Nancy J. Parisi

Images & Writing for the Web with Photojournalist, Nancy J. Parisi, is a program that encourages various aspects of writing and image-making suitable for high school students to share on the internet. Based on either student interest, or school curriculum needs, writing projects may be poetical, journalistic, or creative - or some of each.
Workshop (back to back): $184.00

Miché Fambro

In the Finding Your Own Voice workshop, musician Miché Fambro helps students explore classroom topics through music, rhythms, stories and a smattering of history. Miché demonstrates through his music the ways in which he incorporates and translates a wide range of musical flavors and rhythms into his own unique sound. In so doing, he takes his audience on a mini-tour of different cultures' musical traditions. Students will be given the opportunity to play with rhythms and to create their own music on the spot.

Workshop (back to back): $184.00
Performance(back to back): $415.00

Nathan Naetzker

Not Just a Pretty Face: New Directions in Self-Portraits workshop with Teaching Artist, Nathan Naetzker, challenges students to examine the traditional art of portraiture in new and innovative ways.  From finding inspiration from their footwear to designing their own 'tag' using graffiti art as a reference, students will investigate formal elements such as line, shape, space, form, texture and color. Students will strengthen their meta-cognitive abilities as well as their sense of identity.

Workshop (back to back): $184.00

Configuration Dance Theatre

Configuration Dance Theatre brings the romantic ballet classic Giselle to life on your school's stage. Their performance retains the original characters, plot, choreography and themes of the original ballet produced in 1841 while relocating the setting to Western New York.

Back-2-Back Performance: $910.00

This October, Executive Director, Cynnie Gaasch took part in a daylong workshop entitled "Applying Finance," presented by National Arts Strategies (NAS). The workshop was part of the NAS Future Leadership Program, and was designed to give the next wave of arts and culture executives the skills they need to excel in top management positions.  

Presented at the Brooklyn Museum in collaboration with the New York Foundation for the Arts, the conference awarded 64 attendees from the north east fellowships to attend.

Acceptance into the program connects Cynnie with a national network of Future Leadership Fellows, giving her and her organization access to management expertise and advice from NAS and its network for a year.

Cynnie was joined by Board President, Seema Maheshwari at the national conference for 30 Young Audiences affiliates from across the country in New York in November.  At the conference this year, Young Audiences, Inc, unveiled a new strategic plan, which invigorates collaboration across the network.  This picture shows Seema and Cynnie with Ailleen McCulloch, Executive Director of Young Audiences of Eastern Pennsylvania.

The Association of Teaching Artists celebrated Young Audiences of Western New York this fall, along with just under 100 other arts organizations across the country and in New York State for our service to teaching artists.  Read more here. 

Since early September, children aged 6-13 have participated in "Keep It Moving!" Taught by teaching artists Cindy Hanna, Kip Ralabate, Leslie Wexler and Sarah Hooper, this residency takes place at a Boys & Girls Club and Salvation Army in Buffalo.

While learning a range of dance styles, the children discuss fun, simple ways to make their lives healthier. After each dance class they explore these topics by writing or drawing in a journal.

\We enjoyed reading some of their answers, and thought you might, too. Pictured here is a student's drawing of a favorite from Cindy Hanna's class, a fun routine set to the disco classic "Car Wash." You can read the rest, and view photos of the students dancing, on our Flickr page.

Join Young Audiences teaching artist Doug Yeomans on December 26 to enjoy a retrospective of his nearly forty years as a Western New York musician. Doug has taught for Young Audiences for years as part of The Stringmen. However, his involvement in various bands and musical endeavors has won him a loyal adult fanbase as well.

On the 26th, he'll be performing with Steve Sadoff, Rob Lynch, Willie Schoellkopf, Jim Ehinger, Jim Whitford and his brother Jim Yeomans. Selections will include his original work as well as classics from a range of styles. Tickets are limited to eighty, to ensure this will be an intimate evening of music and story telling.

Show starts at 7:30. Tickets ($10) are available at the Sportman's, 326 Amherst Street, 716-874-7734.

Young Audiences is pleased to announce four new workshops developed by Buffalo's reknowned playwright, poet, actor, teacher, singer and costumer Annette Daniels-Taylor.  Her multifaceted and innovative approaches to bringing the written word and history to life ignites the enthusiasm of audiences of all ages. Annette's dynamic personality and theatrical expertise can bring the joy of theater and performance to any classroom or professional development event.

Students may experience a spoken word performance of original, personal poetry and stories in Stories Through the Microphone. This workshop includes writing exercises to help students gain confidence with the writing process and sharing poetry of their own!

Through the This Is What Happened, Playwriting Stories workshop, young writers may focus on translating their most memorable experiences into dramatic short scenes or monologues set for the stage.

The Mama Songs workshop celebrates childhood memories and illustrates the important relationships we share with the people who raise us. Poetry and prose songs are performed over hip-hop beats and students are given the chance to practice writing poetic memoirs about themselves and their families.

