Bruno is afraid of performing in public.

Bruno is in love with a dance major named Kathleen Murphy. When he is to write a piece of music for her, she performs for him and gets injured. It turns out that she has Multiple Sclerosis, and Miss Grant employs Leroy to help out Bruno. Unknowingly, the gang is helping Kathy to keep her audition.

When Bruno's uncle buys him a new synthesizer, Bruno gets a job to buy new music. He is doing a song for his aunt, sho just had a baby. Meanwhile, Julie wonders why Coco is suddenly so rude to her while they are doing a very important number together.

The School Of The Arts is plagued by a teachers' strike. Coco is upset because she wasn't chosen for the part of Desdemona in the schools musical version of ""Othello"". Once the teachers go on strike though she decides that instead of being angry, and not be apart of the production, she organizes everything so that the show can go on without Miss Grant's help. Bruno feels he needs to have Mr. Shorofsky's opinion on the music for the show because he thinks it should have a different tempo and style to it. Because of the strike he can't get Mr. Shorofsky's opinion and goes with his instinct, which turns out to be for the best. Once Leroy was cast for the part of Othello, he was having problems speaking the way the script was written. So he asks for Miss Sherwood's help to make him speak the way Shakespeare was meant to be spoken, even from someone from the Bronx.

Doris, while pretending to be a hooker, meets a real hooker named Tracy, and tries to help her out.

Danny's father does not agree with his choice of being a comedian.

A big star, Melinda MacNeil, is in town and everyone goes ga-ga, except Monty.

Doris learns that sometimes honest is not always the best policy. When Shorofsky is hospitalized, Bruno realizes that he is important to his life.

When Julie gets replaced by a mannequin in a production number, she feels unimportant until a reporter threatens to do an expose on her.

Monty tries to get Bruno to cash in on his songwriting abilities.

Miss Sherwood and the gang find two talented bums living in the basement.

Leroy wants his mother to come in for parents' day.

Budget cutbacks prompts the School Board to fire one of the dance school's teachers.

Bruno's script is chosen to be produced by the school and he is given the chance to be a voice in the audition process. Unfortunately he can't make up his mind who is better and if someone isn't as good he (with his soft heart) feels the need to let the person try again, to give them that extra chance to get it right. All his friends are excited that he can choose who will star in it, because of course, they want it to be them. Things start to heat up after everyone finds out that Bruno cast himself in the lead. After which he enlists the help of Doris to teach him to ""act"". Doris begins to fall in love with Bruno.

Coco tries to get long with a learning disabled student.

Julie's dad is getting remarried, and Julie does not like it one bit. Also, Leroy tries out for a touring dance troupe.

A guest speaker to the school becomes sweet upon Lydia, and gives the kids an assignment so he can come back to see her. He takes her out but she's not impressed by his flashy lifestyle, and is even less so when he criticizes the work the kids do for the assignment, and is especially tough on Leroy. He also criticizes the education they receive at the school. Shorofsky teaches Bruno how to conduct.

When Bruno gets the chance to audition for Julliard, he finds himself caught between the desires of his father and Shorofsky. Shorofsky feels that Bruno isn't ready for Julliard yet. During the audition, Bruno chooses to play his mother's favorite song instead of the piece he originally chose, even though he knew it would destroy his chances of being accepted to Julliard.

The kids suspect the ballet teacher is prejudiced against black students. They protest by stopping whatever they are doing and standing silent. It isn't til Miss Grant talks with this teacher that they know for sure that she feels black dancers don't have what it takes to be great. She is shown how wrong she's been during a performance by Stephanie. Bruno must escort a young musical prodigee around the school.

Lydia teaches a blind substitute teacher to dance. Doris developes a crush on the substitute teacher, Jim Hamilton.

Coco tries to impress a producer with an audition in a diner. She manages to get a screen test, and tells the gang it all went well. Later she comes clean and admits she was terrible. Doris tries to loose weight and be perfect (like Coco) and collapses in Miss Sherwood's class. In telling Doris the truth about her screen test, Coco manages to come to terms with herself.

Sherwood discovers that her favorite student has a father who censors the books she is given to read. Because he will be leaving soon, Coco's boyfriend pressures her to have sex with him.

When her grandmother dies, Coco questions her decision to become a performer. The kids attempt to find Julie's stolen cello.

Doris' draft dodging brother comes back and she tries to get him and her father to talk to each other. Lydia tries to sneak ballet moves into a jazz dance number when she discovers her old ballet teacher is coming to watch the performance.

Danny's grief over the death of Mr. Crandall threatens to cause his expulsion, but help comes from an unexpected source.