Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series – Burlington Taiko

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents a concert of traditional Japanese taiko drumming with Burlington Taiko, on Saturday, October 21 at 3:00 pm at Cooper Field, 41 Sand Hill Rd, in Putney.

For more than thirty years, Burlington Taiko has educated New England communities about Japanese culture and entertained them with traditional Taiko drumming.

Honored three times by the International Taiko community, the group has been invited to perform in Japan. With hundreds of performances under their belt, they’ve performed for an estimated half a million people.


WSESD Meeting Agendas

The Windham Southeast School District’s Windham Regional Career Center Regional Advisory Board will meet Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room, 80 Atwood Street, Brattleboro, Vermont. To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/ypo-attp-kgt  Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +1 904-383-7979 and enter this PIN: 546 958 080#  Please RSVP to Joyce Rathbun 802-451-3586 or jrathbun@wsesdvt.org 

The Windham Southeast School District’s WRCC Culinary Advisory Committee will meet Monday, October 2, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at 80 Atwood Street, Room 182,  Brattleboro.

The Windham Southeast School District’s WRCC Business Program Advisory will meet Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 4:15 p.m. in Room 292, 80 Atwood Street, Brattleboro.


BCTV Schedules – Week of Sept 18, 2023

BCTV Channel 1078 Weekly Listing for 9/18/23

Monday, September 18, 2023

4:45 am Around Town with Maria – Jonas Emmanuel Blanchet-Fricke Memorial Festival 7/29/23

8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast

9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – Energy Week #539 – 9/7/2023


Wyn Cooper on “Here We Are”

One of our finest poets, WYN COOPER has had some remarkable serendipity over the years (Joni, Madonna, Sheryl), and written some wondrous poems and lyrics that he creates by sound – harmonies of depth, irony and pure pleasure.


Anatomy of a Tree Swing

No sooner did I divulge my affection for knots, that I came across this beautifully done, frankly irresistible, play thing. The setting being stunning only adds to the effect.

How was it done? What combo of knots? Such a simple thing made of a single run of rope and one piece of wood with a hole in its center. And let’s take note, this swing is made in such a way as to not harm the tree. How would you go about rigging a timeless item like this?   

The single line, around half inch in diameter, has an eye spliced into one end. Ok, that part is somewhat tricky to do. But you could get a similar effect with a bowline, it’d work the same way just be a touch less elegant. The line is heaved over the branch, the two halves made equal. Then the bitter end is put through the eye, and the whole thing is tightened-up. Note that no matter how much the branch expands, the loop will hold, grow with the tree, and not choke the limb.


Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir Return To Putney

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents “dirty gospel” band Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir, on Saturday, October 14th at 3:00 pm at the Putney Inn, 57 Putney Landing Rd., in Putney.

“Reverend Vince utilizes his mixture of gospel, funk, and dance music as a platform to preach peace, tolerance, and love of humanity,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “We hosted the Rev and his Love Choir last year inside the theater, and after that evening of religious intoxication through music, we knew we had to bring him back as part of our Bandwagon Series.”

After coming to New York in the 90’s to enter the seminary, studying to be a Methodist minister, Reverend Vince Anderson dropped out to follow his second calling – music. His band, The Love Choir, defines its style as “dirty gospel,” busting out trumpets, guitars and a keyboard. Together, they have played a now-legendary weekly show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for over twenty years. Reconnecting with his faith and using his intense soulful music, he began to preach a type of spirituality that meets people where they are, is open to all, and moves everyone that sees him play. Reverend Vince is also deeply involved in social activism, working with other progressive faith leaders at home and around the country to build inclusive communities.


Internationally Renowned Composer/2018 Guggenheim Fellow Felipe Salles Presents His Groundbreaking Multimedia Work The New Immigrant Experience at Next Stage Arts

Next Stage Arts presents Internationally renowned composer/2018 Guggenheim Fellow Felipe Salles’s groundbreaking multimedia work “The New Immigrant Experience”, on Friday, October 13 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, in Putney, Vermont. The project captures the experiences of Dreamers in America in concert.

“Felipe Salles is a jazz composer who uses his personal narrative of an immigrant to help us understand the human stories behind headlines in the news,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “We love presenting artists who utilize their artistry as a lever for social change and bringing us together. We’re proud to bring Salles into local schools to talk with kids and present his craft.”


WSESD Board Meeting Minutes

CALL TO ORDER—6:00 p.m. – Anne Beekman, Chair
The chair announced that the previously scheduled presentation on Act 173 is postponed until the October meeting.

On a motion by Deborah Stanford the board approved the minutes of August 16, 2023.


Brattleboro History Walking Tour this Saturday!

Designed as a fundraiser, volunteers from the Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Club have created a walking history tour of downtown Brattleboro. With the help of the Brattleboro Historical Society and the Brattleboro Words Project, Sunrise Rotary volunteers pooled their collective knowledge to put together a great introduction to Brattleboro, Vermont’s illustrious history.

