Do you need something new to add to your after school program? Check out Freshi. This unique program offers students the opportunity to learn Digital Filmmaking, Stop Motion Animation, Game Design, Music Mixing, Screenwriting, Stunt Fighting, Voice Over, or Digital Photography.

Start marking your calendar for the ‘09-‘10 school year! In mid-December there are special one hour performances of Act 1 of Dennis Nahat’s “The Nutcracker”. These programs are for students in grades 2-8. This program schedules up to 200 students per school per year as space is available. Limit one application per school. Only the first application received from each school will be processed.

In addition the Ballet San Jose School offers field trips on Friday mornings for students in grades 1-3. A single class of 20 students is invited in each Friday for a tour of the building and costume shop, a demonstration of dance and a beginning ballet lesson. Students who attend these tours are invited back for a full semester of training, including uniform, completely free. There is a strict limit of two schools per year for this program.

Application and Scheduling Information:
For an application for either program visit Ballet San Jose. Applications are available on line after Aug. 15th and will be accepted beginning the day after Labor Day, Sept. 8. Early applications will not be accepted. Applications are processed on a “first come, first served” basis as space is available. Please note that these programs are only for the grades listed. No exceptions will be made.

Ballet San Jose
Schools accepted into the matinee program will be notified by mail by October 15th. School tour applicants will be contacted directly to schedule a date.

Directions and Maps

For more information contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Outreach Coordinator.

Other performances:
Ballet San Jose School presents The Little Mermaid April 2-5, May 7-10, May 30-31 2009

Need some inspiration? Take 17 minutes to watch this award winning video on a music program in Venezuela. Ted.com En Español, English subtitles.

Just saw this at Barnes and Noble. If you are interested in another way to get students to explore vocabulary and think about words in a creative and different way, check out Yamodo.  (Suggestion…Make your own Yamodo cards!  Choose words your students may be unfamiliar with or may be in upcoming stories.  See if they can guess, as a group, the definition of the word and draw it on a piece of paper or white board!)

THE FUNDRED DOLLAR BILL PROJECT is a unique art project created from millions of student drawings. This nationwide art project is intended to support the rebuilding of New Orleans by making the environmental conditions safer for its residents. The Fundred Dollar Bills made by students will be collected by armored truck and delivered to Washington D.C. where an even exchange of the value of their art currency for actual funds will be requested.

This project can be a fun and unique way to introduce social studies, political science, and art into the classroom curricula. Ultimately FUNDRED hopes that students contributions will demonstrate that their creative actions can make a difference. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how your students can join in the fun!

For more information on this project, visit the website:
http://www.fundred.org/ Password: Paydirt.

Get students creatively thinking about what they can do to help protect and save our environment and earn some money for their school as well!  SJUSD has already begun to do their part by installing solar panels in the high school parking lots which will allow shade for cars and provide between 50-65% of clean energy for the school!  Have your students share their ideas in an e-book.  To learn more contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or read Renewable_Engergy_Artwork.pdf (the deadline has been extended).

Do you know someone that is having difficulty memorizing their multiplication facts? Or maybe their just learning their alphabet or days of the week.  Maybe their trying to learn the state capitals or the presidents.  If so, check out The Dream Team & The Hip Hop Professor. They’re hip hop songs you can download from iTunes for only $.99 each! To pick specific songs just go to iTunes and type in Learning Through Hip Hop. The songs will be listed at the bottom of your screen. If you would like to hear a sample of one of their albums, check out http://cdbaby.com/cd/hhprofessor.  Samples of the tracks can be found on the bottom left of your screen.

  Opera in a Box~Combining the best elements of our What is Opera? and One-Act Opera assembly programs. Opera in a Box is a modernized approach to introducing opera to K-8 students. With the help of a trunk filled with costumes, four resident artists and a pianist will dispel all the pre-conceived notions that seem to make opera so foreign to today’s IPOD generation. To learn more about this program and others (including a vocal masterclass, a visit to a final dress rehearsal, and student matinees) visit Opera San Jose.

African drumming offers a fresh approach to music education, one that is versatile, affordable and rigorous…and kids love it! This World Music

Since November 2006 Saatchi Gallery has been developing a free arts resource for professional and student artists.  Now learn how to showcase your students’ work on this international website for free...Saatchi_Gallery.pdf