We are please to announce through our partnership with Good Hart Artist Residency an open call for Songwriters and Composers to do a 2 week residency at their Artist residency location in beautiful Good Hart, Michigan. A great opportunity for artists to create and engage with local northern Michigan communites. Deadline is Febuary 16, 2022.
Deadline is Febuary 16, 2022.
YEAR END NEWSLETTER 2021
And just like that....another year has flown by! And while 2020 was a very challenging year for us (with virtually no music programs because of the ongoing pandemic), 2021 has kept us going full bore, and we’ve finally been able to bring back face to face instruction to local public schools!
As the kids went back to in-class learning this past May, we kicked off two new programs, starting with a program for the middle schoolers at Wolverine Public Schools. Our amazing Robin Lee Berry taught a class in Music Exploration, and the kids learned about different stringed instruments, different rhythms using percussion instruments, call and answer, and beginning ukulele skills. They even learned several songs on the ukulele and ended up performing for the year-end school talent show!
And in September, we launched our new Rock Jam program at Pellston Middle School. One of our generous donors recently gifted us with most of the instruments we needed for the Pellston rock program; guitars and guitar amps, keyboards, percussion pads and so much more. The students have been really excited and enthusiastic about the program, and their instructor (the very talented Chris Michels) has taught them basic skills on drums, guitar and bass, and even taught them to play “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes in only three days!! We are so proud of these kids!
The 2021/2022 school programs also included co-founder Pete Kehoe picking up where he left off, and continuing with Music Exploration classes for the special needs students at Gaylord and Cheboygan High Schools. Pete has done an incredible job with these kids, and they were so excited to have him back in the classroom in person, as he had been doing classes only virtually the previous school year.
BWCA also formed a new partnership this year with the Good Hart Artist Residency, to help them bring their visiting songwriters and composers in contact with some of our students, and to help provide the artists with musical and technical assistance during their residencies. Each artist spends a 2-week residency in a small cabin in Good Hart, creating new works and eventually sharing their creations with our local communities. Kate Eberstadt, a songwriter and composer from New York City, worked with middle school students from our Pellston program this past November to compose an original song. The song will then be given to the Crooked Tree Ballet School to choreograph a dance to, and the collaboration will be performed at Crooked Tree Arts Center on Friday, April 22, 2002. We are beyond excited!
We’re very, very much looking forward to 2022, and we plan to continue all of these programs (with your help), as well as develop new programming to bring to more schools in northern Michigan. Here are just a few of the additions we’re planning for the coming year:
adult music exploration for special needs adults at the Bergmann Center in Charlevoix
adult songwriting classes as part of the Bayview Music Festival in Petoskey
middle/high school songwriting classes for students in Petoskey
adult songwriting classes on Mackinac Island in partnership with the Mackinac Arts
Council
a return to our community sing programs at Independence Village in Petoskey
songwriting & beginning ukulele classes for people in recovery programs in the Petoskey &
Harbor Springs areas
We’re also in the process of planning our annual summer fundraiser for 2022 and as soon as details are available, we’ll be posting them on our website and on social media. Our fundraisers (we miss them!) not only provide BWCA with much needed financial support to keep our programs going (thanks to people like you!), but also give us the opportunity to share the magic of music and live performance with you, our supporters and donors, and remind us all why we’re doing this. Through your generous donations and support, you make it possible for us to bring that magic to kids, adults, seniors and special needs folks in our area who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to experience it. That, is a privilege for us, and we thank you!!
If you haven’t yet, please consider a year-end donation. We’ve done so much in the last five and a half years, but there’s so much more to do. And we need your help to do it. As always, you can visit our website www.bigwatercreativearts.org to learn more and donate or volunteer, or look for us on Facebook and Instagram.
In bidding 2021 farewell, we at Big Water Creative Arts wish you all the very happiest of holidays, good health and good cheer, and we look forward to seeing you in the coming year!!
Thank you!!
We are so excited to be partnered with Good Hart Artist Residency on the new Songwriter/Composer Residency, 2021. Applications are being accepted now through February 17, 2021. Please visit www.goodhartartistresidency.org to learn more and apply.
