me arts ed

Did winter return?

After 70 degree weather last week, it felt like winter had returned today with the temperature only reaching 32 degrees in my part of the state. The St. George river canoe race is traditionally the last Saturday in March and is the first race of the race season. This is the 31st year it has been held.

About 100 boats put in at the bridge in Searsmont paddling for about an hour and finishes up on route 105 in Hope. I’ve never gone over for the race but this year was different.

My oldest son and a childhood friend decided to participate so we knew we couldn’t miss the excitement. I wouldn’t recommend that you do it this way but hey, when you’re 22 and full of energy, why not?! Last minute, they borrowed gear, took a look at the river this morning (for the first time) and climbed into their canoe labeled with the number 29.

Some of the participants had clearly done the race several times, some did it just for fun and some got wet. When we arrived at the half way point there were plenty of folks watching for the first boat to come through. I am not sure if they were there to cheer the paddlers on or to watch someone capsize?!

Even though the water temperature was cold, some boaters didn’t even have wet suits. In fact, more than one person had short sleeve shirts on. There were several single kayaks and a couple of young children paddling with their dads.

My son and his friend luckily didn’t capsize (of course, they were confident they wouldn’t) and they weren’t out of the boat 15 minutes when my son said, “I’m hooked, when is the next race?” We’re still not sure where they placed, 9 hours after the race, but we do know he had a great time. And the parents had a good time being spectators.

Afterwards, we warmed up over some lunch and headed down to Tanglewood 4H camp in Lincolnville for a long walk. We hadn’t been there in a while, the place holds many great memories for us. A great inspiration for creativity and art making! Needless to say after plenty of warm sunshine, wind and cold temperature, it was a grand day outdoors!

“Art is Important in Schools”, Susan Sward and Emily Pichette Filmed at the 2008 Rhode Island Scholastic Art Awards

Alan Wittenberg – Music Therapist

Alan Wittenberg, Music Therapist

So what is music therapy? Well, according to music therapist Alan Wittenberg’s website this is how he answers the question:

Music Therapy is an effective form of psychotherapy. It offers freedom of exploration and a new sense of self discovery as clients give sound and energy to emotions and issues that may be painful, confused or blocked. Each client is unique in terms of their psychological issues and special needs. Music therapy can reach clients that are resistant or relatively unresponsive to other treatment approaches.

Alan holds an M.A. and is a certified music therapist who provides individual and group sessions to clients of all ages at the Surry Music Therapy Center located at 8 Cross Road in Surry, ME. In fact, on Sunday, March 28th, Alan is having an open hourse, 3-5:00PM. If you attend you will learn more about his work and be treated to wine, cheese and other refreshments and of course, music. Please email Alan at alan@surrymusictherapy.com if you have questions.

Alan is teaching several courses in the next few months:

• Treating Autism Spectrum Disorders: Music Therapy and Sensory Integration Part I, Saturday March 27 and Part II, Saturday April 3, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, $60 per seminar or $100.00 for both.  Seminars being taught at the Surry Music Therapy Center. Point five CEU’s are available. Call Alan or email him to register 667-1308.                                                                                                      Course Description: These carefully structured seminars will be of value to therapists, educators, ed. techs, administrators, university students, direct-care staff members, and family members. Seminars include video illustrations, workshop activities and activity ideas, question and answer periods, as well as in-depth resource handouts.
  Learning outcomes include:
  •  Gain an overview of the field of music therapy in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and illustrate sensory experience and processing via musical activity.
  •  Experience music therapy by participating in vocal, instrumental and movement workshop activities
  •  Discuss different music therapy approaches and see how these integrate with allied health and educator goals that can be creatively adapted and employed in treatment and in the classroom.
  •  Compile a list of music therapy activities and resources to integrate within clinical, educational, pre-school and residential settings

• MUS 298/MUS 510 Music as Therapy – Special Needs Children & Youth, Hutchinson Center, Belfast, 3 credits, intensive week June 29 through July 3, 8:30 AM -4:00 PM.                                                                                                   Course Description: This course will engage and inform students about the clinical, developmental and rehabilitative field of music therapy.  Music therapy will be illustrated as an integrative approach that targets goals and objectives central to health professions such as occupational and physical therapy, nursing, counseling and psychology as well as elementary and special education, and infant mental health. Conceptual and practical models of music therapy will be discussed and demonstrated. Music therapy as a creative, active treatment modality that has the potential to stimulate and motivate a wide range of disabilities and learning delays will be highlighted by readings, discussion, experiential activities, video illustrations and web based research.
  Music therapy will also be explored in collaboration with the fields of counseling, psychology and nursing as music reflects our personal and interpersonal styles of communication and is another way to express our creativity and spontaneity and heighten our self-awareness. Concepts such as critical thinking and active listening, so important to future employment, career satisfaction and success will be emphasized.
  Functional mobility, motor skills, posture, muscle tone, extension, range of motion, eye hand coordination, respiration, sensory integrative skills as well as the enhancement, retrieval, or acquisition of cognitive, communicative and interpersonal skills are some of the clinical and rehabilitative goal areas that will be emphasized and illustrated as shared / trans – disciplinary areas pertinent to health professions such as occupational and physical therapy, nursing, as well as counseling, education and music therapy.

