My flute and cello duo, Duo Envol, leads a guided exploration of music and its connection to visual media. We use famous examples and play along with video clips from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, K Pop Demon Hunters, Harry Potter, a Christmas Story, etc. to explore the emotional impact on us of no music, the wrong music, or different music used in totally different contexts. We will play a piece we commissioned for flute and cello called Cumulus Reverie and let the audience imagine what different shapes they're observing in the imaginary clouds as they're listening. Then, like reading the book before watching the movie, we will watch Tiny Planet LLC’s animation video to the piece. https://youtu.be/94GxetlvXVU. The workshop culminates in everyone painting what they heard in their mind's eye. It's an hour long program, and can be lengthened or shortened as needed.

Professional cartoonist Duane presents an all student assembly that promotes GOAL SETTING, the power of LITERACY and importance of EDUCATION with the four words required for success that all students need to hear! HUNDREDS of schools nationwide have invited Duane into their gymnasiums, auditoriums, cafeterias, libraries and classrooms to motivate, encourage and inspire their students. From full student assemblies, award celebrations, a little motivation before state testing, literacy events and evening parent programs, all Duane needs is an easel and a flip-chart to captivate your students attention and deliver an inspiring and motivating message! Duane was able to begin his professional career while still in school utilizing the pillars of achievement found within DRAW YOUR DESTINY, and he can’t wait to share them with YOUR students!

I’m a children's book illustrator who offers virtual and in-person presentations for students in grades K-12. I enjoy sharing my illustration process, inspiration, and joy for picture book illustration with students. My presentations feature a slideshow with images about my artistic process and life. Presentation topics and formats are flexible and can be tailored to the needs of each school. My goal is to inspire students to believe in their abilities, develop their own definition of creativity, and think creatively to solve challenges. If you’d like to learn more about school visits with Marianna, please contact ms@mariannasmith.com.

Kate Klise wrote her first book when she was ten years old, so she speaks with a certain authority when she encourages children to begin their writing careers now. With more than thirty books to her credit (picture books, early readers, middle grade novels, and one YA title), Kate relates well to students of all ages. When working with early readers (grades K-2, 30 minutes), Kate offers gentle advice about writing stories and invites students to create an original story on the spot. When presenting to older students (grades 3–6, 50 minutes), Kate focuses on the writing process: where she gets her ideas, how she writes her rough drafts, why the art of rewriting is so critical, and—yes!—how she comes up with all those punny names in the Regarding and 43 Old Cemetery Road series. In addition, Kate explains the classic elements of storytelling, including the importance of sending characters on journeys. In addition to large-group presentations, Kate also offers fiction and non-fiction writing workshops for smaller groups (30 students or less, 50 minutes). As a 15-year veteran for People magazine, Kate enjoys sharing her tips and tricks for writing on deadline. Over the years she’s taught countless students how to write colorful, compelling, and often hilarious People magazine-style stories about themselves and others.

Cosmic Images Across the Spectrum: Teachers of the local district's schools will be given a workshop on how to use Astronomy as an Interdisciplinary Approach to Education. Training will include the use of NASA's MicroObservatory (MO) taking images and using the image processing software so they can, in turn, teach their students to do the same, and then create thematic units that utilize the talents of students in various disciplines and using alternative assessment strategies such as rubrics and portfolios. Art students can paint or draw a particular object from MO, Math students pinpoint size & scale, distance and celestial coordinates, English students use creative writing or poetry to describe the object, History, Social Studies and Foreign Language students form a timeline of the U.S. vs. other countries in discovery, impact and understanding of what was happening at the time, such as French influence from Charles Messier, and Science students explore the physics and chemistry data of the object recorded from telescopes and spectroscopy. Information for each object from all disciplines will be compiled onto a page or "block" and submitted to be added to a "Cosmic Quilt." Color poster-sized printouts of all blocks submitted can be assembled together for the physical Cosmic Quilt and put on display as an exhibit for all to see at the school. All the contributors' names and input will be recognized at the exhibit.

Buffalo Comedy Collective is Western New York’s home for improv comedy! Our offerings break down into three major sections: - Performances: Our mainstage show is Comedysportz, an all-ages improvisational comedy show played as a sport. This high energy short-form improv show has two teams of professional comedians improvising games, songs, jokes, and scenes while a referee calls fouls and fields suggestions from you, our loyal fans. Loyal fans will vote for which team they like best and Mx Voice will declare an ultimate winner for the evening! Best of all, this show uses humor that is appropriate for people of any age. We're clean enough for your kids to enjoy and funny enough to have adults laughing out loud. - Education: We offer workshops that help students connect, open up, and laugh! These interactive sessions have students up & moving while being creative, working together, and learning the importance of support through positivity. Workshops can be held as individual focus groups, combined with a performance, or set-up as an interactive, informal performance where the focus is on getting as many participants involved that are interested. - Professional development: The fun isn't only for kids! Improv helps to develop comfortability in public speaking, enhance communication skills, improve active listening & adaptability, and boost creativity. Studies have shown that improv also helps to reduce anxiety, stress, and uncertainty intolerance, making these skills useful in both a private & workplace setting.

Nationally recognized Youth Motivational Speaker, Passion Ignitor and Leadership Expert, Lamarr Womble, created Passion for Leadership to give EVERYONE the power to choose in work, school and life. In order to do that, I specifically help students, educators and professionals: -Overcome their mental roadblocks and life challenges -Discover their Passion -Lead self and others to develop skills and live a more fulfilled life Passion for Leadership offers school assemblies, conference keynotes, interactive workshops, classroom takeovers and professional development. We also can offer consultations for a holistic approach to inspiring school climate. Lamarr Womble can bring INSPIRATION, PASSION and ACTION to your school or conference!

