| Who are the Super Subs and when are they coming to our school? |
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| Bob Wolin and Bob Barboza on Stage Again |
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Beyond the Basics: Super Subs Bring the Arts to Underserved Kids
Edutopia: The George Lucas Foundation Magazine
These unusual substitute teachers offer a day of curriculum-expanding fun to schools -- free.
by Elizabeth Crane
July 23, 2008
Professional drummer and drum instructor Ronnie Ciago is up on the stage of the Little Theater at La Puente High School, in La Puente, California, near Los Angeles. Without preamble, he sits down at his drum set and runs through a crashing, rocking riff that stuns to silence the twenty or so kids in the class.
When he stops, the kids whistle, whoop, and clap. As the noise dies down, Ciago's colleague, Bob Barboza, begins his lesson on world rhythms, with Ciago poised to demonstrate.
Not Your Average Substitutes
If this doesn't sound like a typical class, that's because it isn't. These aren't your typical teachers; they are substitutes. And they aren't your typical substitute teachers, either -- they're Super Subs.
The brainchild of Barboza, a retired teacher, the Super Subs program is a way to bring arts and music to underserved students. Barboza recruited a group of friends -- some of whom once played together in a semiprofessional band -- to be the subs. At first, the idea was to give back to schools in the community where they all grew up. But after experiencing success at their local schools, they decided to take their show on the road.
Here's how it works: Barboza and the twenty other musicians, artists, writers, and designers he's recruited take over classes for the day. They teach their own brand of music, art, writing, journalism, and self-esteem. The visits don't cost schools a dime. The Personal News Network [1], a social-media Web site run by one of the Super Subs, picks up the tab, and most of the Super Subs volunteer their time. (Find out how to bring the Super Subs to your school by visiting the Super Subs page [2] at the Personal News Network.)
An Antidote to Teaching to the Test
The day the Super Subs visit La Puente starts like any other. All the students attend their usual first-period classes. For the hundred or so kids in the school's Multilingual Academy (for English-language learners) and Folklorico programs, though, everything changes when the second-period bell rings. Their teachers have arranged a Super Sub day for them.
They meet the day's ten visiting Super Subs in the auditorium for an orientation and introductions, then head to classes held in the theater, the library, and three classrooms. While Barboza is investigating rhythms, a professional dancer and choreographer from Las Vegas is teaching street moves in the auditorium. In a classroom between the two, a guitar-playing sub talks about math and music while another, a professional motivational speaker, winds up the class by talking about dreams and aspirations.
English teacher Noel Martinez says the Super Subs' visit is a treat for his English-language learners, who are liable to think of school as something to endure rather than enjoy. "It brings in different voices, showing them that other professions are available to them," he explains. "It's not coming from their regular teachers, and it's not from their parents, so maybe they'll listen."
"It takes a variety of media to reach everyone -- we just have to find the right hook," comments Nancy Gibson, the teacher responsible for the Super Subs's La Puente visit. "Our kids don't necessarily get experiences like this. You know how when you think back to high school, there were a few days when something happened that you really remember as being great? I want this to be one of those days for these kids."
Students Find Their Voices
Two doors down from the motivational speaker, Super Sub Caren Singer is instructing her students to write. She gives them blank journals and tells them to write something every day. When this direction gets a lukewarm response, she asks them, "Who here has experienced terror?" Ernesto, a junior in a bright blue shirt, is the only one to raise his hand.
When she asks what it was like, he speaks down to the table, but she hears him and shouts, "Yes! It made you feel cold, and your throat closed up, and you couldn't speak or move. Yes!" When she adds, "One time, I was so scared I peed my pants," a ripple of amusement passes through the room.
She hands around bottles of scent and asks the students to think of words they associate with the smell. "Think of a season, think of a color, think of a sound," she exhorts. As the kids call out words, she writes them on the board.
A smart aleck at the back of the room says, "Underwear," making everyone snicker, but Singer just responds with a serious tone, "That's brilliant, very creative, good." Not getting a rise out of her, the would-be joker gives up and gets back on task.
