EDUCATING FOR SUSTAINABILITY - Business leaders, politicians, scientists, engineers, environmentalists and many others have been using the word sustainability in a way that assumes we all have a similar understanding of what it means.  It has often been linked to “accountability” with the focus placed on the “count” as minutes and dollars are added up to insure maximum efficiency.  It is this techno-rational approach to everything from economics to education and healthcare that is wrenching us away from the relationships that are necessary to begin dreaming about a sustainable future. SUSAN PICARD AND FRIENDS will create a space between disciplines where connections can be made and honoured as a first step in educating for sustainability. They will show how there is no accountability without meaningful relationships. And they will demonstrate how the arts play a key role in accessing the truths we hold within ourselves.

 NEGOTIATING THE DISTANCE - The original thesis concert that explores the barriers that impede learning and why they must be explored to facilitate learning. It reframes learning to shed light on the impact the traditional role of educator has on our students, personal lives and environment, all the while integrating arts and education through example (not theory). 

 LIVING WITH AMBIGUITY - While we understand that there are other ways of knowing and many possibilities in how this knowledge can be shared, we are still limited by awkward and inadequate tools for measuring and representing knowledge.  It is this predicament that can lead individuals to doubt themselves and retreat into “safe” practices.  Encourages audiences to discover of what it means to honor their own and other ways of knowing.

 REMEMBERING THE CHILD – When all is said and done, who are these creatures that turn our worlds upside down, cause us to reconsider our own childhoods and trust us to act responsibly in the world? What is it about the child that evokes in us our greatest hopes and fears? Audiences will remember the children in their lives and renew their commitment to them. 

 IMAGINATIVE ENGAGEMENT: WHY IT MATTERS, HOW IT FEELS – What happens when we use less than traditional methods of exploring and sharing information? What is the role of the arts in learning and the community? How can you reclaim your life, chart your own course and discover what it is that makes you an important member of your family, ecology and democracy?

 "It leaves me speechless-I need to think, listen again. Thank-you for your courage to take us to this place."  Elementary Schools Principals Association Conference, Calgary, Alberta, 2003

 "Thank-you for coming and sharing your insights and painting a detailed portrait of your journey. Much respect for your less than traditional means of expression, a far more emotional approach to pedagogical discourse." Master of Teaching student presentation, University of Calgary, Alberta, 2003

“Christine and Susan [are] awesome singers – lovely voices using music and singing—a very unique way to get the message across.  Gave me a very different impression of education as well as teachers.” Sustaining Our Parent Voice Conference, Northern Alberta Learning Consortium, Grande Prairie, Alberta, 2003