Magic of 5-A-Day is an interactive, 45-minute elementary school assembly, designed to promote good nutrition and exercise. Brian Richards brings the importance of nutrition together with a little magic that will captivate your students and leave them laughing and smiling throughout his whole performance. This nutrition and health assembly is unlike any you have seen before! With the aid of magic, comedy, audience participation, and powerful visual aids, your students and staff will learn… Why we need to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day How the colors of fruits and veggies are good for different parts of our bodies Why balance and moderation is so important How to know the difference between a “sometimes food” and an “all-the-time food.” And much more…Plus, your students will take the 5-A-Day Challenge and pledge to eat their 5-A-Day every day.

I offer hands-on creative writing workshops in poetry and prose (3-5 days each---3 workshops per day---across a chosen grade level, where each class gets 3-5 visits each). I meet with teachers to discuss their curriculum needs and thematic requests, suggesting various workshop ideas tailored to their requests. Teachers then choose what works best for them---for example: Assistance with reluctant writers, adding details, word choice, adjective strength, voice---in whatever current learning theme is paramount, such as animals, environment, feelings, character development, social studies, etc. I support teachers throughout the residency where they will be present and interact whenever their insight is needed as I teach. During and after the residency, I check in (over lunch, etc.) to ascertain how teachers are feeling about their students' progress, and also to offer many resources from both my books, stories, poems, and teacher oriented publications (nine books with Scholastic Professional Books for teachers) where they might copy any lessons they wish to use in the future. I also offer follow-up ideas at the end of every residency for those who wish to continue using the writing "tools/ideas" I present to their students. And there are always numerous options! I love to work with the core levels to help develop a stronger writing momentum with students (for example, 2nd grades in fall, same students in 3rd grade with different themes/format the following year, 4th grade added on or begun simultaneously--always building on previous workshop skills, etc. Districts have booked me in various schools for 25 plus years, often having me conduct workshops from year to year in multiple levels, as teachers love the support and boost my energy brings to their classrooms and students from which they springboard after I leave. The sky's the limit! I am here to serve educationally and creatively.

Bardavon 1869 Opera House, Inc. (known familiarly as “the Bardavon'') is a New York State nonprofit corporation that owns and operates two historic theaters. The 928-seat Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie is the oldest continuously operating theater in the state, among the oldest in the country, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1500-seat Ulster Performing Arts Center/Broadway Theater (UPAC) is a National Register property built in Kingston in 1927. UPAC was merged into Bardavon's corporate structure in 2007. The Bardavon consistently presents the highest quality music, dance, theater, and classic films in both its venues. The Bardavon has brought together artists, businesses, and government to produce outdoor events that draw thousands of residents and visitors to the region annually, providing free access to superb art as a source of community pride, urban revitalization, and cultural tourism. The Bardavon Education Program partners with regional schools in offering unique arts-based learning experiences for students and innovative tools for teachers. The continued restoration and preservation of the Bardavon 1869 Opera House and the Ulster Performing Arts Center/Broadway Theater is also a vital aspect of our mission.

Growth Mindset Through Real Failure. New York Times bestselling author Mark Cheverton visits schools with an interactive presentation that shows students how persistence, reflection, and learning from setbacks lead to improvement. Using humor, audience participation, and real examples from his own journey, Mark shares the many years of rejection and false starts he had to endure before ever finding any success as an author. A Story Students Connect With. Students laugh, participate, and follow along as Mark tells the true story behind becoming an internationally published author. He is the author of 32 novels, including his bestselling series of Minecraft books, many of which are already in your school’s library and have been read by your students. The visit concludes by encouraging students to write their own stories and share them on a kids-safe fan fiction website, motivating continued writing beyond the presentation. Mark can do multiple presentations throughout the day, keeping the groups small to encourage interaction. In addition, he’ll have lunch with select students and autograph books at the end of the day. You can learn more about his presentation at https://markcheverton.com/author-visits/ Schools interested in scheduling a visit are encouraged to contact Mark Cheverton for availability and details.

For PreK-6th Grade: Tri-Cities Opera Opera invites you to the farm, where most of the animals like things to be ‘normal and pretty’–not noisy or different! When the new ducklings hatch, there is one ‘ugly duckling’ who doesn’t fit in with the others and spends her days reading by herself. But when a big, bad wolf comes on the scene, it will take someone like the ugly duckling–who has learned about big, bad wolves in her stories–to outwit him and teach the whole farm about the value of being true to yourself. Named as a nod to Binghamton’s famous carousels, Opera-Go-Round has been delivering the excitement of a fully-staged children’s opera to schools throughout New York State and northern Pennsylvania for nearly 50 years. Students engage with our singers and pianist to explore this unique art form with stories connected to curriculum standards and take away valuable social-emotional learning lessons. The program includes a 35-minute performance and 15-minute question and answer session with the Opera-Go-Round team. Dates are available from late September 2024 through May 2025. Contact ogr@tricitiesopera.org for more information or to schedule your performance! Cost: $1,400 within 50 miles of TCO Opera Center, $1,500 over 50 miles from TCO Opera Center. For Middle & High School Groups: TCO is excited to offer free tickets for your group to attend any of our mainstage productions. The Magic Flute (Sept 6 & 8, 2024) is an abridged version of a Mozart favorite. All Is Calm (Nov 15, 16, & 17, 2024) tells the story of the WWI Christmas truce. A Grand Night for Singing (Mar 8, 2025) includes favorites from Rogers and Hammerstein. Rigoletto (Apr 27, 2025) will be a grand version of a Verdi masterpiece. Contact operations@tricitiesopera.org to reserve your bloc of seats!