Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test Test [APPLAUSE] 

NALANY: Hi, I am a freshman theater major Boston Arts Academy. [APPLAUSE] Today, I am going to be sharing a moment -- a poem with you, and I hope you enjoy it. Have you ever seen the world through the eyes of an artist? OK, try one more time. Have you ever seen the world through the eyes of an artist? Some see the everyday blue skies and new grass, while others capture a masterpiece. A masterpiece. The visual artist is more than an image. It is the movement whenever they get their hands on a paintbrush. It is the fine colors that instantly paint onto a canvas. It is the delicate shapes that curve and arc to create the piece. It is more than a visual presentation. It is the way of communicating. It is the colors that express what their mind sees and what their hearts feel. Have you ever moved like the way of an artist? Children jumping throughout the playground. Dancers take their bodies to turn that jump. For the dancers, it is the body response, it is the steps which lead to another. It is the story expressed their movement. It is the energy stored in their heart, released through every channel. It is the words they do not have to tell, when it can be shown. It is the unconscious movement that they feel. It is their art. Have you ever heard through the eyes of an artist? Pedestrians along the street simply listening to music, while musicians decipher every note and instrument. For the musicians, it is more than just the notes on a sheet of paper. It is the entire sheet itself. It is the melody that was first written in their heart, next written on paper. It is the music that leaves their head, into their instruments, allowing you and the musician to sing it. It is there himself expressed their music and symphonies. It is their way of being heard. It is their art. Have you ever voiced in the voice of an artist? Words simply written on paper compiling to harmonize. It is more than the words they spacing. It is the meaning behind it, whether it be their pain, strength, or happiness. They want it who -- what you to hear it all in their voice. It is the sound which they create from their heart. It is the unconscious ways that release a sound so powerful it touches you. It more than touches you. It blows you away, because you hear them, and you hear them from here. It is their outlet. It is their art. Have you ever heard the truth of an artist? Some sit in a movie at her and simply watch, while actor see how it looked armor is living the truth of the character. For an actor, like many other arts, it is the element. It is their escape. It is the truth they are able to convey. It is the switch the actor is able to flip whenever a character is being played. It is the expression they are able to feel alongside their audience. It is the emotion they want to release. It is there truth, even under magical circumstances. It is our art. Have you ever? OK, I would like the audience to do me a favor. I want you to turn to the person next to you, either way, and say to them, "you are an artist." OK, OK, all right. OK. [LAUGHTER] 

NALANY: Now, once more, I want you to tell yourself and say to yourself, "I am an artist." Oh, snap. You guys did that all at once. OK. That is who we are, artists. And people who sit amongst you are artists. There is a base in that word with hidden power in it. As artists, we all feel there is a hidden artist within. We all pass artists every day with such divine stories and such divine styles to their art, with such divine demeanors, personalities, ideas, perspectives, and so much more. And with our art, we are able to show that. And this is the part that I share with you, these words, which you and I experience. But I want you to experience it within yourself, whether that be through the art of a visual artist, dancer, instrumentalist, vocalist, actor, or all of the above. There is no rule to being an artist. It is a question which needs a clear answer when you find the artistic identity within yourself. It is a question which, if we are speaking about art, we should all answer ourselves. Have, or in a sense you, ever experienced art through yourself, through myself? Who are you as an artist? Who am I as an artist? Thank you. [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: It is and gentlemen, join me in thanking Nalany for that beautiful poem and her artistry. What a gift for all of us today. Please join me. [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: Nalany is another example of the impact of the robust and comprehensive arts education program of the Boston Arts Academy, so we think it as well. Welcome to Arts Matter Advocacy Day 2017. [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: The energy in this room is palpable, and it is so wonderful to see so many of you coming out at this important time. So thank you for being here. My name is David house -- Howse, Executive Director of ArtsEmerson. On behalf of my colleagues at ArtsEmerson, HowlRound, and those of us here, I welcome you to the paramount. I am more like your guide. There is going to be a lot of talking for me, so I apologize in advance. More of your guide and fearless cheerleader as we get through this morning. Over the next couple of hours, we will hear from speakers, briefers, performers, and others, to help us prep and get pumped up for arts March to the Statehouse, and to meet with our state legislators and legislative aides, and to talk to them about why Arts Matter. As the Executive Director here at ArtsEmerson, we are thrilled to be able to host this event, and when Matt and his team at mass creative approached us about sponsoring, we saw it as a great opportunity, as it fits squarely within our mission -- a mission that speaks of our organizational commitment to connecting communities through stories that reveal and deepen our relationship to each other. Many of my colleagues are here, and I want to thank them for the work they did preparing for this day as well. Today, we use our stories -- our stories, your stories, stories from across the Commonwealth -- to let our legislators know that the arts, culture, and creativity are alive and well here in Massachusetts. [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: And even more importantly, we all believe -- and I know you will agree with me -- that the arts belong to everyone. The timing of this event could not be more appropriate, with last week's proposal by the Trump administration to eliminate the national endowment for the arts and humanities. It is imperative that we take this time to make sure that our leaders know how important the arts are to the fabric of our towns, or cities, and the entire Commonwealth. These are remarkable times, aren't they? [LAUGHTER] 

DAVID: That is a nice way of putting it. And remarkable times require remarkable action. And I can think of no better place to be this morning than with all of you, as we rally together in support of what we believe, and what I believe, to be a fundamental right, a right for everyone, no matter your race, your color, your creed, your gender -- regardless if you are rich, poor, urban or suburban. The Garda's of whether we are physically or mentally impaired, Massachusettsans, or whatever we call ourselves, and every American has a right to creativity, without question. [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: And today we stands to lift our voices to say that Arts Matter for all of us. So I am encouraged to be here in this room with you today, and I look to what comes ahead. As you can imagine, putting together an event like this was quite an undertaking. For the past three months, MASSCreative senior campaign organizer has been the mastermind. Give it up for Tracy. Where is Tracy? Tracy is somewhere, masterminding. But we want to thank her for the dealings with the logistics of performance, to producing the materials in your packets, to helping with the legislative meetings. When we were doing the original planning for this day, we estimated 250 people. Today, we look like we are over 600 folks in this space. So we think Tracy for leadership. And speaking of leadership, it is my pleasure to introduce and welcome to the stage our fearless leader, a staunch advocate for arts in all its forms, Emerson College president Lee Pelton. 

