[Perform-talk] First Edition of the Performing Arts Division's Newsletter!
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
bkpollpeter at gmail.com
Tue Aug 18 17:54:32 UTC 2015
Can there be a table of contents at the top?
-----Original Message-----
From: Perform-talk [mailto:perform-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Lizzy via Perform-talk
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2015 12:21 PM
To: perform-talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Lizzy <lizzym0827 at gmail.com>
Subject: [Perform-talk] First Edition of the Performing Arts Division's
Newsletter!
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
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