Holiday Arts in Marin

Though the North Bay is always a safe haven for art and artists alike, there’s still something extra special about taking in some demonstrations of local creativity during the holidays.

No matter what fall and wintertime celebrations are on the calendar, it’s easy to find the time to fit in an outing or two to appreciate art (and those who made it). So, without further ado, here are a few places in Marin where one can go to celebrate art, artists and the holidays all in one:

The Art of Entertainment

Winter is a wonderful time to take in a production or two, especially with the nights growing longer, leaving much more downtime to fill with warm indoor entertainment. And whether one prefers to take in a local production of music, theater or any combination thereof, there are plenty of options available.

The Marin Theatre Company, for example, has an upcoming production of Dragon Lady, a solo cabaret musical written and performed by Sara Porkalob and directed by Andrew Russel. Dragon Lady will run from Nov. 24 to Dec. 17. For more information or to pre-purchase tickets, visit marintheatre.org.

The Marin Symphony is another excellent place to take in some holiday entertainment, especially for those who enjoy artistic entertainment in the form of exquisite music. To learn more about upcoming shows and events at the Marin Symphony, visit marinsymphony.org.

Other venues for entertainment this holiday season include Marin Ballet, which will be hosting their traditional, perfectly seasonal performance of Nutcracker. The Lark Theater and Sweetwater Music Hall also have wide entertainment selections for the upcoming holiday season.

Galleries, Exhibitions and More

There is no better time than the holidays to reach out and support local visual artists and artisans. Not only does this help keep Marin County creatives, well, creating—it also keeps the culture of art alive and well within the community.

Sausalito Center for the Arts, for example, has the upcoming “Picture This!” exhibition, which will run from Wednesday, Nov. 15 through Sunday, Dec. 3. This special installment will feature the artwork of various local photographers who have captured and shared the beauty of the Bay Area as seen through their personal lenses. To learn more, visit sausalitocenterforthearts.org.

Gallery Route One is one such place where spenders can show up to support art and artists for the holidays, especially considering this year marks the 40th anniversary of the gallery. To learn more, visit the Gallery Route One website at galleryrouteone.org.

Other galleries exist in every town, city, nook and cranny across the North Bay, so be sure to stop and search for new and exciting exhibitions.

The Fine Art of Wining and Dining

Dining is as much an art form as photography or painting, and it is one that many enjoy indulging in for the holidays. So, in the coming months, consider adding an appreciation of food to the holiday to-do list.

This is especially true since Marin County is the best place in all of California to go out and enjoy a beautiful and bountiful offering of edible delights for the holidays. Whether it’s cheese and mead from Pt. Reyes or a promise of oysters on Tomales Bay, the North Bay is an incredible place for spicing up those winter months with something entirely local and delicious.

Eating and drinking one’s way across town to support locally-owned restaurants, bars and eateries is the best way to celebrate the holidays. Just remember to appreciate the servers with a generous holiday tip as well.

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No matter what fall and wintertime celebrations are on the calendar, it’s easy to find the time to fit in an outing or two to appreciate art.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin opens at four Novato schools

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin opened four new locations in Novato on Oct. 10 to provide comprehensive after-school programs for local children. The Novato School Board approved the partnership with a unanimous vote in September.

The four participating schools include San Jose Middle School, Sinaloa Middle School, Lynwood Elementary School and Olive Elementary School.

For Novato families in need, programs are provided at no cost.

“The Novato Unified School District is excited to be partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma-Marin,” said Michael Casper, expanded learning opportunities coordinator of the Novato Unified School District.

“We share the same vision of doing whatever it takes to support our qualifying students with enriching, fun and unique experiences during non-school hours. Our students are having so much fun in a safe and nurturing environment with friends and trusted adults,” Caper added.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin boasts 39 area clubs, each providing a safe and supportive environment for more than 7,500 kids and teens annually. Clubs are located in elementary schools, middle schools, affordable housing complexes and juvenile detention facilities. Programs are designed to support academic success, health and life skills, character and leadership, sports and fitness, and creative expression.

The organization endeavors to reduce the stress of finding quality child care for low-income families with working parents. The hope is that by reducing the responsibility often inherited by the extended family, the entire family can thrive.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Novato School District to provide our after-school programs to their students,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin CEO Jennifer Weiss. “Our programs are designed to help students reach their full potential, and we are excited to work with the district and the schools to make a positive impact on the lives of their students.”

Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin at bgcsonoma-marin.org.

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The organization endeavors to reduce the stress of finding quality child care for low-income families with working parents.

Finding Poets

Santa Rosa

Poetry Found

Las Vegas-based poet and poetry slam grandfather AJ Houston is coming to Santa Rosa’s Lost Church this weekend to drop deep wisdom on the poetry-hungry ears. Many poetry open mics exist around Sonoma County, but there are no other poetry events quite like the Lost Church’s Found Poets. Poets are chosen as much for their performance chops as for their varied and intimate insights into the contemporary world. The shows have the feel of musical concerts with several openers and a headliner. Houston, who co-founded the Fort Worth Poetry Slam in 2000, definitely fits the bill. “I imagine in our duty as poets, writers, thinkers and producers of audible pictures we all have questions that have yet to be answered,” Houston says. Found Poets, doors 4pm, show 4:45pm, Sunday, Nov. 12. The Lost Church, 427 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. All ages. Some mature poetic content. $15. Get tickets at tinyurl.com/FoundPoetsSRNov12.