DAVID: -- Lee Pelton. [APPLAUSE] 

LEE: Welcome, everyone. It is really good to see you. You know, I am not only president of Emerson College, but I am proud to say I chair the board of trustees of the Boston Arts Academy. [APPLAUSE] 

LEE: Which, as you can imagine, gives me great delight, as you were able to witness earlier. It is a pleasure, of course, to be here with so many artists and arts patrons, and loyal supporters, and staunch advocates for the arts and arts education. And I want to thank David. I want to thank Matt Wilson and all the people at MASSCreative, and all the others who helped to organize this. This wonderful event today. And I also -- I don't know. Judy, are you in the room? She is the Executive Director of the Emerson community Center for Civic -- got me? That is good. I know. Can you hear me? I was getting back feed there. Who is the executive director of the Lewis Center for Civic engagement and research. Thank you for your role in today's events. Emerson -- [APPLAUSE] 

LEE: Emerson aspires to be the global hub for arts and communication in higher education. We pursue this vision by embracing excellence, diversity, and inclusion, and global and civic engagement. We are well known for our excellence in the arts. We possess the largest number of theater seats in the England, over 4000 seats. And our productions are the locus of the Boston theater scene. You may have seen -- at least I hope you read the news in December about our unprecedented partnership with the Ambassador theater group, the largest international producer of live theater, to jointly operate the Colombia theater. [APPLAUSE] 

LEE: At the same time, our visual and media arts department is the largest in the college, and our faculty and students are making significant, significant contributions in new media, sound, film, the entertainment industry, and individual arts. Civic engagement permeates our culture here at Emerson. Our school of arts works with various community organizations to support artists and art projects in the city, including the Asian community development Corporation, arts for humanities, the film festival, and the Boston poetry Festival, just to name a few. Our own Lewis Center inspires engagement and action by using the strength of the medication in the arts to support social change. We are proud of the work happening in our engagement lab, and innovation hub focused on Civic media. Last fall, for instance, the engagement lab posted a form on Civic media and the arts in public places. Emerson is likewise committed to public arts programming. One of the most recent examples is our newly-established urban arts, a media art gallery located just around the street here, on Avery. Indeed, and Emerson education is an education rooted in creativity, in expression, and innovation, and members of the Emerson community share an inmate desire to create and use their chosen disciplines and media to make a difference. It means a great deal to us to host this symposium on arts advocacy. Today, we come together for an important and common cause, one that supports our common humanity. And I cannot help but note that we are gathering in this beautiful theater, which is named for ArtsEmerson founder Robert J Orchard, who has been a driving force in Boston's inter--- theater seem for four decades. We come together in support of arts, collaboration, creativity, and the great need to use our collaborative voices to advocate for the arts. Because the Arts Matter. We need our arts, as one person wrote, to teach us how to breathe. The arts bring people together. The arts connect diverse ideas and disciplines that connect us to life's most enduring and important themes. Of course, the arts helps us to understand our world, and to be inspired by it. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson said that arts is a nation's most precious heritage, for it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation, and where there is no vision, the people perish. I should note the president, Johnson, spoke these words at the signing of the bill that created the national endowment for the arts and the national endowment for the humanities, the very agencies -- [APPLAUSE] 

LEE: The very agencies our current administration seeks to defund. This is a critical moment to make our voices heard, and to do it as effectively and as loud as possible. And today, you will have the opportunity to learn about and practice just that. And I hope you take what you learn today and apply it to the arts, of course, but you also use it to advocate on issues about which you are passionate, so others may see the incredible value of the arts and culture across this Commonwealth, across the nation, and across the globe. So, again, I want to thank you all for participating in today's event, and for all that you do and will do to support, to promote, and advance the arts. Thank you very much. [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: Thank you, Lee. So, I want to go over quickly through the agenda for the day, so we will all know where we need to be and how we need to be there, and more importantly, what time we need to be there. As you can see on the Goldenrod agenda in your packets, we will be inspired by speakers, guided by sessions on how to tell our personal stories to our legislators, briefed by experts on the issues we will be presenting at the Statehouse. We will see a role-play of a meeting with a legislator, or one of their aides. And we will get pumped up by another performance by a group of young Boston artists. After we soak up all of that information, we will head for our work at the Statehouse. We will split into regional groups and will meet with aloe arts supporters and partners from cities and towns, who will be joining you on the legislative meetings. Here, you will confirm the time and place of your meetings, and make sure you know the roles he will play in those meetings. At 12:30, we will gather downstairs. We will unfurl our banners, Groep signs, and marched to the state house, guided by the Conservatory Lab charter school band and the downtown Boston brass band. Yeah. [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: We will need to get to the Statehouse, through security, and many of us need to be at meetings at 1:30. We will wrap up there at 2:45 at House members lounge in room 200 the of the steakhouse, with a debrief and a talk with Representative Cris -- Chris Wash. -- Walsh. You are ready. The digital organizer would like us to let the outside world know what is happening here today. Take out your phones. You know the routine. Take a minute to write a post. We will give you some time. With a picture with #mamd17. Get free to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you are not on social media, get in a picture with it and, so they can include you as well. I am going to take a picture of all of us together, so if you could squeeze in a little, bear with me. It has got to be good. [NO AUDIO] 

DAVID: Are you still working? Are you posting? Take 10 more seconds. Make sure you tweet and post throughout the day, here at the Paramount and the march, and after the legislative meetings. You will see handles for speakers on the agenda and for legislators on the meeting list to include in your posts. For those of us here, there are thousands of others who share our passion and know that Arts Matter to all of us here in the Commonwealth. I would like to take a moment to introduce the MASSCreative Executive Director, Matt Wilson. We all know that Matt came into this world a couple of years ago and has taken us on a journey we can all be proud of. I want to publicly thank and acknowledge and recognize Matt for his leadership on behalf of all of us here. Matt, please join us. [APPLAUSE] 

MATT: Good morning. Thanks, David, for that introduction, and for keeping us in line this morning. 

And thanks to you and LeeLEE: -- MATT: As David said, when we planned this in November, our staff sat down and said, maybe we could stretch and get 300 people here. As David said, it looks like there are 500 or 600 people here today. We should have known better. Thanks to all of you, we are getting the message acrossart is not something that is just nice, it is necessary. Theater classes can keep a child coming to school who may otherwise dropout. A suburban music Festival can keep focusing may otherwise never meet each other, out of their homes and mingling together, forming the beginnings of relationship among neighbors that make a community strong. Another thing artists do, work well with others. We build partnerships with government agencies and with other organizations that support the vulnerable among us. People who need better and more affordable health care, people living in poverty, people who are black, Latino, Asian, Muslim, LGBTQ, immigrants, and refugees. We work with and support those who are creating safe communities that are open and welcome to all. [APPLAUSE] 

MATT: Our most impassable -- impactful work is sharing your stories and all of these stories and all of the work to our political leaders. These stories help them understand that arts and culture not only is deserving of their public investment, but one of the best investments around that the public can make. In the past five years, our membership has grown from zero TO 25,000 individuals. [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE] -- 

MATT: With your active and passionate and sometimes rowdy support, we have been able to increase funding for the Massachusetts culture Council by $5 million. [APPLAUSE] Double the funding for the states called for facility fun to repair and maintain beautiful facilities like this through our nonpartisan create the vote campaigns around city and state elections, MASSCreative has injected arts and culture through key debates and platforms. Two candidates running for governor next year who came here this morning to check us out. [APPLAUSE] 

MATT: What a great sign, that they want to be here today. This morning, in a huge victory for the future of education in Massachusetts, state leaders are meeting in Walden and I were scheduled to announce a new plan for our schools that prioritizes arts education as something that is not just nice for districts that can afford it, but something necessary for every district in the state. [APPLAUSE] 