Once she has the lists of words for the various scents on the board, Singer asks the students to put the words together into a poem. Embarrassed grumbling results. "Trust yourself," she says. "There is no right or wrong." When she reads out the poems the students have written, the Super Sub exclaims over each unusual juxtaposition. By the time the class is over, most of the kids are writing, writing, writing, and they want to show her everything they've written.
When the bell rings, Singer returns to her stated objective for the class: "I would like you to walk out of here today with a vision of yourself as a writer." As they each clutch a journal and file out to the next Super Sub class, it's possible that's exactly what the students are thinking.
Later, after a lunchtime concert by the Super Subs that leaves the impressed students asking for autographs, Ernesto -- the student who spoke up during Singer's writing class -- reflects on the experience. "My dad is a janitor at UCLA," he says, "but I want to do something better, do well in school and go to college."
The message of the day, that you can achieve what you aspire to achieve, is not news to him, but he says the way it was presented was entirely different. "They did it with music and it was . . . wow," he states. "This is the first time in three years here I've seen anything like this." Then he smiles widely and adds, as though he invented the idea, "You learn better when you're having fun."
Elizabeth Crane is a freelance writer in San Francisco.
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| Who are the Super Subs and why are kids asking for them? |
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| Super Subs Performing Arts Projects |
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BOB BARBOZA AND HIS ROCK STAR SUPER SUBS TAKE OVER LA HIGH SCHOOL FOR ONE DAY
Well known movie directors, musicians, composers, computer programmers, storytellers, dance choreographers, entertainers and journalists came to teach and perform for a day, ended up engaging the whole community.
Los Angeles , Tuesday March 11, 2008
On Tuesday, well known movie directors, musicians, composers, internet developers, storytellers, dance choreographers, entertainers and journalists took over the Animo Locke Tech Charter High School in Los Angeles California, one of the Green Dot Charter schools. For one day they took the places of the regular classroom teachers.
The program was the brainstorm of Bob Barboza, educator and producer of Kids Talk Radio, working with Lauren Elliott, creator of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Computer game series, and founder of the PNN.com social media network.
The school's regular principal, Dinah Consuegra and her staff, were to spend the day planning in one room of the school doing what is known as 'in service' training, while the "super subs," took over six classrooms giving the students a chance to explore the world of the arts, journalism, and technology.
Soon after the day began, however, the teachers all wanted to join in on the activities. By the end of the day, they had danced with the students, participated in song writing, and enjoyed interacting with each other and the students, in a whole new way.
At the end of the day, Barboza's Super Subs gathered on stage and, with the help of the students and teachers, performed a live music concert. The event was filmed by the students and will be published to the web on the PNN social network.
Comments Barboza:
This was our way of partnering with the local schools to link the arts to subjects being taught in the school, and to provide a creative solution to the perennial challenge of making time for teachers to work together.
" At least that's the way it started." said Bob. "By the end of the day, we had teachers dancing, kids doing interviews and creating songs, and administrators up on the stage playing with the band. "
"We need to support schools any way we can, ", says Lauren Elliott. "And, I take real pleasure in having PNN be the platform for sharing the stories that came out of the day", says Lauren Elliott. "With all the current dire economic news schools are facing, success stories like this need to be shared and built upon. "
Jaimie Martinez, from PNN, assembled a journalist team of three students who spent the day interviewing and photographing the performers. "I thought these kids were great journalists", says Jaimie. "Stacy, Jose, and DeAngelo were bright, attentive, and fun. They could become PNN reporters anytime."
Richard Luther, programmer, and Donna Hyatt, educator for PNN, worked with the students in the computer lab producing self-portraits and six word memoirs. " It was a great experience to get out of the office and work hands on with these kids'' says Richard. "I wish all of our politicians would take the time to spend a day in the classroom, and see the changes schools like this are trying to make."
Following are sketches of the visiting super subs:
Robert Wolin will be teaching guitar. Among his former students are the guitarists of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns and Roses. Robert is a graduate of UCLA with a degree in mathematics and will be integrating math into his guitar classes. He is currently playing in several bands, teaching guitar, math, and test preparation in the Los Angeles area.
