Young Audiences's blog

We'd like to thank Heart of the City Neighborhoods for inviting Young Audiences WNY and our friends from Explore & More Children's Museum to participate in Development Day on Whitney Place (7/24/10). The afternoon was full of smiling faces, creative families, and - much to our luck - good weather! Check out our event slideshow below and don't forget to sign up for our email list and friend us on Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter to keep up with all of our great family activities and events.

Young Audiences WNY presents Family Night at Elmwood Village Association's free summer concert series. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., families are invited to join the excitement at Bidwell Parkway on Elmwood as our staff helps young concert-goers to create Mexican Flowers. YA teaching artist Sarah Hooper will join the fun as she offers Salsa lessons both before the concert and during intermission. The evening's featured performance by the Latin Jazz Project, another YA performance group, begins at 7 p.m.

• WHEN: Tuesday, August 3rd, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
• WHERE: Bidwell Parkway on Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo
• This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

Don't miss the fun this Saturday (7/24) as Young Audiences WNY teams up with Explore & More Children's Museum for an afternoon of fun-filled creative projects for families. The event, hosted by Heart of the City Neighborhoods, is a community extravaganza to invite the public to be involved with every step of the rehabilitation project on Whitney Place.

• WHEN: Saturday, July 24 from 1- 4 p.m.
• WHERE: Whitney Place between Hudson St. and Maryland, Buffalo
• This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

YA staff and teaching artists are delighted to have the opportunity to continue programming with Cradle Beach Summer Camp in Angola this year! Starting in July and running through August 9, teaching artists Cindy Hanna, Sarah Hooper, and Shane Fry will conduct workshops as part of the camp’s dance residency. Additionally, Glenn Colton and Doug Rougeux will participate this summer with featured performances of Glenn’s Christmas in July and Doug’s Bubble Mania.

Cradle Beach Camp services the needs of disabled and disadvantaged children from Western New York, and is one of the few camps in the United States to integrate campers with and without disabilities. Throughout the five week program, YA teaching artists and Cradle Beach staff work with nearly 800 campers to promote socialization, self expression, and decision making skills.

Young Audiences WNY Executive Director Cynnie Gaasch  was recently featured by American University (Washington, D.C.) in its College of Arts & Sciences News Release. This success story, titled Young Audiences Learn from the Experts, outlines Cynnie’s professional journey in the arts and her important role here at Young Audiences WNY.

From the article:

When it comes to the arts, Cynnie Gaasch, CAS ’99, has done it all. The studio art MFA alumna has studied dance and visual art, held jobs at non-profits and arts organizations throughout the northeast, and even had a stint in development at the Vermont Studio Center.

But as she continued working in the arts, she realized that arts in education was the field that suited her best. “It’s different from an art or music class,” she explains. “It’s about experiencing the highest level of an art form intimately, exploring a variety of curriculum topics, and participating through creating.”

Click here to read the full article.

We were so pleased to be able to bring dance and health programs to the Butler Mitchell Boys & Girls Club and Salvation Army after school programs all year.  With major support from General Mills Foundation, students took part in Ballet, Ballroom, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Modern, and Salsa lessons for 35 weeks this past school year.  Learn more here.

Keep It Moving! from Young Audiences on Vimeo.  This video showcases the final sessions students had with teaching artist, Cindy Hanna, lead artist for the residency.

Click here to watch the Keep It Moving! video on YouTube.

Our artists do a lot of work outdoors throughout the summer at the free concert series at Biwell Park, University at Buffalo, and the M&T Plaza series, to name just a few.  Check out opportiunities to see our artists performing live on our summer calendar.

On May 8th, Taylor Made Jazz was invited to perform for the US/Egyptian Embassy’s OMC Spring Gala in Cairo, Egypt! There, musicians Ronald Walker, Tim Webb, Michael Pennick, Walter Kemp and vocalists Melissa Kate and Joyce Wilson-Nixon joined Mr. Van Taylor in entertaining some of our highest ranking military men and women—including Ambassador Margaret Scobey and Lt. Col. Isaac Davidson. Both vocalists had the honor of singing the US National Anthem for this prestigious event.

