Building, performing and educating with musical instruments made from trash since 1991
Streaming Professional Development Workshops
Building Virtual Skills Series for Arts Educators & Performers
Live-streaming professional development conferences for educators and performers taking their arts programs online. These programs - presented in an immersive multi-media style - are fun, informative, and flexible to meet your needs - and your budget!
Taking your Program from Live to Live Stream-(60-90 minutes)
A timely and inspiring online streaming conference for all arts educators and performers. John Bertles and creative partner Carina Piaggio take participants through the steps necessary to begin transforming and re-imagining live shows for an online audience. Subjects will include Using Technology, Transforming your Program, Student Interactivity, and Communications with Schools/Districts. Interactive through Q&A and Chat with participants chiming in with ideas and resources to make a communal effort during tough times.
The Virtual Learner-(60-90”)
As arts educators come to grips with the effects of the Pandemic, it is clear that online experiences must be a part of their skill set. In this workshop we’ll update new developments in virtual education, explore interaction and presentation strategies, and get the skinny on some best practices for using technology to increase creativity. But ultimately, we are going to turn the focus of this workshop around, so that it is not so much on “virtual teaching”, but on “virtual learning”, so we will strive to see everything from the lens of that kid sitting on the other side of the screen. What is their experience? Why watch us at all? How can we engage them on all kinds of levels to heighten that experience?
Exploring Virtual Arts Presentations - Tips, Tricks, and Techniques (60-90”)
Simple but effective presentation techniques can transform online arts lessons into an immersive experience for students. Using an at-home instrument-building exercise as a model, this workshop will challenge participants to explore a new world of creative possibilities.
Drill-downs: Follow-up conferences for a deeper dive:
Studio Technique - How to use your platform as a mini-production studio
Transitioning and Creating New Programs - A step-by-step primer on moving to Virtual
Virtual Nitty-Gritty - Promotion, Contracting and Delivery of Programs in an Online World
Prices start at $700 for a 1 hour PD session and 900 for a 1.5 hour session but will vary by length, size of presentation, number of presenters, etc.
Arts-Integrated Workshops - John’s Virtual Picks
I’ve selected the workshops below for maximum appropriateness for online educators. These are the most popular and dynamic workshops that I’ve taught for decades around the country - reimagined for live-streaming - plus a brand new workshop for music educators struggling with how to connect with their students using these technologies. Contact me to discuss a program for your educators!
​
Building Musical Instruments from Recycled and Reused Materials:
Put the HOME back in Homemade Instruments! This workshop for elementary and middle school educators is a perfect match for online and live-streaming learning. All the materials needed to build cool and educational musical instruments can be found around the house - no tools needed! Each instrument teaches about science and sound, and important STEAM lessons in engineering and sustainability. Depending on connection technology, and using clever musical composition styles re-envisioned for online use, it is possible for students to collaborate to create and perform live-streaming musical stories!
Dance/Choreography add-on: Applying techniques learned from the musical part of this workshop, students can create simple, fun dance/movement pieces, and then perform them online for their colleagues. Choreographer Carina Piaggio joins the presentation with this add-on designed for online dance educators as well as phys-ed teachers.
Paul Klee and Imagination: Painting with Music, Composing with Images
In this live-streamed workshop elementary and middle school educators will discover how to lead their online students through a journey of discovery of the interconnectedness of the arts and sciences. Students will conduct online research on Bauhaus painter Paul Klee and his life-long connections to music, then build simple homemade instruments as sound sources. Finally they will learn how to transform Klee’s paintings into music scores, leading to fun live-streaming mini-performances.
Dance/Choreography add-on: Applying techniques learned from the musical part of this workshop, students can create simple, fun dance/movement pieces, and then perform them online for their colleagues. Choreographer Carina Piaggio joins the presentation with this add-on designed for online dance educators as well as phys-ed teachers.
​