Danville Business Alliance and Harmonious Endeavors are collaborating to help launch The Music & Mindfulness Initiative in the Danville area. The Music & Mindfulness Initiative combines the benefits of music, puppetry and mindfulness exercises to enhance self-awareness, and healthy coping skills to area schools, daycares, nursing homes and other entities in need. The program targets young children and older adults; however, it doesn’t stop there! All the units in the program can be used alone to target specific skills which are appropriate for all ages, for example, Mindful Drumming for health, breathing exercises, emotional freedom tapping, and interactive art.
Chrissy Brady Shipe, a former emotional support teacher and local musician/teacher, leads the coordination of music and curriculum which includes many original songs that specifically target emotions. Carolyn Haas and her sister, Maureen Haas Runyan, act as puppeteers to help the children relate socially.
Shipe maintains that “Music and mindfulness are proven ways to identify and regulate emotions. They offer safe, constructive ways to strengthen emotional intelligence and self-awareness skills while the puppets take advantage of a child’s unique ability to pretend play and get lost in their own imagination. Both are used to help children develop empathy, social and self-advocacy skills.”
Carolyn Haas, a former Julliard School of Production Director, is also a former professional puppeteer and has taught her sister, Maureen, the craft. The sisters have a long list of credits that include the Lincoln and Kennedy Center Honors, the launch of The Lion King on Broadway, and the Grammy Awards. Shipe, Haas and Runyan have presented various music and puppet programs in the Danville area for several years.
If interested, please contact: Chrissy Shipe at 570-317-1252 or [email protected].
Front row: Carolyn Haas, Maureen Runyan and Barbara Walzer; Back row: Rebecca Dressler, Martie Geringer and Chrissy Brady Shipe.