[musictlk] Performing Arts Newsletter, Issue 1 vole 1

Ryan Silveira ryan.l.silveira at gmail.com
Mon Aug 24 20:50:48 UTC 2015


Hello,

Thank you for your e-mail.  I am currently on vacation and will return on the 7th of September, 2015.  I will periodically check my e-mail, but please do not expect an immediate response.  Thank you very much.


Ryan L. Silveira
חיים אהרן בן אברהם

On Aug 18, 2015, at 8:17 PM, Jordy Stringer via musictlk <musictlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Greetings fellow federationists, 
> 
> The Performing Arts Division  hopes this message finds you all doing well!
> 
> For some the publication did not come through in its entirety. For your
> convenience the text has been pasted  below.
> 
> Happy reading. 
> 
> Jordy D. Stringer 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hi All
> 
> Here's the newsletter you've all been hearing so much about and waiting for!
> Please contact me with any articles or inquiries.
> 
> Happy Reading!
> 
> Lizzy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spotlight
> 
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
> 
> Volume 1, Issue 1
> 
> August 17, 2015
> 
> Editor: Lizzy Muhammad
> 
> President: Jordy Stringer
> 
> Spotlight
> 
> Los Ciegos del Barrio
> 
> by Jordy Stringer
> 
>                Los Ciegos del Barrio is a band whose members have varying 
> 
> degrees of blindness.  They are frequent donors to the NFB's 
> 
> Performing Arts Division, and they have given yet another 
> 
> donation to this year's annual talent show at national 
> 
> convention.  Some of us may remember them for their version 
> 
> of "Brown Eyed Girl" from the NFB Performing Arts 
> 
> compilation entitled, "Sound in Sight".  The bilingual Latin 
> 
> band, from New York City, has recently released its brand 
> 
> new single, "Mama Used To Say".
> 
>                The band members had a busy summer in 2015.  On July 12, 
> 
> they played at the first annual Disability Pride Parade in 
> 
> New York City.
> 
>                On July 18, in further unbiased support of all members of 
> 
> the blind community, they played at an ACB fundraiser at the 
> 
> Music Conservatory of Westchester, 216 Central Avenue in 
> 
> White Plains New York.  The show began at 1:00P.M.and the 
> 
> audience loved every minute.
> 
>                On July 24, The band played at the Brentwood Public Library,
> 
> 
> 94 2nd Avenue, in Brentwood New York.  The event was free, 
> 
> open to the public, and enjoyed by all ages.
> 
>                On July 29, the band flew to Milwaukee Wisconsin for the 
> 
> annual "Live At The Lake Front" summer series at Discovery 
> 
> World Rotary Amphitheater, located at 500 North Harbor 
> 
> Drive.  In 2012, the band broke the all-time attendance 
> 
> record...  And was ready for more when they returned for 
> 
> their sixth consecutive year.
> 
>                If you have any questions about the band including its 
> 
> performance availability, please call the band's director 
> 
> Alvin Suarez at: (718) 886-8686.  He is also the business 
> 
> and press contact for bookings and interviews.  You may also 
> 
> send an email to:losciegosdelbarrio at gmail.com
> 
>  Your support is always appreciated at any of their social media 
> 
> networks: YouTube,HTTP3WWW.YouTUBE.COM/LOSCIEGOSDELBarRIO?
> 
>  Facebook,HTTP:WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/LOSCIEGOSDELBarRIO?
> 
>  You can also friend request them on Facebook for a more 
> 
> personal experience.
> 
>  Twitter:HTTP:WWW.TWITTer.COM/LOSCIEGOS?
> 
>  Want to pick up their new single Mamà Used to Say? It is 
> 
> available on iTunes.  Don't have iTunes? It is also available on 
> 
> MP3.
> 
>  Los Ciegos Del Barrio salutes all Federationists, and wishes 
> 
> all members of the NFB Performing Arts Division, a prosperous 
> 
> rest of the year.
> 
> Around the Division
> 
> Meet Kaiti Shelton: A Musician in the Performing Arts Division 
> 
> and Our Newest Board Member
> 
> by Jordy Stringer
> 
>                Kaiti Shelton is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree
> 
> 
> in Music Therapy at the University of Dayton in Ohio.  
> 
> Though she plays the clarinet as her primary instrument, her 
> 
> career requires her to be skilled in other areas of musical 
> 
