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A New Fan
I'm a new fan of yours. I'm sorry I did not discover you a few years ago. You give new meaning to the word Electric Bass. I love your music and what you are doing to give back to your community. I'm trying to learn the 5 string Bass but when I listen to your music it's a learning experience for me. I have to admit you and Victa are the best of the best. I know there are some very good Bass Players out there but both of you take the prize. You guys make me want to put my instrument down and just listen to your Bass playing skills (smile). I thank you for the listening pleasure, please keep up your good work and God Bless.
Your New Fan,
James R. Jones
Their program was overwhelmingly received, and so began the "partnership" between GEAR UP MA and Jo Sallins & Co. In the months to follow, GEAR UP contracted with Jo Sallins & Co. to work with a select group of 9th and 10th graders from the Lawrence High School GEAR UP program who had participated so enthusiastically in the previous summer's leadership conference activities. These 13 students worked with Jo & Co. in writing the GEAR UP "Hip Hop" song, "You and College Equal Success" during the period of October 2002 through February 2003. The students found the after-school sessions with Jo & Co. educational, inspirational and memorable. In April 2003 these students had the "once in a lifetime" experience of participating in the recording of the "You and College Equal Success" CD in both English and Spanish in a little sound studio in Worcester, MA under Jo's guidance.
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People Are Talking
Jo Sallins
Cohen Hillel Academy
2008 Residency
Rocks!!!
Jo Sallins is an outstanding musician and educator who brings the best of everything to his work with young people. Jo and his partner, Jesse, have been engaging the students and staff at Cohen Hillel Academy for four years running and it just keeps getting better and better. Jo's mastery of several instruments, his natural magnetism and his ability to genuinely connect with students who talk about him for days after the workshop and who continue to play the rhythms and sing the songs that Jo taught them. Parents and staff who attend the culminating performances from the workshops rave about Jo's ability to organize groups of students to play challenging rhythms with a contagious passion and joy. Without a doubt, the visit from Jo and Jesse is the highlight of our performing arts program.
Shira (Visual and Performing Arts Teacher)
It was wonderful seeing Jo's rapport with the kids. His high expectations combined with his sense of humor and vast talent reminded me what kids can do when they have a tangible goal toward which they can strive. As a teacher, it was fun and exciting to be in the role of a student (learning to drum) and to be on the same level as kids.
Fran (Second Grade Teacher)
Wow! It was amazing how Jo responded to each child at their own level and was able to draw from them what I had been trying to coax from them all year! The children learned that while it's important that we respect the fact that we all march to our own rhythm, it's equally important that we also play in harmony with the band.
Sara (Second Grade Teacher)
What a great time...not just for the students but for the teachers as well. We learned how to pay attention to nonverbal directions and how important it is to work as a team. Thanks for letting me be part of the experience.
Margarett (Sixth Grade Teacher)
It
is difficult to put into words the impact that Jo Sallins has had on
the youth involved in our programs. I have seen girls and boys enter
our program who are very shy, have low self-esteem, little confidence
in themselves, and/or sometimes exhibit a less than positive attitude
about life. One day in Jo's presence changes all that. He works
tirelessly at his work; Jo brings out the absolute best in all, and
students become master musicians in two short weeks under Jo's guidance.
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 I believe that Mr. Sallins' clinics work well because of their flexibility. Much like he is able to adjust so evenly from audience to audience, he has the ability to make the clinics accessible for mixed ability level groups. He simultaneously keeps the masterclasses very interesting for the advanced student showing and answering questions about his incredible technique on a variety of instruments and yet keeps everything exciting enough to hold the attention span of the young and novice musician. This is a valuable concept in a camp like mine where I deal with wide ranges of ages and abilities. Mr. Sallins can really be called on to work with any of these groups, whether separately or in one mass.
More than anything, I found that the value of Jo's program was its' nature to inspire my students. He is constantly positive about staying on the right path in both music and life and continuously expressed the fact that all of his abilities come simply from the fact that he practices.
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 Jo's enthusiasm, spirit and sense of organization enabled us to develop workshops, master classes and many successful ensemble experiences for AAIMS.
He is also a gifted clinician who knows how to inspire students of all ages. Plus he is extremely aware of and demonstrates a prodigious facility with historical and contemporary cultural expressions from the African American tradition.
DRUMMING: (Six to eight week workshop) Jo developed and taught youth and young adults how to play various percussion instruments.
ONE DAY DRUMMING WORKSHOPS: (Four to eight hours) This amazing workshop continues to have people talking long after it is over.
ORIGINAL MUSIC: (Twelve weeks) Jo created and arranged original musical for the original musical play "Rhythm of Luv," which was produced and performed in the 2001 African American Theater Festival.
This letter is to thank Jo Sallins for the creative, energetic and professional support he has given to the Elms College Step Forward/ Step Ahead and Quest program. The fine arts portion of our program would truly not be the same without Mr. Sallins presence. He is invaluable as a teacher, musician and mentor to our young scholars.