MATT: This vote, which we think will happen about 11:00, it will require every district in the state to publish report cards on how their schools are doing by providing access and participation in arts education in their schools. State officials have also agreed to overhaul our outdated two decade old arts education curriculum. [APPLAUSE] 

MATT: We have made all this progress because of the hard work of all of us to tell our stories to the right people at the right time. That is why we are marking this afternoon to Beacon Hill to meet with legislators and legislative aides to talk about them and tell them our stories of what is happening in our communities. We will share our personal stories with them. Why we are called to do this work. How art and creativity shape our relationships with our friends and families. Why our hearts beat faster when we hear students like the ones that spoke this morning. We will share our community stories. We are engaged in a very serious discussion in our country about what is important and how we need to come together across cultural divides. Bringing together people around arts and cultural events in our neighborhoods and town centers is a great way to start. That is where the work begins, with each of us talking with our neighbors and building from there. You know what else we will share -- our values. Right after the Trump administration released the budget proposal with no money, zero, not one cent for the national endowment of the arts, a Winston Churchill meme went viral, during World War II in response to a request to cut arts funding, Churchill replied, "then what are we fighting for?" [APPLAUSE] 

MATT: I do have to say, however, that quote is fake. Fake news. What he did say, what he did say about the arts that was a reflection of our values, "the 

arts Re: central to any -- the arts are essential to any life, the state owes it to itself to sustain and encourage them. Ill affairs erase which fails to salute the arts with reverence and the light, which are there do. My interpretation of Churchill our towns, cities, states, and country will be much richer, if we invest in the nea at arts education and public art, rather than find another f-15 fighter. [APPLAUSE] -- fund another f-15 fighter. [APPLAUSE] 

MATT: Let's roll up our sleeves and have a fun and boisterous march, and make a difference today at the Statehouse. [APPLAUSE] I would like to introduce state representative Mary Keefe, a lifelong artists and arts champion and the state representative that represents downtown Worcester, a city bustling with arts and culture. An exciting place to be. Representative Keefe? [APPLAUSE] 

REP. Keefe: good morning everyone. It is so great to be here. My name is Mary Keefe and I represent the 15th Western District. It snakes its way across downtown Worcester and out to the town line of military. I am a House member of the joint committee on arts culture and tourism. [APPLAUSE] 

Rep. Keefe: today, I will like to share a bit of my life. My life story and the important role the arts have created in making a pathway for me. I will like to share some of that with you here today. In 1971, I came to Boston to attend Mass College of Art. I love to tell people how much it cost. It was a long time ago but it costs 305 -- $300 per semester. That is amazing. I am proud of Mass Art, for average working class families, what it did was make the arts accessible and made it not so risky to try something. You could have a summer job and earn your tuition with your parents throwing in $100. It is different today than what it was back then but I would like to give a shout out to President David Nelson because he has committed to keeping Mass Art affordable to working-class folks and we need that more than ever. [APPLAUSE] 

Rep. Keefe: Coming to Boston, I was determined to get to know the city and I became a real city person. I majored in printmaking and remain a printmaker today in Western as part of the Blackstone print studio. We will have a show together in June of this year. I am fortunate to continue to be active as an artist. The stories I want to share with you are about a time in my life when I was an art educator. I taught in public schools and I thought at the Worcester Art Museum. Teaching at both of these places were very different experiences. But each helped me become a leader today. That is what I would like to share with you today. I taught in the town of -- in an elementary school for a number of years. I was the art on the cart teacher. Anybody ever done that? You have to be super-organized. You have to get the materials in the shopping cart so you do not waste any precious moments in the classroom. I say precious moments because we only had 40 minutes. I was determined, in that role, that my students would not be confined to paper and pencil, just dry materials. I wanted them to pay big pictures. -- paint big pictures and make papier-mâché. I had to build trust with the classroom teachers that I would not leave them with a big mess. When the 40 minutes was up. My students had to organize their workspace in a way that minimizes spills and accidents. And, in the end, they could see the value of our precious time together. They were very earnest about being organized themselves. They were excited that they could use different materials and creativity was something that could happen in such a short time. We always displayed our work. That particular job taught me a lot about planning ahead. Getting people to work with you to a common goal and celebrating our results. At the Worcester Art Museum, my teaching experience was somewhat the opposite. It might even seem luxurious. We had the museums collection to inspire us. We had beautiful, bright, sunny studios with lots of space. And we had two hours to work together. That meant we had time to evaluate our work. Something that is so important in this society that we are in now where everything is rushed, we could slow it down and look at what we had done. And to talk about whether we felt successful or not. I remember a painting lesson where a fourth grade girl attempting to paint the eye of the person in her painting, as she put that last bit on the paper, it exploded into a blob. She was crushed. We took some time and fixed it a little, but it was not the same. When we put the paintings together at the end of our session and looked at them, she was able to share how disappointed she was. And then everybody talked about a solution. What could we learn from this? It was an important moment for everyone. That job at the Worcester Art Museum taught me a lot about the luxury of time. That disappointment in what may seem a failure, a really teachable moment, and that vulnerability is merely being human, something we all need to share and learn from. So, my teaching has truly taught me, and I carry these lessons today, how to be organized in thought and action. How to be determined in working toward a goal. How to be a public speaker. How to build trust with those that will support you and assist you in getting their. How to be vulnerable and to evaluate why things did not go the way you expect them to do. -- to go. And using that knowledge to try again. And have to celebrate our successes. -- how to celebrate our successes. That is what the arts have done for me and I hope the students I have had over the years, can touch some of these lessons also in their own lives. I want to thank everyone for advocating for the arts. Not just here today but everybody, as I know you do. I want to especially thank it was drafted that are here today -- the Worcester advocates for raising up the arts and making them so evidence that evident throughout our city. [APPLAUSE] 

Rep. Keefe: Yes, Worcester, right? I want to thank MASSCreative for organizing strong voices for the arts in our state. We have a saying in Worcester that we use a lot, because I also was a community organizer at one point. That saying is, organized people and elected officials get it done. Let's get it done today and I look forward to seeing you at the Statehouse to. [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: Thank you representative Keefe. If it is that easy, we will have a good day, thank you for your advocacy. A couple of quick notes. I do not know much about social media but I understand we are trending number one in social, does that mean something? [APPLAUSE] 

