Piedmont Arts Brings Brass Band, Puppet Theatre to Local Schools
On Mon. Oct. 24, Roanoke-based quintet Brass 5 took students at Carver and Rich Acres Elementary schools on a journey through time with their musical program, "An American Dream." Band members lead students through an exploration of significant historical time periods and important figures in American history, linking the past and present through music. This SOL-based program was cloaked in humor, inviting students to laugh while learning. Brass 5's performance was presented as part of Piedmont Arts' educational outreach program with support from a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Piedmont Arts will bring Brass 5's "An American Dream" into two additional elementary schools in November.
Barefoot Puppet Theatre has been building and performing original works since 1997 when founder and director, Heidi Rugg, began building puppet shows from the basement of her home in Richmond, Virginia. The first show was originally designed to fit in the back of a Volkswagen Golf. From these humble beginnings, the company (and the touring vehicle) has grown significantly and now tours nationally to libraries, schools and theaters while continuing to create new works for children and their families. Each performance features beautiful puppets in a variety of styles, imaginative and well-researched scripts, unique staging, audience participation and original music. These elements combine to bring to life world folktales, classic tales and adaptations of true stories. In 2005, Barefoot Puppet Theatre was awarded a UNIMA Citation of Excellence, the highest distinction in North American puppetry.
View a slideshow of Brass 5's performance | View a slideshow of Barefoot Puppets' performance
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| Alyssa Ramsey, Barefoot Puppets founder Heidi Rugg, Tyler Johnson (blue shirt), Taylor Holthausen, puppeteer Sam Rugg and the Rugg’s daughter pose with puppets from “Trickster Tales” after a performance at Mt. Olivet Elementary. |
This week Piedmont Arts presented in-school performances to over 2,000 students in the city and county. These programs were part of Piedmont Arts’ educational outreach program, which reaches 20,000 local students, in duplicate, each year.
With over 3,000 educational performances under their belts, Brass 5 knows how to reach young audiences. The ensemble develops and presents a new educational program each year for the K-12th grade levels. Utilizing the public school teaching experience of its members, Brass 5 relates the material to the specific grade level's curriculum in a fun format that has become the ensemble's educational signature. Plus, the programs can be utilized by the music teachers in the classroom.
Barefoot Puppets visited Collinsville Primary School, Mt. Olivet, Sanville and Axton Elementary schools on Oct. 26 and 27 with “Trickster Tales,” a collection of West African stories starring Anansi the Spider. Students met new puppets with each tale, including Elephant, Hippo, Namibi the Python, Osebo the Leopard, a swarm of angry hornets and an even angrier Sky-God! The colorful scenery, original music and clever puns were a wonderful backdrop for the antics of the expressive rod and hand puppets used to create the show. Barefoot Puppets performance was presented as part of Piedmont Arts' educational outreach program with support from a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Barefoot Puppet Theatre has been building and performing original works since 1997 when founder and director, Heidi Rugg, began building puppet shows from the basement of her home in Richmond, Virginia. The first show was originally designed to fit in the back of a Volkswagen Golf. From these humble beginnings, the company (and the touring vehicle) has grown significantly and now tours nationally to libraries, schools and theaters while continuing to create new works for children and their families. Each performance features beautiful puppets in a variety of styles, imaginative and well-researched scripts, unique staging, audience participation and original music. These elements combine to bring to life world folktales, classic tales and adaptations of true stories. In 2005, Barefoot Puppet Theatre was awarded a UNIMA Citation of Excellence, the highest distinction in North American puppetry.
View a slideshow of Brass 5's performance | View a slideshow of Barefoot Puppets' performance
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