After an early start - 4 a.m. for our New York crew - everyone made it to New Orleans! Our first order of business involved fueling up on beignets and coffee at Morning Call. Then we took our sugared and caffeinated selves to the HandsOn New Orleans house where we were welcomed by fellow volunteers.
Today presented us with many opportunities to acknowledge the everyday luxuries in our own lives, like hot water, heat, and especially electricity. While attempting to heat our home we overwhelmed the circuit breaker and lost power. This "Day 1 Power Outage" during dinner inspired some creative cooking on the grill. Huge thanks to our team members who held up cell phone flashlights to keep an eye on our charcoal cooked meals! We really do have an incredibly generous team.
While driving through the city, we also witnessed the contrast between areas of the city that have rebounded beautifully, and neighborhoods that are still tremendously dilapidated. Observing this contrast up close makes us even more eager to serve New Orleans this week and eternally grateful to all those who have supported us in this endeavor.
Best get to bed now- we have a busy day building with Habitat for Humanity and teaching New Orleans students tomorrow!
-Victoria
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
We're on our way!
The 2014 team will be headed to New Orleans in the wee hours of Wednesday, March 5! We want to thank everyone who helped us by sharing blog posts, Facebook posts, bought baked goods at our bake sales, donated flowers, bought flowers at our flower sale, bought raffle tickets, donated raffle prizes, gave us places to sell raffle tickets, donated space for our benefit performance, made donations, fed us breakfast and supported us in so many ways! We couldn't have done it without you!
Please continue to follow our blog so you can see the good work your support has made happen! The team also invites you to follow us on Twitter, @NOLAProject 2014 and to like our Facebook page, The ARTreach New Orleans Service Project 2014.
Thank you and we hope to make you proud!
Please continue to follow our blog so you can see the good work your support has made happen! The team also invites you to follow us on Twitter, @NOLAProject 2014 and to like our Facebook page, The ARTreach New Orleans Service Project 2014.
Thank you and we hope to make you proud!
Sunday, February 23, 2014
We did it!! See you in New Orleans!
The team has reached its Indiegogo donation goal!!! A huge thanks is due to everyone who contributed! For those who did make a contribution, you will receive an electronic shoutout on our Facebook page, as well as in an upcoming blog. We are so grateful to have such supportive friends and family! We couldn't have done it without you!
A huge thanks is also due to those who came to our benefit performance last Wednesday at Omonia Cafe in Astoria! The performance consisted of a collection of popular and original songs sung and played by our talented team members, including "You've Got a Friend in Me" (Toy Story), "I Can Go the Distance" (Hercules), "Royals", and several others. I know I speak for all of the team members when I say we had a blast performing for everyone (and we enjoyed the delicious treats)! Thank you, Omonia Cafe and friends!
In other exciting news, winners of the raffle have been drawn! If your ticket was drawn, a team member will contact you with instructions on how to redeem your prize.
With that being said, the team has been hard at work finalizing last-minute donations and preparations for the trip. In today's final meeting, our teaching groups solidified lesson plans for our time at the Shalom Zone, and the team discussed logistics for our arrival in New Orleans. Only 10 more days until the fun begins!!
As second-year team member, I cannot describe how excited I am to return to New Orleans. It is a truly life changing experience, as all of our first-timers will soon discover.
Stay tuned for another update. We'll see you in New Orleans!!
-Jacob
A huge thanks is also due to those who came to our benefit performance last Wednesday at Omonia Cafe in Astoria! The performance consisted of a collection of popular and original songs sung and played by our talented team members, including "You've Got a Friend in Me" (Toy Story), "I Can Go the Distance" (Hercules), "Royals", and several others. I know I speak for all of the team members when I say we had a blast performing for everyone (and we enjoyed the delicious treats)! Thank you, Omonia Cafe and friends!
In other exciting news, winners of the raffle have been drawn! If your ticket was drawn, a team member will contact you with instructions on how to redeem your prize.
With that being said, the team has been hard at work finalizing last-minute donations and preparations for the trip. In today's final meeting, our teaching groups solidified lesson plans for our time at the Shalom Zone, and the team discussed logistics for our arrival in New Orleans. Only 10 more days until the fun begins!!
As second-year team member, I cannot describe how excited I am to return to New Orleans. It is a truly life changing experience, as all of our first-timers will soon discover.
Stay tuned for another update. We'll see you in New Orleans!!
-Jacob
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
No better way to spend your Sunday morning than eagerly planning, organizing, laughing, singing and dancing with the Juilliard NOLA crew! Kicking off the meeting with our tradition of playing icebreaker games, we had eggs with our "one word story." Not to mention crazily shaking our limbs just to make sure no one was still sleeping on the job!
