Program Teaches Diverse Learners Skills In The Creative Arts

Phoenix Tyler founded the Unique and Phenomenal (UP) Program to give students with special needs and diverse learners the opportunity to gain skills in the creative arts. PHOTO PROVIDED BY C. PHOENIX TYLER.
Phoenix Tyler founded the Unique and Phenomenal (UP) Program to give students with special needs and diverse learners the opportunity to gain skills in the creative arts. PHOTO PROVIDED BY C. PHOENIX TYLER.

Program Teaches Diverse Learners Skills In The Creative Arts

By Tia Carol Jones

C. Phoenix Tyler started the Unique and Phenomenal (UP) Program because she wanted students with special needs and diverse learners to gain skills in the performing and creative arts that would turn into careers. As someone who has taught students with special needs, Tyler interacted and engaged with those students on a regular basis and knew their capabilities and potential to do great things.


Through the UP Program, students are immersed in learning how to act, how to deejay, how to sing and how to make film. The UP Program was launched in 2023, but Phoenix has been teaching acting to students with special needs for quite some time. Overtime, she added filmmaking, singing and deejaying to the program offerings.


Students in the UP Program are between the ages of eight years old and sixty years old. One success story is DJ Charlie Brown, UP’s resident deejay, who is visually impaired. He deejays gigs all across the Chicagoland area.


Schools and parks can request the program. The program is currently at Bessemer Park, Columbus Park and Gage Park. Phoenix likes to keep the program small, no more than 17 students, at the different parks and schools where she holds the classes. The goal is to give the students the teams full attention.


“You don’t see students with special needs in the performing arts like that. You don’t see them filmmaking, you don’t see them deejaying, you’ll see other students, but you don’t see diverse learners doing those things,” Phoenix said. “Because people generally count them out, they think it’s too hard for them, and it’s not, you just have to put in the time and figure out what they’re best at and reach them and go in that zone and just do it.”


Phoenix said having her students in the UP Program make film, act, sing and deejay shows people they can do it and allows them to share their gifts with the world. To celebrate the accomplishments of the students in the program, recently the UP Program hosted their first UP Awards, which is like a version of the Oscars and Grammy awards. The students competed with their colleagues from their areas of expertise. There was also a red carpet where the students wore their best outfits, giving them an opportunity to truly shine.


Phoenix said the UP Program really gives these students a sense of pride and it has been great to see how their students in the program’s confidence has gone up from them being able to participate.


“I wish everyone could come to a class and see the excitement when we ask the students to do lights today. It’s really mind blowing to see the excitement when we tell them, ‘you’re on camera today.’ It’s so touching to see the excitement, the camaraderie and the way they help each other,” she said.


Phoenix said there is nothing like seeing the students with their communication skills, critical thinking skills, collaboration and creativity. She said it has been a really phenomenal journey to watch their students grow while they’ve been in the program. Phoenix said the parents have also really been excited seeing their students in the program.

Phoenix wants to take the UP Program globally because she sees a space for people from all over the world who have special needs to participate and showcase their talents.


For more information about the UP Program, visit cphoenixtyler.com.

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