KidsReach to visit these schools during the 2008 - 09 academic year:

The list of participating artists and programs of KidsReach has grown, since 1993, to include the following:

Programs:

Multi-Cultural Music Assembly
performance for student-body with historical and cultural information covering the regions of Japan, Brazil, India, Africa, North America, Central and South America

Cinco De Mayo Assembly
explores this holiday and Mexican culture through music and song

Create Your Own Instrument Assembly
performance featuring authentic instruments and guided instruction in the creation of replicas of instruments such as Steel Pan (Caribbean), Talking Drum (Africa), and Pan Pipes (South America), out of household items

Classical Music Assembly
students are shown how classical music has been influenced by several world cultures and genres of music

Cowboys and Indians
West meets East with this unique collaboration of artists presenting a music and dance adventure whereby children explore the music of India and Texas

Indian Dance Assembly
featuring classical dance and music from India

Vocal Intensive Workshop
an exploration of the voice as used in jazz, pop, gospel, blues and opera for choral students

International Ballroom Dancing Classes
students are selected (by their teachers and school administrators) to participate in international ballroom dancing classes

Inside Out Project
Music Artist-in-Training workshops wherein percussion students learn to play authentic steel drums, culminating in a final performance

ACT Workshop
High school students gain hands-on experience in television production – operating cameras, decorating sets, writing scripts, interviewing subjects, acting and editing tape

The Rhythm & Movement of West Africa
children explore the timeless rhythm & movement of West Africa where the dance & drum tell stories of this rich and diverse civilization

Kalinka
introduces children to the music & traditions of Russia & Eastern Europe.

Journey of World Music
a musical journey from India through the Middle East into Europe enlivening the historical journey taken by the Roma Gypsies in 1000 AD.

Voices of the Middle East
the energetic, magical music of Iran & the Middle East teaches children about this intriguing ancient culture – the cradle of civilization.

The Love of China
immersion in Chinese culture with a full sensory experience of dances from a variety of periods & regions performed in colorful authentic costumes.

Artists:

ASSEMBLIES
ANURADHA NAIMPALLY (DANCES OF INDIA) has performed traditional Indian dance in India, Canada, Kuwait, and Italy. She was awarded the prestigious Jacqueline Lemieux Prize from the Canada Council and was bestowed the title of Sringar Mani in Bombay, India after her performance at the Kal-Ke-Kalakar Festival. Anuradha has been on the faculty of various universities in and around Austin, such as The University of Texas, St. Edward’s University, and Southwestern University.

BOB LIVINGSTON (COWBOYS & INDIANS) – Singer/songwriter Bob Livingston, a native Texan, has been involved in the music business for 35 years and has played with some of Texas’ most colorful musicians including Jerry Jeff walker and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, he has toured exotic countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh inviting local musicians to perform with him. From his many travels, Livingston created Cowboys & Indians, a cross-cultural fellowship of musicians from Texas and India.
www.texasmusic.org

EMILY DEDEAR (LOVE OF CHINA) – Emily Dedear began teaching Chinese dance in Austin in 1992, and officially founded The Love of China School of Chinese Dance in August of 1999. She grew up in Taiwan, where she trained in numerous different forms of dance, including traditional Chinese. She is a graduate of Chinese Culture University in Taiwan as a dance major. She specializes in Chinese folk dance, Kung Fu for Chinese Opera, ballet and so on; she is also an expert at both stage performance and dance pedagogy.
www.theloveofchina.com

HARTT STEARNS (MULTI-CULTURAL MUSIC ASSEMBLIES), One World Co-founder and Executive Director, is a performing artist in his own right. A UCLA graduate, he studied under a Nigerian and a Ghanaian master drummer as well as a Brazilian percussion master. He spent most of his musical career (1979-1992) recording and touring internationally with the Argentine band Arco Iris who have earned multiple gold records. During this time he played with such music giants as Alex Acuna (Weather Report), Chester Thompson (Phil Collins), and Chris Rhyne (Santana). Stearns was also part of Music Center On Tour (MCOT), the largest multicultural arts-in-education outreach of its kind, based out of the Los Angeles Music Center. There he performed over 1,000 shows for Southern California schools. MCOT sends the highest caliber artists from a variety of cultures and art forms into the schools to perform and educate youth. Upon arriving to Austin and seeing a great need for such a multicultural arts organization to serve Austin's youth, Hartt founded One World.