> performance as well.  The necessity to be a well-rounded 
> 
> musician has given her the opportunity to perform in a 
> 
> variety of ensembles and to learn various skills.
> 
>                Kaiti does clarinet recitals each semester for music majors 
> 
> at her school.  She has also played in the Clarinet Choir; 
> 
> the Pride of Dayton Marching Band; the Symphonic Wind 
> 
> Ensemble (where she usually sits second or third chair); and 
> 
> in other groups including the Flyer Pep Band and Sigma Alpha 
> 
> Iota performances.  Before attending the University of 
> 
> Dayton, she played as a guest soloist for two major bands in 
> 
> Cincinnati: Lee's Junction and Blue Stone Ivory.  She played 
> 
> in regional honor bands during her sophomore and junior 
> 
> years of college, and was accepted into the prestigious 
> 
> Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble hosted by the CCM preparatory 
> 
> program in her freshman year.  Through the program, Kaiti 
> 
> learned that she did not want to be a conservatory clarinet 
> 
> student.  But the experience was positive in that it helped 
> 
> her to become a better player along with establishing the 
> 
> skills needed to perform in other prestigious music groups.
> 
>                Kaiti's other interests are in the guitar and vocal 
> 
> performance.  She has performed several times at open mic 
> 
> nights and played everything from 80s hits to modern pop.  
> 
> Her favorites to play are soft pop and alternative songs by 
> 
> a wide range of artists including: Ingrid Michaelson, The 
> 
> Lumineers, and Of Monsters and Men.  In the beginning of 
> 
> summer, she took on a gig opening for a country band at a 
> 
> local bar, and performed songs by Darius Rucker; Toby Keith; 
> 
> Miranda Lambert; Carrie Underwood; Rascal Flatts and a few 
> 
> others.  Interspersed in her country set were some light pop 
> 
> hits, along with a few summer/island-esque numbers.  The gig 
> 
> helped her raise funds for humanitarian aid in Jamaica where 
> 
> she volunteered and studied this past summer.  Kaiti is 
> 
> hoping that her opening act gig will be the first of more in 
> 
> depth performances in the Dayton area in addition to the 
> 
> open mic nights.
> 
>                Kaiti's other diverse musical interests are in: Javanese 
> 
> Gamelan; bonong playing; playing viola de gamba in the UD 
> 
> Early Music Ensemble and classical guitar which she studied 
> 
> with Jim McCutcheon.  In addition to these musical 
> 
> achievements, she performs regularly with the University of 
> 
> Dayton's Choral Union.  In this choir, she sings everything 
> 
> from Mozart to jazz standards in sacred and secular 
> 
> concerts.  She has studied vocal performance for the past 
> 
> two years with Andrea Chenoweth Wells, who has performed as 
> 
> part of the Dayton Opera Company and across the country.
> 
>                Outside of School, Kaiti has sought other performance 
> 
> opportunities for both personal enjoyment and professional 
> 
> development.  She loves to sing in church and school choirs 
> 
> alike, and is growing more comfortable with singing as a 
> 
> soloist in the classical genre as well.  She attended the 
> 
> Summer Braille Music Institute and was a student of the 
> 
> Braille Beats Fine Arts Program for seven years.  At Braille 
> 
> Beats Kaiti typically sang alto in the choir, and performed 
> 
> in the annual talent show.  She also performed in an 
> 
> original full-length musical aboutJ.S Bach, where she played 
> 
> the role of Bach's wife and sang the opening number.
> 
>                Kaiti understands the importance of having strong vocal 
> 
> skills for her career in music therapy.  For jobs in the 
> 
> field, she knows everything from songs of the 1930s to 
> 
> children's tunes and uses them regularly in her work.  While 
> 
> it is not necessary to be an accomplished vocalist in order 
> 
> to facilitate songs with clients, she strives to use proper 
> 
> technique and skill to hone her craft to the highest 
> 
> quality.
> 
> 
> 
> If you know a performer who would like to be featured in the 
> 
> "Around the Division" section of "Spotlight" please contact 
> 
> editor Lizzy Muhammad or president Jordy Stringer 
> 
> atnfbpad at gmail.com
> 
> 
> 
> Who's on Stage?
> 
