Cellist, singer, songwriter, storyteller, Shana Tucker is a woman of many talents. In fact, she’s had to invent new words to encompass it all. She recently visited with students at Pineview Elementary School and offered a “SongStories” “informance” highlighting her self-described musical genre “ChamberSoul.”

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What happens when hip hop meets ballet? You get the Hiplet Ballerinas.

The Chicago-based troupe performed Thursday evening at the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall as part of the Florida State University Opening Nights in Class series. But before the ballerinas’ energetic entrance on stage that evening, they took time to do a midday show for students from 12 schools in Leon County. Students from the Florida A&M University Developmental Research School and School of Math and Science charter also attended.

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Terrie Young has a playful personality, a sparkling smile and a love of the arts. An eighth-grader at Gretchen Everhart School, he uses a wheelchair to get from place to place but he also enjoys a more expressive type of movement.

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The South African Gospel group paid a visit to Godby High School on Wednesday morning, singing selections from their program, honoring Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday.

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When Mandy Harvey walked onto the stage at Opperman Music Hall, most of the elementary and middle school students clapped to welcome her. But some students raised their hands, spread their fingers and shook their hands back and forth — the American Sign Language symbol for applause.

The musician, who is deaf, performed for about 50 students on Friday from W.T. Moore Elementary School, Swift Creek Middle School and Florida State University. The event is part of Opening Nights in School, which pairs performers and schools.

The 30-year-old showed students how they could feel the sound music makes, a trick she uses herself. Students were given balloons to blow up. She told them to feel it while a neighbor talked or hold it to their ear to hear the amplified sounds.

When Harvey strummed on her ukelele, barefoot so she could feel the vibrations in the floor, students’ mouths dropped. They turned to their friends smiling. They could feel the buzz as Harvey sang and played.

“I even found myself sitting out there closing my eyes so that I could experience it without thinking about what was going on but just paying attention to the sounds,” said W.T. Moore Principal Kerri Anderson. “It was amazing.”

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A group of Leon County students on Friday got to enjoy a talk and performance by a very inspirational performer.
Mandy Harvey who is deaf, rose to fame following her performance on America’s Got Talent.

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Florida State University’s Opening Nights and Leon County Schools teamed up this week to offer elementary and middle school teachers a creative new tool to teach math, in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program.

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Florida State University’s Opening Nights and Leon County Schools teamed up to offer elementary and middle school teachers a creative new tool to teach math, in partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program.

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Opening Nights Performing Arts North Florida School Tour makes a trip to Maclay for traditional Chinese music and art performance.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Opening Nights at Florida State University and Walmart partnered to enhance arts programming for Leon and Jefferson county students through the North Florida School Tour. The “Echoes of Nature” program, sponsored by Walmart, introduced more than 1,500 students to traditional Chinese art and music.

“Walmart continues to proudly sponsor Opening Nights North Florida School Tour because we believe in the value of arts in education,” said Monesia T. Brown, Director of Public Affairs & Government Relations for Walmart. “The program provides all students with knowledge about the performing arts while enriching their individual experiences in remarkable ways.”

Instructors Nan Liu, Ph.D., an associate art professor at Florida A & M University, and Haiquiong Deng, award-winning zheng master and director of the Chinese Music Ensemble at FSU, travel across North America and other countries teaching students of all ages to help foster an appreciation of other societies. Their educational program, “Echoes of Nature” includes traditional Chinese music, playing the Guqin and Guzheng instruments, and a visual arts demonstration of Chinese painting and calligraphy.

The North Florida School Tour included Augusta Raa Middle School, Apalachee Tapestry Magnet School of the Arts, Deerlake Middle School, Maclay School and Jefferson County Elementary School.

“The commitment that Opening Nights shows to arts education in Leon County Schools each season is tremendous,” says Sam Thompson, Dean of Students for Augusta Raa Middle School.

“Through the North Florida School Tour, our arts magnet students are exposed to diverse artists, informed of potential arts careers, and encouraged to explore different forms of art. We are privileged to participate in this program and look forward to continuing our relationship in the future.”

“Key to our arts educational programs is for students to discuss and practice what they learn,” said Calla MacNamara, Education and Engagement Manager for Opening Nights. “Through Walmart’s sponsorship, each student received an educational program created and designed by the Florida Center for Reading Research featuring vocabulary words, visual examples and activities to further enhance their learning.”

Opening Nights seeks educational offerings that inspire students and educators for learning through the performing arts. Since September, Opening Nights has provided free arts educational programming for more than 3,000 students in kindergarten through grade 12.

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