DAVID: Keep it going! Whenever you are doing, keep tweaking and trending -- tweeti ng and trending that lets everyone know we are here. I want to bring the attention to the fact that you see the live captioning, this event is being livestream by an organization that is a national footprint -- international footprint of theater comments and we are proud they sit in our office and the office of the arts at Emerson College. Not only are we here but the rest of the world can tune in to see what we are doing in Massachusetts. Thanks to our friends at howl round. We will take the next 75 minutes doing prepared for meetings. How many of you have been to the state house and had meetings with your legislator? A good number. I assume those who did not raise their hand have not which means we have a lot of new faces of friends. We can all help each other as we go out. We will take the next several minutes to prepare. Some of us will meet with senators or representatives, and some of us will meet with their aides. Either way, it is a chance to tell them why art matters to us and why they should matter to them. In most offices, the age of significant players in terms of determining the priorities and actions of their bosses. Do not feel slighted in other words if you do not get a legislator. MASSCreative has developed a structure for our meetings, the four c's. Can you say that? Let's take out the blue tips on lobbying in your packet and we will run through the outline of the meeting. In the meeting, which will last 20-30 minutes, you will first connect with a legislator or a peer venue will provide context for talk about impacts of the art and culture in your area. As for three commitments. To support the arts in the culture community. Wiley, catapult your new relationship to the next step. In the connection part, we will lay out the agenda and do introductions. Those will depend on the number of people in your group's so you will have to monitor how deeply you go into your introductions. Try and keep them to five minutes. Learn about the legislator, ask about their experiences in the arts and where they go for their cultural food and artistic food in their districts. Fill out the responses on the yellow meeting report form which is also in your packet. Then you will thank the legislator or aid. If they sign on to letters that cosponsored the mpbab bill. You can find that list of signers on the purple page in your packet. That was the first c. Connection. For context, we will talk about why the arts matter in the district. I suggest we pick one person or two people to talk about their organization or about a personal experience that has had an impact on their community. This is where we in the arts really shine, our personal stories, we speak the truth. Paul Robeson said that artists are the keepers of truth, the keepers of truth, so be honest and open about the experiences we have had any impact it has had on those personally and in our communities. We then ask for commitments. We will ask -- will you support increased investment in the creative community by boosting the Massachusetts cultural Council budget to $60 million in fiscal year 2018? We will ask would be the -- we work with the Department of elementary and secondary education to enjoy the creation of robust and accessible scoreboards on arts education and the rewriting of the Commonwealth's outdated arts education curriculum frameworks? Then we will ask -- will you cosponsor s.1896 to establish a Massachusetts public art program? That is the third c. We catapult to the next. Submit a new relationship and talk about next steps. Take a picture for your newsletter or social media and hand out any organization with euro you may have brought with you that you want to leave behind. Invite the legislator and/or his or aid to an event in the district and confirm issues that need follow-up and thank them for their support. Got it? What is the first C? Second? Third? Weight -- Wait. You will have a handout if you need to be reminded. Many people who have been doing this for years would be happy to help. Excellent. I want to introduce the chair of theater at Boston Conservatory at Berkeley. And chair of MASSCreative. She will bring her students to help us have to think about how to tell our personal story to our political leaders. Please welcome Sara and her students. 

Sara: Hi, guys. I am in charge of connect. C is for connect. I was thinking about this yesterday. Why is this an important step? We have every bit of evidence we need and every piece of data that we need to prove that arts contribute to healthy families, individuals, communities, school, societies, we know it. Some people do not listen. Or they do not understand. Or it has not been shared with them in a way that matters to them. What we do know is that social movements have figured out that story and storytelling helps you connect with other people. When you connect with other people, they listen to you. What we will work on for connect is how you can form a relationship that is genuine in a short time. By sharing your story. And asking them their story here -- and asking them their story. 90% of the people you meet with one not glaze over when you surprise them with a heartfelt story about your life and the arts. They will share yours and you have an opening. We are talking about young people. And a lot of our funding and policy requests. Rather than just tell my story, we would have them tell their stories which are incredibly powerful and I'm so glad they are on stage with me. My name is Sara. I am from Arlington, Massachusetts. [LAUGHTER] 

Sara: When I was little, I have a hard time because I was too big. What this meant for me, I had big ideas and I was overweight. I talked all the time. I was kind of bossy. Hard to imagine, but true. Do you remember Lily Tomlin's Edith Ann? She would sit in a giant rocking chair and look like a little kid. She would rock in her chair. She would say, my friends say I am bossy. I am not bossy. [LAUGHTER] 

Sara: My mom used to say, that as you. It was funny but hard. I could not connect with other people. And then, in the fourth grade, a fantastic new music teacher came to my school and started a fantastic chorus. Here is what happened to me in that chorus. I learned a bunch of things. I learned that I was instantly part of a group and I could be included. I learned that I could channel my big, big self into that chorus, and it was considered a contribution and not a problem. And I learned that I could leave my section that l -- lead my section. By the time I graduated from high school, I was in five requires and running the drama club. I was directing. I had friends. Thank God for Mrs. brummett and that chorus. And now, I am the chair theater of the Boston Conservatory at Berkeley. [APPLAUSE] 

Sara: Right? Yes. Here is the thing, you guys, I am also a mom who votes. [APPLAUSE] 

Sara: And so, here is what I believe. I believe that every classroom in every town, every year, should have arts for every kid. [APPLAUSE] 

Sara: And, we all know, everyone on stage and all of you, we know that arts save lives and we know that it makes life worth living. In closing, I want to testify with all of you and Nathan, and grace, and Zack, and everybody else on stage with me, arts that are. -- artms ma -- arts matter. [APPLAUSE] 

Sara: Right on. Arts matter. Join me in thanking these guys who will exit the stage but be around later to talk to their representatives and senators because young people are the hope of our future. So you can thank them in person later on. You can exit and thank you for doing this. That was also -- awesome. OK. I think, if you go in to meet with your representatives and senators, and you say, before, this was me. And then, I encountered something. A teacher, an organization, performance, idea, whatever it was, and it changed you which we all know the arts does. And it turned you into something else. Your daughter or your community. If you share that story, they will not scribble, they will look you in the eye. Then you can ask them, what kind of arts experiences do they have and what happens in their town? It does not take long to -- and it is very powerful. Then you hit them with the numbers and statistics. I want to ask you to take out your green paper. It is a little worksheet. A couple of you have done this before. There were about 40 arts leaders and some of you have heard me say this before, but it is still true, 40 arts leaders did this program at the Kennedy school couple of years ago, tenures ago. -- 10 years ago. Marshall Ganz who worked with Cesar Chavez and Barack Obama, teaches storytelling for change. And how social movements you story. He said you arts people, I will teach you how to do this and we said we are arts We are super good at it, and then we did it, and we sucked. We really did. I think abe right back was good, but the rest of us were not. You have to have a couple of things for a good story -- you have to have a beginning. You have to have a clear twist that makes it interesting and captures their attention. Then you have to have something at the end that lifts them up. So, this worksheet talks you through those steps. It says my name is, and before I got involved with, or inspired by the arts, I was -- then this happened. And now I have learned the following. That is your storytelling template right there. So, what I am going to ask you to do is take a few minutes right now, take a pen out, or if you do not have a pen, think about what your story is going to be, turn to the person next to you and practice. Practice your story, and then I will tell you we are done with that. Then I'll be back. Do a little thinking. I encourage you, if you think you are good at this, give it a try and see how it goes. OK, thank you. 

Sara: how much more time do we have? OK. Hello, if you guys have not switched, make sure you switch now, because we have about two more minutes. 

