I offer author visits, involving book readings, a description of how I got started writing children’s books, and workshops promoting inclusion, empathy, and kindness.

We offer a full Live latin fuzion Hip Hop/Salsa band covering originals and covers. We fuse Hip Hop and Spoken Word with Latin Music

On Monday they’re cast as characters. By Saturday, they’ve GAINED CHARACTER. The kind that really counts! A week-long residency STARRING 50-60 of your local school age children in a full-scale musical. A tour team arrives in your town in their Red Truck loaded with a set, lights, costumes, and props, everything it takes to put on a play…except the cast. The team holds an open audition and casts 50-60 local students to perform in the production. The show is rehearsed throughout the week and two public performances are presented at the end of the week! Our Mission: Empowering children and adults through theatre education and performance to develop lifelong skills while enriching communities worldwide through live productions.

Strum Bowing is a method that Tracy Silverman has developed to teach string players how to groove. A Strum Bowing Workshop could be anything from a one-hour Zoom meeting with a school orchestra to a weeklong residency culminating with a concert. Workshops are based loosely on Silverman's book, The Strum Bowing Method. With school or youth orchestras, it’s often effective to have a zoom session a month or two before a live workshop or residency so the group can start working on some of the Groove Studies ahead of time. Tracy also encourages the instructor to take a lesson with him if they can, to familiarize themselves with the techniques. He works with players of all ages and abilities, from elementary school beginners to conservatory pre-professionals to adult learners. He also presents pedagogy sessions and lessons with string teachers. He has lots of improvisation games that are effective for younger players (and great for breaking through inhibitions for older players) and the simplicity of the Strum Bowing method is accessible across age ranges. For school orchestras, Tracy offers a collection of 22 Groove Studies for Strings which are an effective way to apply and reinforce the concepts of Strum Bowing and to practice techniques like Ghosting, Chopping, Subdividing, and developing the 3-D Strum. A favorite format is to work with the orchestra in rehearsals/workshops and then present a shared concert which usually consists of a solo program by Tracy using his live looping and electric 6-string violin, and then a collaboration with the orchestra on several pieces, which could be from the 22 Groove Studies for Strings or any piece that the orchestra is working on. Grooving — awakening our inner sense of rhythm using Strum Bowing, essential to rock, jazz, hip hop, etc. The Chop — non-pitched percussion sounds. Also the Compound Chop and the 3-D Strum Ghost Notes — muted notes within a groove Improvising — cultivating our natural curiosity and playfulness with fun improv games Call and Response — ear training, rhythm training, style training GPS for Strings (Groove Proficiency System) — Silverman's 4 step formula for finding your way to any groove Blues scale and the blues Other Workshop Topics ??Lecture/Demonstration – performance and explanations about technique, equipment, career etc; questions from the audience. General audience. ?Improvisation for Strings – an overview of the blues; call and response; simple scales and approaches for first-time improvisers. String players with instruments.

As a read aloud advocate, I believe in the power of stories to nurture empathy, self-confidence, and imagination in young readers. My award winning books focus on social-emotional themes that support early childhood development, creating meaningful narratives that resonate with children, educators, and parents alike. *Fantastically Me!* (ages 0-8) touches on themes of self-belief and growth mindset. Whereas *Making Friends Together * (ages 0-5) is a board book that addresses kindness and friendship. In my author visits, I bring these stories to life for students up to 2nd grade through engaging, interactive read-aloud sessions, inviting children to explore their own feelings and ideas in a fun, safe environment. For older elementary students, I offer hands-on writing workshops that guide them in crafting their own stories, encouraging self-expression, creativity, and a love for writing. These sessions are designed to inspire confidence in young writers, from filling in imaginative story blanks to creating characters and worlds that spark their curiosity. With each visit, my goal is to leave students not only with a memorable experience but also with the tools and encouragement to tell their own stories.

I offer Author Visits consisting of a 45 minute multimedia presentation of me as a young reader, the writing process and a read aloud. My book "Nervous Rex" and my new book "Mort the Worry Wart" both center around mental health strategies, so I weave that into my presentation as well. I also have smaller writing workshop opportunities. I am very flexible and work with schools on format, etc. I look forward to hopefully working with you!