Tours will be scheduled on a rolling basis for select Saturdays at 11 am for the fall. The fall tours will take place Saturdays, September 16, October 14 & 28, and November 4.


Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Seeks New Singers!

The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus welcomes new members to sing with us in an Open Rehearsal tomorrow, September 14th. Come join in the singing in person on Thursday mornings or evenings, or virtually on Friday mornings (just for the month of October). This Open Rehearsal is for to new singers to come and check out the chorus to see if it is a good fit for them. Advance registration is required for all singers via our website.

The Chorus welcomes anyone ages 10 and up who identifies as female or non-binary, and whose vocal range comfortably includes the A in the middle of the treble staff. All abilities are welcome and no auditions are required. 


Real Educations

Awhile ago in a thread about disinformation, and disintegration of truth, Chris made a comment about the loss of ‘Real Educations’; and that got me thinking… one side effect of getting older is being forced to sort out how things have changed and are changing. 

Maybe it’s fallout from social media, immersive screen technology, dwelling in virtual realms, shortened attention spans- all those have exacted a cost to the species in the loss of tactile, mechanical, sensual, kinesthetic knowledge. Many vital skills and ways are fading.

Here’s the start of a list …a few of what I think are essential learnings, vanishing due to our fast paced, google eyed way of life. Skills that may have once seemed timeless, or at least somehow central to the persistence and pleasure of human existence. I hope others will add to the collection 


Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series – Soggy Po Boys

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series and Twilight Music present an evening of brass-fueled, swinging music of New Orleans by the Soggy Po Boys, on Sunday, October 8 at 3:00 pm at West River Park in Brattleboro, VT. The jazz septet brings The Big Easy to street corners, clubs, festivals, and concert halls, celebrating the sounds and stories of New Orleans.

The Soggy Po’ Boys have spread the good news of New Orleans music across the northeast and beyond since 2012. Stu Dias (vocals, guitar), Eric Klaxton (clarinet, soprano sax), Josh Gagnon (trombone), Nick Mainella (tenor sax), Mike Effenberger (piano), Brian Waterhouse (drums), and Scott Kiefner (bass) explore the vast musical traditions of New Orleans, looking beyond NOLA jazz to include traditional Caribbean tunes, Meters funk, soul, and brass band/street beat music. Next Stage Production Director and Twilight Music’s Barry Stockwell notes “the Soggy Po Boys lit up a full house at Next Stage on a cold, December, Saturday night with the uplifting sounds and spirit of New Orleans – we’re thrilled to bring the party outdoors as part of the Bandwagon Summer Series.”


BCTV Schedules – Week of September 11, 2023

Monday, September 11, 2023

6:00 am Couch Potatoe Productions – Twilight on the Tavern Lawn presents The Woodpeckers 8/6/23

7:50 am Juno Orchestra – Heaven’s Border – Organum Light

8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast

9:00 am Energy Week with George Harvey – Energy Week #538 – 8/31/2023


WSESD Social Justice Committee Minutes

III. Updates

Mikaela Simms announced that October 6 will be a Working Towards Justice celebration at BUHS. They are seeking organizations to present workshops 8:45-1:20. Juniper Creative Arts, an organization that collaborates with youth to create murals, will be a part of the celebration, and Ms. Simms has applied for grant funding to finance JCA doing a several week project to create an exterior mural at BUHS that will include all students.


Next Stage Arts Presents Double Bill featuring Priya Darshini and the Argentinian Chamamé of the Alejandro Brittes Quartet

Next Stage Arts presents a double bill featuring the Hindustani and Carnatic-influenced New Age music of Priya Darshini, and the Argentinian Chamamé of the Alejandro Brittes Quartet, on Friday, October 6 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, in Putney, Vermont.

Born in Chennai, raised in Mumbai, India, and based in New York, Priya Darshini’s distinct style takes inspiration from her diverse cultural and life experiences. Rooted in Hindustani and Carnatic Indian Classical music, her improvisational mastery, and vast knowledge of music from around the world, Priya’s music is elegant, tranquil, virtuosic, intricately layered, and pushes compositional boundaries while effortlessly weaving her distinct multicultural experience into a unique and timeless musical tapestry. As John Schafer of WNYC remarks “[Priya Darshini’s] music incorporates a world of influences and lives on the periphery, much like herself.”


WSESD Social Justice Committee Meeting Agenda

AGENDA

Mission : Foster learning environments in which all members of the school community are safe, feel valued, and are appreciated, as well as promote policies and procedures that value equity and diversity in our schools.

I. Call to Order / Introductions / Recognition of Visitors
II. Clerk & minutes
III. Updates
IV. Resumes and Diversity questions


WSESD – Personnel Committee Meeting Minutes

CALL TO ORDER: 5:00 PM – Anne Beekman, Chair

On a motion by Kim Price, the minutes of August 22, 2023 were approved.

On a motion by Kerry Amidon the committee accepted the recommendations of administration to hire Zoe Parker, Community Based Learning Teacher, BUHS; and Doyle Kemokai, Math Teacher, BUHS.