What is Opera Saratoga’s Education Program? Each year, Opera Saratoga tours an Opera production to more than fifty public and private schools throughout the greater Capital and lower Adirondack regions of NY. The performances feature charismatic professional artists who love to share their joy of music and theater through the opera, as well as through question and answer sessions where students have the opportunity to meet the artists and learn about the music and what it takes to put on a performance. In a world where the default forms of entertainment for children are primarily television, video games, and the Internet, Opera Saratoga’s In-School Opera program provides youth with an all-too-rare opportunity to experience the visceral thrill of the live performing arts, up close and personal! Opera Saratoga's touring program includes a lesson plan that arrives a month before the performance, a professionally staged opera performance in your school, along with a post-performance discussion between the artists and your students. Schools will also receive an invitation to the dress rehearsal of the performances in Opera Saratoga's summer festival. Contact us now to book your opera performance for March 2025!

Multi-media storyteller, musician, and adventure cyclist George Maurer presents Tales from a Bicycle Seat, a cultural exploration of his epic journeys across the US, Iceland, Patagonia, Sri Lanka, Canada, and Vietnam. Touches on diversity, cultural exchange, character education, growth mindset, cultural geography and more. Short segment on bike safety included in every show! Tales from a Bicycle Seat blends live storytelling, demonstration and interaction with original music and stunning video from George’s international bike-packing expeditions to show students how pushing past his comfort zone broadened his understanding of the world and of himself, tested his limits and showed him that human connection can transcend culture, language and geography. George draws from his 35 years as a world-class composer and performer to curate a uniquely creative up-close experience. Students almost feel like they’re on stage as he immerses them in live Go-Pro and drone footage from the road and invites dialogue so they can ask questions and explore with him what it means to build character, have empathy and grow personally.

G’day! We weave Australian cultural arts, core curriculum, character building (kindness, acceptance, ant-bullying and more), motivational speaking and audience participation into super-engaging and interactive shows, workshops and residencies. Since 2003, we've presented 10,000+ programs at schools and other venues nationwide … including all regions of New York ... with countless rave reviews! Our K-12 programs include … 1) Didgeridoo Down Under Show: Australian Music, Culture, Character Building & More! (PreK-12th) 2) Protect the Planet Show: World Music, Earth Science and Ecological Entertainment! (K-9th) 3) Aussie Funk Jam: Didgeridoo Workshop! (2nd-12th) 4) Didgeridoo Residency: Multi-Day Immersive Didge Experience! (3rd-12th) 5) Adventures of the Wild Wolf: Unleash Your Inner Reader & Author! (K-5th) – virtual only We adjust our programs according to grade levels and learning objectives. Please visit www.didgedownunder.com for more info. Our promotional videos are available at www.didgedownunder.com/gallery. We’d love to visit your school during our next New York tour!

Kevin Kurtz is an award-winning nonfiction children's author (www.kevkurtz.com) of over 25 books for kids grades kindergarten to middle school about science, nature, and technology. Kevin can provide up to five 45-minute presentations during an all day school visit. He can do different presentations for each grade level. For assembly programs, Kevin can read and discuss one of his books or present highlights from more than one book. The highlights can be focused on specific science curriculum topics, on the process of writing nonfiction, or be a grade level-appropriate “greatest hits” selection from my books (You can see the list of highlight topics here: http://www.kevkurtz.com/school-visits.) The book reading and highlights presentations will also include sections on how Kevin became a children’s author, the process he uses to write nonfiction, and a Q&A session at the end. Kevin can also do writing workshops for smaller groups with a maximum of 30 students per program. Workshops are for grades 3 and up. Kevin will lead students through the process of researching, writing, and editing nonfiction and work as a group to produce informational texts. Writing workshops can be extended to a week-long residency where Kevin will lead groups of students through the steps of creating nonfiction texts in more detail.

Hi There! I’m an Author-Illustrator of Graphic Novels, Picture Books and Recycled Art Building Books for grades K-8. You can book a Workshop, Assembly OR create an immersive “Comics" or "Steam Invention Day” for students with guided sessions and worksheets. TOPICS INCLUDE: • Creating CHARACTERS for Comics • Building STEAM Projects from Recyclables • Tips and Techniques for GRAPHIC NOVELS • My Work Process from IDEA to Story to BOOK Students will learn my journey from childhood artist to the published author and illustrator of seven books. Brian Yanish Children’s Author / Illustrator / Maker *2023 NYSCATE Student STEAM Fest KEYNOTE Speaker ————————————————— “You will not find a more talented and collaborative presenter for your next author visit or Maker Space today.“ -Tammy Pulver, SLMS, Lima Primary School, Lima, NY

From performances to workshops to artist residencies, Wandering Theatre strives to spread the magic of storytelling and self expression with young audiences. PERFORMANCES: We offer performances as school assemblies, along with a 15 minute talkback following each show to answer questions from the audience, and give an inside glimpse into how our puppets work. Our puppet show is called "The Dragon and the Wanderer". It is 30 minutes long, appropriate for grades K-5, and has themes in line with SEL content (friendship, compassion, standing up to bullies). It utilizes shadow puppets, hand puppets, physical theatre, and a surprise transformation (the set turns into a giant dragon puppet!). Set to original music, “The Dragon and the Wanderer” does not use language, and has played very well for ESL students, deaf students, autistic students, and students with developmental disabilities. WORKSHOPS: We run puppeteering and puppet-building workshops (catered to grade level/student capabilities). Workshops can coordinate with Art and/or STEAM classes, and can be brought into those classrooms as a single-day workshop or a multi-day artist residency. In our shadow puppet building workshops, participants will build their own shadow puppets out of paper plates and learn how to manipulate them on a shadow screen. In our physical theatre & puppeteering workshops, participants will practice bringing everyday objects to life, creating cooperative puppets in groups, and using physicality and motion to tell stories.

