A comprehensive year-long classroom program designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to learn music composition, create original compositions, form music groups, bands, or ensembles, and to promote their work on local and national stage. Through a combination of instrumental training, music theory, composition techniques, and industry tools, students will embark on a journey from individual musicians to collaborative creators, culminating in the production of their original work and how to bring their efforts to market.

The Magic of Reading with Brian Richards is designed to tickle the imagination, highlight the fun of reading, and encourage children to explore the library. This elementary reading school assembly will inspire your students to open a book and start reading! Featuring magic, comedy, audience participation, storytelling, and educational fun, The Magic of Reading assembly show is a hit with students, teachers, and staff! Librarians, Teachers, PTA Presidents, Principals, Students, and Parents have and continue to give amazing reviews for this program. This elementary reading school assembly show promotes reading and the importance of visiting the library, utilizing Magic, Comedy, Storytelling, and Audience participation. The Magic of Reading will touch on reading genres and the types of books found in the library, including Fantasy, Adventure, Mysteries, Science Fiction, Horror, Non-Fiction, and more. The show features the books “The Empty Pot” and “Abiyoyo.”

Hi, I just wrote my first children's book about adventures that my twins with Down syndrome will take you on. This particular story is fiction. The Adventures of Danika and Dalilah: To the Moon with Casey June. Casey is my oldest daughter who prepares her sisters for a trip. I read this to a group of students where I teach, they loved it! In the story I touch upon my girls have Down syndrome, and hearing loss. They also use ASL as a way to communicate. I will read the story and present my power point. Thank you, Dionne Carpenter

Kevin Szawala, also known as Mr. Peace, is a nationally recognized youth motivational speaker from Metro Detroit with a focus on diversity and inclusion, student mental health, bullying prevention, character education and staff enrichment. Additionally, all of his presentations are interactive, high-energy, and adaptable, and they all feature age-appropriate information, interesting multimedia, and inspirational hip-hop musical performances. Heart-focused programs like those Mr. Peace offers are more important than ever to support our children’s entire well-being in light of the consequences of the epidemic and remote learning. Consider booking an in-person or online visit for your upcoming assembly, conference, keynote, retreat, workshop, or other event to bring one of his motivational lectures to your school or organization (list of topics folow). Anti-Bullying Program | Diversity Program | Positivity Program | Leadership Program | Respect Program | Cyberbullying and Social Awareness Parent Program | College/Career Prep | Substance Abuse Prevention | Suicide Prevention | Staff Enrichment

