Welcome to the Statewide Art and Enrichment Roster, Hosted by CiTi BOCES
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This directory of artists, presenters and vendors is for contact information only. Please note that all
approvals are determined by individual BOCES and/or District criteria and do not guarantee acceptance of
proposed contracts.
Sharmilla Fassbender
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.
Confident Concerts by Caley Rose
Confident Concerts is an empowering SEL music assembly that blends self-confidence skills, bullying prevention methods, and motivating upbeat songs.
For Elementary Schools
Are you looking for an engaging, interactive assembly that helps your kids achieve their SEL and bullying prevention objectives? Power poses, instrument playing, and affirmations that promote a growth mentality and boost self-esteem are all part of our energetic musical performance.We provide kids lots of chances to become involved! Make a lasting impression while letting their wiggles out with music, movement, and purposeful learning.
Confident Concerts helps create a community of Upstanders with our elementary school assembly and keep them involved throughout the entire process to cultivate a culture of compassion and perseverance at your school. Through music, dance, and thinking techniques, we meet students where they are and assist them in regaining their confidence following bullying and avoiding recurrence. In order to develop resilience, students learn how to normalize unpleasant ideas, reframe self-talk, and acquire mental health tools. We have seen even the most “hard-to-reach” students embrace their peers, initiate a movement, and cultivate a sense of community.
For Middle/High Schools
Do you need an assembly that will truly connect with middle and high school kids and hold their attention throughout? Through music, dance, and thinking techniques, Confident Concerts meets students where they are and assist them in regaining their confidence following bullying and avoiding recurrence. In order to develop resilience, students learn how to normalize unpleasant ideas, reframe self-talk, and acquire mental health tools. We have seen even the most “hard-to-reach” students embrace their peers, initiate a movement, and cultivate a sense of community.
Caley Rose is a Billboard-charting singer and songwriter who has been featured in Forbes, NPR, Authority Magazine, ABC, FOX, Top 40 radio, commercials & more. After being bullied in middle school, Caley dedicated her life to finding her own self-confidence and to empowering students and women to discover their own by using the power of music. She has received awards and grants for her work in music and education and co-designed Music with a Message with leading teen and child psychologists. To date, she has uplifted and empowered over 4,000 students across the US!
Optional Add-ons:
In-class materials for teachers to teach the WOW Principles to self-confidence pre-assembly
Lyric & Chord Sheets to learn the MWM music before the assembly
Take home worksheets
PowerPoint presentation
Breakout groups
I coordinate Onondaga Lake education experiences for elementary and middle school students. The lake field trips involve hands-on learning stations that include fishing, water quality testing, a nature walk to learn about the ecosystem, a local history lesson related to Onondaga Lake, and an integrated art project.
China Patterns
Spectacular athleticism one moment, pure grace and precision the next. This program features a new interactive movement theater portion that will bring the Chinese classical poem of the folktale of Mulan to life, as well as a diverse selection of Chinese dances performed in full, traditional costumes. Students will get to learn Mandarin phrases, traditions, and dance movements through interactive segments included in the program.
Program Length: 45 min
Award-winning, internationally renowned musical storytelling duo Barry Marshall and Jeri Burns PhD, aka, The Storycrafters, present performance, workshop and residency programs integrating storytelling with numerous areas of curriculum.
Storytelling has been documented in multiple studies as a support and building block of literacy. Schools that participate in storytelling programs see marked improvement in student language, reading and creating writing abilities.
Storycrafters programs work to enhance student literacy through the storytelling art form. Storytelling also acts as an active support to many areas of curriculum, including character education, history, multicultural and international studies, and more.
The Storycrafters have been working in schools and other venues since 1991, building a vast repertoire of stories and workshops to introduce storytelling and use it to enhance many areas of student learning. In addition, The Storycrafters present workshops for parents and teachers introducing the many ways storytelling can enhance student development in the home and classroom.
With 30+ years of experience in the storytelling art form and its many use in the classroom and school environment, The Storycrafters are a valuable resource for any school community looking to enhance literacy while supporting many areas of curriculum.
Looking for a little less trouble at your elementary school? Then it’s time to call Les Trouble Problem Investigator! Maybe your school doesn’t have a big problem with bullying, but you’d like a little more help getting kids to get along. Les Trouble PI and his sidekick Spike will show your students the skills they need to handle little problems on the playground or in the classroom completely on their own.