> Letter to the Performing Arts Division of the National Federation 
> 
> of the Blind:
> 
> by Julie McGinnity
> 
> Dear friends and colleagues,
> 
>                I am writing to spark some thought, discussion, and 
> 
> eventually action in the Performing Arts Division of the 
> 
> National Federation of the Blind.  The NFB raises 
> 
> expectations of blind people every day with its philosophy, 
> 
> programs, and network of mentors.  Our 75th year brought 
> 
> with it a new tagline and increased determination to 
> 
> redefine the meaning of blindness in society.  With the 
> 
> recent passing of a landmark convention, I ask you to think 
> 
> about what role our division will play in the next 75 years.
> 
>  As performers we are often held back by the misconceptions of 
> 
> others.  Casting directors expect us to play only blind 
> 
> characters, and we encounter colleagues who expect us to fall off 
> 
> the stage every time we face the audience.  We also wrestle with 
> 
> difficult questions as we audition for roles and compete against 
> 
> fellow performers.  How does my blindness fit into the character 
> 
> I must portray? What does it mean to me to look blind on stage, 
> 
> and is it at all acceptable to do so? What mobility tool can I 
> 
> use, if any, on stage, and in what situations does this change? I 
> 
> have found in my own journey as a performer that these are just a 
> 
> fraction of the questions I ask myself.  I do not believe our 
> 
> division is ignorant to these issues, but I believe we do not 
> 
> discuss them while simultaneously implementing strategies to 
> 
> solve them and teach younger performers.
> 
>                There are various ways we can begin working together as a 
> 
> division to learn from each other, devise new solutions, and 
> 
> ultimately increase the success of blind performers.  
> 
> Perhaps we start with research.  Through the listserve and 
> 
> the eventual formation of a mentoring program, we can gather 
> 
> knowledge on the most prevalent issues challenging us.  In 
> 
> addition, I believe that we can learn much about the present 
> 
> from our past.  A class I am taking has motivated me to 
> 
> research blindness, entertainment in the 20th century, and 
> 
> their intersection.  I think we can gain insight by studying 
> 
> representations of blindness, blind performers, and 
> 
> significant representations of other disabilities since the 
> 
> entertainment industry has such a large impact on society.  
> 
> We learn from songs, remember characters from movies and TV, 
> 
> and are influenced by the lessons taught to us by the actors 
> 
> and singers we admire.  As performers we strive to entertain 
> 
> and affect our audiences, and the blind certainly have a 
> 
> place in this alongside our sighted colleagues.  We need to 
> 
> find that place in the worlds of stage and screen, so that 
> 
> we can share our expertise as critics of blindness-related 
> 
> entertainment, and become advisors on national policy of 
> 
> such work.
> 
>                I am confident that if we continue to build our division, we
> 
> 
> will be leaders in this arena.  The limitations that hold us 
> 
> back are the ones we impose upon ourselves.  It is time to 
> 
> address these limitations honestly and fix them collectively 
> 
> in order to raise expectations of all blind performers.
> 
>                To make this a reality, we need your input.  Your 
> 
> participation is of priceless value.  Your questions deserve 
> 
> answers, and your problems deserve solutions.  Do not 
> 
> hesitate to contact me with questions, ideas, or 
> 
> suggestions.  My information is below.  Thank you for 
> 
> reading these words, and I hope to meet many of you during 
> 
> future conventions.
> 
> 
> 
> Your friend,
> 
> Julie A McGinnity, Vice President
> 
> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jordy D. Stringer
> 
> President, Performing Arts Division, National Federation of the Blind
> 
> E-mail: president at nfbpad.org
> 
> The national federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raze the
> expectations of blind people because lo expectations create opsticals
> between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
> blindness is not what holds you back.
> 
> 
> 
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