About Creative Lives
Creative Lives was established in 2009 by Director Maureen Burford. to support creative, compassionate public schools, preparing children for fulfilling and contributive lives. To that end, we provide educational opportunities to educators and enrichment programs to children that support creativity, inner-well being, health, and illuminate our interconnection to each other and to the natural world. The Creative Lives educational philosphy and essential concepts are the work of both the Director, and of author and philospher Ellen Tadd. It is their combined work that makes Creative Lives programs unique in the field.
Stay tuned for our blog, new articles about our educational framework, and film-footage of this work in action as we begin filming our pilot project in White River Junction, Vermont.
The Creative Lives Staff includes public school educators, artists, scientists, and experts in place based education and natural sciences. Our long-term plan is the creation of a new institute for teacher training.
About the Director
Director Maureen Burford, M.Ed. is a musician, dancer, composer, writer and director who has spent the past 26 years helping thousands of children and adults improve their lives via the creative and contemplative arts.
In addition to serving as an independent consultant to individuals and organizations, Maureen has served on the faculties of the Springfield Community Music School, Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield MA, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Asnuntuck Community College in Connecticut. She has also led courses in creativity, meditation, group dynamics, and teaching for The Creative Problem Solving Institute and the Shallcross Institute.
She currently serves as Artistic Director of Revels North (www.revelsnorth.org) -- a company linked to nine others throughout the country that celebrate community through traditional, dance, music and drama. Maureen has created original, large-scale productions for both the winter and summer seasons. As part of her work for Revels North, Maureen created RevelsKids, an after-school program serving four towns in the Upper Valley.
Maureen has performed live and on recordings, as a soloist and as an accompanist, at home and abroad. Among other things, she is working on a book on creative education. She holds a Master’s in Education degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Cornell University. Her extensive additional training includes: ballet, modern, baroque, contemplative and improvisational dance forms; Action Theater; improvisational music and theater arts; and variety of meditation, transformational and experiential techniques. She is a juried artist-educator with the Vermont Arts Council.
Recordings:
"Aracadia Players with Jaap Schroeder" - Performed baroque violin
"I Know the Road" for Revels North - Co-produced, directed, arranged
"The Element Breaths" - Original meditation cd with Michael DiMartino
"Sweet Was the Song" with Calli Guion - Arranged, performed on piano, harpsichord, violin and percussion
"2nd Hand Tales" with Simon Brooks - Co-created music score, performed violin for storytelling cd
Productions:
Associate Director, Revels North: 2004-05
Artistic Director, Revels North: 2006-present
'Pianist for Thetford Chamber Singers: 2004-2011
Collaborators:Over the years Maureen has been fortunate to work with performers including George Benson, The Arcadia Players, Laura Risk, Lissa Schneckenburger, Natalie Haas, Tony Barrand, Suzannah Park,Jeremiah McLane, Wayne Hankin, Karen Hansen, Jay Rosenberg, Lisle Kulbach, Gabriel Q, Sattuma, Karin Brennesvik, Danse Cadence, Pete & Karen Sutherland, Ruth Mayer, Patricia Stebbins, Debra Wise, Skip Cady, Anthony Hyatt, Red Zebra, Patty Cuyler, Larry Gordon, Eshu Bumpus, John Hughes, Steve Ferraris, Alan Gelfant, Lindsey Warren, Carol Langstaff, Will Rowan, Pierre Chartrand, Eric Favreau, Bernard Simard, John Hughes and Hildur Colot.
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