Emmy Award winning illustrator, author, and television star of PBS’s 1980’s children’s television series “The Secret City With Commander Mark!” And in the 1990’s “The Imagination Station!” – now on Amazon Prime Video! – Mark Kistler, presents Dare To Draw, an outstanding school assembly for grades K-12. Prepare your students to blast-off to the land of imagination with the power of a pencil! This unforgettable, 100% hands-on assembly encourages students of all ages to participate by stretching their imaginations in adding depth and perspective to their drawings. Mark Kistler will inspire your students to “Dream It! Draw It! Do It!” in harnessing the power of their imagination to make their life dreams come true. Students only need a pencil, a piece of paper, and a smiling positive attitude ready to learn how to draw in 3-D!

More than a show! A transformational experience! " AmagiNation with Ama Unicorn” is a high energy, interactive musical storytelling performance experience integrating tools for social emotional learning & mindfulness .Through live original music, storytelling, dance, movement, guided mindful moments, puppets and audience participation, children and care-givers are invited on an immersive, shared, unifying journey where they are invited to actively participate and practice powerful social-emotional and self-regulation tools in real time - connecting to the self, one another and the Earth. This event blends theater, storytelling, music, mindfulness, movement, humor and creative play to support children’s emotional expression, imagination, and self connection. Through song, story, movement and meditation children are invited to explore feelings, build confidence, resilience, and transform challenging emotions and thoughts into creative expression in a safe, playful environment . The program is designed as an educational, arts-based experience focused on emotional literacy and creativity — not therapy. Children are guided first into their bodies and senses, then into imagination, story and dance and mindful participation followed by creative expression and sharing, and finally into gentle integration and closure. Ama also offers professional development courses and one on one courses in the following to educators, facilitators, students and individuals of all ages: Mindfulness, emotional regulation, emotional intelligence, confidence/ self esteem building, resilience, creative problem solving, stress reduction, meditation, comedy, storytelling, acting and songwriting and performance technique

As an author of over 100 comprehensible readers for students learning languages, I very much enjoy connecting with students of all levels about the stories that I write and hopefully, those that they are reading in their language classes. I have stories in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and will be delighted to travel to your district to interact with students (even in the target language!) about what they are reading, either independently or as whole classes. My visits are lively, fun and interactive - a great way for students to showcase their language abilities while their teachers stand by and bask in their students' success!

Sculpture/ Written Word Residency In this residency, students will work with multi-media artist Erin Eckler to construct poetry or a creative writing piece that will be transcribed onto a sculpture that visually illustrates their writing. The sculptural element will be constructed using recycled materials ranging from fiber to paper. The first half of sessions will guide the student to begin creating their written work while learning techniques for breaking down and reforming the recycled materials. The second half of sessions will be supporting the constructing of their sculptural pieces while fine tuning their poetry and prose. The students will be taught hand sewing, weaving, 3D construction, collage, and how to deconstruct recycled materials for use. Resident artist will provide technical support and problem solving as needed while the students construct their pieces.

Social studies and non-fiction ELA topics brought to life through music. Themes include Colonial America, Native Americans of NY State, Westward Expansion and the Gold Rush, World Cultures and Communities, The Erie Canal, Immigration to America and more. Programs are presented in-person as well as virtually.

We offer a wide variety of entertainment and educational programs ranging from assembly shows, interactive intensives, and full week residency.

The Children’s Food Lab brings food and nutrition education to schools throughout the NYC and Mid-Hudson region. The Children’s Food Lab (CFL) offers food arts and sciences discovery labs, where curious minds of all ages can connect to the transformative power of food — food that is integral to the health of their bodies, minds, communities, and environment. CFL labs are hands-on, multi-sensory with a STEAM-based approached. They incorporate science, technology, math, nutrition, social studies, ELA, and the arts whenever possible. Students learn the incredible stories behind ingredients they eat all the time, foods like corn, wheat, milk, eggs, herbs, oats, vegetables, spices, cacao, and on. Students explore how food is grown, processed, and prepared, as well as how their food choices affect the health of their bodies and environment. The context and backstory of each ingredient creates a deeper connection between students and their food – a connection that will last a lifetime and shape the course of a child’s health and well-being.

