- [Instructor] So you can either use the sport rock, so when you go all sit home- - One of the things that makes Northwest so special, aside from having amazingly talented students is we are a safe haven for students and our staff to really thrive and to develop their talents.

- A lot of it's just letting go of what they think they should be and helping them discover who they really are and what makes them unique as an artist as opposed to trying to copy another famous artist.

- If one's legs get tired and one foot is on the with jobs to do.

When you get scarcely- - It's those, again, those transferable skills that the arts teaches here that will make them successful in life.

- You just realize at some point, you know, when I get outta here, there's no guarantee that I'm ever gonna be in a space like this again.

And so you just have to make, you make the most of it.

And it's definitely made me appreciative and grateful.

It's widened my view of visual arts and what visual arts can look like.

- What I try to impress upon them is artists are thinkers, we are readers, we are all of that.

You know, as an academician that's what, you have to have something to write or draw or make music about.

- I believe that creativity fosters critical thinking and their academic classes and skills enhance their artistic expression.

(chorus sings indistinctly) We want the students to be able to get past just, we want them to know their notes and rhythms that they're performing, but we also wanna get them past that so that they are performing the musical elements of the piece, connecting to it, and what the story is telling in performing the piece and conveying its meaning through that performance.

- And the Blumey Award goes to Renee Rapp.

(crowd cheers) - I transferred to Northwest my junior year of high school and I didn't know it then, but it 100% changed my life.

And a lot of the reason that that changed my life was because of my teachers and the people that I've gotten to work with at Northwest, like Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Hanson and all the other teachers who gave me a chance and who believed in me.

So our teachers matter and our education matters and our students matter.

(crowd cheers) My friend, thank you so much.

- Find your reason why and 'cause at the end of the day, you can think that you want to do it, but at the end of the day, the only people who really make it in this type of industry is the people who understand why they're doing in the first place.

I think once you learn why you want to do it, that can project you to practicing more, to going out of the box, pushing the mile because you know why, your end goal.

What is your end goal?

(upbeat music) - This is a place that's dedicated to enriching all students in the arts, regardless of their level of proficiency.

And it's absolutely critical that we have staff members who are entrenched in the arts as well.

For some of them, this is their day job.

And our students are so blessed to have a staff that is so committed to the arts beyond just the school day.