Teaching Artist and Director of the Paterson Music Project (PMP) Shanna Lin gives us the program's history: it’s an El Sistema-inspired program established in 2013 with 32 second graders and now serves over 500 students from 25 schools in Paterson, N.J. PMP offers after-school programs four days a week and on Saturdays, including string orchestra, concert band, guitar, jazz, … [Read more...] about Transforming Lives Through Music: Shanna Lin and the Paterson Music Project
Theatre Unmasked: Navigating Post-Pandemic Challenges and Innovations
President of Actors' Equity Kate Shindle and the NEA Director of Theater & Musical Theater Greg Reiner discuss the current challenges, strategic innovations, and the evolving landscape of American theater. Shindle provides an overview of the history and evolving mission of Actors' Equity in safeguarding actors and stage managers. While Reiner discusses the NEA's strategic … [Read more...] about Theatre Unmasked: Navigating Post-Pandemic Challenges and Innovations
Quick Study: Jobs and Training Needs for Arts-Degree Holders
In this episode, we review findings from Jennifer Novak-Leonard's study of postsecondary degree-holders in the arts, with a focus on career outcomes, including satisfaction with jobs and training. A transcript is available on the NEA website. … [Read more...] about Quick Study: Jobs and Training Needs for Arts-Degree Holders
Playwright and Director Psalmayene 24: Staging Stories
Playwright and director Psalmayene 24 discusses his career trajectory from his unique approach to theater, his recent direction of the world premiere of Tempestuous Elements at Arena Stage and his upcoming projects, including his current direction of Metamorphosis at the Folger Theatre. We talk about his journey from dance to theater, first as an actor and eventually to … [Read more...] about Playwright and Director Psalmayene 24: Staging Stories
Momentum Gains with Small-Scale Studies about the Arts and Mental Health
One spring day in 1840, on the bank of Goose Pond in Massachusetts—not far from Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau would make his stand—Ralph Waldo Emerson and the poet Jones Very were admiring the interplay of wind and water. “I declare this world is so beautiful that I can hardly believe it exists,” Emerson was moved to say. His more empirically-minded companion noted: … [Read more...] about Momentum Gains with Small-Scale Studies about the Arts and Mental Health