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Artist: Tom Breiding

Songwriter-recording artist Tom Breiding shares his experiences as a former staff writer for a major publishing company on Music Row in Nashville to his current experience as a touring artist and album producer. Tom engages students in open conversation about a wide range of topics that include: approaches to the songwriting process, studio engineering and record production, innovative recording techniques, tracking and editing on ProTools software, artist press and radio promotion, touring strategies, and performance techniques. This program is especially effective for schools hosting a radio station or advanced media center, and students who are interested in a career in the music industry. A touring performer with nine album releases, Tom is currently marketing his latest record, the highly acclaimed Unbroken Circle, which has received radio airplay on Americana stations in every corner of the country. Tom is also a Calliope teaching artist and co-producer of Calliope's When We Shine, a Pittsburgh 250 project.

Artist: Dan Kamin

Dan Kamin created the physical comedy scenes for the films Benny and Joon and Chaplin, and trained Johnny Depp and Robert Downey, Jr. for their acclaimed performance. He also played the vengeful wooden Indian in the cult classic Creepshow 2, consulted on My Best Friend’s Wedding, and created the weird Martian movement for Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!

Students love meeting someone involved with movies, and Dan Kamin uses the opportunity to draw them into the art of movement.  A gifted teacher and the author of two acclaimed books on Charlie Chaplin, he reveals the secrets behind his movement illusions in this entertaining, hands-on workshop.  Aside from being fun, the workshop teaches basic principles of expressive communication and offers participants ways to be more comfortable physically.  This workshop is most effective in conjunction with one of Dan’s assembly programs, The Pantomime Man (K-5) and The Illusionist (6-12).

A second option for elementary schools is Dan’s “classroom blitz”—ten minute post-show visits to every class in the school, in which the students learn some additional movement skills during their one-on-one visit with The Pantomime Man.

Artist: Liberty Brass

Schools can add up to three 45 minute workshops (tailored to grade level) before or following the performance (teachers select the participating classrooms) taught by Liberty Brass leader Ross Cohen. The workshops focus on honing some of the fundamental skills of brass playing including: breathing, buzzing on the mouthpiece, singing/ear training, extending range, and more.

For older students, master class workshops where individual students play and receive instruction in front of their peers cover more advanced techniques including: sound development, musical expression, practice techniques, preparing solos/auditions, etc.

Workshop content is flexible and can be created with the teacher and musician.

Artist: Attack Theater

Attack Theatre's workshops use a unique approach to integrating kinesthetic learning into the curriculum to stimulate students' creativity. Movement activities are carefully crafted to help students understand specific curriculum concepts, such as structure, sequencing, transitioning, literal vs. abstract, adding details and setting the tone or mood. Workshops may kick off with a performance program that provides an exciting glimpse into the world of dance and movement. Co-founders and Artistic Directors of Attack Theatre, Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope, choreograph and perform in Pittsburgh as well as in major cities around the world.

Artist: Billy Jackson

The creative processes involved in filmmaking engage students in visualization and storytelling while honing skills of problem-solving, troubleshooting , meeting deadlines and consensus-building. The end result is a preserved point of view, once-only event or collectively created program that can be a priceless resource for many years to come. The experience that Billy brings to media arts projects is drawn from more than thirty years as an independent filmmaker, five years as an associate professor and over fifteen years as an educator in community, educational and cultural settings.