Over the years, we have received feedback from students, educators, presenters, and artists. Read all of their stories below, and be sure to contact us to tell us your story!
Students
- “I absolutely love the performances that you schedule! They are so funny, and always cheer me up if I’m having a bad day.” – Reine, student at Kimberley Junior Public School, TDSB
- “I hope you receive the gift of immortality and live or exist forever and never falter once because presenting these plays for us all creates precious memories for every school and child that experiences your work. Each child that sees the plays or dance or music that you help us experience, you create a funny, happy, fun and wonderful memory.” – Brigette, student at Kimberley Junior Public School, TDSB
- “I was really surprised what you [Infinitus] can do on the violin, cello, and the viola. I never knew violins, cellos and violas can do pop. I thought it was just classic music. I really, really, really wanted to see more because it made my day and it looked like it made yours, too.” – Mya, student at Massey Street Public School, Peel DSB
- “Thank you [Cadence] for coming to Walter Moberly and thank you for sharing your music. You made me feel joyful. I felt like coming to the stage and dancing with you. I just wished you stayed longer.” – Fiona, student at Walter Moberly Elementary, Vancouver
- “Your [Ballet Creole] dance was very inspiring and different. I wish that one day I can learn that wonderful dance and song.” – Laurie, Grade 5 student
Educators
- “My favorite part of seeing Ballet Creole in the schools is the joy of movement you inspire…After you left today, students were dancing in the halls and playground. They were experiencing movement in a new way telling their stories and experiencing the true joy of movement that is so often overlooked in our school day and beyond. Thanks again!” – Ms. Grossman Rosenbaum, Hollywood Public School, TDSB
- “The opportunity for children to witness and even take part in these fun stories [by DuffleBag Theatre] is the best way to establish theatre-going habits that will hopefully last a lifetime.” – Mr. McLean, Imperial Theatre, Saint John, NB
- “Limestone Board students, teachers and I have so thoroughly enjoyed such an inspiring learning journey with you [Rukhsana Khan]! Your exceptional skills and talents as an author and storyteller have made an invaluable contribution to helping us all make respect for human diversity an integral part of daily curriculum…Your authenticity and sincerity go a long way to dispelling stereotypes and to inspire us all to value and celebrate human diversity each and every day!” – Ms. Marja-terttu MacLeod, Human Rights, Equity & Inclusive Education Advisor, Limestone DSB
- “I feel confident that Prologue’s performances enhance the curriculum and it’s my number one resource when looking for performing arts programming. Thanks for all you do!” – Response from survey sent to Ontario educators
- “Prologue allows many students, especially those in high-risk communities, to have an opportunity to view performances that they may never have an opportunity to view otherwise.” – Response from survey sent to Ontario educators
- “We were thoroughly impressed by your wonderful stories, your creativity and musicality, and the various ways you made these stories come to life. The students also enjoyed the meaningful conversations and especially getting your autograph. What can I say. You are truly a celebrity at our school. It was refreshing to see the spoken tradition of story telling that is often upstaged by the ‘bells and whistles’ of technology. It was greatly appreciated.” – Ms. Skentzos, Floradale P.S. (Peel DSB)
Artists
- “Prologue to the Performing Arts is an incredible organization. They have facilitated meaningful arts education experiences for thousands of schools and communities over the years, and have allowed me to be able to keep creating and sharing my concert presentations. They not only help us as individual artists but also lift up the entire arts education sector with their vision and advocacy.” – Chris McKhool, Prologue artist
- “I’ve had the privilege of embarking on a rich and rewarding musical journey through Prologue for 32 years, gathering experiences and insights into how children respond positively to music and the arts. Children become empowered by the shared experience; their imaginations sparked, their sense of community strengthened and their minds inspired helping them to become better learners. The greatest compliment I have received recently was from an established Toronto jazz musician, who told me that I inspired him to music when I performed at his grade school years ago.” – Jack Grunsky, Prologue Artist
- “I am often amazed by the thoughtful, in-depth and wise questions that come out of young audiences. It shows me how deeply they have taken in the show. This makes my job rewarding beyond words. As someone who studied education and has taught for over 20 years, I see the power that the arts brings to education. It creates engaged and excited learners, it can deepen learning and it can reach students on so many levels (accessing multiple learning styles, backgrounds and experiences). It brings us all together.” – Nathalie Vachon, Prologue Artist
- “I love to see the light come on in the students’ eyes! When I tell them the story The Roses in My Carpets and they’re intensely listening and then I show them, like I’m taking them on a tour, my creative process… I just love to see their eyes light up when they get it, and right afterwards they get this look on their face like maybe they could be creative, too. I think that when the arts and education are combined there is no more powerful a method to develop creative thought in students. To get them to really question the status quo.” Rukhsana Khan, Prologue Artist
- “Little Pear Garden Dance Company started working with Prologue to the Performing Arts in 2014. Before this, we relied on personal connections to find bookings at schools and libraries. Prologue has made our outreach activities much easier […] They have great respect for artists working in schools and gladly cooperate with us to make the event safe, fun and productive for all participants. Having delivered performances and arts education programs at schools for more than 10 years, I notice the dramatic improvement in the students’ ability to focus, absorb information, communicate and demonstrate respect for other people when their schools incorporate arts into their everyday lives. Practicing and observing performing arts teaches young people proper etiquette, gives them time and space to experiment and express themselves constructively, as well as allows them to take in a lot more information by engaging many senses simultaneously.” – Cindy Yip, Little Pear Garden Dance Company
- “Prologue has extended the reach of my work immeasurably. I mean that term precisely – because while I could count the hundreds of students I reached, they gave me the energy to reach them by taking on the organizational labour. This has allowed me to actually focus on art – to spend time in art, rather than around art.” – Trevor Copp, Tottering Biped Theatre
- “A regular question that students always ask is “Why did you start playing music?” It’s my favourite question to answer. We play music because each one of us in Quintroversy had an ensemble come and perform at our schools sometime when we were in k-6. There was just a special something about an instrument and the performance that made each of us want to learn to play it. Arts Education plays a major role in how we approach our music. As emerging classical musicians we have the challenge of nurturing new audiences while breaking through the mentality that classical music is only for the elite and highly educated. Having the chance to perform in schools is one of the ways we can start to expose youth to this amazing music tradition. Hopefully our performances will spark an interest in students to learn and seek new experiences through classical music.” -Shaelyn Archibald, Quintroversy Woodwind Quintet