Teaching Artists ROC places teaching artists in area schools, after-school programs, senior centers, civic/cultural spaces and local events. These performers and artists enrich existing curricula and support programming by introducing participants to new ideas, concepts and cultures. Outlets of expression are provided for people of all ages, abilities, and walks of life. Who We Are We are independent teaching artists and ensembles sharing a common interest in providing meaningful arts learning experiences for students of all ages. As teaching artists, we share the skills and perspectives we have developed through years of dedication to our disciplines. We don’t just teach our art. We teach a variety of subject areas using our art. Each artist on our roster is different. Each has something special to offer.

You Can Do a Graphic Novel, Comic Book, Meme, or Zine Categories: Creative Writing, Visual Arts Curriculum. Costs VIRTUAL PROGRAMS (ZOOM) One-hour interactive classes, unlimited participants: $500.00 LIVE IN-PERSON PROGRAMS One day: $1,200.00 Four days: $3,800.00 Eight days: $6,500.00 For venues more than 40 miles from Hudson, NY travel cost of $0.50 mile will be added. For venues more than 40 miles from Valatie, NY travel cost of $0.50 mile will be added. Available year-round. Program Theme: Students learn how to create a graphic novel beginning with a six page comic. It doesn’t matter if they can draw. Stick figures are an expressive way for the reluctant artist to begin. Participants are encouraged to bring their sketchbooks and characters they may already be working on. They will learn about The Creative Process, how to write a Character Study, focus on the beginning, middle, end and twist of a story, and Create Layouts. If the program is an assembly, Barbara talks though the program with on-screen illustrations of the process. The school is to provide a computer, projector and screen. Program Description: Each program is custom tailored to the grade, number of students in the class, and number of sessions. If there are four or more sessions per class, the program finishes with a Graphic Novel Exhibition (see below). The Creative Process: 20 creative tips. Creating Characters: Participants complete bio sheets with the character’s name, age, best friend/side kick, powers (if any), biggest fear, life goal, etc. Plotting: Learning how to plot challenges the student to complete a story. Too many begin the story and throw it out somewhere in the middle. The student learns to plot by color code, a method used by film/tv/graphic novel writers. Layout: Participants learn about panels, thumbnails, dialogue balloons, sequence, and making a page pop. Rather than drawing “talking heads,” they draw a close-up, pull back for a long shot, followed by interior, exterior, bird’s eye views. Everybody works at their own pace. Some are advanced artists/writers while others are beginners. It doesn’t matter where they begin as long as they get going. I hand out a “character bible” sheet and encourage them to think about the beginning, middle, end and twist of their story. The twist is what makes the story interesting. I bring in samples of character bibles from Marvel comics which they can keep, and scripts written by professionals. Feedback is an important part of the program. It usually begins when I hold up a student’s drawing and ask them to suggest a name, age, or character trait. The student can take the suggestions or discard them, however, it opens up discussions. In the first session, students are sometimes quiet/shy with other students but by the second, they open up about their characters and stories. After the last workshop, the doors open to parents, friends, relatives, the community, and the local press. Students show and talk about their work…where they got their inspiration for characters/story. The “Graphic Novel Exhibition” attracts a lot of attention and often results in newspaper articles. Having artwork in the newspaper is great for a student’s self-esteem and for their portfolio. Copies of Barbara's textbook You Can Do a Graphic Novel can be ordered for the school library, and discounts are available from the publisher for class-size orders. http://youcandoagraphicnovel.com/students1.htm

The Buffalo Zoo's Education team is here to provide your students with a WILD educational experience! Whether you're looking for a virtual program that will take you inside some of our animal exhibits, a presentation to enhance your Zoo field trip, or the Zoomobile to bring the Zoo to You, we can meet your group's learning needs. There are so many topics to choose from, including unique habitats, amazing adaptations, conservation, and so much more!