Sara: OK. We are going to bring it back down. I know you all have amazing stories to tell. So, even if you didn't get to finish your complete story, it is really great exercise to do, and hopefully you met someone you did not know before, which is also part of this day. This is an incredible group of people. I wanted to say depending on the size of your group, when you go in to see your legislators today, you may not all get to tell your full story if there is a group of 10 of you. You might have to adapt with each other -- it is a set of skills you can use at any scale. Talk with your group and figure out what you are going to do. We're going to move from the connect part on to the context and commitment part, and leading off this part of the briefing is Barbara Grossman, vice chair of the Massachusetts cultural Council, and Emily Foster day -- cheap advancement officer from the buck -- chief investment officer for the Boston Center for the arts. Please join me in welcoming them. 

Barbara: Hello, arts advocates. [APPLAUSE] 

Barbara: Hello, arts activists. [APPLAUSE] 

Barbara: Thank you, David, Lee, Matt, sara, and your students. I am also a teacher, and I care deeply and passionately about the arts in the city, the Commonwealth, and this great nation. We will survive Donald Trump, but it is going to take some work. And I think -- [APPLAUSE] 

Barbara: And I think it is so important that we are in a center called the paramount center, because as Matt said, the arts are nice. They are not a frill. They are necessary, paramount to what it means to be a civilized, thinking, creative, engaged, committed, passionate visionary country. So, thank you for being here, and thank you for telling your story. As I think we just saw from SDara and her students, stories are data with soul. Show your legislators your soul. I have heard kids say art saved my life. It is that basic, that real, and it really does make a difference, because ultimately you are doing what art and artists always do, connecting with fellow human beings. You are engaging -- you are thinking together. That is really what we need to do at this particular, fraud cultural moment -- fraud cultural moment. To quote Yogi Berra, it is déjà vu all over again, because 20 years ago I had the honor to serve on the national Council on the arts, the advisory board to the NEA. I was appointed by President Clinton. It was when James Alexander was the chair, and when we had Jesse Helms, the enlightened center from -- senator from North Carolina Follmann eyes in about arts as demons, and talking about how we need to zero fund -- just what Trump is doing, the NEA, the NEH, and public broadcasting. Thank goodness, at that time, we had a president in Bill Clinton that was very much in favor of the arts, and we had strong support. This time we have a president -- the first president since the endowments were created more than 50 years ago in 1965 -- a president who is leading the charge to zero-fund NEA. That is right, boo him. Right. Leading the charge to zero-fund these agencies -- quite a trifecta, the NEA, the NEH, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As we heard from Lee, these were created more than 50 years ago in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson, acting on the vision of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy, signed legislation bringing the endowments into existence because they understood that what makes us a truly great nation is to recognize and to support the arts, the humanities, and cultural activity. So, we now have a president that wants to eliminate them, along with other minor things like refugee relief, the environmental protection agency -- women's reproduction rights, and so many other issues and causes that we know are part of the fabric of what makes this a great nation, and we will not allow them to be dismantled, so -- [APPLAUSE] 

Barbara: thanks. I am a Democrat. I can't help myself. [APPLAUSE] 

Barbara: I want you to know first of all -- this is a message from Anita Walker, the executive director of the MCC, who is sorry she cannot be it today, but she is in Tennessee helping the arts organization deal with this process, but she wants me to assure you that our grants from the NEA are secure through the end of this fiscal year, through June 30, and that includes direct grants to the mass cultural Council budget -- roughly 7% of our budget comes from the NEA, as well as direct NEA and NEH grants to nonprofit cultural schools and artists, but it is not surprising that arts groups and advocacy partners across the country have mobilized and are taking action. Hopefully arts supporters in Congress will understand that what trouble is proposing is wrong and makes no sense, and there was actually a really encouraging article in "the Times" this morning called a lifeline for veterans, which talks about the important work that NEA-funded programs are doing with veterans who have discovered art as a way to help them deal with their own trauma, and the room horrific experiences. -- their own horrific experiences. So, this threat to federal funding mix what happens at the state level even more important, and just as I was walking over this morning, I walked through the common, as I like to do, and I saw in the graveyard, Gilbert Stuart's grade, and what I love about his grave -- he was a great painter -- it says Gilbert Stuart, artist, and it shows his palette. So, 18th century, here is Gilbert Stuart identifying himself proudly, even in death, as an artist with his palette. By being here today, you're making a difference. You're speaking with passion. You are showing that arts matter. Can you should know as part of your information that the MCC is asking for a $2 million increase in our budget for the new fiscal year beginning July 1. Last year we were level-funded at $14 million. Think goodness it was not a cut. This year we are asking for $16 million that will reach every community -- dollars that will support nearly 400 nonprofit arts, humanities, and science organizations throughout the state. Dollars that will support our fantastic local, cultural councils -- 329 of them throughout the state who do fabulous work, and I am sure a lot of you are involved with them. Yes. Let's clap for our local cultural councils -- councils, and dollars that will reach thousands of kids through arts education programs in school and after school. There is a bottle -- a water bottle the MCC has that has a label -- did you know that 36,600 young people experience culture with MCC support? This is our ask, but we need your stories, your voices, your templates, your passion, your believe that what you do is of value and is so critical to our future. The uncertainty in Washington makes state support even more critical. Make your legislators -- legislators some of you just heard our artists -- people who do get it, who recognize what the arts do in a positive way for their immunities, but please make them understand how you have been impacted, -- communities, but please make them understand how you have been impacted and how the increased dollars will enhance the quality of life throughout the state. There was a "New York Times" article on Saturday that said arts without funding -- it can be done, Kansas said, and is said how after Kansas Governor Sam Brownback basically eliminated that state's arts commission in 2011, that artists have rallied -- so they are scrubbing toilets, cooking food for our openings. Great. -- art openings. Great. Maybe it can be done, but it shouldn't have to be done. [APPLAUSE] 

Barbara: the time has passed to try to justify why the arts are important. They are. What you do is unique and of value. What we do makes our state more vital, more vibrant, more dynamic, and what you did today matters for our future as a city, as a state, as a nation, and, so, thank you for being here, thank you for speaking out. Thank you for speaking your passion. Thank you for marching to the Statehouse. Thank you very, very much. Onward, we will do this. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] 

Emily: hello. I think we all understand how difficult it is each year to raise the necessary funds to do our work and to do it well. As an organization whose mission it is to integrate's Boston's performing and visual artists, funding for the Massachusetts cultural Council, most recently from the cultural investment portfolio, has given us a reliable and important stream of generating just general operating income for 20 years come with a half a lifetime of the Boston Center for the arts. National and state funds that come from the MCC have allowed us to keep admission to the Mills Gallery free, subsidize rent for studios, other performance and rehearsal spaces, keeping them well below market value, and provide small and emerging theater and dance companies with a home for production in our Plaza theaters. Without MCC cultural facilities funding, they would literally be no roof on the -- a national, registered landmark, where you can go see a powerful insulation by medicine wheel productions, another MCC-funded organization, called hand in hand. One of our residents described his time as a critical time to lay on the floor and think. You try to remember a moment where you could lay on the floor and think. Maybe most of your bills were paid, imminent deadlines were meant -- met. You are not stressed, and without that pressure on your folder you could think, create. The bca provides this because of the funding we receive from MCC. At Boston Center for the arts, we describe our building has a campus -- the professional home to more than two dozen arts organizations -- large, medium, small. Many are also members of the MCC cultural investment portfolio. For every dollar of funding these organizations receive or lose, a ripple effect is created across the museum campus, activating hundreds of artists in every genre and discipline to make our campus and neighborhood a vibrant cultural destination for arts audiences from all over the city. And so it goes for all the organization supported by the national and state grants -- for all of you. Each one of us uses our funding to create opportunities for artists, students, and our communities. This is our work, and our purpose, and it could not done without the Massachusetts cultural Council. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] 

Barbara: thank you. Now it is my pleasure to introduce, to talk about arts education, Myran Parker-Brass, and Alexis Maxwell, a student at Boston arts Academy. Please join me in welcoming them. Thank you. 

