Educators | CreativeSonoma.org

Play Marimba! Organization Not your usual elementary school band! Giant instruments, earth shaking sounds and virtuosic playing combine into a music program that kids just can’t get enough of. We offer a joyful music making experience for children and teens in a technology-free social environment that stretches mind-body coordination, establishes leadership skills, and builds confidence backed by capacity. Founded at Loma Vista Immersion Academy in Petaluma by school principal Jorge Arvizu and musician Tobias Sparks, our program started in 2016 with 8 students and is growing exponentially. Loma Vista is a dual immersion English-Spanish language school with a 70% hispanic population. The program celebrates the heritage of Loma Vista students by integrating traditional music from Latin cultures into its diverse curriculum. We also offer an after school ensemble for high school and junior high school students to continue their studies after graduating from Loma Vista. Play Marimba Programs provides your students with a rigorous arts programs that celebrates and honors the diversity in classrooms. We provide complete packages for your sites including: Classroom Instrument Sets Take Home Practice Marimbas Standards Based Curriculum Student Access to our Online Video Library Robust, Ongoing Training for Your Staff.

Santa Rosa Symphony Institute For Music Education Organization The Santa Rosa Symphony Institute for Music Education has been widely recognized for having one of the most comprehensive music education programs in California, serving educators, families and nearly 20,000 students annually. Integrated programs are designed for K-12 young people beginning with Free Concerts for Youth and progress through Training Young Musicians and Community Outreach. Whether it’s training musicians of the future or fostering a love of music and a lifetime involvement with the musical arts, the Symphony’s commitment is unwavering. Music For Our Schools Music For Schools has four components that can assist teachers in the great work they are doing to provide musical experiences for their students. The programs reach approximately 30,000 elementary school children each year and includes the Elementary School Listening Program, field trips to concerts at Weill Hall, tickets for the Santa Rosa Symphony Discovery concerts, and a two year music immersion program. The programs are all at no or low cost to the schools. Training Young Musicians The Santa Rosa Symphony offers opportunities for beginners to advanced students, including a full complement of six youth ensembles and a three-week Summer Music Academy. The ensembles have a place for children between the ages of 5 and 23. String Orchestra Workshop is a non-auditioned group for beginners. The Debut Youth Orchestra, Aspirante Youth Orchestra and Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra all provide successive training. The Young People's Chamber Orchestra is a conductor-less string orchestra. Saturday Morning Jazz accepts intermediate to advanced students of any instrument.

Sonoma Community Center Organization OUR MISSION: Cultivate a vibrant community through extraordinary creative, cultural and learning experiences. The Sonoma Community Center is a member-supported, not-for-profit organization since 1953, and is housed on the campus of the historic Sonoma Grammar School. For over six decades, the Center has worked to inspire creative expression and enhance quality of life by bringing world class programming to the Valley of the Moon, and to preserve and restore our grand, historic building. The Center’s campus was built in 1916 and resides just two blocks east of the historic Sonoma plaza. Explore what the Sonoma Community Center has to offer by touring our professional art studios and rotating art gallery. The center’s state-of-the-art facilities, workshops, and classes draw artists from all over the country. Field trips feature professional artists and teachers guiding students through developing, refining, and conceptualizing artistic ideas through a project in clay, fiber or print. We work directly with teachers to choose age appropriate projects based on current classroom lessons. Each project can be tailored to focus on a grade-appropriate curriculum, blending California history, science and more.

Sonoma County Taiko Organization

Sonoma County Taiko has been teaching and performing Japanese taiko drumming locally since it was established in 1995. Our mission is "to build a community of acceptance harmony and respect through their love of taiko."

We perform at assemblies, cultural events, and festivals at local schools and communities. We also offer one-time or series of workshops in classrooms and at our dojo.

We can customize the presentation according to the school's/event's needs. For example, we can explain the history of taiko for cultural events or include audience participation for activity-oriented events.

