Celebrating their 15-year Anniversary this year, Isaiah T. Creswell Middle Magnet School of the Visual & Performing Arts has the distinction of being the only performing arts middle school in the district. They opened in the fall of 2006 to serve a diverse population of middle schoolers throughout Nashville with a passion for the arts. The school is named in honor the first African American to serve on the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education. 
Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts often goes by a shortened version of their name “Creswell.” Their Magnet arts program offers a wide variety of art courses including Playwriting, Studio Recording, and Guitar.
Creswell also offers rigorous standards in academics with honors classes in every general education subject. This includes Encore, the district’s gifted learning program. They also have the honor of having a chapter of the National Junior Honor Society.
Creswell practices Every Student Known through the environmental culture of the school- they started the Creswell House System. Students are placed into houses based on their arts classes. Every student, teacher and staff member in the school is a member of a house. Once a month, each house meets for an hour to play games, work on SEL skills, and just have fun. Theis engagement allowed students to interact in a mentoring capacity. This allows teachers and faculty the opportunity to get to know students outside of those they teach.
Students show their school spirit by wearing the school colors- purple and gold. Creswell does not have a traditional mascot but identifies with a unique art symbol designed by the school's art teacher.
Creswell has earned the attention of the local community and has been awarded grants from VH1 for a piano keyboard lab and from the Country Music Association (CMA) for both musical instruments and their theatre sound system.