Hopes and Dreams

Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival has a strong commitment to arts education. Out of this commitment comes our Hopes and Dreams program…

Click here to watch our Hopes and Dreams video!

Here is a note from Caroline, our Hopes and Dreams intern this past spring:

Dear Shakori Hopes and Dreams Enthusiasts, Participants, and Newcomers,

What a successful third year of this wonderful program! We at Shakori Hills Grassroots are so excited about all of the new and old participants that 2009 brought together! Our Hopes and Dreams program promises to be in integral piece of the Shakori Hills puzzle.

Hopes and Dreams Spring 2009

4/8/09
- Joe Troop came, the students of JS Waters saw, and his banjo, fiddle, and mandolin conquered! Joe blew away three of Valerie Jones’ 4th and 5th grade music classes with his bluegrass charm. He taught them about the roots of bluegrass, and gave demonstrations of the three instruments.

4/8/09
- The girls of Midtown Dickens, along with their fellow musician friend Will, rocked the 4th grade class of Pittsboro Elementary School! The students were amazed by Catherine Edgerton and Kym Register’s ability to manipulate everyday objects (a chair, spoons, even a saw!) to create beautiful tunes!

4/9/09
- Ari Picker of Lost in The Trees was in the second graduating class of Woods Charter School. On Thursday, April 9, he and several of his band mates participated in a homecoming of sorts. Armed with tales of their musical journeys, the ensemble spent close to an hour with a group of high school music students answering questions and demystifying the life of a working musician. This was followed by a performance for the entire school (grades k-12). Students and teachers alike not only enjoyed the music immensely, but many eyes were opened to the unlimited performance possibilities that many ‘non rock and roll’ instruments present.

4/15/09
- Greg Humphreys visited the 3rd Grade music classes of the Central Park School for Children in Durham. The kids loved the opportunity to enjoy and learn from this awesome guitar-playing member of the band Hobex!

4/16/09
- Carolina Friends School hosted stephaniesid of Asheville, NC, for a lunchtime show that teachers and students alike were pleased to see stretch on into the next class period! High school, middle school, and lower school students were thrilled that the entire band was able to come rock out on their outdoor patio! A student of CFS and member of the Shakori band Old 86 even got up on stage and played with them…and played so well that the band invited him to play with them at the festival!

We are so grateful that we were able to build upon our relationships with JS Waters School in Goldston, Pittsboro Elementary School, and Woods Charter School in Chapel Hill. And we’re so excited to build upon this year’s success at Carolina Friends School and the Central Park School for Children.

Thank you to all of the educators and artists who helped to make this year’s program great! We look forward to working with old and new ‘Hopes and Dreams’ advocates in 2010!

Warmest regards,

Caroline and The Shakori Hills Festival Team

Testimonials:

“Thanks for askin’ us Caroline, we had a blast. It was our first time and I think we learned a lot about public speakin, to kids. See you at the great outdoors!”
–Kym Register and Midtown Dickens

“Great performance by Greg Humphreys today - the kids loved it!”
– Liz Melvin, Music, Central Park School for children

“Thanks so much Caroline! We really enjoyed having Joe here. He related well to the kids and they were very excited by his music and presentation style. I so appreciate this Shakori Hills program that offers this to our students who otherwise might not get to hear musicians of this quality.”
–Valerie Jones, Music/Band, JS Waters School

“We started a wonderful new relationship with Shakori Hills last year. Michael Holland came in to work with our Elementary kids last year, and we enjoyed a visit from The Never last Fall. I would love to continue this relationship and see what we can do to bring artists and kids together.”
– Matthew Etherington, Middle School Director, Woods Charter School

Photos:

jswaters2.jpg

Joe Troop of Firehouse Rhythm Kings at JS Waters Elementary

mdsm.jpg

Midtown Dickens plays at Pittsboro Elementary

mdsm21.jpg
Catherine shows the kids the inside of an accordion

gregcpsc3.jpg

Greg Humphreys plays at Central Park School for Children

gregcpsc2.jpg

Greg and the Gang at CPSC in Durham

Any questions about the Hopes and Dreams Program can be directed to Sara at shakorihills@grassrootsfest.org. Or call us at 919-542-8142.