Conscientious Musical Revues

Currently during COVID, CMR currently offers 32 hours per week of zoom arts and technology workshops on zoom. If the COVID crisis is not over, we have a wide variety of programs to serve seniors and adults. Check you council emails for weekly emails and brochure! Classes will return to in person when it is safe. CMR will still offer some zoom classes because they serve a lot of homebound people. Zoom classes also serve many seniors who do not want to belong to a senior center. CMR uses MWBE Afritech to develop online arts strategy. They are also monitoring new tools in technology to simplify our program. CMR staff receives training from Afritech to keep current their technology skills. Testing showed zoom was the easiest system for our Senior Citizens to use. Many seniors' friends and family taught them to use Zoom. Afritech will continue to offer phone support to assist Seniors in setting up, and maintaining, zoom and other tech services. Afritech continues to offer Seniors Workshops with the goal of expanding socialization online. Topics include finding free arts services on the web, learning to use online social services, and using new applications. Besides one on one tutoring, the following topics are examples: 1. Obtaining entitlements through https://access.nyc.gov/ 2. Using Pinterest and streaming services to set up an Arts Library. 3. Staying safe online and avoiding scams 4. Accessing content from the Internet Archive with millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more. 5. Creating phone videos with Adobe Rush and other free software Derrick Baker conducts Zoom Drama and Dance classes. Seniors across NYC learned basic jazz movements. Seniors learned from our laughter filled drama classes the joys of improvisation. Stephon Jones music appreciation classes goal is to increase seniors musical and performance skills, expand musical style preference and encourage seniors to share memories, and history, of the songs featured in the class. httpswwwyoutubecomchannelUCTDF30Z... For those seniors who have no interest in technology, Hugh Smith conducts phone memory games and music appreciation. Seniors enjoy improv and music games designed to exercise memory and create laughter. CMR developed an email program of Arts links to maintain morale and promoted our Zoom classes. Many of our seniors are traumatized because they were trapped in their apartments due to the high amount of COVID deaths in their buildings. They need something other than a steady diet of news channels. CMR filled the need for humor, and calm. Mobile Technology Tech Support. Bring a Device - Pull Up a Chair! CMR wants the Discretionary fund to provide an additional 42 weeks of mobile technology classes and individual tech support. There will be 6 hours per week of classes or individual instruction. Our program at Beatrice Lewis in Manhattan and Grace Agaard Senior Center in Brooklyn, Bring a Device - Pull Up a Chair, averages 23 people per day. Seniors have brought in cell phones, tablets, and laptops to improve skills on their devices. They also have the use of the center's computer lab. CMR has tablets in which seniors can use. Staff teach Seniors on a 1 on 1 basis, or small groups. This program will focus on seniors using the web to access entitlement, recreational, and other services. Seniors are taught to use email, so they keep in contact with friends, families, and acquaintances. Topics also include booking travel, paying bills safely online, banking, and using digital media. We are focusing on mobile technology because a good tablet can be acquired for under $150. CMR mobile technology class helps Seniors learn to use their mobile technology devices. We are finding that many seniors are technophobes. They often receive hand me down technology, or brand new devices, from the younger generation. Their families often do not explain why they need it, what their devices can do, or how to use them. Many of their kids and grandkids try to teach them to use their devices. Our Seniors have commented that family is not patient, or they do not like the idea of the children and teens in their life teaching them. They also feel threatened and left out of the technology world. Arts Classes. We are asking the City Council discretionary fund to support additional arts classes at Senior Centers. Funding will provide 42 weeks of arts classes. Classes will total 4.5 hours per week. Center Director will choose the types of arts classes they will host. Many of CMR's senior citizen participants have a lifelong desire to perform, but never had the opportunity to learn the arts or perform. An example of clients expanding arts experience includes: Ms Yvonne never had the courage to share her poem, she doubted that she had talent. Now she performs them at our monthly concert series and recitals. Ms Gloria had a speaking role at a show at York College this fall. Ms Gloria and Delores booked a few performances with the skills we taught her. Participants also perform at community events and centers. See excerpt on conscientiousrevues.org. Senior center directors may choose from dance, drama, or art classes. CMR's dance class teaches basic jazz movements including isolations, elementary jumps, and turns. Jazz styles include Funk, Lyrical, and Musical Theater. Seniors will increase body awareness and body alignment while developing flexibility, strength, and coordination. This class is in 3 stages. We start with sit down movement which allows strengthening of Seniors' core and endurance. In the next section balance is emphasized by having participants hold on to chairs and do various dance exercises on one foot. Participants learn jazz dance combinations in the 3rd part of the class. Students join our master choreographers in creating dances that they perform for peers and at special community events. httpconscientiousrevuesorgdancecl... Golden Treasures drama classes teach seniors the joys of improvisation. Classes focus on improving artistic skills through humor, group interaction, risk- taking, and imagination games. Our laughter filled classes develop creative thinking skills and improve confidence in mental abilities. This class culminates with Seniors writing a play and presenting it to peers and in the community. Drama skills developed are: Trust, Believability and creating a whole picture, Breaking Down Tensions, understanding your fellow performers; Focus, Sense Memory; Intention; Energy and Voice, Character Work, Preserving Believability with Scripts, Intention and the Script, Partner Scene Work. httpconscientiousrevuesorgdramacl... has excerpts of the recitals. Adult coloring is a great tension and stress releasers and make great conversation breakers. Our adult coloring classes integrate seniors who do not FEEL they can physically participate in our other classes. This has led to participants increasing their social circle. The program focuses on projects that can be completed in one day. There is no correct way to color, so Seniors can focus on enjoyment, creativity, and socialization. Coloring in circles exercises the brain and assists in maintaining mind focus and attentiveness. We use numerous books and provide coloring pencils and markers. Some pencils can be dip in water to provide a watercolor effect which allows seniors to enjoy painting neatly. Books range from Angels, Mermaids, Mandalas, Flowers, and animals. The materials we use are at varying levels so that seniors can grow in their creativity. Seniors may advance from coloring to Drawing. The drawing component that focuses on skills to train the eye and hand to transfer imagery from the real world to the page. Students will learn Line, Color and Textures. Objects, art, and imagination will inspire their drawings. CMR's music and choir classes goal is to build up seniors' musical experience to improve musical and performance skills. The program also sought to expand musical style preference and encourage seniors to share memories, and historical context, of the songs performed. Students improved on Pitch production, retention, and vocal placements. They learned to perform and create harmonies. We were excited that they practiced independently outside program hours. Saratoga choir performance https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=BjHb0anU6dA Celebrate Native American Heritage Cultures Our Native American Culture classes informs participants of the contributions of Native people to American culture. This class series focuses on the on rich, diverse cultures, traditions, and history. This class is led by Shunkaha Luta (Red Wolf) Randy Oquendo. The program covers the following: Medicine Wheel, Sacred Pipe Ceremony, Indian Headdress, regalia interpretation, and Pow Wow Etiquette (Protocol. Students will make ceremonial regalia and artifacts. They also will take a trip to a native American Pow Wow.