WHO WE ARE
OVERVIEW AND HISTORY
The Harmony Project was founded in 2000 as an in-school integrated arts program by Arnie and Dagnija Langberg, both retired educators. Initial support for Harmony came from The Langberg Foundation. Personal donations from the Langbergs’ former students also helped provide seed money for the project. The Denver Musicians Association’s non-profit arm, Our Musical Heritage, was also an original supporter of Harmony, and continues to provide invaluable in-kind services. In 2006, The Harmony Project received its 501(c)(3) designation from the Internal Revenue Service as a Colorado nonprofit organization.
Harmony launched its programming at Remington Elementary School in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Northwest Denver. Harmony stayed at Remington for four years, placing artists with every teacher in every grade. By 2004, word of the success of the program had spread and the project was invited to partner with three other DPS schools, Pioneer Charter School, Cheltenham Elementary and Horace Mann Middle School.
In 2006-2007, Harmony began integrated arts education at the Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS). DCIS was founded in 1985 as a magnet school in the Denver Public Schools system. The school has instruction in five languages and has an extensive cultural studies program. However, before they partnered with Harmony, they had never had an Arts program. Harmony began by providing integrated arts programming to the sixth grade. Over the course of the past four years, the Harmony Project has served all of the students in the middle school grades of DCIS
In 2008-2009, the Harmony Project participated in the establishment of a new Denver Public School, the Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy. This magnet school features integrated arts as a main focus of its curriculum. Harmony is very proud of their involvement with this innovative educational opportunity and looks forward to continuing their work at Kunsmiller in the fall of 2010.
The Harmony Project continues its work with Cheltenham, DCIS and Kunsmiller. For the upcoming 2010-2011 school year Harmony Project is committed to identifying additional elementary schools in the Metro area that can benefit from our innovative integrated arts education programs.
STAFF
Hank Troy
Harmony Project Executive Director &
Program Manager
Sara Knowles
Harmony Project Development &
Marketing Consultant
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Arnie Langberg, Founder and Board Chair
Adjunct Professor-University of Denver and University of Colorado at Denver. Founding principal of Jefferson County Open School and Denver Public Schools High School Redirection.
Dick Zellner, Vice Chair
Former President/Executive Director-National Repertory Orchestra. Instructor “Developing Financial Resources”, Goucher College located in Baltimore, Maryland.
Adolph Mares, Secretary/Treasurer
Musician, Accountant-Denver Musicians Association, Secretary/Treasurer of Board of Directors-Our Musical Heritage.
Catherine Chauvin, Member
Master Printer. Assistant Professor in the School of Art and Art History at University of Denver.
Wende Harston, Member
Actress, Lead Singer-Queen City Jazz Band , Recording Artist, Music Historian.
Bill Juraschek, Member
Retired Professor of Mathematics, University of Colorado at Denver, Denver County.
Douglas McLemore, Member
Investment Advisor-Securities America, President-Board of Directors, Rotary Club of Denver.
Joseph Ptacek, Member
Nonprofit Consultant, Former Director of Development-Presbyterian Medical Services Foundation, Sante Fe, NM.
Martha Rill
Community Volunteer
EX OFFICIO
Susana Cordova
Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, Denver Public Schools.
Mikee Kapelke
Community Volunteer, Retired Teacher-Cherry Creek School District.
Hank Troy
Executive Director, the Harmony Project. Free-lance musician. Former Denver Public Schools teacher. Former ED of the Friends of the Denver School of the Arts.