Taylor Made Jazz has educated thousands of children all over the world through its Music is Peace program and have been proud artists of Young Audiences  WNY since 1990. The group has entertained our troops overseas for well over 30 years, bringing to their school performances a world of multi-cultural experience. “Music is the bridge to peace and harmony,” Taylor says, “Our American heritage of Jazz music is celebrated all over the world.”

In addition to their performance in Egypt,Taylor Made Jazz’s vocalist and YA-WNY teaching artist Melissa Kate performed in NYC at Governor’s Island for Army Heritage Day on June 19. The group is also scheduled to host Veteran’s Appreciation Day in Buffalo from 7-9 p.m. on board the USS Little Rock at the Buffalo Marine Park.

Summer is the perfect time for young learners to explore the world around them through the arts. Our high-energy workshops and programs are available for Summer Camps, Day Cares, Church Groups, Library and Museums and special community events and are a great opportunity to make learning fun under the sun!

What better way to celebrate summer weather then by making a kite! Meg Alber's Kite Workshops use kites as a means of self-expression and as a way to explore Japanese history.

As The Bubble Man, Doug Rougeux teaches the science of popping bubbles, the art of sculpture with bubbles, and the joys of reading.

Who doesn't want to be able to juggle? Twilight Educational Entertainment offers a variety of fun programs that combine magic, comedy, balloon art and juggling and teaches participants the basic skills they will need to be successful at the art of illusion.

From folk to classical, jig to tango, String Dancers extend students' knowledge and appreciation of the world' s cultures through the sounds and rhythms of dance from around the globe.

Contact the Young Audiences office at 716.881.0917 if you are interested in booking one of these programs or search our full catalog of programs and workshops by clicking here.

Young Audiences of Western New York hosted our 4th annual conference featuring artists and educators on May 11 at Ani DiFranco’s Babeville.  The conference explores outstanding work done with young people who have special needs or are at risk of educational failure.  This year our board of directors and staff named the conference to honor Patricia Cotsen, a board member who had served the organization for 18 years and passed in January.  She was a long time docent for the Albright Knox Art Gallery and the Darwin Martin - Frank Lloyd Wright House.  Among many other services to the community, she was instrumental in the rehabilitation of a massive church in one of Buffalo’s most challenged neighborhoods into a state of the art charter school.  

Executive Director, Cynnie Gaasch welcomed the 110 attendees of the conference, inviting everyone in attendance to accept the challenge to continue Patty’s commitment to young people and the arts, and make their own impact, around the world.  Cynnie framed the day:

“We are here today because the arts can break down barriers of limitations, bigotry, and abilities.  Working in the arts can open doors, and provides opportunities for learning to us all.  Young and old may be challenged, learn and find success.  In its highest forms, we may experience beauty, true diversity, and opportunities for learning.”

This year’s attendees represented a diverse array of students, artists, and industry professionals in the fields of arts education and human services. With students attending from six of the region’s universities and professionals traveling from as far away as Brockport, Fredonia, and Albany, we are sure that our results will be far reaching. Representatives from two Buffalo art galleries, two museums, twelve schools, and eight  of the regions human services organizations were also in attendance.

2010 also boasted an exciting addition to our roster of presenters with the inclusion of students from Heritage Centers After School Program who had participated in the A Rhythm Runs Through It residency. Students, staff members, and teaching artists discussed the program’s successes in an interactive presentation that was highly admired by its participants.

Some of our favorite quotes in the conference evaluations included:

• I found: “Inspiration and hope! Recognition in the power of art & allowing student voices to shine!”
• I will use this experience to: “Be a facilitator and let the students guide the journey.”
• “The hands-on workshops reenergize me!”
• I found: “Ideas for fostering creativity in students who are introverts or have a low sense of self.”
• I will use this experience to: “Inspire teachers I influence to use their imagination to help students find their own voice.”

Breaking Down Barriers: 4th Annual Patricia Cotsen Arts Abilities Conference from Young Audiences on Vimeo.