The Funkey Munkey Show is a high-energy, interactive educational assembly that combines meaningful messages with music, comedy, games, and audience participation. Featuring professional entertainer and motivational speaker Jerome Bartlett and the hilarious Funkey Munkey, each program gets students laughing, learning, and actively involved. Designed for Pre-K through grade 6, the show makes important ideas memorable by connecting them to experiences students can understand and apply. Whether students are preparing for state assessments, practicing kindness, building positive habits, or discovering the joy of reading, the message comes to life through an engaging shared experience. Higher Impact Entertainment has served schools in 49 states. Programs can be tailored to a school’s grade levels, goals, theme, and schoolwide expectations, with multiple performances available to accommodate separate age groups. State Test Preparation: “I’m READY!” Help students approach testing with confidence, a positive attitude, and practical strategies. This motivational program encourages students to recognize their preparation, manage nervous feelings, stay focused, and give their best effort. The READY message provides five memorable reminders: - R — Reach: Set goals and reach for your potential. - E — Erase: Erase negative thinking and replace it with encouraging self-talk. - A — Apply: Apply what you have learned and use your test-taking strategies. - D — Do Your Best: Focus, take your time, and give your best effort. - Y — You Can: Believe in your ability to take on a challenge. The program supports the work teachers are already doing while building enthusiasm and confidence before testing season. Character Education and Social-Emotional Learning These programs encourage students to make thoughtful choices, develop positive relationships, take responsibility, and recognize how their actions affect others. Schools can select a theme that complements their character education or SEL priorities: - Be the IMPACT: Impress, Motivate, Positive, Achieve, Courage, Together. Students explore how their choices, attitude, and willingness to help can make a positive difference at school and beyond. - Be SUPER!: Safe, United, Power, Empathy, Rise. Students discover everyday ways to be heroes through safe choices, teamwork, empathy, and actions that help others. - Choose to SHINE: Special, Honest, Inspire, Nice, Enjoy. This uplifting program celebrates individual strengths while encouraging honesty, kindness, inclusion, and a positive approach to everyday challenges. - I’ve Got the POWER: Potential, Opportunity, Winner, Education, Respect. Students are encouraged to recognize their potential, make the most of opportunities, value learning, and demonstrate respect. - Live the DREAM: Direction, Responsible, Encourage, Action, Merit. Students connect their goals to responsible choices, encouragement, effort, and purposeful action. - The Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Fairness, Caring, Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship. These familiar values become practical examples of how students can contribute to a positive school community. - High-5 Character: Follow Directions, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Use Self-Control, Be Prepared. This program reinforces five clear expectations students can practice throughout the school day. Kindness, Respect, and Bully Prevention Build a school culture where students feel included, respected, and encouraged to seek help. Through age-appropriate examples and interactive activities, students explore empathy, respectful words and actions, accepting differences, and including others. The program also addresses safe ways to respond when someone is being mistreated, including supporting classmates and reporting concerns to a trusted adult. Content can be incorporated into a character theme such as Choose to SHINE or Be SUPER!, or tailored to the school’s bully prevention priorities. Reading Motivation: “Reading ROCKS!” Celebrate books and help students see themselves as readers. This energetic program presents reading as an opportunity for enjoyment, discovery, imagination, and growth. Each letter in ROCKS reinforces a reason to read: - R — Really Fun: Reading can be an enjoyable part of everyday life. - O — Options: Different books, topics, and formats give readers choices. - C — Cool: Reading is something to celebrate. - K — Knowledge: Books help us learn about the world and discover new interests. - S — Success: Reading supports learning, confidence, and future goals. Reading ROCKS! is a strong fit for literacy celebrations, reading challenges, family literacy events, and schoolwide reading initiatives. Goal Setting and Personal Motivation Encourage students to identify goals, recognize their strengths, and take action. This program emphasizes effort, persistence, positive self-talk, and learning from mistakes. Students explore how small, consistent choices can help them make progress in school and in life. Themes such as Live the DREAM and I’ve Got the POWER provide memorable frameworks for these messages. Drug Prevention and Healthy Choices Support age-appropriate drug prevention education with an encouraging focus on healthy decisions, personal responsibility, positive influences, and asking trusted adults for help. Content is adjusted for the participating grade levels and can support Red Ribbon Week or other school wellness initiatives. PBIS and Schoolwide Expectations Reinforce the behaviors and shared expectations that help a school community succeed. Programs can incorporate a school’s existing language, values, or behavior expectations, with messages about safety, respect, responsibility, self-control, preparedness, and teamwork. This option supports PBIS and the schoolwide prevention component of MTSS by giving students a memorable, shared experience around positive choices. Back-to-School Programs Start the year with energy, connection, and a sense of belonging. These assemblies welcome students, celebrate new opportunities, and introduce or reinforce schoolwide expectations. Messages emphasize friendship, respect, teamwork, and taking responsibility for a successful school year. End-of-Year Programs Celebrate students’ effort and growth while reinforcing lessons they can carry into summer and the next school year. These programs combine an exciting school celebration with messages about achievement, kindness, positive choices, and continuing to learn. Family Fitness and Family Engagement Bring students and families together through interactive games, music, movement, and shared participation. Family Fitness events encourage active fun and connection while creating an engaging opportunity for families to participate in their school community. Program Format and Technical Requirements The standard school assembly is approximately 55 minutes, with adjustments available to meet scheduling needs. Content and presentation are adapted for the audience, and schools may schedule separate performances for younger and older students. The Funkey Munkey Show is self-contained. Higher Impact Entertainment travels with the equipment needed for the performance, including speakers and microphones. The school provides an electrical outlet, an appropriate performance area, and a private changing space for the mascot. The program can adapt to a variety of school spaces and audience sizes. Additional educational resources are available to help schools reinforce program messages. Pricing is all-inclusive, and dates are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Partnership pricing is available for schools coordinating performances during the same trip. Booking Contact: Jerome Bartlett Phone: (210) 882-2255 Email: jerome@higherimpactent.com Program Information: HigherImpactEnt.com Upcoming Tour Dates: FunkeyMunkeyShow.com

