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FOCUS FIRST
What's In This Issue
"April showers bring May flowers" and that means TAA is not far away. The 2024 edition of the Tennessee Arts Academy is shaping up to be another grand week of information and inspiration. We have a spectacular faculty in the wings, and we are getting ready to announce more of our musers and performance artists over the next few weeks. Buckle your seat belts for a fun ride. Sign up now before classes get filled to capacity. You won't be disappointed!
In this week's newsletter, Faculty Focus introduces two more outstanding 2024 TAA faculty members. Check out Upper Middle/Secondary Theatre Instructor Jonathan Bernstein and Elementary/Lower Middle Visual Art Instructor Larissa Brown. They will both be bringing impressive skills to their Academy classrooms this summer.
Plus, keep reading to meet the April Teacher Hero!
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Faculty Focus
Summer 2024 TAA
Jonathan Bernstein
Upper Middle/Secondary Theatre
Core TAA Session: Directing for the Stage: Finding a Clear and Motivating Idea
Jonathan Bernstein’s plays and musicals have been produced all over the country. Under the auspices of the Jerome Robbins Foundation, he is currently developing a new project with actress and choreographer Susan Misner entitled Here in the Bright Colorado Sun. His directing credits include work at the Atlantic Theater Company, Signature Theater, the Kennedy Center, Ensemble Studio Theater, and many others. He has worked at New York’s City Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage Theater, Roundabout Theatre, and the 52nd Street Project. Supervising director credits include the still-running revival of Chicago, overseeing both the Broadway production and the many national and international productions it has spawned. He is a professor of playwriting and script analysis at New York University, and he serves as the artistic director of the Performing Arts Project, an international arts training non-profit organization designed to serve people from ages fifteen to twenty-five.
MORE ON TAA 2024 THEATRE SESSIONS
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Faculty Focus
Summer 2024 TAA
Larissa Brown
Elementary/Lower Middle Visual Art
Core TAA Session: Illustrating and Animating in the Classroom
Larissa Brown is a versatile artist with a tapestry of creative endeavors spanning diverse industries. Formerly an animation artist for Nickelodeon’s iconic show Rugrats, Brown has also illustrated nearly a dozen books within Nickelodeon’s licensed universe, including Avatar: The Last Airbender. Her debut graphic novel, Blake Laser, will be released in December 2024. As the founder of OC Art Studios, her educational initiatives have touched lives globally. During the pandemic she pioneered an online community for BIPOC art students, granting more than five hundred full scholarships to aspiring animation and illustration artists. Brown expertly juggles her role as a Disney fine artist with her commitment to teaching at colleges and universities in Orange County. Her artwork in the galleries of both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts seamlessly blends her traditional and digital painting skills. She has a special affinity for celebrating characters of color within the Disney universe.
MORE ON TAA VISUAL ART SESSIONS
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TAA Teacher Hero Award Winner
Congratulations to Mark Garey!
The Tennessee Arts Academy Foundation is very excited and pleased to announce the April 2024 TAA Teacher Hero Award winner – Mark Garey! Mark is an exemplary music teacher with many talents. He teaches at Freedom Middle School in Franklin, Tennessee and was nominated for this honor by his colleague and friend Connie Marley.
Please read below to learn more about this outstanding arts teacher!
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MARK GAREY
APRIL TAA TEACHER HERO
Mark is completing his 40th year of teaching, and all of his service is within the Franklin Special Schools District. Countless young musicians have learned to play an instrument while in Mark's band classes at Freedom Intermediate or Franklin Junior High. His ensembles regularly receive superior ratings at band festivals, and his students receive many superior ratings at solo and ensemble festivals. They regularly represent their school in honor bands both at the regional and state level.
Mark is highly regarded as a leader by his peers. He has been president of the Middle Tennessee Band and Orchestra Association, is a member of the MTSU Band of Blue Hall of Fame, and was recently named Teacher of the Year at Freedom Middle School. He is a founding member on the board of directors of the Music City Youth in the Arts, which sponsors the Music City Drum and Bugle Corps.
