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Program Overview
The Academy at Bethel Woods is a long-term creative youth development program that partners with local school districts to remove every barrier standing between under-resourced high school students and intensive, high-quality instruction in popular music and visual art. Built on the grounds of the 1969 Woodstock festival, The Academy combines rigorous technical skill development with social-emotional learning, mentorship, and career exploration in a four-year, scaffolded curriculum aligned with National Core Arts Standards. Students elect to participate in one of two pathways, which provide free bussing to Bethel Woods, and home, twice a week after school:
The Popular Music Pathway
Housed in The Studios at Bethel Woods, students progress through a four-year, scaffolded curriculum in guitar, bass, drums, keys, songwriting, and ensemble performance. From learning foundational instrument skills to developing a portfolio of original songs and producing beats on industry-standard digital audio workstations to performing across Bethel Woods stages, students build transferable skills and unlock one-of-a-kind experiences that prepare them for creative careers and a lifetime connection to the power of music.
Visual Art & Design Pathway
Housed in The Manes Conservatory, the Visual Art and Design Pathway operates as a multi-modal professional studio through which students master the commercial and creative technologies driving today's visual industries: digital illustration, animation, photography, filmmaking, and graphic design.
Join Us
It costs about $4,500 to fund one student for a full year of Academy programming. The Academy is expanding to reach 50 students this fall, and every dollar raised through For the Record goes directly toward that growth: teaching artists, instruments, and daily transportation.
$50 - funds snacks for a year for an Academy student
$100 - funds a bus ride to Bethel Woods for Academy students
$250 - funds a semester of professional grade studio equipment for 1 student
$500 - funds production for an end of semester concert for the Popular Music Pathway
$1,000 - sponsors a new "performance rig" (ie. electric guitar, amplifier, and accessories) for the studios
$2,500 - sponsors a school partnership by funding a School Liaison
$4,500 - sponsors a student for 1 year