Lauren Elliott is the founder and CEO of the Personal News Network. Considered one of the top educational software designers in the world, he is the creator of 26 award-winning software programs for the Broderbund Software Corporation. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a masters in Engineering and Architecture. On March 13 he will take over the school's Apple lab and teach students how to publish a website and post to a digital yearbook on PNN.
Bob Barboza is the founder and CEO of Kid's Talk Radio. Bob taught in the public schools for 30 years and is an educational consultant for the FileMaker Corporation. Bob is currently on tour presenting at local and national educational technology conferences. Bob created the Super Subs and has a MS. in special education.
David Storrs is an electrical engineer, music producer, Los Angeles commercial realtor, and guitarist. David produced the rap artist Ice-T and has published numerous musical compositions for television and the radio.
Ronnie Ciago is the recording drummer with Bill Ward from the group Black Sabbath. He has been a featured drummer on the Sam Ash Musical Tour and is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music in Boston.
Skip Spiro is a movie editor and trumpet player with his own group, Little Big Band. He graduated from UCLA as a film major and has worked for some of the major television studies in Hollywood.
Michael Morera is a jazz saxophonist and financial consultant who has designed a radio show to educate people about investing. Michael will be flying in from his new home in New Hampshire.
Michael McCarty is a professional storyteller who has travelled the world sharing his enthusiasm for the power of stories to connect. He will teach the students how to tell stories effectively.
Caren Singer, a Phi Betta Kappa, summa cum laud graduate from UCLA, is currently teaching language arts, writing, and test preparation in the Los Angeles area. She has worked as a production manager and assistant director for movie studios in Hollywood. She especially enjoyed working on Rock 'n' Roll High School.
SarahTuttle-Singer, a graduate of UC Berkeley, has been in the field of education for over ten years. She is currently a children's photographer in the Los Angeles area.
Boaz Hachlili, recently relocated from the San Francisco Bay area, is currently working as a freelance photographer and bass player in the Los Angles area.
Michael Vlatkovich is a professional composer and trombonist. He is featured in the March 2008 issue of Downbeat magazine. He will speak not only about the role of wind players in a band, but also about the art of improvisation.
Richard Rohner is a sales manager for the FileMaker Corporation. He worked for Apple Computer and is considered an expert in the field of computer technology. Richard will demonstrate the importance of relational databases.
Donna Hyatt is the director of education for the PNN Personal News Network. She is a credentialed teacher and will coordinate the language arts programs for the Kids Talk Radio Super Subs.
Ron Knight is a professional Las Vegas entertainer. He will teach a class on how to be a DJ, how to write a song, and how to sing with a band.
Del Leon is a professional dancer and choreographer trained at California State University, Long Beach. Del has worked with student dancers in the Paramount Unified School District after-school program.
Kimberley Sanders is a professional dancer and choreographer, specializing in hip-hop and street dance.
Richard Luther is the senior programmer for PNN.com, and is an expert on current web 2.0 technology.
Jaimie Martinez is the senior editorial journalist at PNN, and will take charge of a student team for the day.
Mary Pickford Foundation Technology Bus will be on site. It is equipped with additional instructors and recording equipment, which will be used to demonstrate how computers are used to make and edit video recordings.
About Kids Talk Radio
Kid's Talk Radio is a journalism program designed to motivate and help students do a better job of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and computing. It is a project based learning program working with general education students, gifted and talented students, English language learners, at risk, and special needs students. Kid's Talk Radio is designed for students in grades 3 through 8 and grades 9 thorough 12. Most programs recorded on Kids Talk Radio are available on the PNN network.
Contact Information:
Bob Barboza
Kid's Talk Radio/PNN News
1857 Josie Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90815
(562) 221-1780 Cell
E-Mail:Robert@pnn.com
http://KidsTalkRadio.PNN.com
About PNN.com
PNN.com is a family oriented new-media network founded in 2006 by Lauren Elliott, creator of the hit game series, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? PNN.com puts simple-to-use technology in the hands of people with stories to tell.
PNN.com's offices and recording studio are located in Rohnert Park, California.