Program Theme Our concert program “Place” explores diverse geographies, languages and musical /cultural traditions from all over the globe, featuring a fusion of original and traditional music from our 6-7 piece ensemble, with a focus on Ghanaian/West African influences. West African dancing is included is showcased in our performance, featuring 1-2 dancers originally from Accra, Ghana. Program Description “Place” takes the original music of Heard and brings the audience somewhere special and distinct in each piece– like the crowded bustle of an Accra open-air market (Market Song), a winding wintry boulevard in Montreal (Cotes des Neiges) or the summer streets of Brazil. (Danca Verao) Through narrative storytelling around our compositional inspirations, we explore cultural, geographical and environmental dimensions of other countries and places. A slideshow featuring maps and photos from our group's recent trip to Ghana provide a beautiful visual backdrop to our performance. Heard musicians include: Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius, keyboards, Laura Andrea Leguía, woodwinds, Bobby Kendall, bass, Brian Melick, percussion, Zorkie Nelson, percussion, Forsino Nelson, dance, Augustina Nelson, dance. All of our members sing! Breakout workshops in West African dance and world percussion can accompany the residency experience. Some of the schools/libraries/museums we’ve performed for include: Troy City School District, Troy, NY--Schools 2, 14, 16, 18 and Carroll Hill Elementary schools Van Rensselaer Elem, Rensselaer, NY Lake George Elementary Lake George, NY Samaritan Children’s Center, Troy, NY Susan Odell Taylor School, Troy, NY Paige Elementary, Schenectady, NY North Colonie Schools, Albany, NY--Boght Hills and Latham Ridge Elementary Schools Saratoga Springs Public Schools- Division St. Elementary Robert C. Parker School, East Greenbush, NY Abram Lansing School, Cohoes, NY Salem State College, Salem, MA ACC, Queensbury, NY HVCC, Troy, NY College of St. Rose, Albany, NY World Awareness Children’s Museum, Glens Falls, NY Guilderland Public Library, Guilderland, NY Albany Public Library–Arbor Hill and Delaware Ave. branches Millbrook, NY Library Silver Bay YMCA Resort Camp Chingachgook YMCA camp

I have an MFA in Art Photography from Syracuse University and teach college photography. I am available for artist talks and artist workshops exploring a variety of digital and analog processes such as digital photography, digital collage, darkroom photography, cyanotypes, and more! I am also offering the following pre-college summer 2025 workshops in Darkroom Photography, Digital Collage and College Portfolio Prep at SUNY Albany campus. For more information visit: https://www.albany.edu/summer-camps-2025#art-writing-camps

Programs present the fascinating story of the Shakers, beginning with their arrival to our site in Albany in 1776, under the leadership of a woman named Mother Ann Lee. We follow their impact on local and national history and material culture. Daily life in this community was deeply impacted by the introduction of the nearby Erie Canal which fueled its transformation from an agricultural community to a community that was both agricultural and industrial. The Shakers lived as hard working and mindful innovators. They were strict pacifists who sought religious freedom and relinquished private property within their communities, and embraced human equality regardless of gender or race. Today, the Shakers are probably best known for their human-centered architecture and furniture design. It’s simple, functional, and beautiful. It's easy to get lost in the aesthetic qualities of Shaker objects, so a big part of what we do is bring attention to the human side of these objects, and how they are reflective of Shaker values. Students can learn to weave on a loom, and other hands-on activities are possible.

We offer a variety of programs that blend expressive arts, mindfulness, and social emotional learning. Our goal is to engage youth of all ages in safe, interactive art activities focused on self-expression and empowerment while promoting mental well-being. All programs can be customized to better meet teacher and student needs, as well as curriculum goals. We incorporate a variety of art processes, techniques, and materials in our lessons. Those include drawing, painting, ceramics and pottery, sculpture, collage, printmaking, creative writing and journaling, STEAM projects, and more! Creative Mindfulness (grades K-5): We have developed a unique Creative Mindfulness curriculum for students in grades K-5. These 45-minute lessons can be taught in isolation or organized into a weekly program that is tailored to meet the needs of your students and strengthen your class community. Each hands-on lesson incorporates breathwork, mindfulness strategies, movement, and an expressive art activity. Many lessons also have a literacy component and are paired with high-quality children’s literature. Participation in our Creative Mindfulness program equips students with the tools to help them be more resilient, improve self-regulation and communication skills, build positive self-esteem and self-confidence, and increase overall happiness. Collaborative Art Projects (grades PK-12): Another program we offer is to come in and work on a collaborative project. This can be within a classroom, a grade level, a school, or a whole district. Collaborative projects help to build self-confidence, establish social cohesion, improve communication skills, and strengthen classroom/school communities. This is a great way to add meaningful art to your school hallways and turn plain walls into interesting, colorful, art-filled spaces that students are proud of. Collaborative art can be posted on walls, hung from ceilings, put in display cases, or painted right onto the walls (inside or outside). YES… we do murals, too! Professional Development (all grades): We also offer Professional Development for teachers and staff at all grade levels. Topics include Social Emotional Learning Through Art, Mindful Arts for the Trauma Informed Classroom, Art & Mindfulness for Teacher Self-Care, and Process Art Experiences for Team Building. In our workshops, we share the research that supports what we do and provide easy to implement practices that will enhance your school community, as well as teacher and student well-being. We teach practical ways to use art and mindfulness for coregulation, to increase feelings of safety and connection, reduce stress, and improve focus. All PD workshops can be customized to meet your school’s needs and available time.

