LAURAMUSIC@COMCAST.NET

It was a great pleasure to work with Laura during her time in Great Falls. In a collaboration between Laura and the C.M. Russell Museum, we were able to take Charlie Russell’s art, along with music from his era, to middle school and high school students in the community. Laura’s Heart and Place program was extremely well organized and was easily adaptable to use in schools as an outreach program as well as a stand-alone concert performance in the museum during the evening. Because of the thorough organization of her program, the collaborative outreach between Laura and the C.M. Russell Museum was quite successful – in four days we reached 418 students and 36 teachers and held a community concert that filled the room. Laura was fun, flexible, and smart. Our door is always open to her and her creative spirit.  (October 2017)

Eileen Laskowski
Education and Programs Manager
C.M. Russell Museum

 Laura Dean gave our chapter an engaging and informative presentation,“ACROSS THE BORDERS The Life and Music of Mexico’s Manuel M. Ponce (1882-1948)” Her multimedia session was innovative, lively, and professional. Laura is very knowledgable about her subject. She cheerfully answered questions. We look forward to future presentations from Laura. Kathryn Mortensen, President, Seattle Music Teachers Association

 We attended the performance yesterday at the Auburn Ave. and were not able to stay afterwards, but do want you to know we enjoyed your piano music very much! The information you shared along with it was also interesting and informative. Your talent is awesome. Thank-you – we sure would attend again sometime. Janette Templeton, Auburn Audience Member

 Working with Laura was fantastic. She was great with all ages. She modified things for the special needs kids and made things relevant for both the older students and the little ones. The residency at both Ridgecrest Elementary and Brookside in Shoreline, WA were wonderful. Creative and well paced, the activities, dances, songs and photos she shared gave the students a great taste of the many different countries where Latin American music and dance can be experienced. Laura was great to work with. She was professional, knowledgeable and personable. I would highly recommend her as a visiting artist or teacher.  Andrea Early. Music Specialist, Shoreline School District

Laura was a guest performer for the Aleutian Arts Council’s 25th Annual “Just Desserts” event-a classical music event sponsored by the non-profit every year. Laura immediately got the pace, the culture and flexibility that a visit to Unalaska brings and we could not appreciate that enough! In addition to the concert, Laura also worked in our schools and with our local community center and was well received by all. She understood the needs of the different age groups, types of workshops and interacted well with teachers, students and community members alike. Her concert performance was stellar, incorporating visuals with the music that enhanced the experience wonderfully. As a musician myself, I was amazed with the composers and pieces she put together to create such a unique concert experience. Kelly Stiles, Aleutian Arts Council