Arts
Donate an instrument
If you have any unused musical instruments, please contact us or your child's school for information on how to make a tax-deductible donation that can help a deserving student. Band & orchestra instruments, guitars & ukuleles, hand drums, and small percussion are all needed.
“The arts especially address the idea of aesthetic experience. An aesthetic experience is one in which your senses are operating at their peak; when you’re present in the current moment; when you’re resonating with the excitement of this thing that you’re experiencing; when you are fully alive.”
― Ken Robinson
"The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before."
- Neil Gaiman
"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it."
- Kurt Vonnegut
Grades 3-6 Ukulele and Recorder Concert. 8:30 am at Lincoln Elementary
Newport- Mesa Unified believes that every student must have access to education and opportunities in the Visual and Performing Arts. The district is divided into 4 zones, each based upon the four comprehensive high schools that our middle and elementary schools feed into. There are arts opportunities at every site for every child.
We have partnerships with the city, community organizations, and arts communities throughout Orange County. We have created venues for student performances, written grants to enhance technology and learning in the arts, and have hosted events and festivals that allow our students to shine.
For more information about visual and performing arts programs available to your child, please visit each individual school's website.
Arts Spotlight
Senior Art Showcase
Thursday April 27, 2023
4-7 pm
Location 1980
1980 Placentia Ave Costa Mesa, California 92627
Limited Parking
Elementary:
Every Elementary School school offers music instruction and has opportunities to join Band, Chorus and Orchestra.
Secondary:
Our middle and high school programs offer a variety of arts programs in Theater, Visual Art, Dance, and Music.
Visual Art showcases student work from Ceramics to Digital Photography. The educators in Visual Art showcase the excellence of student work at the yearly NMUSD Art Showcase hosted at Orange Coast College.
Our Dance department collaborate and create many opportunities for our Dance students to perform in front of their peers and to utilize their skills philanthropically.
Our Theater department produce performances that allow every student to shine. The quality of our theater programs have a reputation of the highest caliber and have been recognized throughout the county.
Our Music department performs for many events throughout the community in addition to performing in front of their peers at concerts, sporting events, festivals and competitions.
The NMUSD Arts Commission is a collaboration of educators, staff, school board members, and arts community partners dedicated to the enhance of our arts community within the cities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.
This community group are integral to enhancing our opportunities to every student in our district. This group provides after school programs, field trips, and opportunities to enhance their development with many of our arts partners.
Arts Advocates may contact Tamara Fairbanks at tfairbanks@nmusd.us for more details.
Contact US
Tamara Fairbanks
Teacher on Special Assignment
tfairbanks@nmusd.us
School arts webpages
High Schools
Back Bay/ Monte Vista High School
Costa Mesa High School Arts Webpage
Corona Del Mar High School Arts Webpage
Early College High School Arts Webpage
Estancia High School Arts Webpage
Newport Harbor High Arts School Webpage
Middle Schools
Ensign Middle School Arts Webpage
Elementary Schools
The Orange County Register has announced their nominees for the Artist of Year. Thank you to all of the teachers and staff that have invested in their students and aided them to work on their auditions and portfolio submissions. Your students deserve much recognition for their hard work and growth throughout the years. Bravo!
Dance :
Chandler Rose Green, NHHS
Alexandria Rose Schachter, NHHS
Theatre:
Ella Katherine Avital , CdMHS
Je Anne Hendrickx, CDMHS
Olivia Sandoval , CDMHS
Rosemary Bagnara, CMHS
Grace Dickinson , CMHS
Jaidyn Soldin , CMHS
Colin Sutton, CMHS
Isabella Mills, CMHS
Colin Sanchez,CMHS
Rachel Laurence, CMHS
Fine Arts:
Grace Dickinson, Ceramics, CMHS
Sami Gaites, Ceramics,CMHS
Alexandra Hernandez, Ceramics, CMHS
Breezy Kash,Ceramics, CMHS
Rosalynn Ethany Madriaga , Ceramics, CMHS
Samantha Hernandez, Drawing, CMHS
Amelia Lin , Drawing, CdMHS
Madeline Stute, Drawing, CMHS
Imogen Charlotte Sheffield, MIxed Media, CdMHS
Lisa Wang, Mixed Media, CdMHS
Nick Highman , Painting, CMHS
Lee Lawson, Painting, CMHS
Kristina Park, Painting, CMHS
Kyra Kirsch, Sculpting/3D , CMHS
Instrumental Music:
Jacob A Fesili (trombone), CMHS
Joseph Hufford (guitar),CMHS
Nolan Nguyen (trumpet),CMHS
Kevin Ramces Cardona (guitar),CMHS
Vocal Music:
Isabella Mills, CMHS
Media Arts
Rin Sakaske ,Digital Illustration, CMHS
