Ring in the New Year with a special Best Of ArtScene | The Podcast episode—one year in rewind.

Hosted by NAEA National Supervisor of the Year Michael Bell, this highlights episode features standout moments from throughout the year, beginning with a statewide Maryland Art Education panel conversation with Bell and fellow National Supervisors of the Year, followed by inspiring segments with QACPS educators and statewide arts leaders across music, visual art, and dance.

Featured voices include Windy Broadwater, Allison Dorsey, Gabby Pfeifer, Erika Beyer, Bayrex Hernandez, Heather Efland, and Peter Pucci of the Carole Cascio Fund for Mind Movement Dance Connections.

Happy New Year—and thank you for being part of the ArtScene community. Enjoy this special one-year Best Of rewind.

This special 1-hour December edition of ArtScene | The Podcast goes behind the curtain at Chesapeake College for a rare open rehearsal with Ailey II from NYC — recorded live at the Todd Performing Arts Center.

Michael Bell was on site as the Carole Cascio Fund welcomed Ailey II to the Eastern Shore for the first time ever — capturing raw rehearsal process, reflections from teaching artists, and conversations with student dancers stepping onto a professional stage for the very first time.

Hear from Artistic Director Francesca Harper, members of Ailey II, Executive Director Peter Pucci, and the student voices who remind us why access matters — and why moments like this shape futures.

“When students stand on a stage like this, surrounded by world-class artists, something in them shifts — they begin to imagine themselves in the center of the story," said host Michael Bell. "Today was about legacy. Community. Craft. And courage."

Special thanks to Dr. Robert Thompson and the Todd Performing Arts Center for opening this space for young artists to be seen, inspired, and included. Enjoy a bonus Q&A with the professional dancers and community at the end of the podcast.

And — don’t miss the Carole Cascio Fund's next community offering: The Ballet Theatre of Maryland performs The Nutcracker at 5pm on Friday, December 5th at the Chestertown YMCA in Kent County. Registration is required. Tickets available at: https://carolecasciofund.org

In this episode of ArtScene | The Podcast, host Michael Bell sits down with Church Hill Elementary’s Heather Efland — musicteacher, 2019 Teacher of the Year, and lifelong believer that “all children need a voice.” From her empowering “Good Morning” mantras to disco-lit rhythm lessons set to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” Heather shares how joy, connection, and community have become the heartbeat of her teaching. Hearstories of student breakthroughs, school concerts that unite families, and the belief that music doesn’t just teach rhythm—it teaches resilience.