Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Rodgers
Stephanie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey started when I was 5 years old and a neighborhood friend invited me to join a children’s community choir. Music became a constant in my life, providing expression, fun, friends and a creative outlet. The world of choral singing provided a community and a place to belong. I thrived in an environment that focused on the overall group while finding your place within the whole. As a shy and self-conscious kid being a part of a choir allowed me to work on what I could personally provide the group, while staying safely anonymous. In High School, however, I was mentored by strong and supportive teachers and friends who encouraged me to step outside of the safety of the group and branch out into theatre.
I always knew I wanted to be a teacher but the influential teachers I had in the arts throughout my growing years made such an impact on me, that by middle school I knew I wanted to provide the same caring environment and support system to others. I pursued the arts through different disciplines, eventually receiving a Bachelors of Music in Musical Theatre degree from The University of Miami. I worked as a performer and writer until dedicating myself to the calling of giving back to the young people in our community!
Mosaic Creative Studios was created to give each student a place to belong within the greater whole. Just like a mosaic, each piece is vastly unique, and always has a spot to belong. The arts provide a place for students to come just as they are and have a place to try, explore, risk, push and thrive. Mosaic Creative Studios is dedicated to providing the best education to our young artists, who are often waiting in the wings for their turn to learn and grow. Here at Mosaic students as young as 5 years old have a place to belong, explore and try.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No artistic journey is ever easy! The dreams we have are always so grand and exciting, but making art, or providing spaces for art to be created, come with so many challenges. As many artists can probably sympathise with, the arts are so grossly undervalued in our society. And kids are beyond busy. Parents feel the immense pressure to provide the best experiences for their kids. But it seems like all the expectations fall within the world of competitive activities, or ensuring their kids are identified as advanced in academics. It’s hard to find a narrative where parents feel encouraged to give their kids a non-competitive creative space to explore and develop. I continue to come up against a narrative that if an activity doesn’t end in trophy or a guarantee of academic prowess then it’s not valuable or worth a families time. Parent want what is best for their kids and we don’t spend enough time showing schools, parents and families the strong and positive impact the arts can provide.
We can all quote the scientific studies that prove how valuable the arts are to a students development (both personally and academically), yet the American Society doesn’t seem eager to place the value of a theatrical training program on the same level as a sports program. With limited resources parents need to choose where to invest, and the arts never seem to be a place our society feels comfortable spending money. Our Society accepts the idea of paying for a competitive sport, or paying for academic advancement, but still struggles to place value on the education, and personal development, the arts can provide. Addressing the misunderstanding and lack of eduction around the important impact the arts have on developing brains, as well as the impact on helping young humans with social skills, is constant obstacle. As a society we need to get better at advocating for the arts as strongly as we advocate for everything else. It will create a culture and environment where choosing to pay for arts education is just as common as sports opportunities.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mosaic Creative Studios. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Mosaic Creative Studios is a fully child focused Music and Theatre Education Center. Our entire focus is on providing outstanding and excellent Music and Theatre Education to students from Kindergarten through High School. Our pride and joy comes from providing a safe and accepting environment to each and every student who comes into our space, no matter where they are on their creative journey. Just like in a mosaic, we believe that each student has the right to their own celebrated space within the whole. One way we ensure all students are seen and valued for what they bring to the table is keeping our classrooms to a small age range. Our 5 to 8 year old students have their own space to explore and create without being combined with older and more experienced students. By providing different classrooms and productions to students within a 2 to 3 year age span, each student is given vastly bigger opportunities much earlier on.
Mosaic Creative Studios focus is always on the process and the growth opportunities provided. While we celebrate our outstanding recitals and productions we are committed achieving that product through educating and teaching. All of Mosaic’s staff members are arts educators, committed to providing a strong educational experience for all of our students. There are many children’s theatre organizations around that create wonderful end products through strong Directors and clear Direction. Mosaic comes at our experiences with a different approach. Instead of Directing our students on how to have a strong product, our path is through a comprehensive, multifaceted educational curriculum. We don’t want to simply tell our students what to do, but show them how to accomplish their goals.
We provide small educational focused experience with a 10:1 teachers student ratio to ensure each student receives a personalised curriculum and guidance on their journey. We ensure each student is celebrated and focused on each day they are in the studio. Our educational curriculum is crafted for each age group, with multiple approaches to each subject to ensure that all of our students receive information in a way conducive to their learning style.
Our focus is on providing the time and space for students to learn, explore, try and thrive. Through our dedication to a personalized experience focused on a learning space we are able to see our students thrive and take ownership of their craft. Even at a very young age.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The Milwaukee Area is more committed to the arts than many places in our country. We have a vibrant and eclectic theatrical and musical culture. It is lovely to be in a space with other professionals that value the arts. While our community can still have it’s “us vs them” mentality, it is still possible to foster strong collaboration and support. I would love to see more collaboration and less defensiveness in our arts community. Each one of the organizations in our community offers something different and unique and there is space for everyone. The arts is a hard industry. It’s expensive and underfunded. So, it can set businesses up to be very protective of resources. We all need to be a part of the future value and success of the arts. If we support other “competitors” and celebrate what makes us different we will lift the arts up, creating more opportunities for all of us. I am proud of how much arts the Milwaukee area has to provide, and I look forward to a time where all of the artists in this community stand together- supporting the continued growth of all our artistic endeavours.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mosaiccreativestudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/mosaic_creative_studios/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555149327472
Image Credits
Mark Frohna
Stacey Pigeon