Unveiling the Future Vision of Studio T Arts & Entertainment
In a groundbreaking announcement, award-winning entrepreneur and impact leader, Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer, has unveiled the national expansion of Studio T Arts & Entertainment. Founded in 2005, Studio T Arts has become synonymous with empowering youth through the transformative intersection of arts, media, and entrepreneurship. With a mission to cultivate critical creative and life skills, Miss Tee’s visionary leadership is driving Studio T Arts into new territories, marking a significant milestone in its journey. The expansion aims to reach underserved and under-represented students in cultural and technological hubs, fostering life skills and career opportunities. To enhance accessibility, Studio T Arts & Entertainment is set to launch a mobile app, bringing Miss Tee’s popular distance learning platform, PasstoClass.com, to students worldwide. As we delve into Miss Tee’s world, we uncover the inspiration, innovative programs, and technological initiatives that have shaped Studio T Arts into a beacon of hope and empowerment for countless youth. Stay tuned as we engage in an insightful conversation with Miss Tee, exploring the past, present, and future of Studio T Arts & Entertainment, where creativity, technology, and entrepreneurship converge to transform lives.
Congratulations on the national expansion of Studio T Arts & Entertainment! Can you share the inspiration behind founding this non-profit organization back in 2005, and how its mission has evolved over the years?
Miss Tee: Thank you so much! It’s been an incredible journey since I first started Studio T Arts back in 2005. You know, it all began with the need of the community. When I moved from the bay area to Sacramento, I found that the programs focused on youth weren’t doing enough to create a safe and productive environment for them to grow in a positive direction. So when I started, it was because I wanted to do my best to create a safe space for young people to come together where they can thrive and overcome challenges as a family. Over the years, our mission has grown and evolved, but at the heart of it all, it’s still about empowering youth and changing lives through creativity, entrepreneurship, and community.
Tell me about some innovative programs or initiatives that you have implemented in the past to engage youth in the arts and entrepreneurship.
Miss Tee: Goodness, where do I start? We’ve had so much fun coming up with new ways to engage our students and ignite their passion for the arts! We spend hundreds of thousands of hours working with youth in technology starved communities. Some of the highlights of our programs include “Side Hustle Academy” where we teach our youth how to build and monetize their skill sets so they can make money doing what they love. Our program, “Pass To Class,” started as a method to help our schools when we couldn’t be on site with them every day and has since become our most successful program with a mobile app in development to be released very soon! We’ve hosted all sort of events to help our communities, including a “Higher 2 Hired” job training and hiring fair, our “Sactown Showdown” which puts real money up for grabs in a contest of young artists, and even “California’s Day of Dance” which celebrates dancers from all cultures and disciplines across California and features a refreshing take on the mixture of arts and technology. Our goal is always to incentivize young people to get active and participate, and usually that comes in the form of prizes or the opportunity to work with tech that they may never otherwise see or know about.
Which is why I’m so excited to share about one of our largest initiatives so far, the Studio T Arts & Entertainment ‘Innovation Factory’. A concept tested during COVID, and now ready to be scaled up to serve an entire community, where arts education blends with entrepreneurship and technology. It’s all about giving young people the access to the right technological tools, industry standard creative skills, and the confidence they need to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the world. We’re preparing to open up a total of five locations across the country!
Your distance learning platform, PasstoClass.com, has garnered popularity. Could you tell us more about the upcoming mobile app and how it aims to enhance accessibility for students worldwide?
Miss Tee: Absolutely! We’re so excited about our upcoming mobile app — it’s going to be a game-changer for students and educators everywhere! Picture this: on-the-go access to classes, peer-to-peer community building, interactive learning modules, wellness check-ins, and real-time feedback from instructors — all in the palm of your hand. It’s like having the support of the global Studio T Arts family right in your pocket! Our goal is to make creative education and access to opportunities accessible to everyone, no matter where they are or what their circumstances may be. This is why we’re looking forward to expanding partnerships with schools, districts, and networks of teachers across the nation that can help us provide this amazing resource to as many students as possible. We know that in today’s digital culture, there can be a distinct lack of accountability and oversight on the activities that young people can get into, which is why our app has been designed from scratch to provide parents, teachers, and other important authority figures with the tools they need to engage in meaningful ways with their children, whether it be through mental health, creativity, physical activity, or even just collaboration with other students.
In what other ways has tech been utilized within the work that you do to enhance the experience for participants?
Miss Tee: Tech is everywhere at Studio T Arts! Even going back to my youth, my only classrooms were from watching shows like ‘Fame’ and music videos on MTV when it first came out. I’ve always known that technology is essential to enhance the arts. I’ve also found that students today are much more interested in the equipment we bring as much as the instruction we do. As technology continues to bring a bigger impact in the lives of young people, it also becomes a critical consideration in how we can offer something culturally and socially relevant to our program participants.
It’s through this connection of tech and arts that we’re able to provide students from traditionally under-resourced and tech-starved communities with access and the vision of success, giving them the hope that their dreams can become their careers.
How do you envision technology and innovation playing a role in furthering Studio T’s mission?
Miss Tee: As we push further into our investment in emerging technologies, like virtual reality, AI, renewable energy, and more, we’re looking to provide our students with the tools and skills they need to succeed in today’s digital world. Our new community center is called the “Innovation Factory” for a reason — we have seen how access to the right tools can change lives, and we’re passionate about continuing to provide students with the space to learn, grow, and solve problems with those tools. Technology has become a powerful tool to unlock creativity, foster collaboration, and empower young people to make a positive impact in their communities. By embracing technology, we’re able to create dynamic, immersive learning environments that inspire creativity and spark innovation — and that’s what it’s all about!
As Studio T Arts continues to grow, what aspirations do you have for the impact it will have on the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs, and community leaders?
Miss Tee: Our aspirations for Studio T Arts are sky-high and global! We truly believe that we have the power to change lives and make a difference in the world — one student at a time. Our programs, community activations, and digital presence have already inspired multiple generations of artists, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. We will continue to grow and give youth the tools and experiences they need to dream bigger, take risks, and follow their passions as they lead to solving problems in communities across the country, and around the world. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about — serving others, changing lives, and making the world a better place.
To make a donation or learn more about Studio T Arts & Entertainment and its impactful programs, please visit StudioTArts.org and follow @studiotdance on Instagram.
Lynnecia S. Eley is Founder & Managing Editor of Soigne’ + Swank Magazine. She is a career-driven entrepreneur, wife, and mother. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she is an award-winning University Assistant Dean and Adjunct Professor committed to excellence, dedication, and caring for others. Known as the Confidence Doula, Lynnecia is a best-selling author and coach, a founder of Two Queens Media and Black & Ivy League, Inc. You can learn more about Lynnecia and her platforms at www.shecaninspire.com.
