Dear Arts Lovers,
The end of the year is a time for reflection. It is a chance to pause, look back, and then plan for the coming new year. As any artist knows, the creative process is a series of trials and errors. Every masterpiece has been reworked over time. Although it can be frustrating at times, it is also why we love the arts: we not only appreciate the final product, but we appreciate the skills, the process, and the successes and failures that lead up to it.
Let us all take this chance to appreciate the process, grow from our failures, and celebrate our successes!
Happy holidays from CommonTime!
Christine Matovich
Founder, CommonTime
This summer, CommonTime helped to organize and run a 2-day, cross-cultural arts experience for 86 students from the Good Hope School in Hong Kong and the Albert Einstein Gymnasium in Germany. The Good Hope School students enjoyed masterclasses with the Orchester der Kulturen, as well as the food, sights, and culture of Germany. The experience culminated in a unified student performance at St. Klemens Catholic Church in Boeblingen. What started as an emergency request has since blossomed into something much larger! Cultural exchange events between students in Hong Kong and Germany are now a regular occurrence thanks to CommonTime!
Since September, CommonTime has been arranging in-person arts classes at the Namaste India store in Böblingen, Germany. CommonTime artists Kanchana and Sonali debuted with classes on Indian folk art and Bollywood dance, and artist Alicia has since started offering felting and crafting classes as well. These arts classes have been a huge hit! Staying connected to one's culture can be difficult, but with CommonTime it’s as easy as an arts lesson online or in person.
CommonTime recently partnered with Virtual Concert Halls, an organization that specializes in Live Internet TV production of music events, seasons, and shows, virtual and hybrid. Much like CommonTime, Virtual Concert Halls was born out of a need to keep the arts accessible even when physical performance venues were closed. Now, VCHS creates broad and unique opportunities for performers, teachers, managers, concert and educational organizations, and allows them to perform from any location! Virtual Concert Halls broadcasts daily music and education shows, live performances, discussions, competitions, and more, all for free! Tune in everyday at 12pm EST on CommonTime.
The Art of Giving is back for the season of giving! Millions of schools around the world have no access to the arts - your donation changes that. Here’s how you can give back:
- When you book a lesson with a participating CommonTime artist, they will donate a lesson of equal or lesser value to the Global Schools Forum or the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation. Or
- Donate CommonTime credits! When you donate through the Art of Giving page, every dollar you give is a dollar that GSF and/or VOC can spend on virtual arts lessons with CommonTime artists. (1 CommonTime credit = 1 USD)
