Big and Little Podcast

Jazz, Creativity, and Imagination: A conversation with Dr. Bill Banfield and Vaughan Bradley-Willemann

In this next episode of the Big & Little Podcast’s Creativity Series, two music professionals dive into the transformative power of jazz music and its impact on children and communities. Vaughan Bradley-Willemann, lifelong Violinist and Boston Children’s Museum’s Senior Director of Arts and Social Impact, sits down with composer, professor, author, and conductor of the Jazz Urbane Collective, Dr. Bill Banfield, to uncover the magic that happens when young minds engage with the art of improvisation and musical expression. Discover how jazz music sparks children’s imagination, the story and vision behind the Jazz Urbane Collective, tips for parents and caregivers on cultivating a love of music and the arts in their families, and more.

Captivating Creations with Bernie Zubrowski

Bernie Zubrowski [https://berniezubrowski.com/] has dedicated his career to science education, both in and outside of the classroom. He has contributed to science curricula at the Education Development Center and designed numerous children's science books, exhibits, traveling exhibits during his time at Boston’s Children’s Museum, including Bubbles and Raceways. Beyond science education, Bernie has spent the last 25 years designing and exhibiting kinetic sculptures, continuing to inspire creativity and scientific exploration. In this next Creativity Series episode, Museum President and CEO Carole Charnow interviews Bernie about developing hands-on exhibits, kinetic sculptures, and art and science curriculum for children. Learn more about Bernie’s work on his website: Bernie Zubrowski [https://berniezubrowski.com/], his art website: Synchronizing Art and Science Projects [https://synchronizingartandscienceactivities.com/], list of book publications [https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/bernie-zubrowski/362397/], or on his YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/berniez100].

Music as Expression, Exploration, and Celebration

In this fifth installment of our Creativity Series, Carole Charnow, the Museum’s President and CEO interviews Ashleigh Gordon the co-founder, Artistic Director, and violist of Castle of our Skins, a Boston-based concert and educational series devoted to celebrating Black Artistry through music. Carole and Ashleigh discuss the intersections between music, education, and creative expression, the inspiration behind founding Castle of our Skins, and how to encourage musical exposure and exploration for children. Learn more about Castle of our Skins at: https://www.castleskins.org/what-is-coos.html [https://www.castleskins.org/what-is-coos.html]

Lifelong Kindergarten, Lifelong Creativity

Today on the show, Boston Children’s Museum President and CEO Carole Charnow interviews Dr. Mitchel Resnick [https://www.media.mit.edu/people/mres/overview/] in the next installment of our Creativity Series. Mitch Resnick is the LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab and develops new technologies and activities to engage people (particularly children) in creative learning experiences. His Lifelong Kindergarten research group developed the Scratch programming software and online community, used by millions of young people around the world.  Carole talks with Mitch about his new project OctoStudio [https://octostudio.org/en/], the value of Kindergarten style learning, the 4 P’s of Creative Learning, the relationship between technology and creative learning and more.

Creativity through collaboration

The Museum’s Creativity Series continues with a conversation on the importance of connection, collaboration, and community. Through a grant from LEGO, called the LEGO Playful Learning Museum Network, institutions across the country were tasked with creating a community of practice that focused on playful learning Joining us today are three representatives from LEGO’s community of practice who connected over a shared interest in Tinkering Inventive Playsets, Nick Villagra from the Connecticut Science Center [https://ctsciencecenter.org/], Michael Wong from the Exploratorium [https://www.exploratorium.edu/tinkering], and Brendan Takenaga from Boston Children’s Museum [https://bostonchildrensmuseum.org/steam-learning-and-discovery/]. Tune in to learn about how a community of practice operates, where creativity exists in our work, the power of inspiration, half-baked ideas, open communication between peers, and more! Learn more about this partnership on the Exploratorium Blog [https://www.exploratorium.edu/tinkering/blog/cross-country-collaboration-lego-playful-learning-museum]. Or connect with our guests by emailing Nick at nvillagra@ctsciencecenter.org [nvillagra@ctsciencecenter.org], Michael at mwong@exploratorium.edu [mwong@exploratorium.edu], or Brendan at Takenaga@bostonchildrensmuseum.org [Takenaga@bostonchildrensmuseum.org].