Community
Spicewood Elementary STEAM Celebration, March 14, 2025
This year, we had the pleasure of supporting two performers for the Spicewood Elementary STEAM Day (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Our performers were also co-sponsored by the Texas Commission of the Arts. Both performers entertained the students the entire day, performing up to 8 classes. Please take time to watch the videos, as we also have some very talented students attending Spicewood Elementary.
Joe McDermott, Bouncing Ball Music
Referred to as ‘a Texas treasure’ by the Texas Library Association, Joe McDermott released his first album of children’s music in 1988. In 2006, he took first place in the Children’s Music category for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. He was invited to team up with Stan and Jan Berenstain to convert eleven of their original storybooks to music.
Impressed by Joe’s musical talent, Stan Berenstain quipped that Joe was an ‘absolute wizard at communicating to children with music.’ Known for his lively school concerts, Joe also creates and produces recording workshops and school-specific music video workshops for elementary school students.
Noah Mosgofian, Drum One Drum All
Drum One, Drum All uses ancient and modern drumming traditions to educate, entertain, and engage minds and bodies. The interactive program explores drum traditions from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and beyond, plus recycled object music. Participants learn history, geography, vocabulary, and dance moves alongside fundamental rhythmic concepts while musical arrangements come to life on authentic instruments. Students mimic traditional rhythms using body percussion and vocalization in a lively call-and-response format.
The global journey returns home with an exploration of music created with household junk from the recycle bin. By connecting the stories of ancient and distant people to our own, the program builds a bridge around the world and across differences. Drum One, Drum All is led by Noah Mosgofian, a veteran percussionist whose credits include STOMP, the Drum Café, San Francisco Ballet’s Dance Outreach, the Edinburgh International Festival, and directorship of Lannaya Drum & Dance and Austin Samba, North America’s largest samba group.
Spicewood Community Library
Spicewood Arts also made a $2,500 donation to our local library. We asked that $500 be allocated to their children’s reading program in support of the literary arts. The remainder of the donation was available to the library where the need was the greatest.
We believe it is important to support other local nonprofit organizations where it makes sense to do so, particularly if they are related to and support the arts as well as those near and dear to our patrons.
If you have a need that you believe makes sense, please let us know.