are particularly focused on delivering a college-preparatory math curriculum aligned to rigorous standards. TAPA makes math and other core subjects come alive for students by infusing the arts and social justice into core content and leveraging community partners.

TAPA fosters a sense of belonging and love for all students.TAPA intentionally works to bring together high rigor and high love through a college-ready academic curriculum that’s centered around cultivating the artist’s mindset. The TAPA program gives each student the academic preparation needed to thrive in college and careers, while also building strong and deep relationships between students and educators. Social-emotional skills and capacities are at the core of TAPA’s curriculum. The school has embraced the need for challenging teaching and learning across the curriculum and works to push students to achieve at their highest potential. Part of TAPA’s high love approach includes seeing the school community as an ensemble, with parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, aunt, uncles, caregivers, and beyond as a critical part of the whole and an important decision-maker.

Drawing creativity from emotion is a central part of creating art and so central to TAPA’s arts-aligned mission. Educators at TAPA are committed to supporting students to process their emotions productively with the guidance of trusted adults—especially students who may experience trauma outside of school. At TAPA, students may process emotions through art by writing a play about a family members’ deportation, composing a song to grapple with racial injustices, or choreographing a dance to work through grief related to the pandemic. TAPA educators built a safe space for students by expanding on-site social work programs, offering more opportunities for support during the week and on weekends, and utilizing data to approach and bolster social-emotional support. Social-emotional support extends to the entirety of TAPA’s ensemble. A family-community liaison at TAPA consistently goes the extra mile for families, including taking calls and texts late at night and on the weekends, connecting families with resources and human services, and droppings off meals and toiletries.

Creativity is a skill of the future. A skill that will be in high demand in our evolving economy. Located in Rhode Island, a state where the arts are a top economic driver, and in Providence, a city dubbed the creative capital, TAPA explicitly builds the skills and strengths of creativity, showcases the arts as a career path, and connects students with mentors already working in the local arts community. TAPA employs full- or part-time artists-in-residence to match TAPA’s arts majors. The arts majors include film, dance, theatre, and music and are the foundation of students’ daily schedules for all four years of high school. Students conclude their time at TAPA with a senior thesis and performance assessment called the Collaborative Capstone. Artists-in-residence work with students for all four years, forge strong mentorship relationships, and help students with their senior year capstones. Additionally, TAPA collaborates with guest artists and enrichment program providers, who offer career exposure for students and show them what’s possible. TAPA also serves as a vibrant community arts hub, opening its doors to the community to use its facility.