The Dunson Twins of FOME created Fly Kidz to help combat Childhood Diabetes and obesity.
Click Images to see the Fly Kidz in action!
Sherry Stearn
IN PREPARATION FOR THE BTS-KIDS PROGRAM / WORKING WITH SCHOOLS IN LOCAL BOSTON AREA
Berklee College of Music Donated
We are honored to welcome Juri Panda Jones* to the BTS Team! More to come on Juri and all she does to inspire, create and organize community enriching programs; planting seeds for a better tomorrow!
Go Juri! Go Juri!
Break The Silence! Foundation partners with One Night In Frogtown (Berklee Alumni too)! :
The Diversity Through Music Trail Blazers:
Using Music as Metaphor
"One Night
In Frogtown"´s wide-ranging musical canvas exposes kids to different
kinds of music, from R&B, to Classical, to Hip-Hop. The different
styles of music symbolize the differences between the social groups of
frogs, while the pond itself acts as a metaphor for the world.
Pelletier was working in LA during the LA Riots, and the memory still
haunts him. "It´s probably one of the reasons I wanted to do this.", he
says. "When I showed Frogtown to Curtis, he echoed the other performers
when he said, "Of course I´ll do it. The world needs this right now".
FROGTOWN is a multimedia musical based on Emmy winning Author/Composer Philip Pelletier's musical storybook One Night In Frogtown.
This acclaimed diversity story comes alive through projected
animations, a live story reading, and live music performances featuring
Portland All-Stars Linda Hornbuckle, Devin Phillips, Shannon Day, Andy
Stokes, Fogatron, Heather Christie, Portland Opera soloist Victor
Morris, the No Kidding! Choir and more!
About Philip Pelletier*
Author/Composer
Pelletier has composed and conducted music for Emmy Award-winning
children's programming, Disney & Pixar animations, and
award-winning Hollywood films. His work has been praised by The New
York Times, Time Out New York, Variety, Premiere, Buzz, Juxtapoz, LA
Weekly, and BBC World News. He has won numerous awards, including Best
Director at the LA International Film Festival, Grand Prize at The NY
Funny Shorts Fest, and a Media Masters Award. Official selections in
over 75 film festivals worldwide, his work has been honored at the
Lucille Ball Comedy Museum and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary
Art. He has made Oregon his home since 2001.
***
Dori DeCarlo – Director BTS
Kids
Dori began
doing theatre professionally at 12 and by 18 was Directing and Choreographing
as well as performing.
With Westco
Productions, a NY based professional children’s theatre company celebrating
30 years this summer, Dori worked for more than 12 years on-stage performing
as well as directing numerous productions for children and “Godspell”
which was a fundraiser at the Westchester Broadway Theatre. Westco also
developed a workshop called Broadway Babes and integrating her ability
to sign, she created Broadway Babes Singing and Signing which combined
both hearing and hearing impaired children in a showcase where everyone
sang and everyone signed!
After taking
time off to begin a family Dori became the Director of Theatre at Concordia
College in Bronxville, NY and began a campus-based community theatre
bringing together college students and semi-professional performers.
The students were able to hone their craft while working with seasoned
actors and singers from NY which proved to be a very successful model
which she continues to encourage.
As director
of the BTS Kids, she is looking to bring out the best in the kids that
have a dream of performing. Whether they only want to sing in
the shower or sing at Carnegie Hall, children should be encouraged to
find the joy in sharing their gift of music and dance. So often
the pressures at home and in school stifle a desire to perform.
Here we look to encourage them and bring out the best that they have
inside.
With the professional
performers that will take part in the concert, the BTS Kids will perform
with them and on their own in groups, trios, and duets. The experience
of working along side of more seasoned professionals will encourage
their talents and enable them to learn more rapidly. We can work
with teachers in the area that have established kids groups, or hold
auditions to find the undiscovered talent in the area and develop a
show that will fit their talents and facilitate their growth as young
performers.
The main goal
of the BTS Kids is to let them know that there are alternatives to the
stresses that they face daily. As schools are hit with more and
more budget cuts, sadly the arts are the first thing to go, and these
students are left to find other outlets for their energy – positive
and negative. Too often they are dealing with violence at home
and in school and have nowhere to turn to get rid of the aggression.
The passion of performing is an amazing way to bring out all the tension
and anger as well as the joy and love deep within. By encouraging
them to share the gift of performing with others we are giving them
the tools to work along side adults almost as peers because age is nothing
onstage. Performers young and old can share their love of the
arts because it brings out the best they have inside.
As sponsors
of this first BTS Kids concert you are enabling the kids in your community
to shine forth and share the gifts they have inside. You are also
showing them that you believe in them; what better way to encourage
them to be part of the community. This first concert is the model that
we will bring to other cities and other communities and most importantly,
to new groups of BTS Kids!
BTS KIDS PROGRAM
Soon BTS Kids Program @ J Place Studio - Cohasset
25 kids, ages 12 -17 to be involved in the progam
Rehearsals @ JPlace Studio-Cohasset
Twice a week for 6 weeks, a positive way to spend a few hours
a week over the summer
Three kids will be chosen out of
twenty five to perform with Legendary Blues
Players on stage to showcase their talents at The Music
Circus-Cohasset during the BTS South Shore Music Festival TBD.
The other kids will take part in production
and other aspects of performing.
All the
kids will be recognized for being a part of the program.
This will, in turn, build their self esteem and help them find out what
their strengths and weaknesses are. We will teach these kids the skills
they need to audition and perform nationally and enjoy the process!
*Berklee College of Music Alumni