Myran: good morning. I will be very brief because what you really want to hear is why this is important to Alexis, but it is always wonderful to be in a room full of artists, art educators, art advocates, art supporters -- anyone who is supporting what we do, and it is not just what we do, it is who we are, but it is also wonderful that our collective message has pushed the agenda for arts and arts education in Boston and across the Commonwealth. On behalf of every arts educator, I want to to, and I thank you because your message only included not only why arts are important to vibrant and healthy communities, or the impact arts and culture have on the economy, but it also included that students who have access to quality arts education have higher academic achievement. Students who have access to quality arts education are more cynically engaged, and students who have access to quality arts education have much better workforce and career opportunities. So, arts education continues to grow. It is becoming very systemic and very impactful both in and out of school, and that is because of your message, the message that you continue. And now, finally, with no child left behind in our rearview mirror -- we are very excited about that -- for the first time in 20 years, the Commonwealth has issued, or is issuing a statement on the importance national vital importance --of arts education to our children. As I'm sure you know, -- has spent the last 10 months working on the accountability plan that is going to show how the state will show what quality education looks like in this new, well-rounded definition, and because hundred's of you have sent emails, filled out surveys, gone to meetings -- you have been that a vocal audience, that vocal participants -- we have gotten Commissioner Chester's attention. I am not sure if he is real pleased about that, but we have his attention. As a result of that, there are some things to celebrate in that getting the attention, in being the vocal voice, being there all the time talking about the importance of arts education. So, in the accountability plan, they will be including access and participation in arts education in the school and district report cards that will be part of this accountability plan. This will now allow for transparency in what arts education looks like across all of our Commonwealth school districts, and parents, students, and communities will be able to see how their school district compares to others -- what is to quality arts education. They will also, for the first time since 1999, revised the arts curriculum frameworks. This is our opportunity to redefine what quality arts education looks like. So, successes -- that does not mean that we do not continue our push, because now our advocacy and our push is even more important. We got to this place because of overwhelming public support, and we need to keep that momentum going. We need to ensure that our legislators hold to their commitment -- hold them to their commitment over the last -- next two years. As you are out today, we looked that as part of what you will be talking to them about. We need to keep our parents moving forward. 88% of the parents surveyed across the Commonwealth said arts education is important, and we, as the arts and art education community, need to continue to push to change the narrative on how we talk about arts education. There should no longer ever be a question about the importance of quality arts education in the life of our students, schools, and in our community, and now you're going to hear why it should never be a question. [APPLAUSE] 

Alexis: thank you. Thank you, so much. Hi, everyone. My name is Alexis Maxwell. I am a sophomore at Boston arts Academy. If you have seen our production at the Strand theater, you might know me as ada  pearl. [APPLAUSE] 

Alexis: stop it, stop it. Anyway, today is for advocating -- celebrating the power we have to express ourselves through the arts, and I am here today to talk about how my school, Boston arts Academy, BAA has helped me on my journey to express. Before BAA, I went to a Catholic school. It was great, nice, but they were really not about individual -- individuality, you know, with the whole uniform thing going on, and it was sad because I had these opinions and thoughts in my head, and I could not share any of them, but at BAA, that is not the case. From the moment I walked through the doors for my audition -- the first time I stepped into the school -- I saw people expressing themselves through opinions, clothing, art, just moving as if everything they do is about creativity, and that is what showed me it is OK to speak out because at BAA your voice is heard, and art gives us the power to speak out, and also gives us the power to speak to each other. That is why I believe a school like BAA is so important, because when I am allowed to encourage and express myself through art, that motivates me to go to school. I'm in, education is good, too, but, like, arts -- [APPLAUSE] 

Alexis: when my teacher gives us artistic leadership and allows us to create our own pieces, she is telling us that our ideas are valid, and our creativity matters. When are a bunch of artists together -- people who deeply love what they are doing -- so much that it nearly, nearly -- every day, the love empowers like a flu. It is so contagious. The love of art is so amazing. I am drawn to the school because being around those people encourage and support my expression whether it is through song, dance, a drawing, or a monologue. It makes me want to get up at 6:00 in the morning and go to school. And that is also why my love for theater made me want to come out and speak today, because I think it is important that all children get to experience an arts education, because all children should want to go to school, and feel that their voices matter. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] 

Myran: [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE] 

Myran: and if you did not see "the wiz," you missed an amazing performance. Where did she go? [LAUGHTER] 

Myran: now I get to introduce MASSCreative entrée green and Deborah Greel to talk about creative place making and public art. 

Andre: what an act to follow. So, every year -- every year, the Commonwealth spells -- spends $200 million on new building projects, and every city, town, in Massachusetts, state government and the structure provides the backbone, shaping how our communities look and feel. -- feel. How we spend the money, prioritize our infrastructure, can be immensely powerful in bringing us together, or as some might have it, tearing us apart. From small investments in ventures like a large products many of you saw on the t coming in this morning, investments in public art provide an opportunity to leverage public works to build -- build vibrant, equitable canaries. Which is why MASSCreative worked with her present is Corey Akerson of Concord, Chris Walsh, Sammy Rosenberg of Amherst, and Eric Messer of Longmeadow to convene a task force of reasoning planning groups, community development organizations, working artists, and others, to review how other states have funded public art on public property. What we discovered is that 28 states, including every other New England state, and including such progressive bastions as Utah and Louisiana, has some form of mechanism to fund public art. We chose to model our program on the oldest, and we think the best state Public Art program -- the one in Hawaii. By Directing 1% of new capital funding, we can create a fund of $200 million every year to be spent on public art projects on state land. 38 members of the 38 members of the house sponsored the bill. We're asking members of the house and Senate to cosponsor the Senate version, S 1896. In doing so, they can join their colleagues and being champions for public art in our communities. As we are about to attest, the kind of projects can literally, and I do mean literally, literally transform communities. [APPLAUSE] 

