Pictures from the S.E.E. Event 2013!
Parents, PTAs, Teachers and Principals came to the STAR Resource Station from all around Los Angeles to find out more about everything STAR Education has to offer! Here are some of our favorite pictures from the day…
Celebrate STAR’s 12th Annual African American Art Festival!
Come celebrate America’s rich and diverse culture at the 12th Annual STAR African American Art Festival – A Celebration of African American Heritage on Saturday, February 11th from 11am-4pm. Free to enter, and fun for the whole family, this entertaining and educational event features LIVE African dance and musical performances and highlights contemporary artwork by established and emerging artists and performers. Held at the internationally renowned STAR Eco Station, tours will be available along with:
- Live Music
- Exhilarating Dance Performances
- Ceramics
- Paintings
- Food
- Jewelry & Clothing Vendors
- Crafts
- Games
- And So Much More!
The STAR Eco Station is located at 10101 Jefferson Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232.
For more information please call (310) 842-8040 x133 or x116.
Artwork from the festival will be on display from February 11th until February 28th.
STAR Sprinkles Hard-Rocking Pixie Dust in Peter Pan Productions!
STAR students kicked out the jams for the spring musical, a rock ‘n’ roll update of “Peter Pan”. STAR Theatre turned the classic tale of pirates, pixies, lost boys, and crocodiles into a hard-rocking musical extravaganza as they sang and danced their hearts out, blending together the traditional tale we all know and love with some of the most classic rock songs ever!
STAR Performers Soak In The Applause
Performances were held at more than 30 schools, and audiences were wowed again and again by the talent and professionalism of all of the students involved. If you’ve got the itch to be onstage, please sign up for our theater camp this summer, and be sure to participate in our fall musical at the start of the next school year!
Battle of the Bands Rocks Once More!
RockSTAR, the largest music education program in California, partnered yet again with the House of Blues to host their 6th annual Battle of the Bands this past Saturday and Sunday, June 4th and 5th. Family, friends, fans, and music lovers of all ages were blown away by the young talent in this awesome musical showdown, as more than 1000 musicians aged 6 to 11 in over 130 bands (up from 100 bands last year) competed for 8 winning spots. All of the young performers were ready, willing, and rockingly able to bring audiences to their feet as they clapped to the beat.
These Little Rockers Make Some Big Noise!
Every child enjoyed the thrill of taking to the stage, and the adults in the audience could not have been more impressed. As one elderly fan who preferred to remain anonymous stated, “I am a mother, a grandmother, and a great grand-mother, and I cannot describe how excited I am about RockSTAR! Two of my grandchildren performed…and I could see and feel their sense of accomplishment. You have made me one happy grandma!”
Witness the Power of Rock!
While all of the bands turned in phenomenal performances, only eight could reign supreme, and a panel of judges including the manager of rock icons AC/DC handed out the honors to the following bands and schools:
Saturday:
- Paranormal – Open Charter
- Funky All-Stars – El Rincon
- Blue Flames – Cowan
- Cowan Avenue Kool Kidz – Cowan
Sunday:
- Monsters Made of Stone – Dixie Canyon
- Toxic Tacos – Warner
- Fill in the Blank – Fairburn
- The Unknown Survivors – Carpenter
The winners will receive special prizes such as guitars signed by famous rockers and the chance to record in a professional studio.
For the last 6 years RockSTAR has been committed to musical mentoring with the support of Rock n’ Roll icons such as Carlos Santana, Gene Simmons, Slash, Sarah McLaughlin, Chris Slade, Brett Michaels, and Britney Spears. Our sponsors include: Rock ‘n’ Roll Gourmet, Pearl Drums, Pro-Mark, D’Addario, Korg, Epiphone, Guitar Center, and more.
RockSTAR is a comprehensive music education program that gives students a chance to turn their rock ‘n roll dreams into a reality. Offered year-round by STAR Education in after-school programs and summer camps, RockSTAR teaches its kindergarten through sixth-grade students how to play guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, how to compose their own songs and how to perform rock ‘n roll hits. Students form their own bands and learn musical skills, teamwork and professionalism, all the while embracing the power of rock.
For further details, visit us at www.RockSTARMusicEducation.org or contact Jordan Vernik, RockSTAR Director at jordanv@starinc.org.
Teri Hatcher Hosts RockSTAR Fundraiser
Actress Teri Hatcher hosted a “Red Carpet Yard Sale” to benefit RockSTAR Music Education, in part, on Sunday, May 1st at the Tiato Garden in Santa Monica. Guests purchased items donated by Teri, along with items donated by such celebrities as Goldie Hawn and Kourtney Kardashian. The day was infused with a carnival-like atmosphere, as children wolfed down cotton candy and snow cones, and RockSTAR bands kept visitors tapping their feet to the beat.