Allow students to engage to engage with New York State's integral role in history involving the Erie Canal, the Women's Sufferage Movement, and freedom through Daniels-Taylor's Nancy Goes to Seneca Falls workshop. Annette brings to life a character based on a real wife, mother and former slave named Nancy Freeman. It is 1848, and Nancy is traveling in her husband's boat down the Erie Canal to be part of the Women' s Convention in Seneca Falls, NY. Nancy shares stories and songs about life as a slave, and her life as a free woman on New York' s Erie Canal.

Many of Annette's programs can be tailored to suit a variety of classroom subjects. These workshops are also available for adult audiences as a professional development event. Call the Young Audiences of WNY office for more details on booking Annette at your school or workplace!

Teachers and Administrators from Holley Central School District joined together with Young Audience of Western New York staff in early November for a professional development retreat that highlilghted the key aspects of the Empire State Partnership they share.

The evening was led by Young Audiences' master juggler and word extraordinaire, Nels Cremean. Nels encouraged participants that "play" can be a necessary component to problem solving and exemplified how humor can be an essential element to creating a successful workplace or classroom. Teachers identified and reevaluated partnership goals while trying their hand at team improvisation, balancing acts and even juggling!

Young Audiences of Western New York has been bringing teaching artists into Holley classrooms for the past two years to collaborate with teachers in creating meaningful, curriculum-specific residencies for students in PreK-12th grade.

Last week our Arts & Education Director, Sunnylee Mowery, attended a reading event at the Charter School for Applied Technologies. This career-prep Buffalo school hosted its annual Celebration of Reading over four days, inviting 150 Erie County professionals to read to students. Sunny is shown here reading a book called Gasp! to second graders. She made sure all the children gasped right along with the book. This was also an opportunity for children to ask the visitors about their careers. When asked if she earned "as much as a baseball player," Sunny replied that she did not, but she did get to talk to fascinating teaching artists every single day.

Today, as Business First recognizes one of our newest Board Members, Jill Sessa, with its esteemed "40 Under Forty" Award, it seems like a fitting day to officially welcome the new leadership on our Board of Directors.

Our new Board President, Seema Maheshwari, served on our board for three years prior to taking the helm. Ms. Maheshwari was born in India, moved to Canada at age 13, and studied radiation therapy as a young adult. Now a Williamsville resident and mother of two daughters in college, she has been involved in the Williamsville East PTA, headed the school’s post-prom committee for two years and currently sits on the Amherst Task Force committee.

Maria Emmi Schory, a recent retiree from the Buffalo Public Schools, is the new Board Vice President. A special education coordinator, Ms. Schory graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a BA in Communication Disorders and an MS Ed. in Speech Pathology from Buffalo State College. She volunteers for the annual Catholic Charities Appeal and the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. She resides in Grand Island with her husband Carl and daughter Carla.

Also new to our board:

• Anthony Billoni, Director of the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute
• Nicole Carroll, English teacher and counselor for homeless and at-risk youth
• Ryan Carroll, Recruiter for StraussGroup
• Mike Hickok, Director of Online Services/Community Education at Catholic Health
• Corrin Matthews, underwriter for WNED and owner of WNY Hypnosis
• Robin Needham, Media Supervisor for Eric Mower and Associates
• Jill Sessa, Associate Director of Development for the UB School of Management/UB Foundation
• Ann Marie Szymanski, Communication Designer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York
• Bernadette Walsh, Global Customer Support Manager for National Air Cargo, Inc.

Photo of Nicole Carroll discusisng our Traveling Museum during "Young Audiences Travel the Erie Canal" at the Albright-Knox on October 9th, 2009.

President Obama has appointed 25 new members to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. These include Yo-Yo Ma, a longtime member of Young Audiences National Board of Directors. Here is a classic photo of our former Executive Director, Helga MacKinnon, meeting Ma about fifteen years ago during a YA event.

Complete list of appointees:
• Edward Norton, New York NY
• Forest Whitaker, Los Angeles, CA
• George C. Wolfe, New York, NY
• Alfre Woodard, Los Angeles, CA
• Kerry Washington, Los Angeles, CA
• Anna Wintour, New York, NY
• Teresa Heinz Kerry, Washington, DC
• Vicki Kennedy, Pacific Palisades, CA
• Jill Udall, Santa Fe, NM
• Thom Mayne, Los Angeles, CA
• Damian Woetzel, New York, NY
• Bryan Lourd, Los Angles, CA
• Dick Cohen, St. Paul, MN
• Ricky Arriola, Miami, FL
• Alexa Wesner, Austin, TX
• Liz Manne, New York, NY
• Anne Luzzatto, New York, NY
• Agnes Varis, New York, NY
• Reggie Van Lee, Washington, DC
• Paula Crown, Chicago, IL
• Christine Forester, La Jolla, CA
• Madeleine Berman, Franklin, MI
• Sarah Jessica Parker, New York, NY
• Yo Yo Ma, Boston, MA
• Andy Spahn, Universal City, CA