OPERAtunities for Creativity
Informance OPERAtunities
K - 3
3 - 12
Black Music Is… is an interactive experience that shares the history of Black musical genres from spirituals to Jazz
6 - 8


Workshop OPERAtunities
The Aesthetics of Assessments
Experiential assessments for the classroom
Give me a Beat
Using music to teach math concepts
Literacy In and Through the Arts



Residency OPERAtunities
Multiple Meaning Words in Song
Reader’s Theater as Assessment
Music from the Civil Rights Movement: The Remix


...In Education
I instruct teachers on integrating the arts into traditional classroom subjects in order to increase student engagement and deepen their learning experience through socio-emotional connections.
Do your students know that every time they snap their fingers they’re dividing a beat?
[Listen to a sample of students working with Dr. Upshaw]


Do your students know what baggage sounds like? They could if they played an instrument.

Have you ever used song writing to teach main ideas and supporting details? We could do that together!
[Hear a song writing sample]
...In Business
I am a creative facilitator planning and implementing strategic IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and access) programming through the arts.
Does your team need to practice having difficult discussions? Let’s improve our communication skills by speaking the same language.

Have you ever wanted to intervene, but didn’t have the right words? Let’s role play and practice how to safely stand up for others.

Is it time to rethink your 5 year vision? Let’s have a Maker’s Chat and talk about it.