Engaging and fun school assemblies that can focus on Kindness, PBIS, Growth Mindset, Leadership, Anti-Bullying and Reading. Three "Basketball" Jones presenters with over 15,000 assemblies performed all over the country. This is a highly recommended assembly that is extremely engaging for both the students and staff.

The Story Ship takes audiences on a one-of-a-kind interactive adventure. Each performance blends comedy, theater, magic, music, robots, animation, and immersive video to create an unforgettable experience for kids. Students don’t just watch—they actively participate by solving puzzles, helping with magic tricks, dancing to upbeat music, and interacting with animated characters throughout the story. With a giant video screen and incredible props, every show feels like stepping into a larger-than-life world. We currently offer five exciting programs: Diggery Digger’s Dino Adventure (Science) The Great Pirate Race (Math) Aliens Alive! (STEAM) Super Me! (Anti-Bullying) The Rainbow Thief (Art)

I offer two one-person plays (one about Langston Hughes the other about Dr. King) and one poetry reading from my award-winning poetry collection Boneyarn, the only book of poems about slavery in New York City, where the oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States is located. In conjunction with any of the above presentations, I have thematically related writing workshops so students can have their own creative experience to go along with my presentations. Below are descriptions of the three shows. I also give talks about the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz Trumpeter Louis Armstrong, and Tuskegee Airman Harry Stewart Jr, who was part of the first group of African-American military pilots who fought in World War II. Below are descriptions of the Langston Hughes, Dr. King and Boneyarn presentations. DAVID MILLS PRESENTATIONS 1) The Dreamweaver: Langston Hughes Performance and Creative Writing Workshop What better way to celebrate Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes—affectionately known as “Shakespeare in Harlem”—than to have students see a dramatic 45-minute presentation about Langston Hughes. Actor David Mills, (whose Hughes show was voted the #4 young-adult show in the nation by The American Library Association) does just that. He takes students on a theatrical odyssey of Hughes’ life spanning six decades from his humble Missouri childhood to his days living in Harlem as an adult. Mr. Mills also captures Hughes’ world travels and writing of his classic poems, such as “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Mother to Son,” “I, Too,” “Montage of a Dream Deferred” and “Madam Alberta K.” While playing black and white, young, old, and male and female characters, Mr. Mills captures Hughes’ unending love for Harlem—with its foibles and fantasies, bruises and beauty. Mr. Mills show also explores how Hughes wrote nearly 50 plays. A Q&A would follow the presentation. Mr. Mills could also conduct a writing workshop using a Hughes blues poem as a model. 2) Dare to Dream: Dr. King Performance and Creative Writing Workshop In a 45-minute, dramatic presentation for an auditorium of students and teachers, actor David Mills would take the audience on an engaging, historic journey, where they witness Dr. King go from a young preacher (with uncertainties about Civil Rights during the Montgomery Bus Boycott) into the nationally-recognized figure he became during the 1963 March on Washington. Mr. Mills’ stirring performance looks at Dr. King as both the public figure and private man. Be roused, be inspired, be transported by “Dare to Dream,” Mr. Mills’ theatrical tribute to Dr. King. A Q&A would follow the performance. Mr. Mills has worked as a teaching artist and performer for over 20 years in schools, universities, and senior centers. So, in conjunction with the performance Mr. Mills can also lead a 45-minute creative writing workshop, in a smaller classroom setting, using Dr. King’s iconic “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as a writing prompt. This workshop will get students to write poems in the forms of letters that relate to their lives. Talking to the Bones: Poetry reading about slavery in New York City and Creative Writing Workshop. Award-winning-poet David Mills would read from his collection, Boneyarn, winner of the North American Book Award and the only poetry collection about slavery in New York City, where the oldest and largest slave cemetery in the United States is located. Mr. Mills would conduct a 45-minute reading to an auditorium and use projected visuals to give attendees a sense of 17th-19th century New York. Mr. Mills would discuss the research and writing process that went into creating this groundbreaking book, where he weds little-known colonial history and poetry. What lessons can be learned from coupling these two disciplines. The reading would also be followed by a Q&A. Mr. Mills has worked as a teaching artist and performer for over 20 years in schools. Therefore, in conjunction with the reading, Mr. Mills can lead a 45-minute creative writing workshop that uses a question-and-answer form from his book Boneyarn to get students to write their own poems reflecting on slavery in New York City.

