Excerpt from the article (click link for the full article on www.fairborndailyherald.com):

FAIRBORN — Fairborn Primary School is once again raffling off seven themed, miniature Christmas trees to raise funds to support the MUSE Machine program.

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“At East, we gave a tree to any teacher who was willing to decorate one and then the kids voted on which one they thought was the cutest,” said second grade teacher Stacey Frey.

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Since then, the Fairborn Education Foundation has continued to help fund the program, but the MUSE Machine teachers have found other creative ways to raise funds. The amount they need to raise each year depends on how many teachers are involved. This year they need about $3,000.

“With three to eight year olds, you can’t do carwashes or things like that like they do at the high school, so the majority of the fundraising falls on the teachers,” Frey said. “Last year the tree raffle raised between $400 and $500. That’s great, but we are always pleased if it goes over the previous year.”

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“Research has show how students do so much better learning through the arts rather than just memorizing,” Frey said. “I’m a strong believer in this. I event write my own songs to help students study. I see from my lowest struggling students to the highest achievers all blossom when we use the arts.”

Artist in residence Michael Lippert, an actor by trade, helps the students write a piece about a specific standard, such as social studies or science, and they perform it for their parents. Lippert is a 2011 recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio.

“He’s absolutely marvelous with the students. He gets so much out of the kids,” said Frey, who believes that MUSE Machine is an important part of the educational experience at Fairborn Primary School.

“It’s my personal opinion that MUSE Machine is so vital, especially during a time when schools are cutting back and the arts are usually the first to go,” she added. “If you can use arts to teach the content areas, it really make a difference with the kids.”

 

Photographer Thom Meyer caught up with Chris and the students at Ferguson Middle School in Beavercreek.

Executive Director Luke Dennis

Dennis accepts position with Harvard University; Search for new Executive Director planned

Dayton – Dianne Trentman, Chair of the Muse Machine Board of Trustees has announced that Executive Director Luke Dennis has accepted a job with Harvard University and will be leaving the Muse Machine later this year.

“Anyone who knows Luke Dennis and the fine work he has done for the Muse Machine will also understand our very mixed feelings about his announced departure,” said Trentman. “We have been fortunate to have Luke as our Executive Director for the past three years and we are proud and appreciative of the leadership and talent he brought to the Muse Machine. At the same time, we are excited for him and know he will continue to do great things in his new role.

”Dennis has accepted the role of Curator of the Harvard Theatre Collection. Founded in 1901, the Harvard Theatre Collection was the first compendium of its kind to be established in this country. It stands as one of the largest performing arts collections in the world and is the oldest theatre collection in the world of international significance.

As Curator, Dennis will have primary responsibility for collection-building, promotion, and collaboration of activities and usage with faculty and students.  The Curator interacts with Harvard faculty and staff from the university’s Loeb Music Library, the Harvard Film Archive, and Harvard’s Office of the Arts and Culture. Dennis will engage faculty and students in aligning Theatre Collection programs with teaching and research, as well as representing Harvard with professional and scholarly organizations dedicated to the history of performing arts.

“I believe Harvard hired me because of the expertise I’ve developed in arts education while serving in my role here at Muse Machine,” said Dennis.

Dennis’s accomplishments at Muse Machine are many, as described by Board Chair Trentman. Some notable accomplishments include: revitalizing the organization’s approach to individual giving, increasing overall corporate and foundation contributions, remaining revenue-positive during his tenure as Executive Director, and directing a bold new strategic education plan the for the organization.

“I have enjoyed working with all of our talented team members and I’m confident that they will continue to provide amazing service to the community under new leadership. As part of the Dayton community, I will always support the Muse Machine and will continue to advocate for them, despite my location,” said Dennis.

While Dennis plans to continue in his current role in Dayton until the end of December, Trentman has announced that the board will begin the search for a new Executive Director in the very near future.

The Fairborn Daily Herald recently ran this article about Fairborn Muse Machine teachers.  The Daily Herald has historically been very supportive of Fairborn’s Muse  program.

The local McDonald’s has been wonderful in helping fund their Muse program since the Muse program is not funded through the district budget and the students in the program are too young (ages 3-8) for heavy fundraising projects.   There is some support from the Fairborn Education Foundation, however the very motivated group of Muse teachers raise the majority of the money through their own fundraising efforts. Mcteacher Night has been instrumental in their efforts!

While they haven’t finalized the profits from the event yet, they estimate they earned a little over $200 from cookie sales alone! Besides the fundraising aspect of the event, McTeacher Night is just great fun for the kids, and it is a great public relations event for McDonald’s and the school. The kids have a wonderful time being served at their favorite restaurant by their teachers and principals.

Watch this website for more exciting FIND YOUR MUSE events throughout the year!

“I loved it…especially when students got to participate in the drumming and dancing.”

“I liked learning about another culture.”

________________________

The Human Race Theatre Co.

Change: A New Play by Michael Slade

“It was hilarious.”

“All of the scenes were realistic.”

“I liked the way they made it so we could understand the history.”

Ever travel to Africa?  Well, with the help of Sogbety Diomande the students and staff at Watts went there for a little visit through the efforts of Muse Machine.

On Thursday, September 15^th, the Muse Machine kicked off their year of in-school performances with a visit by Sogbety Diomande.  Native to the Ivory Coast in West Africa, Sogbety Diomande has been performing since he was a child.  He has been a member of Ballet National de Cote d’Ivoire, Kotchegna Dance Company, and has been featured with many troupes in NYC and around the U.S.  Sogbety started his own troupe in 2005.  His troupe performs at festivals and in colleges throughout the U.S.

Sogbety showed the Watts community some of his native drumming and dancing, taught us some new words and let us sing along on some of his songs.  There were groups of students that had the opportunity to come down on the floor and actually play some of the drums that he had along with him.  And have you ever done the electric slide at gatherings?  Well, he didn’t actually do that dance, but a large number of students and then smaller group of staff got dance as a group.

Sogbety’s performances are thrilling and interactive and a great way to begin the Muse year.  Thank you, Muse Machine, for bringing this entertainment to our school.

A Terrific Opportunity to
Fund some FUN!

Keep an eye on MuseMachine.com, as we will have more incredible opportunities like this for our members over the course of the year!