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Dear Principal or PTA/PTO Cultural Enrichment
Chair,
Somehow it happened. You “volunteered” to book the cultural
enrichment programs.
You’ve been handed the “Folder.”
It’s bulging with brochures, flyers, catalogs, and postcards
trumpeting a dizzying array of cultural arts programs. You know the
one right?
- Where to start?
- How do you know what’s good and what's not (or even
available)?
- How do you avoid hours and hours of research and
telephone tag?
If you give me a few moments of your attention, I can help you
save time, hassle & money.
My name is Mark Shepard.
You may find some of my “DrumSongStory” programs in the
“Folder”. Since 1993 I have dedicated my life to creating and
performing the very best multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural
enrichment programs for schools.
Over the course of thousands of performances I’ve learned how to
make your job of booking cultural enrichment programs easy and
hassle free.
Listen. I know you’re a volunteer. If you are like most of
the PTA / PTO folks I work with, you have 2.5 kids, 2 cats, a
Labrador Retriever, a stressed out spouse and are also holding down
a full time job. The way I see it, the last thing you need is a
hassle. Right?
Once you get a feel for my programs you’ll find they are
extremely valuable. In some ways however, the content of the program
may be less important than the essential factors that can make your
life easy or hard.
As you think about your programming for this coming programming
season, please consider the following:
- My proven, kid tested programs support school themes and
curriculum areas, inspire love of learning, even help teachers
teach better.
- I’m dependable and “compulsively” early. Since
1993 and thousands of shows I’ve never cancelled and only
postponed 3. I usually arrive at least an hour and a half before
show time. You don’t have to wait around wondering if I’m going
to show up or not. This saves you stress and possible
embarrassment.
- I’m easy to work with. I’ve heard plenty of stories
about other performers who didn’t know how to deal with
special-ed kids or with the tight time constraints of a school
schedule. It’s no accident that I get compliments all the time
about how well I handle mid-program distractions. That
reflects positively on you.
- I’m on the CT Commission of the Arts which means I’m
eligible for CT grants and NEFA touring funds. It also means
I’ve been checked out and trained by some of the best Arts In
Education specialists in the country.
- I come prepared. I bring a trailer full of state of the
art sound system, drums from all over the world and a HUGE drum
I carved out of a tree trunk that lights up from inside. So
you don’t need to worry about whether it will sound and look
good. It will.
- I'm easy to set up for. All I usually need from you
is 3 armless chairs. It’s that simple.
- Every program is three assemblies in one. By
combining Drums, Songs & Stories I triple my chances of grabbing
and holding your students’ attention. A common comment after a
show is “Gosh! You could have heard a pin drop. Even the kids
with attention challenges were totally absorbed!” That makes you
look good.
- I go the extra mile. I am always happy to stay longer if
there are a few classes who would like to interview me.
- I do my own booking. This means you don’t have to
deal with a middle man. When you call to find out if a date is
available, you don’t have to wait for my booking agent to call
me and me to call my agent back and then the agent give you a
return call. I’m reachable directly. I give you my e-mail and
cell phone. I usually return my calls within the same day. Less
“Phone Tag” for you.
- I can handle a wide age and developmental range. Because
what I do works on so many levels I frequently do shows for
audiences of K-8 as well as family concerts.
- My programs are affordable. If you divide my
single show fee by the typical audience size of 300 it works out
to about $3.33 per child. For a large school where three
performances are needed, the price often works out more like
$1.83 per child.
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