It is clear to all of us in the program that Jo is not only a very talented musician, but also a very dedicated musician. He appears to love what he does and is able to inspire, motivate and educate our scholars; each year it seems Jo will give that "extra something" to make each child feel special.
We Found Jo to be extremely personable and easy to work with. He and his trio were organized and flexible, going above and beyond their contract in order to join college students and their guests at a potluck supper in our PALANA Multicultural Center. Despite their enthusiasm for music was contagious to everyone from the small community children to music majors at the College. Jo truly served as a bridge between Middlebury College and the surrounding community. There is already talk of making his appearance at Middlebury an annual event. We couldn't have been more pleased with his visit.
Dear Jo:
I have seen a lot of positive change this year at Agawam High School. Racial tensions have lessened. We are proud to have a multicultural club at our school. Besides providing a quality musical event, you have helped to bring a truly cultural experience to our community. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great civil rights leader. Thank you for reminding everyone that content of character is more important than skin color.
The band kids are already asking whether or not you will come to work with us next year.
You did everything! Through the music you communicated a wide range of styles and influences, innovations and improvisations. Your joy and love of the art shone through in every piece. Then there was the communication with your audience through your words and actions...an enthusiastic embracing of everyone present from the sweet gentleness of your approach to the kindergartners to your encouragement and persuasion for some of the older students to the band's collective celebration of our forty-something accountant's spontaneous dancing. A parade, dancing on the tables... did it all really happen?!
Jo reached out to the audience and generated great energy and joy, which was returned full measure in a waterfall of enthusiasm. There was so much good feeling filling the auditorium that a teacher had to open an outside door to let it out into the world.
He changed us ........he really, really did! He brought us rhythm and movement, and gave so generously of himself that we all dug deeper into ourselves and found exuberance that, certainly in school, seldom gets released.
 On behalf of the entire diversity Committee I want to thank you for your outstanding musical performance at our school last week. Without a doubt, your presentations were the most spirited and energetic of our 1999 Diversity Awareness Week activities.
John and Peg Myhre
101 South Binghan Street
Cornwall, Vermont 05753
802-462-3060 jom@together.net
Jo Sallins brings to his performances and workshops an energy and spirit that is at once entertaining and infectious. His mission of spreading an appreciation of different forms of music to all who hear is achieved by drawing into the beat even the most timid child or adult.
To Whom It May Concern:
Jo Sallins has worked with Falcetti Music for the past 10 years in a variety of projects helping to promote music to people of all ages and genres.
Jo has a unique ability to communicate with all age groups and help them to understand the joy and satisfaction music can bring to them and how making music can enrich their lives.
 Hello!
I am pleased to let you know that Jo Sallins and his gang were a huge, huge, hit!!!! My own kids told me when I arrived home from New Orleans that he was awesome, everyone had fun and many people were buying the CDs....parents and students have been stopping me all week to say how wonderful the program was....not only was it musical and fun but educational as well.....please book him again for next year.....and the compliments go on and on!
Michelle Carli
21 Valley Road
North Reading, MA 01864-1740
The excitement and positive energy you drought to our middle school during this "artist-in-residency" still flourishes to this day.
The excellent quality of this interactive experience is no accident! Quality is never an accident, it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution.
Jo was so impressive we are inviting him back again this year with some of his friends to perform a community concert and multicultural dance for our high school students. I have every reason to believe that this event will be as successful as his previous performance. Jo's commitment to the arts and education is second to none.
It was evident from the high caliber of playing and discussion that you put a great deal of time and effort into the preparation for the class. Your rapport with your AAIMS students was one of respect, encouragement and appreciation. You demystified the whole art of Jazz and Improvisation and many of my students in the class left with a realization that the art form of Jazz is "hard"!
They especially liked how you gave Schumann's "March Militaire" a place in the world of Rock, Hip-Hop, and the Waltz. This showed not only your creativity and insight as a musician/educator, but gave the students a window into how "styles" emerge by the slight twist of the rhythm.
I wish to thank you on behalf of the faculty here at the University of Maine at Augusta for your beautiful clinic and concert that you did for us here on March 24, 1994. The music was absolutely beautiful and so artistically presented. The teaching during the clinic was well organized and presented in a very professional manner. Our students were very pleased and I am sure that they have learned many lessons that they will carry with them for a lifetime.
Keep up your good work and I wish you the best of luck in the future.
As someone who conducts program for children, I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to see a particular teacher really "connect" with out program participants. This is exactly what happened when Mr. Jo Sallins conducted a world rhythms percussion course for our summer Step Forward Program.
This was no small feat; our Step Forward participants are girls of middle school age, an extremely self-conscious and awkward age. After only 9 lessons, Jo not only had these girls drumming their little hearts out and doing call and response, he had those same girls performing on stage for an audience of over 300 people. Their performance was electrifying in its very obvious energy, confidence and joy.
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