The fundraising is well on its way with the raffle tickets, Indiegogo website, and benefit concert. We will be selling raffle tickets Monday in the Juilliard Cafe and lobby from 12:30-2:30, Wednesday in the Juilliard lobby from 12:45-2:15, and Friday in the cafe from 12:30-2:30. Don't miss your opportunity to not only win BIG with these amazing prizes but also win big in the hearts of the New Orleans community. As for Indiegogo, we are almost to our goal of $5,000 but we encourage to share, share, SHARE the page because we need to get that number as high as possible.
Our most recent fundraising endeavor will take place this Wednesday as NOLA team members light up the stage for our benefit concert. It will take place at Omonia Cafe (which supplies the baked goods for the amazing Europan and other bakeries) which is located in Astoria. The cover fee will be a measly $5 and the proceeds will benefit yours truly. Need a fun night out to make it through hump day and get through the week? Come enjoy this wonderful performance loaded with singing, poetry, music and so much more!
Next on the agenda was the guest speaker and four year attendee of the NOLA trip, Mitch Lyon. Mitch provided us with insightful wisdom on his experiences and what to expect. We even split up into 4 musical groups which included Jasmine and the Boys, The Tator Tots, Tiffany and the Boppers, and. Through this team building exercise we got to experience first hand some of the difficulties such as uninterested kids, shy individuals, etc. that we could be faced with in New Orleans.
Last but not least, we divided into groups to work on our lesson plan templates for the trip. How exciting it was to start brainstorming on what messages we wanted to send the children and the fun and educational activities we could use to engage them! We are starting to organize our performance line up for the Trinity Church, NOCCA and Lusher and it is starting to shape up very nicely if I do say so myself. We ended on a positive note with feelings of excitement, happiness, satisfaction and more while we danced and jammed out to our team song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
-Kellie
The fundraising is well on its way with the raffle tickets, Indiegogo website, and benefit concert. We will be selling raffle tickets Monday in the Juilliard Cafe and lobby from 12:30-2:30, Wednesday in the Juilliard lobby from 12:45-2:15, and Friday in the cafe from 12:30-2:30. Don't miss your opportunity to not only win BIG with these amazing prizes but also win big in the hearts of the New Orleans community. As for Indiegogo, we are almost to our goal of $5,000 but we encourage to share, share, SHARE the page because we need to get that number as high as possible.
Our most recent fundraising endeavor will take place this Wednesday as NOLA team members light up the stage for our benefit concert. It will take place at Omonia Cafe (which supplies the baked goods for the amazing Europan and other bakeries) which is located in Astoria. The cover fee will be a measly $5 and the proceeds will benefit yours truly. Need a fun night out to make it through hump day and get through the week? Come enjoy this wonderful performance loaded with singing, poetry, music and so much more!
Next on the agenda was the guest speaker and four year attendee of the NOLA trip, Mitch Lyon. Mitch provided us with insightful wisdom on his experiences and what to expect. We even split up into 4 musical groups which included Jasmine and the Boys, The Tator Tots, Tiffany and the Boppers, and. Through this team building exercise we got to experience first hand some of the difficulties such as uninterested kids, shy individuals, etc. that we could be faced with in New Orleans.
Last but not least, we divided into groups to work on our lesson plan templates for the trip. How exciting it was to start brainstorming on what messages we wanted to send the children and the fun and educational activities we could use to engage them! We are starting to organize our performance line up for the Trinity Church, NOCCA and Lusher and it is starting to shape up very nicely if I do say so myself. We ended on a positive note with feelings of excitement, happiness, satisfaction and more while we danced and jammed out to our team song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
-Kellie
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Flower Sale
Want to send some love to a friend, classmate or that special someone?
And at the Yule Ball 10pm to 1am.
A flower for $3.00
and a $1.00 charge for dorm delivery that night.
A HUGE thank you to Starbright Floral Design for the donation of the flowers!
The Nola Team will be holding a Flower Sale on Valentine's Day.
We will be in the Juilliard Lobby from 11:30am to 1:30pmAnd at the Yule Ball 10pm to 1am.
A flower for $3.00
and a $1.00 charge for dorm delivery that night.
A HUGE thank you to Starbright Floral Design for the donation of the flowers!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Meet Jasminn Johnson!
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
A picture is worth a thousand words...
The team hard at work writing our mission statement.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
One Month 'till Madness!