This Conflict Resolution School Assembly and Leadership Assembly Show is all about Safety, Responsibility and Respect, and how leaders utilize these positive behavior traits to solve problems even when they are upset or angry. Les Trouble PI guides students into discovering that getting along with each other takes Cooperation, Communication, and Treating others with Mutual respect during this conflict resolution school show.
Support your PBIS program or celebrate Red Ribbon Week with Les Trouble PI. Throughout the conflict resolution school assembly show, students will learn more about the simple four-step process to solving their own problems in peer to peer conflict resolution.
David Hagerman has been performing his math science assemblies for over 20 years. Though we are based in Branson, MO, David performs all over the country. Extreme Science 2.0 is a forty-five minute program that can be performed for grades K-12. Math-A-Magic and Sound of Science are also 45 minutes long and the same price as Extreme Science 2.0. Since Extreme Science is our most popular, I will put the description of it here. The show is catered to the age of the student audience. Most schools request multiple back-to-back shows, splitting the students into like-grades. The older students get a more advanced show with the science explained in more detail. For younger audiences, the visual nature of the show keeps their attention without talking over their heads.
This show is a large production including two performers, music and amazingly visual demonstrations:
700,000 Volt Van de Graaff generator (VDG): (one of the largest you can find), it creates 10-15 inch lightening bolts and more than enough static to raise hair
Vortex Cannons: creates flying rings of fog
Floating beach balls: thanks to the Bernoulli effect, we have flight
Video of the live in person performances:
VDG (2.5 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhST0NcqmEc
Vortex Cannons (7 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwXDdWSe_uE
For regular IN PERSON performances, the prices are as follows:
For one daytime performance per school site, it is $1475.
For two back-to-back daytime performances at the same school site, it is $1975 total.
For one morning and one afternoon (AM/PM) split performances at the same school site, it is $2275.00
For one evening performance per school site, it is $1575.
As a package deal; two afternoon performances and an evening family show at the same school site is $2700 ($800 savings).
If you have 2 or more schools that book, you EACH get 10% off. If 3 or more schools book, you EACH get 15% off.
David was invited to be on America's Got Talent for the 2021 season. His edited America's Got Talent performance: https://youtu.be/86FYGTmE1CU
Additional info:
Extreme Science: https://www.schoolscienceassemblies.com/extreme-science-school-assembly
Short promo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnPrOCJnNcM
Archived testimonials date back to 1997: https://www.schoolscienceassemblies.com/references
The Boston Globe published this article on David Hagerman in their business section.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2018/08/31/like-say-that-everything-percent-fake/os7VhPzfujVQrgmXpy99JK/story.html?event=event12
Performing over six hundred shows a year gives David a solid reputation that spans over 20 years of performing science assemblies nationally. We guarantee our show is one of the best you can find. If you disagree, no payment is due.
David Gonzalez, PhD. has had a long life of creating content and performing for young audiences. He has a YouTube channel on which you can explore featuring his many offerings for kids K-12 and covering a number of topics.
He has a show titled " Finding North" about the underground railroad, and the present day migrant issues. Aesop Bops! is for the youngest, Cuentos: Tales from the LatinX World is for grades 2-5 in which he offers some bi-lingual interactions with the students, Maddog and Me: Bullying and the Power of Kindness is for middle schoolers. David also creates performances for general audiences.
Please contact manager Sandra Peevers for more information, video links, etc. and to discuss availability and fee. David tours countrywide, so identifying your dates early is recommended. David also offers Teacher Development courses as well as workshops for kids.
DAVID GONZALEZ - BIOGRAPHY Storyteller/musician/poet/playwright David Gonzalez, Ph.D received the Lifetime Achievement Award from International Performing Arts for Youth, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his original production of “The Frog Bride” at Broadway’s New Victory Theater. Mr. Gonzalez was named a Fellow of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and was the host of New York Kids on WNYC for eight seasons. He wrote Rise for Freedom!, an opera libretto commissioned and produced by the Cincinnati Opera, and Mariel, an Afro-Cuban musical which won the Macy’s “New Play Prize for Young Audiences”.
Mr. Gonzalez' poetry has been featured at Lincoln Center's Out-of-Doors Festival, Bill Moyers' documentary Fooling with Words on PBS, and NPR's All Things Considered. His performance poem, Oh Hudson, was commissioned by the Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center to commemorate the Quadri-centennial of Henry Hudson’s exploration.