Contact Information:
Lauren Elliott
Lauren@pnn.com
1300 Valley House Drive
Rohnert Park, Ca. 94928
Tel: 707 664 6211
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| Super Subs Appearing At Community Events: Jane Barboza at UN Meeting |
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| Jane Barboza in Concert United Nations Association |
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| Jane Barboza Flute Solo Performance |
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Jane Barboza is a Super Sub who plays the flute. In addition, she is a school administratior in charge of the English Language Learner Program for the "Green Dot" Charter Public High School in Los Angeles, California. Jane plays jazz flute for the Long Beach Jazz Messengers and she performs for local churches as part of her community services.
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| An Exclusive Interview with Alex Acuna of the group "Weather Report"- Keeping Jazz Alive in Our Schools |
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| Alex Acuna and The Bob Barboza Jazz Interview |
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| Alex Acuna is Keeping Jazz Alive in Our School and Interview with Bob Barboza |
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| Kenny G One-On-One With Bob Barboza and Kid's Talk Radio |
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| The KennyG and Bob Barboza Interview |
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| The North Star Mini Musical |
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The North Star Mini Musical
Bob Barboza has written a mini musical around the book "The North Star", by Peter Reynolds. This production is full of exciting sound effects and spoken word that makes the book come alive. Ronnie Ciago and Bob Barboza will performe the production live with the Alondra After School Performing Arts Club on "Parent Reading Night". The same production will be performed at the California CUE Conference in 2006.
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High Motivational Reading Programs for Teachers That Love To Teach
Project Super School Visual and Performing Arts Action Research
The creative minds at Super School University have kids lining up after school to read books, write original stories and create sound effects. The kids in the Paramount Unified School District get to perform at parent reading nights and before their peers. The high motivational reading program started when Bob Barboza got inspired by the re-reading Peter Reynolds’s best seller “The North Star”. He contacted his musical writing partner Ronnie Ciago and together that created and performed the new mini musical based on “The North Star”. Musical composer Barboza wanted to fine a creative way to blend art, music, dance, technology and oral reading. Ciago and Barboza had been on a tour at the Guitar Centers and Sam Ash Super Music Stores putting on drum clinics. When the professional drum clinic musical tour ended, Barboza decided to write mini musical based on stories that would get kids excited about learning. Barboza believes that before kids could get excited about learning, teachers have to get excited about teaching.
Background History
Many Super School University teachers are cross trained in dance, music and art. Our teachers love to teach. You can tell by just talking to them.
For the past five years Bob Barboza and five other teachers started working with kids after school. Teachers knew that most of teen crime occurs between the hours of 3:30 PM and 8:00 PM. We wanted to give kids something to do after school that would be fun and highly educational at the same time.
Teachers wanted kids to have opportunities to participate in both visual and performing arts. In recent years it has become very difficult to teach art and music during regular school hours. Teachers were dead focused on raising test scores and meeting state standards.
At the end of each school year teachers, parents, community members and students would perform in a major musical. This is a fantastic opportunity to end the school year with a bang. Students were so inspired after our concerts that they would sign up for the schools next year’s concert right on the spot.
The Future
Our action research performing arts team is going on tour spreading the high motivational reading and music program message to other school. At the end of the 2006 school year we want to have a special concert where teachers and their students can perform classic literature, original stories, and mini-musicals at one of our local universities. We wanted a location were different school districts can participate in a combined production.
Teacher Training
We offer a wonderful half-day and full-day teacher and student training program. Our team provides all the books, instruments, technology tools, training software, and musical instruments. Our training and performing arts reading program is tailored to match your states standards. We provide a presentation engagement form that helps us to plan together.
Tricks of the Trade
We have a few tricks up our sleeves. Our team is using a special computerized music stand to help kids with the reading and music. We are making and binding our own book. We have world class sound effects and our kids are well trained in old time radio sound effects. Our next step is to make original sound effect devices that will help us to make our readings and original writing projects come alive.
Professional Conferences
Barboza and Ciago will perform their mini musicals live at the 2006 CUE Conference in Palm Springs, California.
Session Title: Creative Uses of Technology: High Motivational Visual and Performing Arts Projects.