With just over one month before the team departs, it was another early morning Sunday as we all made our way down to the lobby, coffee in hand, to discuss preparations for the trip. Before long, however, any lingering feelings of tiredness were dissolved by an energetic round of “Big Booty,” a fast-paced game that actually has nothing to do with butts of any size. By 9:45 the coffee cups were empty, Sabrina had beaten myself, Zack, in a competition of who could be the best vegetable (squash, to be specific), and it was time to get down to business.
After holding four bake sales over the past two weeks, the team ended with a profit of $750! And the fundraising has just begun. An update on the Indiegogo site showed that over $1500 had been raised online so far, with 21 days left to reach our goal. With Valentines Day in the near future, talk of carnations and candy gram sales gained everyone’s approval. With the help of a few designated coordinators, members of the Juilliard community and beyond will be able to buy flowers and cards for their special someone, while supporting our campaign to make a difference in New Orleans!
As exciting as this all was, our dear team advisor Sabrina let us in on a reality check: with time winding down, we were still nearly $14,000 short of our goal. In these final weeks before the trip, it will become increasingly important for everyone to raise as much money as possible. Without the proper funding, the beignets are on the line...
Another great development was made at our latest meeting: the mission statement was finalized! And it’s beautiful.
As daring young artists, the 2014 New Orleans Service Project team will nurture the New Orleans community by sharing ourselves and our art. Fueled by the collaborative spirit, we will encourage the growth of creativity, empowerment, and choice. We recognize and embrace the potential of this exchange to invigorate both the lives of those we encounter and our own.
Art Nurtures.
After the official t-shirt design had been approved, the wristband colors agreed on, and the program finalized for our performances down south, feelings of satisfaction and excitement washed over the team’s exhausted minds. With the trip quickly approaching, and no team meeting next week, everyone knew what needed to be done, and was determined to do it well.
-- Zach
-- Zach
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Week #2: Bake Sales, Raffles, Benefit Concerts... Oh my!
And we're off! This team sure doesn't take any time to warm up... we're chugging along at full speed on our journey to the South in (...dare I say it...) just 33 days! I can smell the beignets already.
While the rest of the dorm building was fast asleep on Sunday morning, NOLA team members were desperately downing their cups of coffee and gathering for our weekly meeting. Thankfully, after two rousing ice-breaker songs, we were all shaken awake. No better way to start a morning than by dancing and chanting "I'm alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic" as fast as possible, right?
To start Week #2, some excellent news: the bake sales last weekend at the drama auditions were a HUGE success! We'll most definitely be continuing these this coming week as more hungry prospective thespians visit on Thursday and Friday. Mmmmm -- who doesn't love banana bread and chocolate chip cookies? Doing a good deed for the people of New Orleans while doing a good deed for your tastebuds... this bake sale is definitely a win-win situation.
More excellent news: the INDIEGOGO donation site is up and running! An easy way for family and friends to contribute to the cause, we're ready to FUNDRAISE! The link is available on the right sidebar of this page. Help us, help New Orleans.
Also on the fundraising front, the raffle is shaping up to be quite the event -- we have some KILLER prizes. I mean, these prizes are need-a-wheelbarrow-to-hold-all-of-my-raffle-tickets good. Tickets will go on sale by the end of this week and will be sold by NOLA team members, as well as in the lobby of the school on select days. More info to come on exact sale details... But if you want a sneak peak of the prizes, just take a look at the list on the right side of this page...
While we're still searching for a venue for our benefit concert, we surely have no lack of ideas or energy. I'd say that because of those two qualities, there's a good chance something will work out. Updates to follow shortly.
BREAKING NEWS: official team song has been chosen in a record-breaking UNANIMOUS vote... And the winner is... "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Nothing gets a crowd going like a little ole-fashioned Motown. The t-shirt design is being finalized, and this year's slogan is "Art Nurtures." Fitting, I'd say.
Finally, we concluded the meeting by working on our mission statement, and by forming tentative plans for our performances (what songs, dances, and scenes we might enact) in New Orleans. The possibilities are truly endless, and what's more fun than getting together and creating some art with your friends?
BOOM. Meeting #2: SMASHING SUCCESS.
It's going to be a wonderful, wild ride from now until NOLA. I can feel it already :)
-- Angela
Thursday, January 23, 2014
2014 Raffle Prizes
Here is a list of Raffle Prizes you could win this year by purchasing a raffle ticket from a NOLA Team Member. One ticket for $2.00 and three tickets for $5.00!
