Igniting Joy in Education

Hi, I’m Kevin! 

I'm an artist/educator/advocate with over 20 years of experience in arts education and expertise in building school culture and community. I have a deep passion for igniting joy in education.  I’m trained as a classical vocalist and hold degrees from Northwestern University in opera/vocal performance and music education with minors in children’s theatre, musical theatre, and creative dramatics and I’m a graduate of the Executive Program in Arts and Culture Strategy, a joint program of National Arts Strategies and the University of Pennsylvania.

My career as a professional performer spans over 25 years - I’ve worked on stages from Miami to Montreal and all points in between. I’ve been a singer on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. I’ve been the host of a beauty pageant (The Miss Michigan Potato Pageant!). I’ve discovered that performing has made me a better teacher and teaching has made me a better performer. 

I have a diverse background as an educator: I’ve been a researcher, a teaching artist, a curriculum coordinator, a classroom teacher and an administrator.  I have worked in every type of school imaginable: Title 1 Public schools across New York City, parochial schools in Austin Texas, a public charter school in the South Bronx, and a private K-12 school in Honolulu.  I’ve worked with students and teachers from pre-K through post-doc, from toddlers to senior citizens.  I was fortunate enough to be a guest lecturer at Hunter College and an adjunct at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education. But no matter the environment, I’ve found certain things to be constant:  students are longing to be engaged, teachers are overworked and under-resourced (I include time in my list of critical resource), and principals and other school leaders need as much support as anybody.

SPARKed Arts Consulting is my answer to the crisis that I think education is facing.  The pendulum of popular opinion has swung dramatically in the direction of excessive testing and prescriptive curriculum that asks very little creativity or input from the teachers delivering it.  Here’s what I believe:

TEACHING AND LEARNING ARE CREATIVE ENDEAVORS. Teachers and students are longing to reconnect with their creative energies.  Creatively engaged teachers and learners are happier, more engaged and feel more satisfaction in their work.

SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION STARTS AT THE TOP. Principals and School Boards who prioritize creating joy-full school environments will see substantive changes in their communities.

THE ARTS ARE A FUSE FOR IGNITING JOY.  Dance, music, theatre and the visual arts  deserve an equitable place at the curricular table right alongside reading, writing, math and science.  The arts motivate and engage.

SPARKed Arts is not  a one-size-fits-all operation; no two schools are identical nor are their challenges.  I welcome the opportunity to speak with you about YOUR school community and dream together about ways that I might help  ignite joy in your work.

-Kevin