Arts for Children at work in China

Associate Professor Juanita Suarez has departed for a semester's sabbatical in China. She'll be teaching modern dance to elementary school children.

Featured here are 4th graders at the Guang Ya School in Wolong. Together, Suarez and the children will create a dance drama based on the survival story of the Giant Panda. Their work will be presented at the Wolong Natural Reserve for the Giant Panda in July and August to audiences visiting China for the 2008 Olympics.

The xylophones have arrived!

Arts for Children majors are thrilled to have a full complement of Orff xylophones for use in assistant professor Natalie Sarrazin's methods classes. The collection has grown so that beginning in Fall 2008 qualified AFC students may join the newly-formed Orff xylophone ensemble. Look for the fall 2008 inauguration of children's Saturday morning workshops.

And the music keeps coming! Professor Bill Hullfish will offer a recorder ensemble class in the near future. The College now offers a minor in music open to all students by audition.

Saturday Puppet Workshops

Area children continue to delight in Professor Oh-Kon Cho's weekend puppet workshops.

Participants create their own puppets, write short plays and then perform their finished works, all with the enthusiastic support of Arts for Children student assistants.

Dr. Cho has been offering these community workshops for two years.

New Director Named

We look forward to the August arrival of Kevin Warner, the new director for the Arts for Children Interdisciplinary Program.

Kevin currently serves as the Program Director of the A+ Schools Program at University of North Carolina at Greenboro. He brings with him over 20 years' experience as a dancer, teaching artist, teacher trainer and arts educator.

Lena Sunseri Piedmont '34 Scholarship

Established in 2006, this scholarship helps an Arts for Children undergraduate student with tuition costs.

This year's award will be shared by two very deserving AFC seniors: Sarah Komendat and Breanna Giblin.

Both students are dedicated to the teaching profession and to incorporating the arts in elementary education settings.

Hunter Institute for Young Children

New to campus is The Hunter Institute on Young Children which supports educational and scholarly activities focusing on the early childhood years.

Director Kathleen Peterson-Sweeney (Nursing) says the Institute will be a partner in the Children's Film Festival to be held in Rochester in April. Plans are also underway for a September 2008 conference to be held on campus for Brockport students, faculty and professionals working with young children.

According to Peterson-Sweeney, Brockport students interested in early childhood will be encouraged to present poster sessions at that conference.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you. Please send an email - and a photo! - so we can include you in an upcoming e-newsletter.

Warm regards,
Virginia Bacheler
Interim Director, Arts for Children