"Mark has all the qualities of Teacher Hero – thorough knowledge of his subject area, dedication to his students, leadership, organization, ethics, the ability to collaborate with others, and love of his craft." - Connie Marley, colleague
"Mark Garey has given his professional life to the Franklin Special School District. The preparedness of our students who matriculate to high school band is exceptional. He has spent countless hours outside the school day to provide our students with opportunities they might not have had otherwise."
- Dr. Charles Farmer, Principal, Freedom Middle School
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The TAA Foundation Board of Directors and the TAA Administrative Council congratulate TAA 2024 February Teacher Hero Mark Garey,
Freedom Middle School Principal Charles Farmer, and Franklin Special Schools District Director of Schools David Snowden for their commitment to excellence in teaching and their support of arts education.
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About The TAA Teacher Hero Award
The Tennessee Arts Academy Foundation created the TAA Teacher Heroes in Arts Education Award in order to recognize those teachers who every day put their talent and creativity on the line to go over and above what is required. TAAF's goal is to honor and recognize TAA Teacher Heroes by showcasing their accomplishments. Now more than ever, it is important to let the world know how much extraordinary work is being done in classrooms and schools across the state and nation by our most dedicated arts educators.
The 2024 Teacher Hero Award nomination period is now closed. The nomination period for 2025 will open on October 1, 2024. Thank you for supporting the TAA Teacher Heroes program!!
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Muser and Artist Derek Fodjour Inspires Teachers at TAA 2023 | |
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"I was so impressed with the Tennessee Arts Academy. The organization, the performances, the inspiring people, all of it was truly amazing! I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it."
– Jason Blair,
TAA 2023 Arts Administration and Leadership Faculty
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Academy Essentials
What You Need To Know
WHO, WHEN AND WHERE: The Tennessee Arts Academy is held on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville on July 14-19, 2024. The Academy is designed for K-12 arts specialists, elementary classroom teachers, librarians, pre-service college education majors, and school administrators.
WHAT: Intensive discipline-specific training, nationally renowned speakers and performers, unique interdisciplinary workshops, and a host of fun and festive special events are all part of the TAA schedule.
FEES: The registration fee is only $449.00. On-campus housing is available for a nominal additional fee.
REGISTRATION INFO: Click here to apply for the 2024 Academy. First-time applicants receive priority acceptance. Regular registration continues through the end of June or until classes have been filled.
Don't miss the 2024 Tennessee Arts Academy!
It is a life changing and awe-inspiring week.
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TAA MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Tennessee Arts Academy is to provide exceptional quality professional development, arts training, support, encouragement, information and renewal to K-12 teachers and to promote and honor the role of the arts in the lives of all Tennesseans.
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The Tennessee Arts Academy is a project of the
Tennessee Department of Education and is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee.
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Major corporate, organizational, and individual funding support
for the Tennessee Arts Academy Foundation in 2024 is generously provided by:
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Significant sponsorship, scholarship, and event support for the
Tennessee Arts Academy Foundation in 2024 is generously provided by:
Madeline and David Bridges; Marion and Stephen Coleman; Morel Enoch; Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation; Jim Holcomb; Patricia A. Hudson; Michael Meise; J. Tabor Stamper; Theatrical Rights Worldwide; Jeanette and Bill Watkins; Watkins College of Art at Belmont University; and Talmage Watts.
The Tennessee Arts Academy is funded in part by
Metro Arts / Nashville Office of Art + Culture.
Special thanks to the Robert K. & Anne H. Zelle Fund for the Fine and Performing
Arts of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for their
funding support for the 2024 Tennessee Arts Academy programs.
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Help Support TAA by purchasing a Tennessee Specialty License Plate. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of Tennessee Specialty Plates goes directly to the Tennessee Arts Commission, which in turn, provides grants to the Tennessee Arts Academy. Click here to learn more about the Specialty License Plate program. Buy one today!
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