Get Versed

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

InsideOut presents Get Versed

Get set to Get Versed! InsideOut Literary Arts‘ annual showcase happens Thursday, May 23 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. In the program, amazing students of letters will perform original works on stage. The curtain goes up at 5:30 p.m.

The  show has been hailed as one of the best ways to spend $5 in Detroit. The program takes place at the premier Detroit Film Theater inside the DIA.

The fast-paced show offers Metro Detroit a glimpse of the poetic, literary and artistic expression that happens each day as InsideOut writers-in-residence work show Detroit Public School students how to unleash their voices.

“We teach children to discover the beauty of their voices and to write a better world through their words,” Dr. Terry Blackhawk said. An award-winning poet and educator, Dr. Blackhawk founded iO in 1995 after years of working as a Detroit Public School teacher.

iO now serves more than 5,000 K-12 youth in over 30 schools per year, through a celebrated teaching model aligned with state standards in language arts education. iO creates a professionally printed literary journal for each school served.

Teens in Citywide Poets, iO’s after school poetry workshop, perform for local audiences in the thousands and travel across the US to meet and compete with other youth.

“By immersing students in the joy and power of poetry and literary self-expression, InsideOut inspires them to think broadly, create bravely and share their voices with the wider world,” Dr. Blackhawk said.

Tickets for the 2013 Get Versed arts showcase are available online: click here.

 

Filed Under: Community, Feature, For Students, Fun, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Detroit Performs: Tim Janis’ Celebrate America

March 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Detroit Performs: Tim Janis' Celebrate America

Southeastern Michigan’s gifted young vocalists star in the Detroit Public Television spectacular, Detroit Performs: Tim Janis’ Celebrate America. Orginally aired on WTVS Channel 56, the special program is available online here.

In Detroit Performs: Tim Janis’ Celebrate America, students perform songs that have  uplifted and inspired the nation in times of war and times of peace. Hundreds of talented young singers from schools throughout metro Detroit step into the spotlight on DPTV with renowned producer and musician Tim Janis, a man who’s worked with some of America’s biggest stars and entertainers.

Beautiful songs, outstanding soloists and talented choruses fill Detroit Performs: Tim Janis’ Celebrate America. School performers are featured as a group and close-up, as the program also includes historic and patriotic archival images and video for a most moving musical story that celebrates the people and the nation. The magical television concert features 19 Southeast Michigan high school, middle school and youth choirs. The program was recorded in October and includes talents from :

  • Avondale Middle School
  • Avondale High School
  • Birmingham Groves High School
  • Carter/Johnson Upper Elementary Schools
  • Community Chorus of Detroit
  • Detroit Children’s Choir
  • Detroit School of the Arts
  • Emerson Middle School
  • Garden City High School
  • Lakeview High School
  • L’Anse Creuse High School
  • L’Anse Creuse North High School
  • Livonia Franklin High School
  • Livonia Stevenson
  • Oakland Homeschool Music
  • Redford Union High School
  • Royal Oak High School
  • Southfield Lathrup High School

“(The program) is designed to give our youth the opportunity to showcase their choirs,” Janis said. “The talent our teachers and students have is extraordinary. The project was and is a team effort with DPTV. I am thrilled at the incredible talent, hard work and dedication each choir and its teachers brought to the songs.”

When it comes to America’s love of choral music, Janis knows what he’s talking about. He has produced and worked with Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, and the New York Philharmonic. Janis’ work includes raising funds for public television with George Clooney and James Earl Jones, yet he views his involvement with high school choirs as his most important and rewarding work.

 

Filed Under: Art & Design, Classical, Community, Detroit Public Schools, For Students, Fun, Jazz, Music, Reviews, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , , ,

Sphinx Is No Riddle

March 17, 2013 By

Gabriel Cabezas, 2012 Sphinx Competition Winner
If music had but one note, it would not be art. To be beautiful and interesting and lasting, music needs many types of  notes and many instruments and the sounds they make.