He is the author of numerous plays and one-man shows including: The Boy Who Could Sing Pictures, Aesop Bops!, Double Crossed: The Saga of the St. Louis, As If The Past Were Listening, MytholoJazz, Maddog and Me, Wounded Splendor, Finding North, City of Dreams, Sofrito!, The Carnival of the Animals, The Man of the House, and Sleeping Beauty which have been presented at many of the best performing arts centers, theaters, and festivals in the US and abroad. David was a featured performer at the National Storytelling Festival and received his doctorate from New York University's School of Education. Mr. Gonzalez is bi-lingual and is the Artistic Director for the Crisalida Communications, a company that consults on arts outreach to theaters and community organizations.
For schools, David's main shows are: Aesop Bops!, Cuentos: Tales from the LatinX World, Maddog and Me: Bullying and the Power of Kindness, and Finding North.
Anita Sanchez is an award-winning author of books on science and nature for young readers. She offers school programs on the challenges and adventures of researching and writing about the natural world.
Traveling shop class is a unique program that makes wood working accessible and safe for students grades PreK-8.
Students learn about a trade that is both a career and an art form. Students get to make wood sculptures with specialized tools in a safe environment; all materials and supplies provided. With guidance and one-on-one attention, students will design and create their own unique wood sculpture to make and keep.
Traveling shop class easily aligns with any visual arts curriculum addressing goals for sculpture, critical thinking and problem solving, culture and careers. Traveling shop class addresses the NYS standards for the visual arts for creating and connecting. Students will generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. They will organize and develop their ideas and work experimenting with forms, materials and artmaking approaches, balancing experimentation with safety and responsibility, while interacting in ways that enhance and empower their lives.
Through artmaking students develop awareness, knowledge and experiences, and solve artistic problems. Part of the traveling shop class presentation is about environmental conservation which has cross curricular connections to science goals for habitats. 21st Century Skills such as critical thinking, creativity, social skills, communication, flexibility, problem solving, productivity, adaptability, curiosity and imagination, self-direction and perseverance are embedded as students plan and build, share, take turns, make corrections, and practice safety.
Traveling shop class programming is easily adaptable for unique school-wide or individual class experiences including a modified format to be inclusive of all abilities.
Celebrate the Erie Canal Bicentennial with "The Erie Canal: A Story of Building the Impossible," Sandy Schuman's presentation with more than 275 informative images.
Learn about the Great Depression through songs and stories of those times. Marvel at the story of "Lead Belly: Singer, Songwriter, Murderer; King of the 12 String Guitar." Sing along to songs from the Great American Songbook and hear the stories about how they came to be written with "Familiar Songs and their Unfamiliar Stories."
Planting Seeds of Joy: Cultivating Environmental Stewardship and Personal Growth
Program Description:
Cody Wasial, Americas Joy Catalyst, brings Wee Plant Joy's mission to schools through an engaging program that inspires environmental stewardship and personal growth.
Small Group Version (15-30 students):
Eco-Mindfulness: Guided sound and movement exercises to connect with nature.
Seed Planting: Hands-on activity representing personal growth and conservation.
Conservation Storytelling: Sharing inspiring Wee Plant Joy project stories.
Vision Board Creation: Students design boards reflecting environmental goals.
Eco-Action Planning: Brainstorming sessions for local and global environmental initiatives.
Assembly Option (Larger groups):
Interactive Presentation: Engaging talk on environmental stewardship and personal growth.
Group Eco-Mindfulness: Brief guided exercise for the whole assembly.
Conservation Storytelling: Sharing impactful Wee Plant Joy stories.
Collective Vision: Creating a school-wide environmental vision board.
Call to Action: Inspiring students to participate in eco-friendly initiatives and create a campaign alongside Wee Plant JOY efforts .
Educational Impact
This interactive presentation aims to inspire students to actively engage in conservation efforts while promoting personal growth and enhancing environmental awareness. By combining storytelling, creativity, and actionable planning, students will leave feeling empowered and motivated to make a positive impact on the world around them. This overview captures the essence of your interactive presentation while ensuring clarity and engagement for students. Both versions aim to inspire active participation . The program can be tailored to specific classroom needs and age groups.
For older students (9-12), Wee Plant Joy will offer eco-tours, providing hands-on experience with ongoing conservation projects.
NOTE: We are building are new Wee Plant Joy Website as we speak which will also have an interactive component that kids can watch and participate in and with as well engage in social media campaigns and follow the journey of Wee Plant Joy and know they are making a difference.