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Sparking Joy

September 26, 2023 By Cindy Sherwood

At our Sunshine Beach Party event recently, we paid tribute to two long-time musicians, Steve Ambrose and Janet Kriner, who have retired after decades of service. One of the special moments during the event came when Board of Directors’ member Linda Dennis spoke about how Janet has inspired her as a musician. As a cellist, Janet was an original member of the Feldman Quartet in the 1950s—the quartet’s performances were the very earliest version of Young Audiences of Virginia, now known as Arts for Learning.

Linda, who’s been a board member for about eight years, retired in 2016 after teaching music in Norfolk Public Schools for 30 years. She’s a violinist in the Virginia Symphony Orchestra where she played with Janet for decades, but the two first encountered one another when Linda was growing up in Norfolk.

“My life was anything but privileged. It’s very unlikely that I would have encountered a string quartet as a child,” Linda says. “I grew up in a very working-class neighborhood, working-class schools. It’s just not something that my family did. One day when I was in the fourth grade, a string quartet came to our school for a performance, and they were from Young Audiences. Janet probably was in that quartet. I was just fascinated with this ensemble, and I fell in love with the violin myself.”

In fifth grade, Linda started playing the violin at her elementary school. When she was 13, she attended a week-long summer orchestra camp, which was new to the area. Janet worked with the student musicians as a cellist specialist, and she made a big impression on Linda.

“I just thought she was the happiest person I had ever met. She always had a smile on her face. She just seemed like she was filled with joy. She was excited to work with us. It didn’t seem to be a burden for her. She thoroughly enjoyed it. And she sparked enthusiasm with the kids as well.”

Throughout the years, Linda continued to interact with Janet as she guided young musicians, including serving as a coach for the Tidewater Youth Orchestra (now Bay Youth Orchestras of Virginia where Linda played violin. But after earning a spot in the Virginia Symphony in college, Linda saw a different side of Janet, who was principal cellist.

“She had a professional persona and then a student persona. Students got all the inspiration and happiness and joy, but as a professional, she was a tough cookie. She was demanding of her section, and she was a perfectionist,” Linda says. “I loved seeing that you could be both. You could be a student advocate, kind and understanding and patient, but then you had standards for yourself, and I really respected that in her.

“She is like gold to this area. She’s just a gem. She’s done so much for kids and for teachers too. She’s inspirational to the teachers.”

Linda’s experience playing the violin when she was young—and the joy she witnessed in Janet—motivated her to teach music.

“I knew the joy that I felt as a child… it’s not an opportunity that I expected. And it just really changed the course of my life. So whatever I can do to give back and give some other child that experience that’s what I wanted to do.”

Linda gives back in a different way on Arts for Learning’s board. As someone who first enjoyed a Young Audiences’ performance 55 years ago, she appreciates the ways in which our organization has evolved over the decades, such as incorporating Virginia’s Standards of Learning into its programs.

“I really love the way [Arts for Learning] works so hard to build programs to give the students exactly what they need. I think that the way we’ve transitioned over the years to give students exactly what they need, exactly when they need it, is quite a service to the community.”

At Arts for Learning, we want to express our thanks to both Linda and Janet—two individuals who have contributed so much to the school, arts, and nonprofit communities throughout the years.

Are you interested in serving on the Arts for Learning board? We’re always searching for dedicated arts advocates who are leaders in their fields. If you’d like more information, please contact CEO Chris Everly at CEO@Arts4LearningVA.org.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: arts education, Arts for Learning, Arts for Learning Virginia, arts-in-education, board of directors, teaching artists

Major News: Arts for Learning Becomes the Coastal Virginia Wolf Trap Affiliate

August 14, 2023 By Katie Driskill


We’re… thrilled… honored… happy… ecstatic… overjoyed… and delighted to announce we’re now partnering with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. As the Coastal Virginia Wolf Trap affiliate, we’ll bring customized arts-based teaching and learning programs to early childhood classrooms.

“Our teaching artists have the opportunity to be trained in the Wolf Trap method, which focuses on bringing arts-integrated strategies into the classrooms of our youngest learners,” said Drew Lusher, Arts for Learning Artist and Programming Manager and Coastal Virginia Wolf Trap Affiliate Director. “We’re excited to foster this work in our community.”

The affiliate program is operated under Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, a program of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts based in Vienna, Virginia.

Last week, four teaching artists on our roster received paid training to learn creative, interactive techniques of how to work with children in preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Wolf Trap Master Artist Trainer Christina Farrell showed how to incorporate song, movement, imaginative play, and musical instruments into lessons that introduce key curricular concepts such as literacy and social-emotional learning.

The training sessions were held at Children’s Harbor Ghent where the teaching artists had the opportunity to practice what they learned with young learners.

“I greatly appreciated observing Christina with the kids,” said Arts for Learning’s Amelia Zontini. “Each day they bloomed a little more. On my way out to my car on Friday, Miss Destiny and some kids opened their door and cried out, ‘Thank you!’ What a special experience for us all.”