The same holds true for the symphony and musicians, says Detroiter Aaron Dworkin. To be successful, the modern ensemble needs musicians of many backgrounds. So Dworkin started The Sphinx Competition. Now in its 16th year, the competition draws hundreds of the nation’s leading, young Black and Latino string players.

Catch the Finals Competition online:

Full Live stream

and

DPTV Broadcast version

The Finals Concert features the three senior division finalists accompanied by the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. In addition to a performance by he junior winner, audience members will get to text in their vote for the Audience Choice Award.

This year’s Finals Concert was Sunday, Feb. 17 at Orchestra Hall in the Max M. Fisher Music Center. Performances in the DTE Energy Foundation Finals Concert began at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $10.

The image above shows Gabriel Cabezas, the 2013 Sphinx Senior Competition winner. The image is a detail from a photograph taken by Glenn Triest.

Learn more about The Sphinx Competition here.

It’s no riddle. Hear for yourself. The Sphinx Competition stands for the best of the best.

Filed Under: Classical, For Students, Music, Reviews, Who We Are Tagged With: , , , , , ,

You Can Make History – Thanks to Kroger

February 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Cadet Henry Ossian Flipper, United States Military Academy

Help Kroger celebrate Black History Month with the annual “I Can Make History” contest. The program is open to 4th through 12th grade Michigan students.

Kroger will award more than $67,000 in prizes in four categories – art, essay, music and poetry. All entries must be received by 5 p.m., Thursday, February 28, 2013. Winners will be invited to an awards luncheon held Saturday, April 13, 2013.

New this year, Kroger will honor one school with the School Leadership Award and $5,000 and the student that receives the highest score among all four categories will receive the $3,000 Best in Show Scholarship.

All entries should tie into the contests themes. Artwork entries must be original drawings, paintings, paper collages, and/or photographs. Essay entries must be the student’s own work and at least 500 words in length. Music entries must be an original work and a minimum of one minute (not exceeding four minutes). Poetry entries must be the student’s original work and no longer than 30 lines in length.

All entries must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, February 28, 2013. Learn more at http://www.icanmakehistory.com.

The image above is a photograph of Cadet Henry Ossian Flipper. Born a slave, he was the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army, where he encountered racism, bigotry and hypocrisy on the parts of his superiors, subordinates and fellow officers. After being drummed out of the Army, he continued his career as an engineer, land surveyor and land use scholar. Click here to learn more.

Filed Under: Art & Design, Community, Detroit Public Schools, For Students, History, Music, News, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Words Tagged With: , ,

The Future of Education in Michigan: The Public’s Agenda

January 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Michigan Capitol Rotunda

Please join Detroit Public Television this morning for a statewide broadcast/webcast on the future of education in our state. We’ll explore The Center for Michigan’s in-depth look at what our citizens want from our K-12 system with a panel of some of the state’s leading voices. The conversation begins at 10 a.m.

The Future of Education in Michigan: The Public’s Agenda

From The Center for Michigan and Detroit Public Television/Ch. 56

Thursday, March 7 – 10 a.m. to noon

The Center for Michigan will host a broadcast / webcast town hall meeting in partnership with Detroit Public Television on the future of education in Michigan. The program will discuss the findings of the Center’s latest report: “THE PUBLIC’S AGENDA FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION: How Michigan citizens want to improve student learning.”

The town hall meeting will be hosted by veteran journalist Christy McDonald and will have expert panelists from across Southeast Michigan to lead discussions and answer questions about strategies identified by conversation participants for improving student success. The coverage will also feature an interview with Governor Snyder on the future of education in Michigan.