We offer hands-on learning experiences for all levels and ages in the creation of woven three dimensional baskets, lanterns, living structures and sculpture.

New York Times bestselling author of middle grade and young adult author of over 40 books, Jen Calonita offers both large and small group author assemblies and writing workshops that focus sparking creativity in children. Using popular fairy tales, Jen offers both a "Twisting Tales" workshop for younger and older grades as well as an editing workshop for older students. Her assemblies focus on how she went from a reluctant reader to a writer and how students can turn their own ideas into story magic.

We are a movement of second chances and self-worth through media content, music, school assembly programs and outreaches. Reminding people that it's NEVER too late for a CLEAN SLATE! You are WORTHY to "Rewrite Tomorrow

Catapult is a Shadow Illusion performance company. They were propelled into the limelight and into the homes of millions of people around the world as finalists on America’s Got Talent. Heidi Klum and Howard Stern were two of their very first fans and now they’ve added many thousands of fans around the globe, touring the USA, Europe, and Asia with their hit show, Magic Shadows. Their shows are an amalgamation of dance, theater, illusion and storytelling. Their stunning visuals coupled with whimsy, heart and athleticism create a spellbinding show perfect for all ages. Catapult is easy to produce, delightful to work with, and they love to engage with communities and audiences. Catapult is available for corporate and private events to entertain, engage and educate. They've created custom work for a variety of organizations including Girl Scouts, United Way, YMCA, Association of Mental Health Workers and more. Catapult also offers incredible educational and community outreach for 3rd grade and up, including workshops, residencies, and school shows that can be tied in to school curriculums such as Language Arts, Math, Science, and SEL. School shows are 45-60 minutes and can be structured as a lecture/demonstration, full dance performance, or as a show + Q+A. They offer study guides for Elementary through High School age groups. There are no language barriers with the show, so ESL and hearing-impaired students will enjoy the show the same way other kids do! Their educational outreach also offers opportunities for students to become a part of the magic themselves and perform live with Catapult during their public performance, either by learning and performing Catapult’s very own “Angel Heart” piece, or by creating a piece of their own during Catapult’s brand new Fantastic Creatures and How to Make Them residency week.

The Arch Stanton Quartet offers two presentations that bring together music and literature. Both are inspired by classic American novels. “Shadow & Act: Music Inspired by Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man” presents a program of original jazz compositions and readings based on Ralph Ellison's “Invisible Man,” a classic American novel published in 1952, offering a first-person fictional account of an unnamed narrator’s attempts to navigate complex racial and social relations in the first quarter of the twentieth century. ASQ’s program includes three original jazz compositions inspired by scenes or motifs from “Invisible Man,” along with a rendition of Fats Waller's “Black and Blue” – a tune which figures prominently as a literary device in the novel. The performance also includes readings from Ellison’s book. "Exploring the Sheltering Sky: The Music and Words of Paul Bowles" is a presentation of music, readings, and reflections inspired by Paul Bowles’ celebrated 1949 novel “The Sheltering Sky.” Through original compositions of their own – as well as readings from the novel and adaptations of Bowles’ own musical compositions – the Arch Stanton Quartet weaves together a performance experience as mysterious and captivating as the novel itself. The programs are suitable for school assemblies or more intimate classroom presentations, and the band can also work with students and ensembles in a tailored workshop setting, if desired, exploring topics such as composition, improvisation, ensemble playing, and how music intersects with other art forms. Longtime fixtures of the Capital Region jazz scene, ASQ performs original jazz that is experimental, yet rooted in bop and post-bop traditions. The band’s debut album, Along For The Ride, was released in November 2012 on WEPA Records. In March 2013, ASQ embarked on an exploration of its own in North Africa. The band’s jazz-diplomacy tour of Egypt included performances and workshops sponsored by the educational organization AMIDEAST, the U.S. Embassy Cairo, and the Center for American Studies at the American University in Cairo. That experience inspired a second album of original compositions, Blues For Soli, and its “Lady Egypt” suite, also released on WEPA Records.

The Arts Engagement and Education Department serves as a vital bridge between artistic expression and community involvement. Rooted in the belief that art is transformative and essential for personal and societal growth, the department is dedicated to fostering creativity, nurturing talent, and promoting cultural understanding through various educational and engagement initiatives. Our mission is to enrich lives and strengthen communities through the power of the arts. By providing accessible and inclusive arts education, innovative programs, and meaningful community engagements, we aim to inspire creativity, cultivate diverse talents, and foster a deep appreciation for the arts. We offer many programs such as Junior Theatre Celebration, On School Time performances, a high school musical theatre awards program, residencies, 4 theatre camps, and more.