Testimonial #17: Jill Sager

September 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Testimonial #17:  Jill Sager, Hands On Rhythm and Drum School

Jill Sager is a Toca Percussion Artist, Recreation Therapist, and author of the popular instructional DVD and Book; Beginning Hand Drumming: A Guide to Recreation and Wellness edited by Joe Bergamini and published by Carl Fischer Music.

How has your life been indelibly touched by a teacher who utilized the arts for whatever reason and acknowledge how they were instrumental in breaking the mold to allow you to become who you are today?

A teacher that touched my life…..
Creativity values THE ARTS and participation in THE ARTS feeds our creativity and our community.  I had two drum teachers who understood, supported, and encouraged this which helped me nurture a creative life. They understood a life that favors creative acts favors ideas, passion, risk, courage, confidence, imagination, innovation, inventiveness, resourcefulness, problem solving and productivity.

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on” Albert Einstein

How are the arts re-igniting your community and sparking innovation and creativity in your local schools?

The arts are re-igniting my community by….

Here I am, passing along the creative torch  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBc3ttN88SE

Filed Under: Arts Advocacy, Testimonials, The First 100 Stories Tagged With:

Testimonial #16: Margot Knight

September 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Testimonial #16:  Margot Knight , Djerassi Resident Artists Program

The Djerassi Resident Artists Program is internationally recognized as one of the eminent artist residency programs. We strive to provide the best possible residency experience for artists of superior talent from a diverse range of backgrounds and geographical locations.

As stewards of a unique and beautiful property, we also seek to preserve the land and use our facilities wisely and efficiently for maximum benefit to the artists and with the least impact on the environment.

How has your life been indelibly touched by a teacher who utilized the arts for whatever reason and acknowledge how they were instrumental in breaking the mold to allow you to become who you are today?

Mr. Carroll was the senior drama teacher at CrosslandHigh School in Camp   Springs, Maryland. I auditioned and got a role in the chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone my sophomore year. The rehearsal process was transformative. We learned about Greek history, culture and poetry. I can still recite my opening lines:  “Oh light of the rising sun, brightest beam that ever shone on Thebes of the seven gates.”

The beam was bright indeed.

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How The Arts Transformed My Life…

September 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Well, I for one know that the arts have SAVED my life. Growing up in Harlem in the 70′s wasn’t exactly a picnic and so the chance to attend one of the most revered high schools in New York, The High School of Music & Art, was not only a dream come true but an eye-opening experience. It was my first time being exposed to students from all walks and not just the neighborhood. It truly was the most wonderful experience of my young life. I still have so many friends from M&A – we were and are a very special group. I studied voice and somehow, all these years, always managed (while holding a professional job) to be in band, or a jazz trio, or to coach, or be an inspiration. I perform cabaret in the city and have recently inspired a few old classmates to get back on stage! While live music, especially live jazz, has taken a bit of a beating, there is nothing like being on stage and doing a show. Not just singing at a bar or restaurant – I mean booking a room and giving a show. Rehearsal is therapy. Sending out invites and “save-the-date” cards is so exciting. The anticipation of show time. It’s just the greatest feeling in the world. I perform at one particular venue several times a year and my “following” know what to expect when they get that invite: a show they’ll never forget. It’s my gift to myself as well as to my audience when i hit that first note. I wish there was more time and money to do it more often. Like I said live music is a tough sell these days. But I take what I can get gladly and with such pride.

Filed Under: Arts Advocacy, Testimonials, The First 100 Stories Tagged With: ,

Testimonial #15: Laurie Vega

September 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Testimonial #15:  Laurie Vega,  Office Manager of Star Management

How has your life been indelibly touched by a teacher who utilized the arts for whatever reason and acknowledge how they were instrumental in breaking the mold to allow you to become who you are today?

A teacher that touched my life….. is Mrs. Ext (yes that was her real name.) Mrs. Ext was THE premier voice teacher at the High School of Music & Art when I attended from’79-’82. This was my first introduction to formal vocal training and she was no one to mess with. If you wanted to sing, she was going to make you the best singer you could be. If you were there to waste her time – you were OUT! No nonsense. All the students respected her and knew that with her leadership they would go far. And amazingly, she taught how to sing without actually singing herself. Amazing! I later got to hear her sing and she was an amazing opera singer but no one knew what she sounded like – she just had a magical way of making you sound like you – not her. Mrs. Ext was the best, prime example of what a truly outstanding professor is made of: tough stuff but who gets the job done, hands down! And [someone] who you never ever forget.

How are the arts re-igniting your community and sparking innovation and creativity in your local schools?

The arts are re-igniting my community by…. getting folks back in the game who have been off stage and out of the loop since high school. I manage to organize a one-woman show at least 4 times a year for myself and each time I do my best to reignite that fire that some of my fellow classmates lost over the years. I’ve managed to get some folks back on stage and now they’ve caught the fever. Being on stage, even for just an hour, in front of your friends family and peers is just the most incredibly liberating feeling!!

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Without the Arts, It’s Not Education

September 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

WE know there’s a drama, art, music, dance, classroom teacher who changed your life.  Every educator knows that within EACH and EVERY child lies an artistic soul waiting to be sparked.  SEND ME YOUR TESTIMONIAL:  How your third grade teacher taught you to write your first play, fingerprinting your fears away on an oily white sheet of paper, dance to the beat of your own drum, strum, blow, sing the lyrics that express your point of view.

Earlier this spring Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wrote that “dance, music, theater, and visual arts” are essential to preparing our nation’s young people for a global economy fueled by innovation and creativity.” That may be the case, but thanks to education funding cuts, the arts are being systematically stripped from our schools. According to creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson, what’s left can hardly be called an education.

“We may be providing something else, but it’s not what we want to think of as education,” Robinson told attendees at the recent Action Children’s Art Conference in the U.K. Instead, says Robinson, our children are growing up in a fast-paced world “that’s becoming more standardized,” which means kids “live within education cultures that are more prone to testing, to conformity, and to compliance than ever before.” Read more…

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