*TOP RATED INTERACTIVE CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAM* We are Path To Rhythm, and we provide a highly interactive and professionally directed Group Drumming and Dance Program for your students. We consistently get 100% engagement with all participants throughout the duration of our program. Our unique program, "A Day of Drum & Dance" has become very popular with the schools we have worked with for several years. We take pride in offering "Grade specific assemblies". It is common that if it is our first time working with a school, after our session a teacher will express to us that it is the best assembly that they have ever had at their school. Our program is unique in that we consistently get 100% engagement with each of the grades that we work with. Because we work with only one grade at a time, all students are hands-on active throughout their session with us and participate in both drumming and dancing. My co-facilitator, Yahya Kamate, has an incredible positive and infectious energy that the students love. Not only does he share about the culture that he originates from in West Africa, but the two of us working together is a model for cultural diversity. As the Founder of Path To Rhythm, I bring my many years of teaching and performing experience to help ensure a highly managed and accountable environment that sets a tone of respect, fun and learning during our programs. DAY OF DRUM & DANCE - (Available for single days or multiple days and residency) Path To Rhythm provides educational and interactive group drumming programs for schools. We bring authentic African hand drums called Djembes to your location and lead interactive, 45 -minute sessions of drumming for groups of 25-90 participants. Each session is led by two teaching artist facilitators. Half of the group of students drum while the other half learns a short dance, after the dance is performed the groups switch parts. Each student learns the benefit of drumming and being of service to the dancers. The group works together and has high energy fun in the process! Path To Rhythm is suited for all age groups and grade levels of children and young adults. This program will create a buzz and excitement that will be the talk of the school for days following our visit. Students will be inspired and feel a new sense of community and school spirit, all while learning Cultural Rhythms. We are educators and professional performers, we commit to provide excellent management to ensure that each group reaches its fullest potential. Path To Rhythm will provide full size Djembe (hand) drums for all participants. Each student will have their own drum to play, all of the drums are alike. Benefits: -Aligns with NYS Learning Standards -Exposes children to music making and dance of other cultures -Promotes self regulation -Creates a sense of community & connection. -Honors and celebrates students, teachers and admin. -Encourages creative expression. -Impact! Creates excitement that can be felt throughout the day. -Releases energy. -Interactive hands-on FUN. Requirements: Use of the full gymnasium or large indoor space for the day. Chairs for participants to sit in while they drum. Access to the space to set up at least one hour before start time. PLEASE SEE OUR VIDEO: https://youtu.be/vwTX9wP7Fc Please contact Adam (adam@pathtorhythm.com) with any questions. We look forward to collaborating with you! Recent testimonials: "We feel incredibly fortunate to have Path to Rhythm visit and do a full week residency at Dows Lane School. Their visit was not only a deeply enriching experience, but also a testament to the power of music and movement to bring out the best in every child. From the moment Adam Issadore and Yahya Kamate arrived, they created an atmosphere where every student felt valued, supported, and capable of achieving something remarkable. In a short amount of time, our young learners were able to master rhythms on the djembe; participate in lively, storytelling dance movements; and connect with each other in ways that we never imagined. Even the youngest students in kindergarten were able to grasp complex rhythms and movements, feeling a deep sense of pride in what they had learned. What made this experience even more impactful was how Adam and Yahya adapted their teaching to meet the varied needs and interests of our students. Whether it was a student who needed more time to practice a rhythm or one who was eager to challenge themself further, Adam and Yahya knew just how to offer personalized guidance. It was evident that their instruction went deeper than just teaching—they were truly connecting with the individual needs and learning styles of our students, making every lesson feel accessible, fun and new. We are so grateful to Adam and Yahya for bringing Path to Rhythm to Dows Lane. This experience has made a lasting impact on our students, and we know they will carry the lessons they learned—about rhythm, movement, culture, and most importantly, the joy of learning—into the future. -William Rich, Dows Lane Elementary, Irvington, NY "Path To Rhythm was an incredible experience for every student, teacher, staff member, and administrator. With authentic African hand drums called Djembes in our hands and the power of music in our souls, we engaged in a unique program that reached every child. The students were divided into two groups: one half drummed while the other half learned a short dance. After performing the dance, they switched roles. The energy was buzzing, smiles were endless, and our school community connected in a profound way. As we learned about African culture and experienced the dances of traditional stories, it became clear that this program is a must-have every year!" -Dan Salerno, Asst. Principal, Searingtown Elementary, NY