New Documentary Tells The Story Of A Philadelphia-Born Musical That’s Changed The Hearts And Minds Of Thousands Of Students

Click here to view the article on CBS Philly's website

By Molly Daly

July 21, 2014

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A new documentary premiering Tuesday night tells the story of how a musical bout has served as a bridge for students at two Philadelphia schools, one of them serving the disabled.
KYW’s Molly Daly reports the crowd-funded film will be shown as part of the Filmadelphia at the Roxy series.

Henry Nevison’s “On the Other Side of the Fence” is a celebration of the musical of the same name, the brainchild of music therapist Andrea Green, intended to foster acceptance and tolerance. It’s been performed annually for 30 years by students from Germantown Friends and the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy.

“If you could take a group of kids that can’t walk, that can hardly talk, with a group of kids that are fully functional, and find a way for those to grow together and have a relationship, and create something together that everybody loves to watch, that’s pretty cool,” Nevison said.

Nevison hopes his documentary will help extend the musical’s reach beyond schools and around the world, where divisions run deep, and understanding is sorely needed.

  • Children's Theater | Creating Safe Musical Spaces: Part II Building Inclusive Communities Through the Arts | Andrea Green Music +

    Creating Safe Musical Spaces: Part II
    Building Inclusive Communities Through the Arts

    BY Joanie Calem

    Click here to download article PDF here

    In the last issue of PIO! I wrote about neurodiversity and strategies to create safe, inclusive musical experiences for all kinds of students in classrooms, choirs, or performance settings. This column continues the conversation, highlighting the work of two of our members, Frank Hernandez and Andrea Green, who each in their own unique way strive very purposefully to build inclusive communities using music and the arts.

    “Open the Circle” by Frank Hernandez and Ted Warmbrand is a favorite

    … Read More

  • Children's Theater | Jewish Community Voice | Andrea Green Music +

    Puerto Rico & Cherry Hill teens collaborate on musical project

    By JAYNE JACOVA FELD Voice staff

    Students from the Colegio Ponceño Musical Theater group performing “Homeroom the Musical” in Puerto Rico in February.

    Students from the Colegio Ponceño Musical Theater group performing “Homeroom the Musical” in Puerto Rico in February.     The things that teenagers obsess over could fill a feature-length musical. In any given homeroom, on any given school day, adolescents worry about their looks, upcoming exams, and how their GPA stacks up against others. They fret about fitting in, fashion, friends, frenemies and bullying—both cyber and traditional.

    In other words, “Homeroom the Musical”—a production as noteworthy for its big song-and-dance numbers as its value as a

    … Read More

  • Children's Theater | The Cherry Hill Sun | Andrea Green Music +

    Teen actors from Puerto Rico to perform with Cherry Hill West students

    BY NEWS STAFF

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    It all starts with a dream. Then mix in mission, music and passion and it’s a great formula for success! These are the ingredients that quickly came together to make it possible for 30 teen actors from Colegio Ponceño Musical Theater Group in Ponce, Puerto Rico to come to Cherry Hill to perform with students from Cherry Hill High School West in “Homeroom: The Musical” They arrive on June 4 for a five-day whirlwind of a tour, visiting attractions in the Philadelphia region and perform

    … Read More

  • Children's Theater | Courier Post | Andrea Green Music +

    Cherry Hill producer picks up Emmy

    PHILADELPHIA Composer Andrea Green of Cherry Hill walked away with honors Saturday night when the documentary about her work won an Emmy Award.

    A Mid-Atlantic Emmy was presented to local filmmaker Henry Nevison, whose documentary, "On the Other Side of the Fence," chronicles Green and the children she works with at the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy and Germantown Friends School.

    Green, a music therapist, served as associate producer of the documentary.

    The documentary is an intimate behind-the-scenes look at the students' relationships as they rehearse and perform together in the musical

    … Read More

  • Children's Theater | WHYY, Voices in the Family | Andrea Green Music +

    Teaching children empathy through the arts

    Empathy is an essential skill to connect with the people and world around you. It is also so much more than even compassion- to be truly empathetic one has to feel how it might be to be in another’s place. So how can we teach this skill, and how can we simplify it enough to teach bit effectively to children? The most effective way to teach it is experientially- and the most fun way is through the arts. On this Voices in the Family, we will speak with people involved in the film “The

    … Read More
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Andrea wins National Liberty Museum "Teacher as Hero" Grand Prize!

Andrea wins 2019 National Liberty Museum Teacher as Hero Grand Prize

On May 11, 2019, Andrea Green was awarded the 2019 Grand Prize 'Exceptional Teacher as Hero Award" from the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. This honor is given to an educator who leverages their excellence in teaching to make a difference in the lives of their students. The criteria for winning the Grand Prize includes excellence in all of the following areas:

  • Fosters an appreciation for diversity in the classroom;
  • Teaches students how to resolve conflicts respectfully;
  • Gives students a deeper understanding of the relationship between rights and responsibilities;
  • Honors student voice in the classroom and in public spaces;
  • Has taken a risk in order to remove an obstacle to a student’s liberty; or
  • Incorporates the above concepts in their relationships with colleagues and community members


Watch a video of the ceremony!

 

Philadelphia Honors Andrea Green

On May 16, 2013, Andrea Green and Teresa Maebori, were honored by a special resolution by the City of Philadelphia.

"Honoring the inspiring partnership of two Philadelphia women, Andrea Green (music therapist, composer/playwright) and Teresa A. Maebori (teacher), along with the staff and children from the HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy and Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, who are celebrating the 30th year of a 'musical' and teaching tolerance project created to break down barriers- building communication, understanding and friendship."


Watch a video of the ceremony!

 

 

On the Other Side of the Fence Wins the Gold Medal from the 2015 NY International Film Festival!

On the Other Side of the Fence Gold Medal Winner

We are pleased to announce that On the Other Side of the Fence took home the gold medal from the 2015 NY International Film Festival and the bronze medal from the United Nations for outstanding achievement in a film that exemplifies the ideals and goals of the United Nations.

Filmed in the spring of 2012, On the Other Side of the Fence is a television documentary and educational media project. It focuses on Andrea's highly acclaimed musical, On the Other Side of the Fence and her work as a music therapist and director.

On the Other Side of the Fence is now distributed by American Public Television and is going to air on over 61 stations in 2015. 

Click here to visit the On the Other Side of the Fence website

 

Andrea's work as composer/playwright and music therapist was honored with a 2015 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for best documentary!

On the Other Side of the Fence takes home the Emmy