A Surprise Gift

a post from Toni

One of our last groups of students from the first semester of our fifth-grade in-school program, PS Broadway, went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway yesterday.

Once a semester, we provide tickets to every fifth grader in each school we teach, in addition to their teachers, chaperones, and administrators. Inevitably, given inaccurate counting and absenteeism, there are sometimes extra tickets. In that case, we encourage schools to invite their own "VIP's" to ensure that no ticket goes un-seated! Yesterday, I received this lovely email from one of our schools' administrators:

"Toni, Here's a sweet story. A little girl came in yesterday morning to sign up for 4th grade. She was referred to us from the domestic violence shelter across the street. One of our 5th grade teachers had an extra ticket so the mom signed the permission slip, and she went on the trip. Her mom felt like she really got the star treatment. Can you imagine starting a new school and the first day going to see Mary Poppins? What a gift!"

Like Rosie says, every kid deserves a chance to sit "in the velvet"...

I Have Confidence

a post from Jeff

Another season of NYC Public High School Arts audition preparation is upon us!

A group of 9 eager RBKid's eighth graders have been busy since September

learning Monologues and Songs...some a cappella.

In preparation for their big auditions, this November.

For some of them it is their very first audition.

A daunting experience, to say the least.

They work on making it look natural and easy.

Selections include:

"Our Town"

"Voices from High School"

"I Have Confidence"

"Kickin' The Clouds Away"

"Brighton Beach Memoirs"

They learn to breathe...

Be themselves

Enter the room

Stand still

Stop fidgeting

Be polite

Say their names clearly

Take their time

Find their pitch

Trust their impulses, and

Rely on their hours of preparation and practice.

Every year hundreds of New York City public school students audition,

and only a select few make it into a Performing Arts HS.

RBKids have a 100% placement percentage.

We are proud of this accomplishment.

So are the kids.

We Wanna See Santa Do the Mambo!

Rosie's Broadway Kids were invited to record a song on the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Carols For a Cure CD for the second year in a row. Carols For a Cure, a CD recorded annually, features both classic and creative holiday carols sung by current casts of Broadway shows, and is sold as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The kids were excited to lend their voices once again, and recorded "(We Wanna See) Santa Do the Mambo" for this year's CD.

CD's are on sale now! You can hear the RBKids by going to broadwaycares.org and purchasing a CD today!

September Update

a post from Lori

September scene:
The night before the first day of school, the perfect “first day” outfit laid out neatly, nervous excitement making sleep uneasy, anxiousness, hoping to be liked.
Dramatis personae:
Me!

For students and teachers alike September is the New Year. We usher it in with fanfare and joy. Lots of preparation, pencils to sharpen, practice runs to the schools (without a chaperone!) so we don’t get lost, and lots of supplies. It is a contradiction really; a continuum and a fresh start all at once.

PS Broadway is back in session with 800 new students in ten New York City public schools. Our fifth grade students have eagerly watched for years as their older brothers and sisters, cousins, neighbors, and friends have been treated to the gifts of RBKids. It is finally their turn!

At ACTE II we are preparing our nine 8th grade students for their High School auditions. It is at the top of our list of priorities to help these students be accepted get into the best schools. These years are life altering, and it is worth our concentrated efforts to place these students in safe and healthy environments, which challenge and inspire them. Our performance schedule is always busy in the fall, with our younger students performing at the Halloween extravaganza of “Children Affected by Aids Foundation”, while the older students are preparing for the November benefit. We just finished recording “Santa Do the Mambo” for the “Carols for the Cure” CD to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

Our bags are packed and we’re ready to go! We should be in the building any day now. I look forward to the time where we will be a family under one roof!

With Kind Regards,
Lori