Teaching artists who participated last week were Ryan Clemens, Jennifer Graham, Dylan Pritchett, and Amelia Zontini.

Arts for Learning’s Cindy Aitken, James Cooper, Via Goode, and Roberta Lea will undergo training in September.

Initially, Coastal Virginia Wolf Trap will deliver services in Norfolk, but will branch out to other Hampton Roads’ communities in future academic years. Our Wolf Trap-trained teaching artists will partner with early childhood education classroom teachers, illustrating how they can use the performing arts to engage children, enrich their learning, and reinforce the curriculum. Through multi-day residencies, our teaching artists will work one-on-one with classroom teachers to create custom lesson plans using proven, arts-based learning experiences.

We couldn’t be happier (or more elated… excited… glad… eager… tickled pink… you name it!) to enter into this partnership and join Wolf Trap’s network of 24 affiliates across the United States and Singapore. Thank you to all who made last week’s first training such a success!

Filed Under: Arts Integration, ArtsEd, News Tagged With: arts-in-education, early childhood education, teaching artists

Making a Splash in Hampton

July 9, 2023 By Cindy Sherwood

It’s almost time—we’re excited for the kickoff of “A Splash of the Arts” in downtown Hampton this Saturday, July 15. The day will be packed with performances and workshops by Arts for Learning’s musicians, artists, actors, storytellers, and dancers—programs just perfect for school-aged children and their families.

The FREE downtown Hampton arts and entertainment series runs from 10 am to 4 pm at the Hampton History Museum, 120 Old Hampton Lane in downtown Hampton. The series continues the next two Saturdays, July 22 and 29, with new programming each weekend. Check out the full schedule here!

This Saturday, you can learn traditional dances from around the world with
Rita Cohen…

Explore techniques that help actors create unforgettable characters with
Katherine Willet…

 

 

 

And listen to musical instruments from different cultures and continents with Curtis Blues.

But there’s more!

Sail the Caribbean seas on the sound waves of steel drums with Gary Garlic….

 

Enjoy folktales from
around the world with
Via Goode…

Hear the story of Martha Ann Fields’s escape to freedom from actor
Valerie Davis…

And watch the remarkable portrayal of Frederick Douglass by Nathan Richardson.

Museum admission will be free to all from 9 am to 5 pm. There’s also free parking in the garage across the street from the museum.

This is the second year we’ve partnered with Hampton City Schools Fine Arts Department, the Hampton History Museum, and Downtown Hampton Development Partnership for this family-friendly series of arts programming. All programs are inside the air-conditioned museum. So get set to beat the heat and make a splash starting this Saturday, July 15!

Filed Under: Summer Programs

In Their Own Words: IDEAL Residency Students

June 6, 2023 By Cindy Sherwood

Sometimes we can learn the most about the impact of a program that we offer directly from the students we serve.

So we wanted to share comments from some of the students who participated in our IDEAL (Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages) residency this spring. Remarks from students at Virginia Beach’s College Park Elementary and Portsmouth’s Westhaven Elementary are divided into the categories that we measure before, during, and after the residency to determine gains: self-worth, community connectedness, and creative expression.

SELF-WORTH

Emma, College Park, 5th grade: “It showed me I could really be anything I want to be.”

Sadé, College Park, 5th grade: “I want to teach others how to do art. It’s very inspiring. It makes you feel like you can do other things that you thought that you couldn’t do in art. And that’s why I love Arts for Learning.”

Deniya, Westhaven, 5th grade: “I learned you can do what you want to do. You just have to keep practicing. Don’t let anybody make you come down, just keep trying and trying… And you might end up being an artist if you keep trying.”

Harmony, Westhaven, 5th grade: “I got a lot more friends in my life. They made us sit at different tables so we could get to know each other, and it really helped a lot. I’m very shy. I got put into a room full of new people I didn’t know, at least most of them. I guess I had to branch out… I feel like Arts for Learning made me into a better person.”

COMMUNITY CONNECTIVENESS

Samantha, Westhaven, 6th grade: “Arts for Learning was important because it helped you connect with who you are and your identity.” (Samantha had noted that she was Filipino on her mother’s side and used to visit cousins in the Philippines prior to Covid. She said she had done research about the Philippines as part of IDEAL.)

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Sadé, College Park, 5th grade: “I’m more excited when I do art. It makes my heart burst.”

Mark, Westhaven, 6th grade: “I created a phoenix, and it was really inspiring because it shows my personality, like the power of the phoenix. It’s a sock puppet so it’s silly and goofy but on the inside it’s powerful and meaningful. The project changed how I saw myself because I expressed my inner personality.”

Kerrington, College Park, 5th grade: “Before I joined [the IDEAL residency], I wasn’t really artistic because I didn’t think I could do the things I wanted to do. When I joined Arts for Learning, it was really fun because I got to paint, do watercolors, and sculptures…. Anytime I go home, I have paint and canvases in my room, and I just paint nonstop. And my mom tells me to go to bed and I’m like, ‘No, I’ve got to paint.’”

