Washtenaw Community College School of Music and Performing Arts.
http://www4.wccnet.edu/academicinfo/creditofferings/programs/schools.php?code=SMPA
Students learn basic creative and performance skills in music, drama and dance and how they are applied in a professional setting. Whether you are exploring your own talents, coordinating the talents of others, or practicing the techniques you will need to make a living at your craft, the School of Music and Performing Arts provides the fundamentals you need.
TRANSCRIPT:
Do you feel more alive when you’re on stage, or as part of a creative team? Have you always wanted to act, dance, compose, but have been afraid to try? Then think about WCC’s School of Music and Performing Arts. There’s no other field where you can express yourself to the world. It doesn’t matter what your experience level is. We only care that you grow. The School of Music and Performing Arts is unique. Why? Because it can train you for a career in the arts or provide a background for an appreciation that can last a lifetime. We’ve had students go on to form their own dance companies, perform with the Blue Man Group, write with such artists as Madonna, and transfer to top four-year performing arts programs. You don’t find this level of equipment and rehearsal space in many schools. We have pianos, space for guitar lessons, a soundproof studio, computers set up with all the applications you need to learn sequencing, producing, arranging. We have large dance studios and two theater stages. In Towsley Auditorium, you can learn sound reinforcement and perform in front of hundreds of people. And yes, we have traditional classrooms where you will learn the valuable art of managing your own career as a performer or music engineer. These instructors know what they teach because every single one of them works in the field. They spend their time performing around the country and working with other artists. You get personal, individual attention from these high-caliber instructors, and they know tons of people in the business who can help you. The tuition at WCC is very reasonable — probably what you’d make playing a few gigs. And there are lots of loans, grants,and scholarships that you may qualify for. So whether you want to work on stage or behind the scenes, you can develop an appreciation for the performing arts, and WCC can help make it happen.
Duration : 0:2:0
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Event: First Friday at Ong King Arts Center
Time and Place: Ong King Arts Center, 184 N. King St., Friday, December 6
Performance 9pm-2am
More Info: www.ongking.com see@ongking.com,
NerCity (Pronounced “Inner City”), Poet, Host, Community Activist and student of the art of spoken word poetry has been gracing the mic for over 10 years.
His brash and gritty “In Your Face” style is not only a reflection of his life growing up in the streets of the Bay Area, but his “NerCity Poetry” reflects on the many lessons he’s learned from elders that are/were in his life.
His Slam Resume reads as follows; 2002 Oakland Representative for the NYC Hottest Poet Competition, 2003 Oakland Slam Team member that placed 4th in the Nation in Chicago, 2003 Team Oakland member that Placed 1st in The New Word Series in San Francisco, 2004 Nuyorican Grand Slam Finalist, 2005 Berkeley Slam Semi Finalist 2007, Winner of the Show Stoppa Slam in Sacramento, Ca. & recently crowned 2007 Oakland Grand Slam Champion.
NerCity has toured and featured at some of the hottest venues across the country such as The Fly Poet Showcase (Los Angeles), The Nuyorican Poetry Café, Café Nuba (Denver) Untamed Tongues (Las Vegas), Spoken Funk (Hollywood) and many others.
Nercity has also performed at the 2000 NBA All Star Game in Oakland, The Apollo Theater in New York City and was invited to be on B.E.T.’s Lyric Cafe’ in the Bahamas & The Essence Festival in New Orleans.
Shared the stage with KRS-1, Tony, Toni, Tone, Goapele, Ledisi, The Last Poets, Talib Kweli, Jaguar Wright, and many others.
When time allows nerCity works with several named and unnamed community based and after school programs such as “The Love Life Foundation”, Will Work/Write for Food & Silence The Violence, while also going to numerous Jr. High & High Schools all across the country.
This year Nercity has been working with the “Writing for Life” program which help spoken word artist hold writing workshops in the state prisons.
After 1 book “Born in the Womb of Words” and 1 Full length album “Product of the Product” which both sold well, nerCity started getting tired of the “Same ole same” that goes with spoken words. Instead of going through he motions nerCity decided to figure out his next move, so while living in NYC he noticed the mixtape circuit. MC’s were making a name for themselves by hooking up with Mixtape DJ’s and rapping over other MC’s hot beats.
nerCity took that idea back to the Bay Area, but instead of rapping he ’spit’ his words over hot hip hop samples giving birth to the “Urban Writer Mixtape” series. After two strong CD’s poets all over the Bay started coming out with mixtapes, some tried to copy his formula; but nerCity takes it as a challenge to raise the creativity bar higher. “When one style is done to death, real artist know how to create a new one while the fake ones just wait for ideas to fall in their laps”.
December 6th, 2007 nerCity released his latest album “Caution”. nerCity feels once again the creativity bar will be raised even higher. “The Production, musical selection and content for the album Caution is like no other album I guarantee it. This is album shouldn’t even be labled a spoken word album but more like good music.”
Be on the look out for “Caution 2.0″, Bleek Gillium” (The Mixtape) and “nerCity’s Latest & Greatest Hits” all scheduled to be released in 2008.
With a full tour schedule in 2008, a trip to Cuba and numerous projects (”Guerilla Poetry the DVD”) nerCity will be leaving a mark in the art of spoken word poetry. “My mission has never been to be a famous spoken word artist. I’ve always shied away from fame while giving props to my peers, even if they didn’t deserve it. All I ever wanted to accomplish was to make my family proud, and at least touch one person with each performance.”
Duration : 0:4:19
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Sampling of Arts Council Silicon Valley’s Community Arts Fund grantees. Three minute video includes program activities of; Nova Vista Symphony, American Ice Theatre, sjDANCEco, Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, South Valley Quilt Association, Dimension Performing Arts, Fountain Blues Festival, Renegade Theater Experiment, Ballet Afsaneh and Academy of Chinese Performing Arts.
Arts Council Silicon Valley: a private non-profit organization in partnership with the County of Santa Clara, California Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Silicon Valley Arts Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Video edited by Diem Jones, Director of Programs.
Duration : 0:2:55
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Free Street in the 1970’s. Narrated by Studs Terkel