Sonoma Valley Museum Of Art Organization SVMA’s mission is to build community around art, which reflects our commitment to providing critical arts education, public art and humanities programs, and innovative, thought-provoking exhibitions tied to social and human experiences. SVMA serves the Sonoma Valley region and a wide range of visitors from the Bay Area and beyond. SVMA invites all 4th and 5th Grade students and teachers in Sonoma Valley to participate in our free A.R.T.S. (Art Rewards The Student) Program which culminates in a student exhibition at the Museum. Additionally, SVMA offers Gallery Visits year-round for K-12 students and their teachers.

Valley Vibes Youth Orchestra Organization Valley Vibes Orchestra is a youth enrichment program with a mission to change lives through music. Through learning and making music together, we inspire our members to believe that everyone has the power to change their life and succeed. Every school day youth in grades K-12 meet after school and participate in two hours of intensive, ensemble-based music lessons. Open to all students in Sonoma Valley, we are especially proud to offer our program to students who would not have the opportunity otherwise and currently 80% of our members come from low income households. Beyond engaging youth in building musical proficiency, ViVO is a youth development program based on best research-based practices. ViVO's objectives are to foster (1) a sense of belonging and confidence; (2) youth voice and leadership ; (3) building skills and mastery in music ; and (4) community involvement and contribution. As such, our goals for ViVO members are not only to become proficient and engaged musicians, but also to develop life and social-emotional skills to succeed in school, community and life.

Visual Thinking Strategies We provide a series of professional development workshops for educators to learn the VTS method with the support of peers. By facilitating real discussions and reflecting on their practice, guided by VTS coaches, educators learn how to create supportive learning environments that are open and accepting, encourage risk-taking, and elicit multiple perspectives. Participants increase their ability to hear, value, and assess student thought and expression. Since 2020, VTS programming has moved online, enabling greater access to training, events, and communities of practice. At this time, in-person VTS training is available through private consulting. Visual Thinking Strategies offers education and support in facilitation, coaching, training, aesthetic development, and image selection. Whether you're new to facilitation or a seasoned practitioner, VTS offers professional development to support growth in all aspects of VTS methodology. Please read more below, or contact us at info@vtshome.org. Research article available at https://vtshome.org/research/ A journal of articles written by educators using VTS at https://vtshome.org/site-specific/

William Smith Individual William Smith received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with an emphasis in printmaking from Sonoma State University, CA. in 1996. As an undergraduate student at SSU, he collaborated with many artists as a printer and technician at Aurobora Press, in San Francisco and independently around the Bay Area. In 1998, he received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from West Virginia University. After completing his graduate studies, he returned to California where he continued to work at Aurobora Press and teach part-time at Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College. He has taught drawing, figure drawing, foundations courses in design and color theory as well as printmaking. William believes the relationship between teacher and student is mutually beneficial in that they are both sharing and learning from each other’s experiences. He takes great pride in helping students to express themselves through art. His role is that of navigator, collaborating with students as they develop stronger skills and greater confidence within their artistic voice. In 2015 and 2016, He started a series of three live t-shirt printing events titled “Wil Smith’s Fresh Prints”. The first event featured himself. The next two featured one guest artist. These were all-day events printing on t-shirts from hand-carved linoleum blocks. 2023 saw the return of this event with Wil and five guest artists. The next “Fresh Prints” event will take place in the spring of 2024. William Smith still teaches part time at Santa Rosa Junior College while making, showing and promoting his art and the work of other artists in his community.

Young Actors Studio Organization Young Actors Studio is a resident theatre company of the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts providing year-round classes, camps and performances for Sonoma County youth and families out of the intimate 72 seat Left Edge Studio Theatre. Theatre Arts have the ability to inspire creativity, build confidence and teach the power of teamwork. Through classes and performances we spark young people's imaginations and bring them a love for learning that lasts a lifetime. THEATRE CLASSES Year-round classes for students age 6-16 of all skill levels are offered by professional working actors. Beginners enjoy games and exercises with fellow drama enthusiasts. Serious students can hone their craft. STAGE PERFORMANCES The process of putting on a play requires imagination, courage and commitment. Through rehearsals and performances, we aim for young people to develop new skills and experience firsthand the power theatre has to inspire and unite. We invite our community to share in the transformative power of theatre by participating in or attending our shows. We seek ways to provide low-cost and often no-cost tickets to area schools.