Mary, Westhaven, 5th grade: “I realized that I could express myself in different ways instead of just talking about it. I can express myself through singing or dancing or painting or drawing. Arts for Learning has helped me a lot because I learned I can express myself in different ways.”

Raenah, Westhaven, 5th grade: “I’ve changed the way I express myself going to [the IDEAL residency] because I learned that I don’t have to just speak the way I feel, I can draw it out, dance it out, sing it out, or do it all types of ways. My favorite way of showing my feelings is  painting. I can show it if I’m mad, happy, sad, or any other emotion. The painting I did for the Chrysler Museum I basically just put lots of fun and colorful things because I feel like it describes how I am most of the time because I’m mostly happy.”

Many thanks to Hannah Sobol and Jackie Glass of Heard Productions for conducting  interviews with students at the Chrysler Museum.

The IDEAL student art exhibit is still on display and available for the public to view through Sunday, June 11. Admission to the Chrysler Museum is free. The artwork can be viewed at the Margaret Shepherd Ray Family and Student Gallery.

Filed Under: Art Exhibit, Arts Integration, ArtsEd, Program Spotlight Tagged With: creative expressionls, IDEAL, Portsmouth Public Schools, residency, success stories, Virginia Beach City Public Schools

An Artistic Tribute to Marty Einhorn

May 17, 2023 By Cindy Sherwood

                      

A very special—and poignant—Arts for Learning performance this month honored the life and legacy of former board president Marty Einhorn.

A4L’s Rita Cohen performed A World of Song and Dance as a free performance in memory of Marty, who died in 2021 at the age of 63. After Marty’s death, Arts for Learning received many gifts in his memory. A board subcommittee decided those donations should be used each year to underwrite a school performance and small stipend for the school’s music educator. Arts for Learning selected Norfolk’s Granby Elementary as the first school because it was where Marty was inspired to learn to play the trumpet after watching a Young Audiences’ performance.

“Granby is a school that is deep, rich with tradition and love of learning,” said Denise J. Green, principal. “Mr. Einhorn was inspired as a youth in this building—he attended here in the 60s, so you’re talking more than 50 years ago. This is a great legacy to leave for the students to be inspired, just the way that he was inspired when he was a young boy. I hope that today was the ignition for some students that they will have the same love for art and music.”Marty’s wife Susan, son Will, and parents Barry and Lois Einhorn attended the memorial performance, which included a tribute to Marty and the impact he made during his life.

“It was so nice to see his generosity and his musical ability and love for music honored here today,” said Susan Einhorn. “I try to be half the person he was. He was the most generous person in the world. And every day I just feel so lucky to have spent most of my life with him.”

A number of A4L board and staff members also enjoyed the program, remembering the man who was a friend to all and passionately devoted to Arts for Learning’s mission of quality arts education.

Board president Beth Hazelette called Marty “the backbone of our organization for as long as I can remember.”

“Marty did so much to make sure we have programming for children. It’s very special that we were able to come back to his school and honor him here. And even though the children were little, I think they understood why we were here.”

Martin (Marty) A. Einhorn passed away February 18, 2021 after contracting COVID-19 while battling cancer. Marty was a founding member of Norfolk CPA firm Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer and an active community and arts advocate who served on the boards of 14 separate nonprofits during his lifetime. After becoming involved with Young Audiences in the mid-1980s, Marty first served as president of the Board of Directors in the early 1990s and was later re-elected in 2011. Marty received our Volunteer of the Year award twice, sharing with us his time, financial resources, creativity, and leadership skills. We are thankful we could use the funds donated in his honor in a way that furthers his legacy.  

To give to Arts for Learning in Marty’s memory, please use this link to donate online, https://young-audiences.networkforgood.com/projects/174292-annual-fund-68, or send a check to Young Audiences of Virginia, 420 N. Center Drive #239, Norfolk, VA 23502.

Filed Under: ArtsEd, Donor Spotlight, News, Program Spotlight Tagged With: donations, Granby Elementary School, Marty Einhorn, Norfolk Public Schools, tribute concert

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Main Office
Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive
Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502

Phone: 757-466-7555

Main Office

Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive
Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502
Phone:
757-466-7555

Arts for Learning Virginia Names New CEO to Lead Arts-in-Education Nonprofit

The Board of Directors of Arts for Learning, the Virginia Affiliate of Young Audiences, voted at its annual meeting to name Anna Heywood Green as CEO of the organization. Heywood Green has served as Interim CEO since January 1, following the retirement of former CEO Christine Everly. Prior to January, Heywood Green worked as the organization’s […]

Join the A4L Mailing List!

Sign up to receive the latest news on arts integration from Arts for Learning! Thank you for supporting arts-in-education.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Arts for Learning Virginia. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
At Arts for Learning Virginia, we’re proud to be part of the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ Passport Program. While Passport holders typically receive free admission and 50% off classes at participating organizations, all our programming is always free—no discount needed. To learn more about our public events, check out our calendar of events page here.

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