INSPIRE, Jefferson Center's Artists-in-Schools program,is a resource for teachers and educators who want to ensure their students have the opportunity to experience visual arts, multimedia, theatre music and dance performance from diverse cultural traditions.

Our roster of 17 different artists, performers, and ensembles represents a wide range of genres (music, dance, theatre, visual art, multimedia) and geographic areas (U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and more) Each artist is available to visit your school for classroom programs, assemblies, or small-group workshops. Artists are also available for multi-day residencies - please see each artist's INSPIRE page for residency information. Some residencies may be eligible for funding support.

All programs support Virginia Standards of Learning in multiple subject areas (see individual artist pages for specific SOL links) and many are accompanied by a study guide to help teachers extend learning in the classroom.

Schools are encouraged to make plans now to bring INSPIRE artists to their schools in 2008-09. Contact Anne Elise Thomas, Ph.D. at (540) 343-2624 ext. 217 or by email at athomas@jeffcenter.org to schedule a program with any of the following artists. (You can find further information on each artist by clicking on their name in the list below).

Artists [top]

• Katherine Devine - Paper-mache and mixed media
• Ashley Maynor - Video, claymation, and electronic media

• The Big Lick Conspiracy - Improvisational theatre
• Toni Blackman (touring artist - limited availability) - Spoken word and hip-hop poetry

• Tina Liza Jones - Appalachian music and dance
• Roanoke Fiddle and Banjo Club - Bluegrass music around Roanoke
• Cheryl Lunsford - American songs and ballads
• The Hoorah Cloggers and the Wild Turkeys - Appalachian dance and music

• Scott Perry - Blues pathways
• Cyrus Pace Trio - The roots of jazz

• Los Gatos - Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms
• Solazo - Latin American music and culture
• Richard Rudolph/Quest Academy - Steel drum workshop

• The Kusun Ensemble - Music and dance from Ghana (touring artist - limited availability)
• Mamadou Diabate (modern-day griot and kora-player from Mali, West Africa)

• Mandara (Middle Eastern and North African dance)
• Anne Elise Thomas (Music and Culture of Egypt and the Middle East)

• Beggars' Circus - Celtic music

Residencies [top]

INSPIRE arts residencies, consisting of one or more days of instruction by an INSPIRE artist or group, offer your students a life-changing experience in the arts. Sustained, repeated contact with an artist allows for sequential activities to maximize your students' learning. Working with smaller groups, often of only one grade level, INSPIRE residencies offer valuable opportunities for cross-curricular learning and can be configured to support SOLs in English, social studies, history, math and science.

Each residency on the INSPIRE roster can include core-group, whole-school, and teacher workshops; and may culminate in a final performance or exhibition for parents. Partial funding for residencies may be available; contact us for ideas on how to make a residency affordable.

Give your class an enriching and comprehensive arts experience. A multi-artist residency includes three separate visits by different INSPIRE artists or groups. Residencies are planned around a unifying theme; each artist presents new material and builds upon what has been presented previously.

Discover Dance Residency Give your class a taste of three different world dance styles: Appalachian, Middle Eastern, and West African. Includes the following INSPIRE artists: the Hoorah Cloggers, Mandara, and the Kusun Ensemble.

Appalachian Music and Dance Residency Features some of the area's finest performers of bluegrass and old-time music and dance: Tina Liza Jones, Roanoke Valley Bluegrass Pickers and the Hoorah Cloggers.

American Music Residency Jazz, the blues, and American folk songs are brought together in this residency, featuring the Cyrus Pace Trio, Scott Perry, and Cheryl Lunsford.

Middle Eastern Music and Dance Residency Learn about the music and dance of the Middle East and how these arts are related in this three-session residency by Anne Elise Thomas and Mandara.

Music of Latin America and the Caribbean This residency explores musical styles from South and Central America and the Caribbean. Includes a day of steel drum workshops. Features Solazo, Los Gatos and Richard Rudolph.

Music Around the World Residency Choose any three of our INSPIRE artists representing different regions of the world: the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Booking [top]

To book an INSPIRE in-school assembly or artist residency:
Contact Anne Elise Thomas, Education Program Coordinator, at (540) 343-2624 x 217 or athomas@jeffcenter.org to schedule an INSPIRE program in your school. Please be ready to suggest several dates, in case the artist you choose is not available on your preferred date.
Please have the following information prepared before you call:

• Name and address of school and name of school contact person
• Billing name and address (if different)
• Each program and artist/ensemble in which you are interested
• Your school calendar and daily schedule
• Number of programs required
• Grade levels and number of students who will attend each program
• Special curricular tie-ins or requests
• Directions to your school from downtown Roanoke

Teacher Comments [top]

Here's what other educators have been saying about Jefferson Center programs:

"This is exactly the type of cross-curricular event that can inspire students. Thank you!"
"Our students were very excited, inspired, and touched."
"The kids really identified with the artist and enjoyed participating immensely."
"I was still hearing students comment the next day after the wonderful show."
"The overall performance was exciting, which drew the students in, and then continued with real substance."
"It is obvious that this group is well-seasoned and works with other schools. The program was exciting for the adults as well as the children."
"[The program] was fully emotionally involving of all the kids."
"The authenticity had a great impact on the students.
"It gave students an opportunity to learn about diverse cultural dances. It also got the students involved and engaged."
"Awesome performance. Delightful performers. Very artistic and pleasant."