Education
The Jay and Linda Grunin Center’s Arts Education programs serve thousands of students, teachers, and families annually. We offer performances, workshops, collaborative festivals, and other activities to provide meaningful arts experiences for students across the Jersey Shore. We have been the longtime host of the Ocean County Teen Arts Festival, welcoming teen artists from across Ocean County to perform and showcase their art each year. Additionally, we are the host site for Region 3 of NJ Poetry Out Loud.
Schools & Youth Programs
Our schooltime performances, called Schools ‘N Stage, are performances that support classroom curriculum and the invaluable skills that arts education provides to young people. Through performances at the Grunin Center and the related teacher curriculum for your classroom, we aim to encourage students to read, develop critical and creative thinking, and stay curious about the world around them.
Thanks to the generous support of the Ocean County Commissioners through the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission and the Ocean County College Foundation, most performances are offered at no cost for Ocean County students. Transportation assistance is available.
For more information and to reserve your seats, please contact Jaclyn Wood at jwood@ocean.edu
Coming for a school matinee? Stay after the performance for lunch on campus, and a show in the Novins Planetarium! Please inquire about lunchroom availability and planetarium shows when booking your trip.
The Grunin Center wishes to thank the following Sponsors and Supporters who make the Schools n’ Stage program possible:
- The Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission
- Ocean County College Foundation
- Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
Patriot Songs of the American Revolution by Bobby Horton
The founding of this country is a monumental chapter in world history. Against all odds, the colonists defeated the mighty British army and navy, a struggle that spanned eight years and forever changed the course of history. The music presented here was part of that journey. They include stirring anthems meant to rally support for the independence movement, celebratory tunes marking victories that lifted spirits, humorous songs poking fun at the enemy, and lighter “pop” tunes beloved by the common people.
Monday, October 5, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Mariachi Herencia de México
¡Viva el mariachi! A new generation takes mariachi to whole new heights— 2x Latin GRAMMY®-nominee Mariachi Herencia de México pushes the boundaries of traditional mariachi music . Simultaneously honoring the past, celebrating the present, and creating the future of mariachi music, Mariachi Herencia de México presents an electrifying and unforgettable night of Mexican music and culture.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM
Schools n’ Stage program is made possible through the support of the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Ocean County College Foundation.
Teen Arts Festivals
The Ocean County Teen Arts Festival, hosted by the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College and supported by the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission, celebrates the arts across New Jersey. Held over two days in mid-March, the event showcases high school students’ talents and provides feedback from professional adjudicators, while participants also attend free workshops. Categories include visual arts, writing, dance, music, vocal performance, and theatre. Top students are nominated for the June State Teen Arts Festival.
2027 Festival Dates
Tuesday, March 16, Wednesday, March 17, 2027,
- School Interest Form – due November 16, 2026
- School Registration Form – due January 19, 2027
- Entry Forms due – due February 26, 2027
- Film and Creative Writing Submissions – due March 3, 2027
- Student Art Setup – March 10 through March 12, 2027
Salute to Ocean County event- Date TBA
NJ State Teen Arts Festival- Date TBA
For questions about the Ocean County Teen Arts Festival, please contact oceanteenarts@ocean.edu, or 732-255-0400 x2487
The School Registration Form is the first step to ensure your students can participate in the Ocean County Teen Arts Festival. The form should be filled out by your school’s Teen Arts Coordinator and submitted once. Please speak with teachers from all disciplines before submitting and indicate, to the best of your ability, what areas your students will participate in. If there are any updates to your plans, feel free to let us know as we use this preliminary registration to plan workshops and adjudicators. This form does not lock in your choices, but helps us plan the number of staff, rooms, and resources needed for this year’s festival.
It can be accessed here.
Due Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2027 by 5:00 PM
Who fills out this form: Teen Arts School Coordinators
Number of Submissions: 1 per school
Cost per school:
- $225 for schools not participating in large group adjudications
- $275 for schools participating in large group adjudications
The Adjudication Entry Form is used to submit your individual students’ and groups’ performances, artwork, and writing submissions for adjudication. Each submission for the festival should have its own entry form. The discipline teachers for each student or group submission should complete the form. Some disciplines may have limits as to how many pieces may be submitted. Please refer to most current festival guidelines here.
Last Date for Submission: Friday, February 26, 2027 by 5:00 PM
Who fills out this form: Teachers/Directors for their discipline
Number of Submissions: As many as needed as per 2026 Festival Guidelines. Guidelines may change from year to year, so please refer to them frequently.
In addition to adjudications, Workshops will be available for students to attend during the week of the Festival. We highly recommend registering for workshops in advance is as many have limited spaces available and fill up quickly. This should be done by the individual student based on their personal festival schedule.
The workshop listings and online sign-ups will be available here in early March 2027.
Due Date: Prior to Workshop date and time, either in-person or online.
Who fills out this form: Students or Teachers
Number of Submissions: 1 per workshop
A full schedule of programming, including workshops and performances, will be available in the week leading up to the festival.
Adjudication Criteria
The Ocean County Teen Arts Festival follows the guidelines of the NJ State Teen Arts Festival. Criteria and adjudication guidelines are set by the NJ State Teen Arts Festival each year.
You can view the Adjudication Criteria on the NJ State Teen Arts Festival website, or, to request a PDF version via email, please email Jaclyn Wood at jwood@ocean.edu.
NJ Poetry Out Loud
New Jersey Poetry Out Loud is a project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in collaboration with Count Basie Center for the Arts. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program, led by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in partnership with the state and jurisdictional arts agencies of the United States. In New Jersey, the State Arts Council and the Basie work with a growing network of regional partners to implement the program statewide.
Poetry Out Loud encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Not only do participants share their interpretation and delivery of poetry, but they also vie for awards and scholarships totaling $50,000.
Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 3 million students and 50,000 teachers from 10,000 schools in every state, Washington, DC, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
In collaboration with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Count Basie Center for the Arts, the Grunin Center is the proud partner for Region 3 of the New Jersey Poetry Out Loud competition, which will be held on February 11, 2026.
You can watch the New Jersey Regional Competitions and State Finals at either NJPOL homepage or YouTube channel.
Click here to register your school or community organization today for New Jersey Poetry Out Loud!
For more information or help with implementing the program in your community, contact Jaclyn Wood, Assistant Director for Education & Community Engagement: 732-255-0400 x2487 or jwood@ocean.edu