Deborah: I was told I have 330 characters, so about two tweets. I'm not going to make this long because I'm sure everyone is restless. I'm lucky to be a public art planner. There's not a lot of us in Massachusetts are not the city of Salem made a commitment to fund my position in the planning department. I get to sit at a lot of meetings where developers are. I'm going to toss that out them thinking of your own cities and where the art sits. We need to be better at the beginning of the conversation of art and not at the end when they want to stick something on a building. [APPLAUSE] Anyway, my budget is $10,000 a year, which doesn't go very far. This year, we took some of that money and divided it up into small grants. We don't have pictures obviously of where we would like to. We are celebrating the urban environment. We are inviting artists to put the public proposal and could one of the places we are trying to put temporary art -- [whispe ring] The mayor said it was OK. When they built a new one, they left this blighted wall that is a present in our downtown. We are asking somebody to put temporary art on this. Just to be a little radical about it, just not asking permission quite yet. We are going to see how that goes and I will send some pictures out once we see what the artists are coming up with. I'm very excited to say -- we are getting attention from all over the country. We are getting proposals from all over the country for $2500 projects. Even if you have a tiny budget, get it out there. Let people know what is going on in your towns. But if I had some of that $2 million, let's go back to a different train station on the other side of town. I don't know how many of millions of dollars they spent building a beautiful train station on one of our gateways. I don't know if you know Salem, but we have a lot of tourists every year coming and going, but the entrance is blighted. You're coming to this really nice train station, but you are having to come into a place where it is not  painted, it is not concrete. It does not say you have arrived in a creative city. If I had a little of that $2 million come I would go to the state and say we have a project. We have a beautiful project. Let's paint it, let's light it, let's get some art there. That's what we're going to do with that money and let's ask for, because it's time, Massachusetts. It's time for us to  fund our public art. I look forward to seeing you at the Statehouse. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] 

>> all right, we're getting there. Are we pumped up? I feel like we need a dance break or something. That wasn't in the script. Dance in your head or move your fingers and do what you need to get through. Just to thank our panelists who were up here to help us connect and give us context and the commitment and the catapult to Barbara -- and oh Lord -- to Sam Sarah, Deborah, andre, and Alexis. Thanks them for their presentations this afternoon. I also have a quick update for those of you texting, Facebooking, and Instagramming. We are still trending number one in Boston and now number six in the nation, so yes, keep it going. More pictures and more tweets. It all feels right to me. We love having the students who are present with us and I just want to give a shout out to a group of students who traveled far, far away from North Adams on a bus this morning. 50 students from the Massachusetts College of Liberal arts. Where are you? [APPLAUSE] 

David: we see you. You are there in the balcony. That's a long way to travel, so we know that you care and are passionate about the arts. Thank you for the work that you are doing in North Adams and beyond. Now we are going to package up all this with a role-play with representative Christine Barbara from Somerville and two of her constituents. Heather and Jason Berens. Following the role-play, we will have our performance by the Conservatory Lab charter. 

Rep. Barber: hi, everyone. I'm state representative Christine Barber. I represent parts of Somerville and Medford. [APPLAUSE] 

Rep. Barber: I'm a strong supporter of the arts. One of the reasons I'm on the right page on budget funding for mass cultural Council as well as the percent for arts program and the arts education in schools is because I have amazing constituents who prioritize the arts and come to me all the time to talk about the arts. It is the constituents that actually keep me up-to-date on what's going on. We are going to do a quick role-play on meeting your legislator. Before we do that, I wanted to just say two things. One is that while all of your legislators may not be as familiar with the arts, they know that it is critical to their communities. You can help to make that case. There are so many issues coming at us during budget season, which this is. It is really critical that you are showing up in your legislator's office to say this is a critical part of our community and this is why it matters to me. I can't say enough about how important it is for you to go and make that case during this busy time when we are hearing from a lot of people. So that is one. The second is you may very well likely talk with our staff. I don't want you to be disappointed in that. I actually think sometimes it's better to talk to the staff. Our staff really runs the Statehouse, which I will admit here. They keep us on task and keep us informed. They are extremely well-versed on a number of issues. If you're talking to a staff person in an office, it is just as good as talking with a senator or a representative. Thank you for coming today and all the work you are doing. With that, I think my constituents, heather and Jason, we are going to do a quick role-play. [APPLAUSE] 

Rep. Barber: welcome. Thanks for coming in today. 

Jason: thanks for meeting with us. 

Heather: thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us. I will move this over here. [LAUGHTER] I think that's better. 

Rep. Barber: so I only have a few minutes, but I would love to hear about the project you are here to talk about. 

Heather: first of all, I really want to thank you for your support in the FY 17 budget override and also supporting the impact and cosponsoring that bill. 

Rep. Barber: thanks. I was happy to do it. Arts are a critical part of the economy in bringing people together and Somerville and in Medford. 

Jason: arts of played a really critical role in Somerville. My colleague here works with the arts Council and we have worked together on a couple of projects. As a preschool teacher and an afterschool educator, lots of art projects there. We saw the importance that our players and the roles in the lives of children as a creative outlet and a way for kids to relief asked -- really express who they are in our commute. 

Heather: as you know, as a representative in Somerville and as on the arts Council, I cannot tell you how much the arts are important to me personally. I was a student at mass art and I know that it's important to you as well. I like to hear more about some of the active roles you have in our community. 

Rep. Barber: so in my district, especially some of the arts program like Art beat in Somerville, like cachet in Medford, which is also part of my district, the arts and the arts community has really been bringing people together and building connections across cultures, across communities in a way that I don't think would happen without the arts. It was also really helpful to our economy. Somerville in particular is a community that has really -- we have been trying to support our arts community. Looking at broader issues like affordable housing and making sure that artists can stay in our community. We know we have a lot more to do , but it's something that I'm strong supporter of. 

Jason: with that said, are you willing to support the increased investment in the creative community by boosting the cultural budget by $2 million this year? 

Rep. Barber: yeah, what would that bring it to? 

Jason: from $14 million to $60 million. -- $16 million. 

Rep. Barber: I think that sounds very reasonable, so I'm happy to support that. [APPLAUSE] 

Heather: and to expand on that, would you also be willing to help redefine and restructure the outdated laws from the Massachusetts Commonwealth that help support a more fiber arts education framework and to support and that continued support for arts education? 

Rep. Barber: yes, I think including the arts in education is a critical piece. For me, who is someone I will not say had a particular talent in the arts, I loved arts education. It was so critical to my development and, I think, to problem-solving and how I think about issues differently that even though I do not have an arts career that, as a student, I really appreciated having the arts as part of my education. I don't take it would've been a full education without it. So I'm happy to support that. 

Heather: thank you so much. 

Jason: I would like to extend an invite to a couple of events. Somerville is going to be hosting steam week, science, tech, engineering, arts and math. We would love for you to come by and take part. 

Rep. Barber: great. I would love that. 

Heather: we also have a great event coming in the next few weeks. Somerville open Studios is happening. It's one of the largest open Studios in Somerville. We have  artisan many different genres and it's a great experience to experience art. It's very accessible for many people. 

Rep. Barber: I never miss open Studios, but it's a good reminder for me to get the word out to my constituents about how easy it is to see art in your community. 