Featured Panelists include:

Panel 1:

  • Pat Convery, President, Howell Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Scott Menzel, Superintendent, Washtenaw Intermediate School District
  • Denise Smith, VP, Early Childhood, Excellent Schools Detroit
  • Phil Power, Founder and Chairman, The Center for Michigan

Panel 2:

  • Amber Arellano, Executive Director, Education Trust-Midwest
  • David Campbell, Superintendent of the Livingston Educational Service Agency
  • Sharlonda Buckman, Executive Director, Detroit Parent Network
  • Tyrone Winfrey, Chief of Staff, Educational Achievement Authority

The Town Hall will be live on-air from 10 a.m. – noon on DPTV’s Channel 56.2 (Channel 287 on Comcast, Channel 155 on Brighthouse and Channel 432 on Charter) as well as streaming live at centerformichigan.net.

You can join the conversation on twitter and ask questions, which the panelists will answer during the town hall event. To join the conversation, follow and send your questions to @CenterForMI using hashtag #FutureEdMI.

You can embed the live webcast on your personal or organizational website, using the code you’ll find here: http://bit.ly/13pgbue

The image above is the Michigan Capitol Rotunda. From the Michigan Senate website:

Above you, the rotunda rises 160 feet to an opening at the top of the inner dome. Called the oculus, or eye of the dome, it provides a glimpse into the vastness of the universe, represented by a starry sky. The rotunda and inner dome are beautifully decorated with elaborately hand-painted designs, as are the walls and ceilings throughout the Capitol. Over nine acres of hand-painted surfaces have been carefully restored to look exactly as they did originally.

Filed Under: Community, Detroit Public Schools, Education, For Students, Reviews, Who We Are Tagged With: ,

FIRST Robotics Competition — catch the action online

January 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

FIRST Robotics Competition

Catch a cybernetic battle royal Saturday when Detroit Public TV and American Graduate present the 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition. Live streaming from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at dptv.org/robotics on April 13. Held at Eastern Michigan University, the event stars teams of Michigan high school students and their robotic creations.

Among the challenges will be the Ultimate Ascent competition. In the first stage, robots will be paired off against one another and toss discs into a series of elevated baskets. The higher the basket, the more points are awarded. Afterwards, the machines will climb giant scaffold-like pyramidal structures in a race to the top.

The championship team goes on to compete in the national championships in St. Louis. The image above shows a pair of competitors from a previous contest.

From FIRST Robotics Competition:

The FIRST Robotics Competition combines the excitement of a varsity sport with hands-on training in science and technology to help high school students discover how rewarding a career in engineering or technology can be. Remote-controlled robots, piloted by students and cheered on by thousands of screaming fans, go head-to-head in short games on the floor of a sports arena, battling it out to earn points during a two-minute round.

Students on FIRST teams learn from and play with the “pros” – professional engineers who donate their time to work side-by-side with students to help design and build the sophisticated competition robots. This gives FIRST students an insider’s view of a career in science, engineering and technology not possible in a normal classroom setting. Plus, unlike other high school athletics, every student on a FIRST robotics team has a chance to turn “pro.”

 

 

Filed Under: Education, For Students, Fun, Science Tagged With: , , ,

Resources to Prepare and Recover from Crisis

December 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mumford High School

In the aftermath of the horrific events in Connecticut, we have been working with Michigan’s State Superintendent of Schools, Mike Flanagan, to gather resources to share with our community.

Please share this message with your own network:

From: Flanagan, Mike (MDE)
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2012 3:55 PM
Subject: Resources for Schools to Prepare for and Recover From Crisis

Dear Colleagues,

Many of us who work with or have children may be searching for ways to help them understand Friday’s tragedy in Connecticut. Sadly, we all know events like these are difficult to prevent. Even when it happens in a different part of the country or world, it can have a significant impact on children in Michigan and in OUR schools.  We thought the following resources might be useful in discussions with your children, your students , and your staffs.

Detroit Public Television and other local PBS stations are working together to bring trusted, helpful information today and in the days to come at http://www.dptv.org/kids/handling-scary-news.shtml.   Initial resources include:

 Major State and Federal Resources

Mike Flanagan
State Superintendent
Michigan Department of Education

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SuptFlanagan

Supporting achievement for EVERY student through a Proficiency-Based system of education.