Day/Time: Friday, 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
Room: Madera
Location: Wyndham Hotel
Capacity: 300
Conference Dates: March 9-11, 2006
Conference Description: Bob Barboza, resource specialist, integrates technology and music to help special education, gifted and general education students to collaborate on high motivational integrated academic and visual and performing arts learning projects.
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| "Drum Monsters" A New High Motivational Mini Musical |
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| The action reseach team is performing an orgianl Bob Barboza musical called Drum Monsters. The new musical is an example of high motivational learning at its best. Instructor Ronnie Ciago uses drums to get kids excited about learning. |
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| Drum Monsters |
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| Performing arts students are getting ready for the mini musical "Drum Monster". This is based on the story written by Bob Barboza about the five boys lost in the jungle. This five boys learned the magic of talking drums and turned into Drum Monster. This modern day African Legend comes alive with art, music, dance, drama, and spoken word. It is one of a series of orginal legends written to motivate students to impove their oral reading skills. |
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America’s Greatest Talking Drummer
It would be impossible to talk about talking drums without bring up the name of Francis Awe. I had the pleasure to interview and photograph Francis at his home in Inglewood, California. Plans are underway to have Francis join us in our first school concert of “Drum Monsters”. This should prove to be more excitement that kids will be able to handle.
Francis is a real prince back in Africa. He is a college graduate with his degree in music and is a fine role model for young children. Our children are so fortunate to be able to experience such a world class talking drummer. We are so blessed to be able to perform live with him.
Drum Monsters is a wondeful way to teach children about diversity,world music,visual arts, performing arts, and high motivational reading and writing.
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Super School Read A-Louds for Elementary and Middle Schools
Karen Steff- Educational Innovators
Project Super Schools new action research program is all about high motivational read-aloud programs. Bob Barboza has written four integrated language learning legends around the themes of Africa, the Cabo Verde Islands, the rhythms of Brazil, and the music of Mexico. This is part one in a series of programs to promote better understanding of these four cultures.
Why read-aloud in middle school?
We have lots of evidence that read-alouds work in the elementary school. It is unfortunate that we know very little about teacher read-aloud practices beyond the elementary grades. Our new project Super School read-alouds will provided some important action research to the mysteries to today’s middle school student’s learning patterns.
Research indicates that motivation, interest, and engagement are often enhanced when teachers read-aloud to middle school students. Students agree that read-alouds scaffold their understanding because the teacher helped to make the text more comprehensible or more interesting to them. The research suggests that teacher read-alouds in middle school grades can have positive outcomes for both motivation and learning. It has been our action research experience that when teachers read-aloud in an exciting voices it turns out to be one of the few activities that middle school students have found to be exciting. When we integrate reading, drama, dance, art, and music into the read-aloud we show an increase in word and passage comprehension. Because studies suggest that teacher read-alouds in middle schools can be catalysts for motivation and learning, more research is needed to explore how teachers are using the proactive in the classrooms. Lettie K. Albright and Mary Ariail have written a paper titled (Tapping the potential of teacher read-alouds in middle schools) that is well worth your time to read. You can find their work in the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, April, 2005.
Reading aloud to children helps them develop and improve literacy skills -- reading, writing, speaking, and listening, Trelease adds. And since children listen on a higher level than they read, listening to other readers stimulates growth and understanding of vocabulary and language patterns.
Bob Barboza integrates the arts into reading. He has worked with students with both gifted and students with specific learning disabilities for over twenty-five years. His specialty is integrating technology and performing arts into his reading and writing programs. “Drum Monsters” is an example of effective creativity to promote reading and writing in the elementary and middle school classrooms. Barboza is excited about learning and he gets others excited about learning.
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| Getting Kids Ready for Show Time |
The Long Beach Jazz Messengers are getting ready for year two. The group has been working with children and keeping jazz alive in our youth. These fine musicians are passing on their creativity. The group will perform the sound track for the musical "Drum Monsters". This photo was taken at their last mini musical "Cabo Verde Dreams".