For over 10 years, The Art of Education has been helping visual art educators grow. Over that time, our institution has learned a tremendous amount about what art teachers want and don’t want. With that expansive and valuable knowledge and expertise, The Art of Education has evolved into a highly innovative curriculum and professional learning resource partner. The Art of Education's solutions are aligned with New York State Learning Standards for the Arts and are CTLE-approved (#23348). The Art of Education currently partners with dozens of districts across New York including: Freeport Public Schools, Valley Stream Central High School District, Niagara Wheatfield, Niagara Falls City, Williamsville Central, Olean City, Brighton Central, Rochester City, Ellenville Central, East Irondequoit, Phelps-Clifton Springs, Marlboro Central, Waterloo Central, Trumansburg Central, Horseheads Central, West Genesee, North Syracuse, Syracuse City, Liverpool Central, Carthage Central, and many more.

Eileen Egan Mack is a singer/storyteller who has several music programs, storytelling related programs that honor woman in one-person shows and storytelling programs that draw from folk tales, world cultures, history, and personal stories. This program proposal is for a music program. “Jazzy Ladies-Composers, Lyricists, and Singers” featuring vocalist Eileen Egan Mack backed by a jazz ensemble. Eileen, a retired educator, introduces the audience to the music and lives of women of jazz through brief stories and songs. It honors, among others, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Billie Holiday, Maxine Sullivan, Ethel Waters, Joni Mitchell, Diana Krall, and Marian McPartland. This is a program to recognize women’s place in music and social history and presents jazz standards through singing, program notes and jazz instrumentals.

Imaginary Circumstances brings theatre education to K–12 students across the Capital Region. Taught by working actors and educators, we offer classes and workshops in acting, improv, and writing for groups of all sizes—plus in-school puppet and improv shows. Our Professional Development workshops help teams boost creativity, collaboration, listening, and communication through theatre.

Brooklyn Robot Foundry - Lower Hudson Valley provides a STEAM program that combines creativity through art with hands-on engineering builds that teach foundational STEM concepts - essentially, 21st-century skills and science through art. Each class introduces a new project featuring different robot components and art materials. Many projects incorporate sculpting, drawing, painting, and mixed-media decoration, allowing students to explore both artistic expression and scientific principles in an integrated, hands-on way.All robots designed and built by students are functional and interactive - some move, light up, vibrate, or even throw objects. Every creation is unique, reflecting each student’s artistic vision and creative approach. The program is currently active across multiple counties in New York State, offered in both public and private schools as after-school enrichment, in-school residencies, workshops, assemblies, and special events. Our program is recognized by STEM.org as one of the Top 5% “Best in STEM” programs for 2025. The robots we build in class are never the same — while the building process is guided, each student’s artistic vision and design make every creation unique.

I offer a variety of school assembly programs, including shows about recycling and water conservation. In addition I offer workshops in mime, movement and theater.

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.

Local students are exposed to the presence and importance of local at-risk species and habitats and ways they can make a positive difference. Teachers can choose from a full menu of in-classroom and field trips that cover topics including adaptations, life cycles, habitats, photosynthesis, water quality, and more. Our favored field trip, “Habitats of the Saratoga Sand Plains,” highlights the Karner blue butterfly’s life cycle; its host plant, the wild blue lupine; the food chains and webs of the Saratoga Sand Plains Ecosystem; animal adaptations, freshwater life, pollution and habitat loss, and much more. These engaging programs meet criteria set forth in the state’s core curriculum for math and science. We now offer high school programming! Can’t find a program to fit to your needs? Contact us to schedule a unique program, tailored for you

Prepare yourself as Planetarium Adventures takes you on a journey that will Inspire, Innovate and bring Discovery to the classroom. Planetarium Adventures is a completely portable planetarium that comes to you! No matter if you represent a school, a library or even a local community organization, Planetarium Adventures will bring the universe to the classroom. Saving you valuable time and money and the hassle of transportation. Planetarium Adventures uses proven tools to open the world of astronomy and the wonderment of our solar system to the young scientists of tomorrow! Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about our curriculum and procedures

We offer Theater and Arts Mini Camps where youth learn and develop skills such as acting, singing, dancing, script writing, and other various theatrical skills