Megan Litwin is an award-winning children's book author and former educator with over ten years of classroom experience. She believes that reading is magic, writing is fun, and creativity is contagious! Megan offers a range of programs from curriculum-connected, hands-on classroom workshops centered around poetry or catching ideas to inspirational and interactive assemblies focused on the journey of a book from idea to publication. She also offers professional development workshops on the power of poetry and picture books in the classroom, singing/movement-based storytimes for preschool or kindergarten, and much more. Born and raised in the Capital Region, Megan loves coming back to work with New York schools.

A magic show with comedy, juggling, audience interaction and featuring Roger Rabbit!

LAUGH-A-LOT POETRY - Interactive Assemblies Award-winning poet and children’s book author, Darren Sardelli, is an exciting, enthusiastic speaker who makes poetry fun and meaningful to young people. His relatable topics, empowering words, and light-hearted poems keep students engaged and entertained. Interaction and audience participation is a big part of his show. During a lower grade assembly, students solve poetry riddles, become characters in Darren’s poems, and are taught how to express themselves in positive ways. During an upper grade assembly, students learn the importance of words, find out how to make their writing stand out, and discover how powerful their imaginations can truly be. Participants will be motivated to read and write poetry, start an idea book, and think in a creative direction. BUILD-A-POEM WORKSHOP - Creative Thinking & Writing Are you looking for something that builds confidence, enhances creativity, and teaches a valuable skill? Darren Sardelli’s BUILD-A-POEM WORKSHOP does all this and more! Students learn how to paint pictures with words, make writing more descriptive, and write poetry that stands out. Darren combines everyone's ideas and writes a fun poem with his audience. After their poem is complete, students either illustrate the poem or write poems of their own. This workshop shows students how to put ideas in motion and gives them the tools they need to feel good about writing poetry. THE POWER OF WORDS! - Motivational Assemblies (6th-12th grade) International poet, author, and speaker, Darren Sardelli, empowers middle school and high school students with words. His assemblies are designed to motivate, educate, and demonstrate the incredible things that can be accomplished through hard work and perseverance. Darren's real-life stories connect with and captivate young adults. Through self-belief, determination, and dedication to his craft, Darren transformed himself from an unlikely writer into a professional poet. He shares his passion with students and shows them how words can heal, inspire, and impact lives. THE AWESOME POETRY SHOW – Family Night Award-winning poet and children’s book author, Darren Sardelli, brings poetry to life with his enthusiasm, excitement, and passion for writing. His relatable poems, light-hearted humor, and inspiring messages not only generate positivity, but also help his audience get in touch with their feelings and emotions. Throughout his show, Darren entertains people with his amusing and uplifting rhymes, showcases his poetry riddles, and brings families together with his empowering words.

A Soldier’s Life uses an interdisciplinary approach to teach students about the daily lives of American soldiers on America’s northern frontier in the early years of the Revolutionary War. This engaging one-hour program incorporates history, geography, and math to provide context to the personal experience of American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Students will explore the equipment and food of soldiers and discuss the challenges of transporting and supplying the Continental Army, understanding Fort Ticonderoga’s strategic location. We offer this program both in person and online. Please look at our website for more information!

We teach and perform a wide range of classical, folk, and Bollywood dance styles at school, at work, at the musem and anywhere! Ajna’s programs celebrate diversity and foster cultural inclusion for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Youth motivational speaker David Flood has been speaking with and helping teens and young adults for over 20 years. He teaches teens through the telling of his own very personal stories about his family in the past and present. At David’s student assembly programs he uses simple examples that students can relate to in order to show them how to improve their lives and how to have a profound impact on those around them. David will reinforce any social and emotional learning (SEL) that your school is already providing. He believes in proactive emotional literacy to encourage dignity and respect throughout the building. It is for this reason that he has spoken in over 600 middle schools and high schools as well as leadership conferences, parent workshops, and professional development days for teachers. He’s been a featured speaker at middle school assemblies, high school assemblies, colleges, and teacher/counselor conferences throughout the United States and Canada and established himself as a national youth motivational speaker that students connect with on an emotional level. David is one of the best youth motivational speakers in the country today.