Philadelphia+Arts+in+Education+Partnership

="Two of a Kind" Musical Performance, Song Writing and Grant Opportunity=

If you are a parent, teacher or school administrator, and you are interested in the possibility of having Two of a Kind do an artist residency in your school next year (2008-09), there are 2 exciting grant opportunities with deadlines fast approaching (see below). We still have some room in our schedule for school assembly programs and residencies for this school year, so let us know if you would like to have Two of a Kind visit your school!

The following residency info is for PA schools. If you are in NJ, there are opportunities for funding through the NJ Arts Council - ask us for info!

For our songwriting residencies, in which students create original songs including both lyrics and music through a group cooperative process, the deadline for PCA (PA Council on the Arts) grants through the PAEP (Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership) is January 8, 2008. The good news is that we have done this many times before, so we already have most of the material needed for the grant applications, and it will be a snap!

Songwriting residencies can be structured around a theme. Some of the themes of past residencies include: the environment, the Constitution, equality, diversity, character values, America and books. In addition, we have presented two special types of artist residencies:
 * Oral Songwriting Project - students interview members of the community, and then write songs based on the oral histories they have collected. Depending on the choices of community members, this project can have an additional thematic focus, such as immigration or diversity.
 * "Story Into Songs" Project - all the songwriting is related to one central story or book, resulting in a "musical" which can either be developed into a staged production or performed in a concert version. Past stories have included "The Legend of the Bluebonnet" (Tomie daPaola), "Koala Lou" (Mem Fox) and "Dinner at Aunt Connie's House" (Faith Ringgold).

If you are a teacher (or know a teacher who might be interested), the PA Council on the Arts is requesting "letters of interest" by December 7 from artists and teachers who are interested in working together on a Pilot Project for "Teacher Artist Partnerships" (TAP). This is a very exciting new project in which an artist (such as David or Jenny of Two of a Kind) will work closely with a teacher to develop lesson plans and collaborate in teaching arts-based lessons. The teacher does not need to be an arts educator - they can be a general classroom teacher at any grade level (pre-K to 12th). These TAPs would be a big deal - 3-9 months of collaborative work, with most of the funding coming from the PCA. The project would require a commitment from the school administration involved, including 10-20% of the funding.
 * "David and Jenny were wonderful leaders in the songwriting process. They elicited many creative responses and ideas, and incorporated them with their expertise to produce a meaningful and memorable experience." - Teacher, Anne Frank Elementary, Philadelphia, PA
 * "It was wonderful to see students take ownership of a cooperative creative process. Two of a Kind enriched the students’ understanding of language arts, music, social studies and social skills. They showed a lot of respect for the students, and engendered an atmosphere that was very conducive to the creative process." - Teacher, Lowell School, Philadelphia, PA

If you are interested in either of these opportunities (or know someone who might be), please contact us right away!

Thank you,

David & Jenny Heitler-Klevans Two of a Kind

[|www.twoofakind.com]

2ofakind@comcast.net (215) 782-8258