Filed Under: Community, Detroit Public Schools, For Students, News, Who We Are, Words Tagged With: , ,

Al Jarreau Meets with DPS Students

December 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Al Jarreau with DPS students, educators and friends
Few of us are lucky enough to hang out with superstars.  But don’t tell that to the students at The Detroit School of Arts, a Detroit Public High School, where interaction with household names happens regularly.

On Saturday afternoon, December 1st, about 25 DSA students spent an hour with legendary jazz singer Al Jarreau in Orchestra Hall as he rehearsed for that night’s performance with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.   During microphone checks and sound level adjustments, Jarreau shared advice gleaned from his stellar music career spanning four decades.

“It was wonderful to see how personable he was with the students,” said DSA vocal music instructor Cheryl Valentine. “He would start rehearsing and then turn around and talk to the kids. His stage manager would try to get him to rehearse and Mr. Jarreau would say, ‘In a minute. I have to finish talking to them.’”

What advice did Jarreau give?  “Be sure to laugh,” said DSA sophomore Symone Barber.  “He said, ‘Laughter is the heart of your life.’ It was so inspiring.”  Miss Barber, who sings and is learning to play piano, added, “He was so joyful.  Nothing could bring his mood down.”

DSA junior Ivontae Corbin was similarly impressed. “It was nice to see an artist on stage interacting with his band and crowd that was there and be in total control,” said Ivontae.  “It made me think that I should have a business mindset if I’m going to go into the music business.”

As an educator, Ms. Valentine appreciated Jarreau’s emphasis on academics. “He told them to make sure their grades are good,” she said. “What we see a lot of times is that kids in the arts excel in art class, but not so well in academics because they don’t see the need of it. Mr. Jarreau told them to take care of academics first and then add music and other arts onto that.”

The Detroit School of Arts, with is proximity to The Detroit Symphony Orchestra in Midtown Detroit, has been visited by many prominent musicians, such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, soprano Denyce Graves, rapper T.I., to name only a few.

Seeing the sound check and spending time with a legend such as Al Jarreau was thrilling for students and teachers alike.  Miss Barber succinctly summed up the experience when she said, “It was so… wow.”

The Detroit School of Arts is located at 123 Selden in Detroit.  313.494.6000. Ahna Felix-Brown is Principal. Joining Ms. Valentine and the students for the visit with Al Jarreau were Monica Drake-Howard, attendance agent, DeLois Cooke-Spryszak, assistant principal, and Patricia Moore, counselor.

 

 

Filed Under: Detroit Public Schools, For Students, Jazz, Music, News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Free Jazz Concert for Students

December 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dwight Adams trumpet

Students interested in jazz! Here’s your chance to learn from four Masters of the Genre.

The Creative Arts Collective and Palmer Woods Association invite Detroit metro area students to join in for a FREE educational jazz concert on Saturday, Feb. 16, from 5-6 p.m. at a ­private home in the Palmer Woods neighborhood of Detroit (just north of Seven Mile Rd. and just west of Woodward Ave). The address will be provided with reservations.

Veteran jazz musicians and experienced educators Spencer Barefield (guitar), Dave Young (bass), Dwight Adams (trumpet, photo above) and Sean Dobbins (drums) will perform on the Creative Arts Collective’s Music for Children series, a free outreach program designed for young audiences to hear and interact with some of Detroit’s most gifted jazz, classical and world music artists, who are part of the Palmer Woods Music in Homes concert series. Concerts are held in the intimate settings of mansions and architectural treasures in Detroit’s historic Palmer Woods community. Please visit our website, palmerwoods.org, to read about the concerts and more about the musicians.

Now in its sixth season, Palmer Woods Music in Homes program includes eight concerts, beginning in December and concluding in June, in various magnificent and historically significant homes. The program is now being extended to offer free afternoon programs for Detroit-area children, which we hope to present several times in this year’s series. The goal is to share Palmer Woods’ valuable assets — Detroit’s great music and architectural/artistic residential “concert halls” — with our other valuable assets, our children!

