Help J-Term come to life!

Support J-Term at Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists

Every January, Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists (SPCPA) transforms into something extraordinary. For three weeks, our regular schedule pauses, and every student—dancers, musicians, actors, vocalists, visual artists, and creative writers—dives into an intensive, hands-on creative experience we call J-Term.

J-Term is a time when SPCPA students take their skills beyond the classroom and into the real world. They collaborate with professional artists, create original work, and perform or exhibit in professional venues across the Twin Cities. Whether it’s staging a musical at a local theater, producing a short film, choreographing an original dance piece, or curating a visual arts showcase, J-Term invites students to imagine, take risks, and make art that matters.

This distinctive program is at the very heart of SPCPA’s mission—providing pre-professional arts training within a rigorous academic setting. But because J-Term falls outside and beyond the regular semester structure, it is challenging to support through typical school funding. The resources required to make it possible each year—venue rentals, professional artist stipends, technical and design materials, costumes, props, set pieces, and musical equipment—depend on the generosity of our community.

Your gift to SPCPA’s J-Term Fund directly supports our students’ ability to create and perform at the highest level. Every contribution helps ensure that our young artists have the materials, mentorship, and performance spaces they need to bring their visions to life.

When you give, you’re helping:

• Rent professional venues where students perform and exhibit their work.

• Engage professional artists—directors, choreographers, designers, musicians, and visual artists—who mentor and collaborate with our students.

• Provide materials and supplies for every artistic discipline, from props and costumes to visual art materials and music equipment.

• Empower young artists to see themselves as active participants in Minnesota’s vibrant arts community.

J-Term is one of the most memorable and impactful experiences in an SPCPA student’s education. It challenges them to grow not only as artists, but as collaborators, leaders, and citizens.

Your generosity keeps this tradition alive and thriving. Together, we can ensure that every SPCPA student continues to learn, create, and perform in ways that inspire our entire community.

Our goal: $10,000 for J-Term 2026. Every dollar brings our students closer to the stage, the gallery, and the creative futures they are building right now.

See J-Term in action: Watch our J-Term video to experience the creativity, collaboration, and energy that make this program so transformative for our students.

Thank you for supporting the arts. Thank you for supporting our students. And thank you for helping make J-Term possible.