Jason: lastly, I will say, speaking of art in the community, there is an incredible park on the Greenway. It is the Armenian heritage Park. That is this incredible don't because -- dodecahedron sculpture that changes every year because it tells the story of the Armenian communities. Sunday, they are reconfiguring the sculpture. It could be a special treat if you're looking for something to do this Sunday from 8:00 to noon. Come check out the park. 

Rep. Barber: that's a great idea and I will get more information about it. 

Jason: perhaps we can get a cup of coffee and meet there. [LAUGHTER] 

Rep. Barber: sounds fantastic. Are there any last things you want to leave me with? 

Heather: again, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us. You have a busy schedule, but this really means some much to not only us but the rest of the arts community in Somerville. And I know the rest of the arts community throughout the state. We really thank you for your support and have a good rest of your day. 

Rep. Barber: thanks to you for taking time out of your day, out of work to come in and do this. I know can be hard to come up to the Statehouse to make these visits, but reminding me and hearing about what is going on in the community is really important, so thank you for coming in today. 

Jason: thank you. [APPLAUSE] 

Rep. Barber: you can see that acting was not my repertoire as a student, but thank you all again. Thank you for coming today and for all the work you are doing and good luck. [APPLAUSE] 

David: thank you. That was pretty easy. I think we are getting ready and getting closer. Now I would like to welcome to the stage the Conservatory Lab charter school possible wind and brass ensemble to get us more excited than we already are for what is coming very shortly, which is our march to the Statehouse. At this time, we welcome the ensemble to the stage. [APPLAUSE] ♪ [rhythymic clapping] ♪ ♪ [cheering] ♪ [APPLAUSE] [cheering] 

>> thank you so much. Oh, we're not done. Sit down. We didn't take the T4 and hour just to play one piece. Are you kidding me? We are Conservatory Lab charter school. This is our elementary school -- fourth and fifth grade. Fourth and fifth grade wind and brass and percussion ensemble. As a lottery-based school and their are no auditions -- it is a lottery-based school and there are no auditions. At Conservatory charter Lab, we have an hour of music every day. It's part of our curriculum. It is how we  live and breathe in the academic and music side. We use music as a vehicle to be better at music and as a point of advocacy, to get out in the committee like we're doing right now and talking to the folks at the Statehouse and all other parts of the world. And so, I thought, what better way to do this performance is to give you an opportunity to be a part of our group today? So there is a piece called "we got that fire." It is not grammatically correct, but we have that fire was taken, I guess. " we got that fire" -- we are to play for you once. And then I will teach you the vocal parts. Everyone brought your trumpet? I thought that was part of the prerequisite? Here is "we got that fire." ♪ ["we got that fire" plays] ♪ 

>> are you ready to go? Repeat after me. I said, whoa. Sing! One more time. Whoa! One more time. Whoa! Now listen here. ♪ We got that fire We got that fire ♪ Again. ♪ We got that fire We got that fire ♪ I said, whoa. ♪ ♪ Whoa ♪ [rhythmic clapping] ♪ We got that fire We got that fire We got that fire We got that fire We got that fire We got that fire We got that fire We got that fire ♪ [cheering] [APPLAUSE] 

>> wow. Amazing. It's not easy to sing a cool song like that and clap on two and four. You should walk out here feeling incredible. So we are going to join our very special friends, the Boston area brigade of activists and musicians. They are wonderful people. We have had an opportunity to play in various parades and different fun functions before . This is the most important gig we will have all year, which is going to the Statehouse. [APPLAUSE] So at least you will know one song that we are going to play. When you hear it come I hope you sing it as beautifully as loud as you did at this moment here while you are all the way up. . What's up, guys? Thank you so much. We are Conservatory Lab charter school. Thank you. [APPLAUSE] 

David: wow, we got that fire. I love that energy. I was just waiting to see you dance, but that's the next piece. OK, here we are. So now, yes? We now want you to meet up with other folks. Please don't move. Hear from your district so you can prep your meetings with your legislators. We will do it in a couple of steps, so hold tight while I walked through the. We will be in these groups for 15 minutes. We will start to be ready at 12:30 p.m. so we are ready for the arts matter March, so follow your captains lead on that. Everyone take a minute to look at your name badge. It tells you what Senate group you are in. On the back, your meetings are listed based on the information you gave in your RSVP. If you do not have a number, you can refer to the meeting sheet your captain has to find out where you're going. I want you to know where your captains are in the theater so that when we start to move into those groups you know where to find them. Let's make this fun, so when I call out your name, I want you to stay seated and cheer. All right? We have captains one  and two at orchestra left. [cheering] 

David: your captain is down here . One and two orchestra left. We have captains three through 15 in orchestra center. [cheering] 

David: yes, we have captains 16 through 19 at orchestra right. Everyone is supposed to cheer for them. [cheering] That's right. Up in the balcony left, we have 23 through 27. Balcony right, we have 28 to 35. Now I'm going to start inviting you to move into those groups, but it's not all going to be numerical, so pay attention. We want to keep you on your toes. And before we move, I just want to say that it has been so inspirational to be here with you today. From all of our many walks, I'm reminded of a Negro spiritual that says, "walk together, children, don't you get weary." I will adapt to say dance together, pay together, right together. Don't get weary. So pleased to be here today. I'm going to first start by calling the groups that will be meeting in the lobbies and on the stage to help free up space in the theater for other folks to move around. Are you following this? OK, great, because I am not. [LAUGHTER] In the Randall lobby where we had breakfast, that is right back at orchestra. We have groups 2, 14, and 19. Everyone in groups 2, 14, and 19, stand up. I see you. Stand up. Everyone in those groups, head now to the Randall lobby. We will applaud you as you leave. [APPLAUSE] Don't dawdle. Keep it moving. In the downstairs lobby, we have groups ate, nine, and 15. Everyone in groups 8, 9, at 15, now you can stand up. And you can be moving. We will plot for you as you leave. -- applaud for you as you leave. [APPLAUSE] On the stage, we have groups 3, 10, and 16. Can you stand? Carefully make your way to the stage. [APPLAUSE] 3, 10, and 16. 3, 10, and 16. 2, 14, and 19 are in the Randall lobby, which you can exit just this way. 8, 9, and 15 are in the downstairs lobby, which you can exit this way. And 3, 10, and 16 are here on the stage. Excellent movement. Move with purpose. And for the remaining groups, everyone will be meeting in the theaters where your captains are currently standing. You can refer to the group chart on the screen. Which is not there. Be ready to wrap up at 12:20 p.m. so we can be ready at 12:30 p.m. to march to the Statehouse. So if you are captain, thank you. Hold your signs of high. In the orchestra, we have 17, 13, 7, 6, and four. and 18. Hold it up high. Is this working? Hey, how are you? 

>> you done a great job. 

David: thank you very much . Hey, how are you? Are we good? OK. As a reminder, be ready to wrap up at 12:20 p.m. so we can be ready to walk and March to the Statehouse. I will remind you. 

David: is a group 12. Group 12 should be here.