Teri Hatcher Speaks On Behalf of RockSTAR
Take a look at this interview Teri Hatcher gave in praise of RockSTAR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcfSXVxVwCk&feature=player_embedded
With loads of laughter and generous acts of loving-kindness, this very special event helped raise much-needed funds for RockSTAR. For six years RockSTAR has been bringing music back into schools that have slashed their own music programs and putting the power of rock ‘n’ roll into the hands of the next generation. RockSTAR continues to expand its mission, with a new branch opening to teach kid rockers starting this summer in Nashville!
STAR Kids Rock Out For An All-Star Audience!
For more information on enrolling your child in RockSTAR, please visit www.rockstarmusiceducation.comor contact Jordan Vernik, Director of RockSTAR, at jordanv@starinc.org.
Now Read This! STAR Featured At L.A. Times Book Festival
Students from STAR schools throughout the region were invited by the Los Angeles Times to perform at the annual L.A. Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California. In conjunction with the Spanish newspaper Hoy, STAR was also selected to organize the 2011 Spanish Spelling Bee. While STAR Spanish students impressed with their command of the language, STAR student performers had audiences stomping to the beat as they dazzled them with one performance after another.
A STAR Student Spells En Espanol
The following STAR schools and groups performed:
Irish Dance – Wonderland
The Irish Dancers from Wonderland Elementary demonstrated amazing speed and agility, setting the crowd’s toes tapping with their upbeat, rhythmic, synchronized numbers!
Bollywood – Eshelman
Hip hop hooray for Bollywood! Eshelman Elementary students boogied down to the maddest music from Mumbai in this East Indian Dance performance that showcased classical dance rhythms set to India’s latest Bollywood sounds.
Dance Team – Wonderland
The Wonderland Elementary Dance Team shuffled and slid across the stage, swirling and twirling as they performed the most daring of dances with the greatest of ease!
Folklorico Dance – Oxnard
Folklorico, traditional Latin American dance style was brought thrillingly to life by students from Oxnard, with their hands clapping enthusiastically and their feet keeping time with percussive heel-stomping. It was a beat-heavy whirlwind of dancing wonders.
African Dance and Drumming – Loyola Village
Loyola Village Elementary presented a performance steeped in the traditional culture, dance styles and drum techniques of Africa. Blending African percussion with thrilling and stylized dance moves, these students transported audiences back to the very birthplace of dance!
Marquez STAR American Musical! – Past and present students from Marquez Charter school performed songs from several historical musicals that dramatized major turning points in American history. These talented students have performed at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica and at the Duke Theater on Broadway in New York City!
RockSTAR All Star Band – Various STAR schools
The RockSTAR All Star band featured students from several STAR schools, keeping rock and roll alive and well as they wailed their hearts out.
Pint-Sized Pop STAR In The Making
A little girl is making some big noise with a song she mixed and recorded all by herself. Tallulah , a 1stgrader at Topanga Elementary School, is a sweet, shy child, but she found herself the toast of the town after laying down tracks for her own hip-hop/techno composition, “The Sparkle Song”.
Tallulah composed the eminently dance-able groove as part of STAR Education’s “Future of Music” program. A beat-heavy, bass-thumping track featuresTallulah’s infectious repeated exclamation of “Yeah, Baby, Yeah! ” The song was an instant hit with her fellow students, who continue to cheer for her whenever she walks in the classroom. Tallulah is having the time of her life!
The tune has begun to make online inroads, and could well become the next big viral hit. When we asked Tallulah what she would like to be when she grew up, she coyly responded, “A doctor, not a rapper.” Her instructors at STAR hope she’ll consider becoming both.
New STAR Program – Wonder, Imagination and Magic!
STAR Education proudly announces its newest free program, WIM (Wonder, Imagination and Magic)! WIM will be a weekly presentation of wonder and whimsy right on school campuses with magicians, musicians and more. We provide a spark for creating innovative minds, and allowing students, teachers and parents alike to delight in an hour-long whimsical and inspiring performance. With so little time in our busy lives for magic and wonder, WIM is the perfect opportunity to take a break from routine and revel in the joy and delight of magic and imagination! It’s a win-win with WIM! Coming soon to your school!
Check out the amazing skills of breakdancer Wil Power, one of WIM’s featured performers: http://vimeo.com/16456643
For more information about WIM please contact Breeze Smith at 310.893.9204 or email
breezes@starinc.org