ILUMINADA (MULTI-CULTURAL MUSIC ASSEMBLIES), One World Co-founder, is an accomplished recording artist who has performed with The Four Tops and Jaco Pastorius. She has television appearances and several studio recordings (including national commercials for McDonalds and Cinemark) to her credit. This gifted vocalist currently gives multicultural music assemblies for KidsReach, as well as artist-in-residencies which focus on teaching children how the voice is used in different cultures.

JAVIER CHAPARRO (CINCO DE MAYO) played violin for the National Symphony of Peru at the age of 12. This child protégé earned the equivalent of a doctorate from the National Conservatory of Lima at 14, and was asked to represent his country at the International Music Festival of Latin American Countries. He is currently the Concertmaster for the Brazos Valley Symphony in College Station. For KidsReach he gives classical music and Cinco de Mayo school assemblies.

KALINKA (MUSIC OF RUSSIA & EASTERN EUROPE) – Sergey Vashchenko and Vladimir Kaliazine, the Russian duo of Kalinka, each began studying music in their early childhood – Sergey on the balalaika (a three-stringed instrument) and Vladimir on the bayan (a five-row chromatic button accordion). Ukranian-born Sergey studied at the most prominent music school in the country, earning a Masters Degree in Music from the Ural Conservatory, eventually returning to become Dean of the Music Department. A native Latvian, Vladimir studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory earning high honors and subsequently toured as featured performer with the famous Dance Ensemble of Siberia. Sergey and Vladimir toured together throughout Russia and Europe and have recently settled in Texas.
www.kalinkamusic.com

LANNAYA (THE RHYTHM & MOVEMENT OF WEST AFRICA) – Lannaya is an extended family of five drummers, led by Master Drummer Alseny Sylla, and eight dancers led by choreographer Master Jean-Claude Lessou. Monsieur Sylla is from Guinea, West Africa and began studying drums at the age of 16. Jean Claude Lessou, choreographer/dancer, was born and raised in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, West Africa. In his country, he was a performer and choreographer with Dante Theatre Company for five years before touring the U.S. as Principal Dancer with Ballet Jolem.

MOHAMMAD FIROOZI (ATASH) – Mohammad Firoozi Dashtestani was born in Borazjan, a village on the Persian Gulf, and at the age of 17 he emigrated from Iran and settled in Austin. He sang and played with various Austin bands, most notably fronting The Gypsies (selected by Chronicle readers in 2000 and 2001 as one of Austin’s top bands). He founded the world music ensemble of Atash in 2001; the group performs regularly throughout Austin.
www.atash.net

OLIVER RAJAMANI (JOURNEY OF WORLD MUSIC) – Oliver Rajamani has received training in voice as well as tabla, flamenco guitar and various other musical instruments from renowned masters in his homeland of India. He traveled Greece and Israel studying the Roma Gypsy communities and their music as well as Greek and Arabic music. Today he plays more than 7 different instruments and has performed and recorded with internationally acclaimed artists such as the Gypsy Kings.
www.oliverrajamani.com

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCIES
AUSTIN CREATIVE TELEVISION (ACT) WORKSHOP utilizes producers, writers and performers to convey the art of acting and television production to high school students. ACT productions have been televised on CNN, HBO, ABC, CBS, and FOX. ACT is run by the former host of "Real News for Kids," a show which aired weekly on CNN for four years.

CJ MENGE is a versatile percussionist who has performed at Carnegie Hall and as a guest artist with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Additional experience includes performances with the Houston Symphony and the Austin Symphony. He currently conducts steel drum workshops and extended residencies in the Austin Independent School District for KidsReach.
www.insideoutsteelband.com

SABRINA BARKER, Director of Dance International for Youth, is an accomplished dancer, choreographer and actress. She starred in "The Stepford Children" and guest-starred and danced on NBC's "Fame" and "Ryan's Hope." She was featured in "Magnum P.I.," "Matlock," and Woody Allen's "Radio Days," and has numerous other television and film credits. Sabrina leads the international ballroom dance workshops for KidsReach.
www.allwaysdance.com