Kelly de la Rocha is a poet, journalist and founder of poem RENOVATION, a fun, web-based word challenge that promotes literacy, creativity and social-emotional learning. The software was a prize-winner at the 2024 Yale Innovation Summit. Every day, poem RENOVATION presents users with a scrambled snippet of literature. They select words that resonate with them, then move them around on a digital canvas. The rules? There are none. The objective? To create. During her lively, interactive workshops, Kelly details how poem RENOVATION came to be and how it works. Students have an opportunity to create a poem, phrase and/or word art on the site, share their creations, and receive positive feedback. Along the way, constructs including perspective, voice and figurative language are discussed. Poem RENOVATION has been used by hundreds of students from New York to California and has become a favorite, ongoing activity in a number of classrooms. Workshops: *Are appropriate for middle and high school classes *Can be personalized to include literature of the teacher’s choice *Are offered in-person or via video call WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING: “The level of confidence that I saw grow in my students was amazing, from not being willing to share to being willing to share, from sitting quietly and not saying much, to offering a compliment or asking a question to better understand one of their peers.” ~Teacher Valerie Wadsworth, O’Rourke Middle School, Burnt Hills, NY They’re loving it! ~Teacher Renee Duran, Stone Valley Middle School, Alamo, CA It empowered them and it brought them to a place where they wanted to share what they made and they love that their creation was never wrong. I think that was what really made the students feel so special and so willing.” ~Teacher Dena Marie de la Rocha, Gowana Middle School, Clifton Park, NY “I immediately understood the impact it could have on public school children’s literacy and social-emotional development. ~Lauren B. Carpenter, Ed.M, Director of Education Programs, Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT

Explore Books on a Reading Safari. Finally – an elementary reading school assembly show that’s really about reading and language arts – and a lot of fun, too! Adventures in Reading is not another thinly disguised magic or puppet show that briefly mentions books. Instead, it’s a highly energetic, motivational program that’s received rave reviews from countless teachers and librarians. During the zany 40-minute reading safari, our hero, Ed Venture, helps students discover that reading leads to many rewards. The Adventure Includes: Sentence Structure | Punctuation | Story Parts | Spelling | The Alphabet | Word Games | Book Genres | Benefits of Reading.

Author/Illustrator Timothy Young has 16 published children's books, from board books to chapter books. His presentations include book readings, an interactive drawing demonstration and discussions with students about creativity and the writing and drawing process. He has also worked in the fields of animation and toy design, having worked on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, designing and building Muppets and he was the first person to sculpt the Simpsons characters for toys. He brings and shows samples of some of that work. Timothy is also available for interactive workshops and residencies.

We offer an interactive Author Visit for grade Prek-5 where we bring our character Farley (the world's favorite penguin!) We have three signature songs that we incorporate into our visit. We teach the children the process on becoming an author and getting your book published which we focus more on with the older grades. We offer a bundle pack where the children can get a book and a Farley plush for a discounted price. The class that has the most book order forms can win a pizza party with Farley.