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A Master Drummer Takes The Time To Inspire Young Children
After school programs are becoming a very good way of keeping children off the streets and out of trouble during peak crime hours. It is great for schools and communities to invest in quality after school programs for young children. We have found it to be a fantastic and inexpensive way to take a bite out of growing crime statistics. Maybe this article will inspire someone in your community to find creative way to help kids to fall in love with learning.
The students at Alondra School attended a very special book signing conducted by master drummer/composer/author Ronnie Ciago.
Alondra School has a very unique after school performing arts club. Students in grades 2nd through 8th. receive dance and percussion instructions for about 7 months. Then the students participate in three shows. Kids are always lined up at the doors of the after school club the second that the school bell ends. Some of the biggest lines are at Bob Barboza’s door. He volunteers to teach kids how to play Brazilian and traditional percussion instruments once a week. From time to time he invites special guest to visit his class to inspire his students. This month Ronnie Ciago was Barboza’s special guest. It turned out to be perfect timing for the drum class. Ronnie had just published his new drum book, “A Natural Development in Drumming Technique,” published by Mel Bay.
The drum class learned a great new word, “ambidexterity”. They also learned that Ronnie Ciagao began playing drums at age 5. Growing up in New York he had the opportunity to study with the great masters of drumming. Ronnie emphasized the importance of practice makes perfect. Ronnie had some of the best music training possible when he attended Berklee School of Music. At Berklee his studies included ear training, arranging, music theory, piano, and harmony. As percussion major he had a chance to work towards becoming the best that he could be. Ronnie has toured and record with Black Sabbath, Rickie Lee Jones, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and many other legends of rock and roll. He plays all styles of music and is a fantastic drum teacher.
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Super School University School of Dance
Professor Del Leon
Del Leon took her first modern dance class in London, England with a brilliantly talented member of the Michael Clark Dance Company. and she has been hooked ever since.
Leon began her first formal dance training at the University of Oklahoma and received that university’s highest award for choreography, the Scott Salmon Modern Dance Choreography Award for her first work. She was subsequently commissioned to create a dance for the O.U. Black Graduation Celebration before transferring to her native Southern California. She also substitute taught junior high school girls at a local Oklahoma City dance studio.
While waiting to recover her residency, Leon moved up to Sacramento and was honored to work with Dr. Linda Goodrich and to perform with her company, Sacramento’s Black Art of Dance.
At California State University Long Beach, where she completed her BFA in Dance Performance, Leon performed in numerous faculty concerts, choreographed works that were presented in each of her concurrent student concerts, and performed for guest artists such as Theresa “T” Ross from New York and Janet Eilber of the Martha Graham Dance Company. She studied the techniques of Cunningham and Tharp with Jeff Slayton, and once again Graham technique with Susan McClain and Humphrey-Limon technique with Tryntje Shapli. There were also two wonderful semesters with local dance celebrity Loretta Livingston of Loretta Livingston Dancers. Later, she studied release technique with Keith Johnson. Leon also performed and presented works in the American College Dance Festivals.
With BFA degree in hand, Leon co-founded Ione Dance Collective (now Ione Dance Theatre) where she produces concerts and stage plays that feature original dance, music, and drama by local artists.
In 2003, she met Bob Barboza through a friend and was introduced to his idea for a jazz opera. They met regularly. They chose song #2 on the Cabo Verde Dreams CD from the 6 original compositions by Barboza and his four collaborators to begin the experiment.
Now Del Leon is finding that she can have a lasting effect on young lives that would not otherwise have opportunity to engage in the fine arts. With a brand new before/after school enrichment program called Super School University, where she is Dean of the Performing Arts Department, she can launch young people into the future with a more integrative education than can currently get from the financially wounded public schools. She gives talks at Career Day. She is working with a group of children for a professional stage production and is currently developing the finalized curriculum for the SSU Dance Department. She eagerly looks forward to instilling in these children a level of inspiration, discipline, and respect for others, the arts, and themselves. She firmly believes, “If it is cruel to keep an animal in constant close confinement, why is a kid is expected to learn by sitting still at a desk for 6-7 hours a day. How can they learn if all the energy inside of them is teaming to get out. If movement is life, let the children move.”
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