Organizers hope these special, intimate concerts will help to inspire the city and region’s young musicians and children to become lifelong music lovers and future supporters of the arts; and perhaps sitting in our audience will be future Detroit stars, who will also share their talents with the next generation.

To reserve seats for your group, please call (313) 891-2514 by Friday, February 15. Seating is ­limited and is on a first-come basis, so we encourage you to reserve seats as early as possible.

The concert is most appropriate for children from 4th grade through high school level. For younger groups, we’ll need adult chaperones to participate and all children must be able to be part of a quiet, attentive audience. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and interact with the musicians. We look forward to seeing you. Priority seating will be given to students, with limited number of seats allocated for teachers and chaperones. Tickets for the evening concerts are available for adults to purchase on palmerwoods.org.

The image above is from The Jazz Cat, posted there by one James Carter.

Filed Under: Architecture, Community, Detroit Inspires, Detroit Public Schools, For Students, Fun, History, Jazz, Music, Who We Are Tagged With: , ,

Bring it Brass

November 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

DCWS presents Maestro Tim Weiss

For the first time in the 31 year history of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, active amateur brass players are invited to join DCWS musicians at their February 17 concert, Bring it Brass, for a performance of G.F. Handel’s “La Rejouissance” from Music for the Royal Fireworks.

The piece will be conducted by Tim Weiss, Professor of Conducting and Director, Division of Conducting and Ensembles at Oberlin College. The concert will take place at 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Birmingham. A 2:15 p.m. preview titled “In Conversation with Conductor Tim Weiss” will precede the concert.

In addition to the joint performance of “La Rejouissance,” Weiss will lead DCWS brass musicians in a number of lively works by a range of composers from Renaissance era Giovanni Gabrieli to modern day Derek Bourgeois.

The concert begins with Gabrieli’s “Canzona per Sonare No. 27,” a sonorous and vivacious work he composed for the majestic St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, where he served as organist and principal composer from 1585 until his death. Following pieces will include “Tall Tale” by avant-garde composer Henry Cowell, “Blue March” from Raymond Premru’s nine-movement work “Divertimento for Brass,” and Verne Reynolds’ “Suite for Brass Quintet.”

Tickets for Bring it Brass are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors (60 and older) and $10 for students. To purchase tickets, please call (248) 559-2095 or visit the DCWS website at www.detroitchamberwinds.org. Ticket prices will be $5 more at the door.

Brass players interested in performing with DCWS musicians at the Bring it Brass concert, must be able to attend the rehearsal on Saturday, Feb. 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants must also purchase a ticket to the concert. If interested, please send your name, instrument, phone number and email address to John Hartwick, Operations Coordinator, at hartwick@detroitchamberwinds.org or by calling 248-559-2095. Space is limited.

 

CONCERT REPERTOIRE

Giovanni Gabrieli……………………………………………….”Canzona per Sonare No. 27″

Anthony Plog…………………………………………………………… “Music for Brass Octet”

Verne Reynolds…………………………………………………………”Suite for Brass Quintet”

G.F. Handel…………………………………………………………………….. “La Rejouissance”

Henry Cowell……………………………………………………………………………….”Tall Tale”

Derek Bourgeois…………………………………………………………….. “Concerto Grosso” Giovanni Gabrieli………………………………………………………. “Canzon Primi Toni a 8″

Raymond Premru……………………………..”Blues March” from Divertimento for Brass

 

 ABOUT DETROIT CHAMBER WINDS & STRINGS

Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings is an ensemble committed to bringing to life the body of repertoire that utilizes between 6 & 20 musicians. DCWS musicians are drawn primarily from the Detroit Symphony and Michigan Opera Theatre orchestras. Now in its 31st year, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings presents an annual subscription series, the Nightnotes series, and new in 2012, the Structurally Sound series. Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings was named Crain’s Detroit Business 2010 Best-Managed Nonprofit. For more information, call 248.559.2095 or visit www.detroitchamberwinds.org.

Filed Under: Classical, For Students, Fun, Music Tagged With: , , ,
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