END OF YEAR NEWSLETTER
December 2020
What a year it’s been! If you or your loved ones have been personally affected by COVID-19, you have our deepest sympathy.
There’s no question this past year presented incredible challenges for all of us, but also unexpected opportunities. As we navigated through cancellations, working from home, virtual school, social distancing and the stress of trying to stay safe through the pandemic, we were also able to take time to implement new ideas to move our mission forward in 2021.
To continue our mission of bringing music education to those who would otherwise not have access, Big Water Creative Arts is creating an online teaching platform. Last week, we took a big step toward achieving that objective when we were approved by Microsoft Teams through our non-profit status! Our plan is to start offering “Songwriting 101” classes in early 2021.
Although many of our 2020 programs had to be suspended, we were thrilled to be able to continue a program offered through our partnership with Michigan Arts Access (MIAA). Pete Kehoe has been instructing a “Music Exploration” class at Gaylord High School for a couple of years now, working with special education students. This program has been very successful and the joy these kids get from participating in music is infectious!
We are also delighted to announce a new partnership with the Good Hart Artist Residency. Big Water Creative Arts was invited to launch new Songwriter and Composer residencies right here in northern Michigan. We are excited about this opportunity and the doors it will open.
For obvious reasons, we had to cancel our 2020 fundraising event. As you know, the only way we can make a difference is through your support. We would be grateful if you would consider a gift to support our mission - especially now in this time of social distancing. Music and the ability to express the many emotions we are feeling, especially children in need, has never been more important. And as you finish out your holiday shopping, or any shopping you do online, you can also make a difference by visiting smile.amazon.com and entering Big Water Creative Arts as your designated giving organization. For every dollar you spend, Big Water Creative Arts receive a donation to help fund our programs. It really adds up and every little bit helps!
To learn more about ways to support us, please visit bigwatercreativearts.org or email us at
Wishing you a happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you in 2021!
Good year-end news you can use!
Friends, donors, supporters and musical family: It’s hard to believe that this year has come to a close! Big Water Creative Arts has had an amazing year of growth and we are grateful for all of the events and opportunities that have been a part of our journey. We feel blessed to be able to share the love, inspiration and good vibes that music brings to each and every one of us.
2019 saw us gaining more generous donors, sponsors and connections, culminating in a very successful 2nd annual fundraiser in June. We also had the pleasure of holding new adult songwriting workshops as part of the Bay View Association’s annual music festival in Petoskey, and on Mackinac Island in partnership with the Mackinac Arts Council. We also returned to Independence Village for the 2nd year in a row to teach music exploration and ukulele classes for the seniors there. And, we also took a new event for a test drive in December - Petoskey Community Sing, where we invited students from the Petoskey Montessori Children’s House to join together with the wonderful residents at Independence Village earlier this month. To the delight of all, it was a huge success (with over 25 kids and 35 seniors!) so much so, that we’re continuing on with an 8 week Community Sing program in early 2020. Joining generations together to sing is an amazing experience in so many ways. We couldn’t think of a better way during the holiday season to bring community together. We will be expanding this program in the future, offering the opportunity for others of all ages and walks of life to join us and sing in a fun and safe environment!
We have some great programs coming in 2020 that we can’t wait to get started! Big Water Creative Arts will be starting an 8 week Music Exploration class at Pellston Public Schools in Pellston on January 15th. Also in January, Pete Kehoe will be returning to Gaylord to work with the Michigan Arts Access group on our 2nd annual round of classes with the students at Gaylord High School. Additionally, we have programs in the works for Wolverine Public Schools in Wolverine, and classes in partnership with AuSable Artisans Village in Grayling. These programs will be starting in the first quarter of 2020.
All of us here at Big Water Creative Arts are so very thankful for the support of our generous donors and sponsors. Your support is crucial to our ongoing success and growth, and we’re so pleased to share our mission of bringing music to students, special groups, retirees, and the community at large with you. We wish you all happy holidays and look forward with anticipation to 2020!
Sincerely,
Michelle Chenard, Administrator
