Director’s Digest

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are having a great March Break.

Enjoy some more tidbits!

Michelle Obama Campaigns for Girls’ Education Through Music

Michelle Obama’s open letter to change attitudes towards girls

Michelle Obama is calling on people to do more to change attitudes around girls and education in an open letter ahead of speech at SXSW.

Listen to Michelle Obama’s charity single

Artists including Missy Elliott, Kelly Clarkson and Kelly Rowland all feature on a charity single put together by US First Lady Michelle Obama.

Ancient Islamic Art Provides the Foundation for New Innovation in Materials

The intersection of Art and Science is fascinating to me. Consider how the arts are always the first things to go in the school system; If these scientists were not exposed to art, would they even have had this idea? Think about that the next time your local school board decides to cut your Arts (including Music) programs…you never know what the future holds! The Arts are a core curriculum subject.

Islamic art inspires stretchy, switchable materials

A new selection of stretchy but switchable ‘metamaterials’ is created based on intricate, repeating motifs found in Islamic art.

President Obama Cues Rap

President Obama clearly likes to keep up to his wife, so he also go in on the musical act this week, by cueing some freestyle rap in the rose garden at the White House, using words that the rapper had to put into action on the spot. Fun stuff!

Obama lends a hand for Lin-Manuel Miranda White House rap

President Obama assisted musician Lin-Manuel Miranda in his performance of a government-related rap freestyle at the White House.

“There are children starving in other parts of the world…”

This is a line we’ve all likely heard our parents say but, these days, all of the screen time that kids have tends to make everything a far-away and fairy tale concept. In this video, which I think is best watched and discussed as a family, real children tell of their experience with war. Bringing home real tragedy can have a positive impact on our kids, teaching them about the world they live in, and giving them a concrete appreciation of the relative peace and ease of their lives.

How do Syrian children explain the war?

Syrian children explain in stark terms how the war has changed their lives, including the loved ones that they have lost.

Arts Cut Re-Offending Rates; How About Cutting Offending Rates?

Hollywood actor Tim Robbins runs a program in prisons that uses theatre to improve expression and communication skills in offenders. The approach has seemingly cut re-offending rates by almost half.

Can you imagine what would have happened if these offenders had had exposure to core curriculum arts in their youth? Would that have cut the offence rates before it cost the system and taxpayers money? Would the effects have been even greater than the post-offence reduction? Serious questions, worth thinking about.

Actor’s Gang: How Tim Robbins has cut reoffending rates

In California, six out of 10 inmates will return to prison within three years of being released, but a drama workshop run by actor Tim Robbins appears to cut this rate in half.

Time Warp, Mind Warp

The woman who lives in a 1939 time warp

Joanna Francis is such a big fan of 1939 that she has decided to immerse herself in the experience permanently.

Bass Ace

We don’t give String Bass a lot of attention, but we should! It is one of the most fun instruments, and has a HUGE range of expression. Just check out this fun video below!