- Two tickets to the Broadway Musical, "After Midnight" donated by the Nederlander Organization
- A Kate Spade bag ($150 value)
- One month unlimited membership to YogaWorks ($150 value)
- 30 Day Unlimited Metrocard ($112 value)
- $100 Athleta Gift Card
- Headshot photo session with Dan Chmielinski ($100 value)
- Film Lover Membership donated by the Lincoln Center Film Society ($75 value)
- New Orleans Mystery Gift Bag ($75 value) & Two Grammy Nominated jazz CDs by DArcy James Argue's Secret Society
- $50 Juilliard Store Gift Card
- $50 Whole Foods Gift Card
- s201 In-ear headphones ($120 value)
Raffle drawings will be held on February 23, 2014!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Breaking Ice and Breaking Ground
Nothing says "Good Morning" like a game of Shabooyah. Last Sunday morning, before I took a sip of coffee, I was chanting and dancing with seventeen other enthusiastic early risers. Combined, our team most certainly has an interesting Ice Breaker repertoire, but for a newly formed group Shabooyah seemed like a perfect way to plunge into planning our trip. In a perfect world you recite your four rhyming lines in rhythm which serve as a brilliantly personal introduction. However, in a 9:30 A.M. coffee-less world, the rhyme scheme quickly fades and things get...interesting. (Any ideas on what rhymes with Jasminn?)
After our game we watched a quick documentary about the first NOLA team's trip from eight years ago. The area was so devastated that most of their work consisted of removing debris and gutting ruined homes. It has been almost ten years since Katrina hit, and some question if there is a current need for aid in New Orleans. We come together as a team, eight years later, to add to what previous teams have accomplished. A job is not finished until it's finished. And there is still a large amount of rebuilding to be done.
Newly inspired, we went through all the nuts and bolts of the trip. We signed various forms and received binders full of information. Everything was official, and there was no turning back.
Our first and most important task: FUNDRAISING. We discussed the revival of the past raffle and various bake sales. We planned the addition of an Indiegogo page so anyone can donate easily online and receive personalized prizes for donating. The idea of a new Twitter and Facebook account for faster updates was tossed around and finally we started discussing the possibility of a benefit performance here in NYC!
We're still brainstorming on our team song, our verb for the year (ex. Art Inspires), and our team t-shirt design.
Our trip is in less than two months. (40 DAYS...to be, you know, precise.) We have a lot on our plate as students already, getting everything done in 40 days seems, pretty daunting. But I have faith in our team. Together we are breaking ground; starting where past teams have left off and ready to dig even deeper.
-Jasminn
Saturday, January 18, 2014
'Twas the Eve Before our First Team Meeting...
For those who have never visited our blog before, welcome! Here you can expect weekly posts from various NOLA 2014 members, see posts from previous years, read general information about our project, learn about ways you can contribute to our fundraising efforts, and read updates we will post while we are on the trip!
Tomorrow is our first team meeting together, marking the beginning of our preparation to return to New Orleans from March 5-12, 2014! My name is Stephanie, and I attended the trip in March 2013. This year I am one of the three team leaders, and I know speak for everyone when I say we have a really amazing team put together. Although it has been confirmed for a few months now, tomorrow will be one of the first times we will all be working together, and I can't wait to begin to get to know these artists and share this amazing experience with them.
So without further ado, I am proud to be the first to present to you the 2014 Juilliard ARTreach New Orleans Service Project Team!
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Zach Hann, clarinet
Tomorrow is our first team meeting together, marking the beginning of our preparation to return to New Orleans from March 5-12, 2014! My name is Stephanie, and I attended the trip in March 2013. This year I am one of the three team leaders, and I know speak for everyone when I say we have a really amazing team put together. Although it has been confirmed for a few months now, tomorrow will be one of the first times we will all be working together, and I can't wait to begin to get to know these artists and share this amazing experience with them.
So without further ado, I am proud to be the first to present to you the 2014 Juilliard ARTreach New Orleans Service Project Team!
Robert Fleitz, piano
Team Leader
photo: Harrison Linsey
Kelsey Connolly, dance
Team Leader
photo: Matthew Karas
Stephanie Galipeau, viola
Team Leader
photo: Dr. David Klein
Angela Falk, dance
photo: Gina Arico Smith
Austin Lam, dance
Jacob Wellman, bassoon
Jasminn Johnson, drama
Jimmie "JJ" Jeter Jr., drama
John Kroft, drama
Kalia Vandever, jazz trombone
photo: Nina Lodico
Kellie Drobnick, dance
Paton Ashbrook, drama
photo: Aidan Schultz-Meyer
Riley O'Flynn, dance
Tiffany Townsend, voice
Victoria Pollack, drama
photo: Gregory Constanzo
Allison Mase, violin
 |
| Kara Chan, Dance |
Sabrina Tanbara, Team Advisor
Rebecca Reuter, Team Advisor
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