From: Phil deHaan (dehp@calvin.edu)
Date: Wed Mar 26 2003 - 16:06:22 EST
March 27, 2003 == MEDIA ADVISORY
Calvin College is partnering with the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts
(UICA) to bring a special presentation to Oakdale Christian and Alexander
Elementary school students.
A pair of 45-minute performances by Tales & Scales will take place at
Alexander school on Friday afternoon (March 28) between 1 and 3 p.m. and will
bring together some 350 students in first to fourth grades at the two schools
which are only a block apart on the southeast side in Grand Rapids.
Tales & Scales bill themselves as "musictellers," combining instruments and
drama to "allow children of all ages to 'see' with their ears, 'hear' with
their eyes and discover the true power of music." Since their inception in
1986, Tales & Scales has served children and family audiences in 34 states.
Each year the troupe tours in 12-18 different states, giving over 200
performances for more than 200,000 children and families.
The conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra said of the group: "Tales &
Scales has, without a doubt, one of the most imaginative, musically creative
and professionally executed approaches to music education that I have ever
encountered. The four enthusiastic young musicians in the group combine
considerable individual talent with engaging stage presence to produce a show
which is compelling, interesting for audience members of all ages, and unique
in its approach. Simply put, this is great music education!"
Tales & Scales believes that "the arts are vital not only to the quality of
our lives, but to the actual learning process throughout our lives. The arts
are the glue that holds humanity together, giving voice to emotion and idea.
Experience and understanding of the arts fosters the ability to form
connections between emotions, ideas and people, helping us to communicate and
express those connections in an effective way."
Calvin's director of community relations Carol Rienstra welcomed the
opportunity to work with UICA to make this show available to two schools with
which Calvin has strong ties. Alexander School is the site of ALEx, the
Alexander Literacy Experience, a cross-age partnership involving reading,
writing and the internet, which was designed and implemented by Calvin
education professor Arden Post and her students. Nearby Oakdale Christian
School also provides many opportunities for Calvin students to put their
learning into practice as student teachers and aides in classrooms.
Besides their presentations at Alexander School on Friday afternoon, Tales &
Scales will present workshops for educators on March 29 and then give a 6 pm
performance/concert at the UICA. For more information about the Saturday
events, contact UICA's Janet Teunis at jteunis@uica.org
-end-
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