This course is being taught by Alan, please contact him with questions at alan@surrymusictherapy.com and check his website for information http://www.surrymusictherapy.com. To register please go to the Hutchinson Center website at http://www.hutchinsoncenter.umaine.edu or email the Assistant Director nancyb@maine.edu

Aroostook Centre Mall

In celebration of Youth Art Month (YAM), the Northern pARTners County Regional Art Educators are sponsoring a County Student Art Exhibition with its first Essence of the North Student Art Exhibition.

On March 13th art educators from throughout the region arrived at the mall with piles of art work in hand to install the YAM exhibit. The art teachers worked for hours to put the work in place in an empty store front at the Aroostook Centre Mall.

WAGM news was there to interview Washburn art teacher Beth Walker and Ashland art teacher Sue Beaulier.

An opening reception was held on March 15th and many visitors including student artists, parents, friends, family members, and school administrators.
The art teaches were pleased at the turn out and proud of all their students work.  The art work has been well received by all visitors and will remain in place until April 9th. Congratulations to teachers and students of Aroostook County.

Northern pARTners Art Educators

Creative center in Presque Isle

Learn more about this wonderful center that has just moved from the Aroostook Centre Mall to downtown by clicking here. Bangor Daily News article written by Jen Lynds.

Target grants for literacy, the arts, field trips

I often receive emails from folks looking for grants. Recently a colleague sent information on the Target literacy grants with a deadline of April 30th. So, I went to Targets grant webpage and found a plethora (I love that word) of grant information.

I suggest you go there as well since they list the arts as one of the three areas they focus on in their grants program. Deadline is April 30th, $2000.00 grants available. I have also received emails from teachers letting me know they have received funding from Target so it really works! If you have received funding from Target please comment below and let us know!

Please click here for the link.

An opportunity for you and your students

On my visit to MECA (Maine College of Art) last month I mentioned in the blog post that I met several people. One of them was artist Asherah Cinnamon. We had a delightful conversation and I learned more about the artwork she is presently creating.

Asherah is involved in a collaborative contemporary art installation project called FRIENDSHIP IN HARD TIMES. She extends an invitation for you and your students to participate in this project that is scheduled to open in June at the University of New England’s Art Gallery on Stevens Ave. It will be on display at its Annual Sculpture Garden Show through September.

The project explores the concept of friendship in contemporary times. Using strips cut from hundreds of brightly colored recycled plastic bags, the installation was inspired in part by the friendship bracelets used in many communities today.

The installation celebrates the traditional female practices of braiding, and of
collaborating to develop a work of art larger than any one person might create. The project encourages creative recycling and invites groups of people to work together, exploring the role of friendship in contemporary life through handwork, discussion, and writing.

YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE in any or all of these ways:

1. Collect brightly colored or printed, clean plastic bags of any thickness or size.
2. Gather a group for a demonstration and work session of cutting and simple braiding for the installation.  All participants who wish to be named will be acknowledged in the literature of the project.
3. Write (a story, poem, song) about a time when someone was a friend to you in hard times, and or a time when you were a friend during their hard times.
4. Donate a copy of your writing to the project, and/or take turns sharing what you wrote with each other in a group. Collected writings will be on view at the exhibition in June, and eventually in a project blog.
5. Sign up to help install the final work during the second week of June.
6. Become a sponsor. Sponsors will be acknowledged in all project literature an events.

Maine artist, Asherah Cinnamon, BFA (MECA’08), MSW (BU’79).
For more information, to help, or to set up a group demonstration and work
session contact Asherah at acinnamon@meca.edu
Earlier works by the artist may be seen by clicking here.

Check this out… interesting websites

• An outgrowth of photorealism…Hyperrealism is a relatively new method of painting where an artist uses techniques to create the illusion of looking at a photograph. It is fascinating. Please click here to learn more and see artists work on a blog called “my modern MET”.
• ASCII Art… You’ve probably seen class or school pictures that are converted to a picture. Well, at this site you can use this program to convert art work to a combination of text, numbers and symbols. Please click here for the site.

Congratulations to Will and Emma!

Eleven students competed in the state finals for Poetry Out Loud that is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Maine Arts Commission plans and implement the regional and state finals.

The exciting event took place at the beautiful Waterville Opera House in front of a very large audience including First Lady Karen Baldacci.

Bangor High School senior William Whitham was the winner and Messalonskee High School student Emma Bailey was the runner-up.

William travels to Washington, DC to compete on the national level and a chance to win a scholarship for $20,000. This is Will’s second time traveling to the finals. Congratulations to all the participants and best of luck to Will!

Camden National Bank and Media Workshop $10,000

This week Camden National Bank and the Maine Media Workshop in Rockport have announced their commitment to a $10,000 scholarship for students, ages 14-17. The Young Artists Program will take place during the summer with one and two week classes in introductory and advanced classes in editing, screenwriting, animation and special effects.

During the past three summers about 150 students have attended sessions at the workshop and only 10 have been from Maine. This will provide an outstanding learning opportunity for Maine students. To read more please click here.