Cotati

Trees Do Jam

After Tom (Tree) Territo’s death in 2020, the nearly decade-old jam session he co founded at Spancky’s Bar was renamed in his honor. Now known as Tree’s Every Tuesday Night Blues Jam, the weekly event has hosted many great players over the years. Now hosted by Bill Alexander, the night starts with a set by a full blues band, then opens up to all who need to get the blues out. The downtown Cotati venue has an open space feel and a long bar, which invites audience participation, even from those not ready to get up on stage. As Territo used to say, “People want to play.” 7 to 11pm every Tuesday night at Spancky’s, 8201 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati. Free.

Healdsburg

La Sensation Cubaine

La Dame Blanche (aka, Yaite Ramos Rodriguez) is an artist not to be missed. Powerful and compelling, the Cuban singer, percussionist and flutist based in Paris brings together influences from hip-hop, hyperpop, dancehall and a variety of Latin music in her performances, with one coming up at Little Saint, Healdsburg. It is an experience of the ultra-feminine in its most vibrant form. Her recent album, Ella (or Her), leans into celebrating the empowerment of women. Daughter of the artistic director of the Buena Vista Social Club orchestra, Ramos Rodriguez gives tribute to her mother just as much as her famous father. “My mom makes everything shine, from the floors of the house to the music in my soul,” she has said. Doors 6pm, show 7pm, Thursday, Nov. 9. Little Saint, 25 North St., Healdsburg. Free. Arrive early. Full bar menu.

Larkspur

Wiped Away

“Every year, vast stretches of Canada’s richly biodiverse boreal forest region are razed for that most literally disposable of causes: the manufacture of toilet paper,” according to Michael Zelniker, director of the 2022 film, The Issue with Tissue—A Boreal Love Story. Told through the words of members of the First Nations and providing insights from scientists and activists, the documentary, to be shown at The Lark Theater, Larkspur, explores the connection between “colonial violence and unfettered extractive industrial exploitation,” providing lessons with significance well beyond the Boreal forests of the north. Special opening event at The Lark Theater (549 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur) Sunday, Nov. 12, with refreshments from 4-5pm. Film at 5pm. Q&A with the director after the screening. Additional screenings at The Lark Nov. 10-17. $15.

Free Will Astrology: Week of November 8

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your victories-in-progress are subtle. They may not be totally visible to you yet. Let me describe them so you can feel properly confident about what you are in the process of accomplishing. 1. A sustained surge of hard-earned personal growth is rendering one of your problems mostly irrelevant. 2. You have been redefining what rewards are meaningful to you, and that’s motivating you to infuse your ambitions with more soulfulness. 3. You are losing interest in a manipulative game that doesn’t serve you as well as it should. 4. You are cultivating more appreciation for fascinating and useful problems.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus physicist Richard Feynman was a smart and accomplished person who won a Nobel Prize. He articulated a perspective that will be healthy for you to experiment with in the coming weeks. He said, “I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it’s much more interesting not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I’m not absolutely sure of anything, and there are many things I don’t know anything about.” Give Feynman’s approach a try, dear Taurus. Now is an excellent time to explore the perks of questioning everything. I bet you’ll be pleased with how free and easy it makes you feel.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): To earn money, I have worked as a janitor, dishwasher, olive picker, ditch-digger, newspaper deliverer and 23 other jobs involving hard labor. In addition, I have done eight artistic jobs better suited to my sensitive temperament and creative talents. Am I regretful or resentful about the thousands of hours I toiled at tasks I didn’t enjoy? A little. But mostly I’m thankful for them. They taught me how to interact harmoniously with a wide array of people. They helped forge my robust social conscience. And they motivated me to eventually figure out how to get jobs I really loved. Now I invite you to take an inventory of your own work life, Gemini. It’s an excellent time to evaluate where you’ve been and where you want to go in the future.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): There are so many kinds of sweetness. Zesty spicy sweetness. Tender balmy fragrant sweetness. Sour or bitter sweetness. Musky piquant sweetness. Luscious succulent sweetness. One of my favorite types of sweetness is described by Cancerian poet Stephen Dunn. He wrote, “Often a sweetness comes as if on loan, stays just long enough to make sense of what it means to be alive, then returns to its dark source. As for me, I don’t care where it’s been, or what bitter road it’s traveled to come so far, to taste so good.” My analysis of the astrological omens suggests to me that you are about to commune with at least three of these sweetnesses, Cancerian. Maybe most of them.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Author Dan Savage advocates regular indulgence in sloth. He notes that few of us can “get through 24 hours without a little downtime. Human beings need to stare off into space, look out the window, daydream and spend time every day being indolent and useless.” I concur, and I hope you will indulge in more downtime than usual during the coming weeks. For the sake of your long-term mental and physical health, you need to relax extra deep and strong now—to recharge your battery with delicious and delightful abandon.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): According to my deep and thorough analysis of your astrological rhythms, your mouth will soon be a wonder of nature. The words emerging from your lips will be extra colorful, precise and persuasive. Your taste buds will have an enhanced vividness as they commune with the joys of food and drink. And I suspect your tongue and lips will exult in an upgrade of aptitude and pleasure while plying the arts of sex and intimate love. Congratulations, Mouthy Maestro!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In addition to being a masterful composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) played the piano, violin, harp, bassoon, clarinet, horn, flute, oboe and trumpet. His experience led him to believe that musicians best express their skills when they play fast. It’s more challenging to be excellent when playing slowly, he thought. But I will invite you to adopt the reverse attitude and approach in the coming weeks, Libra. According to my astrological analysis, you will be most successful if you work gradually and incrementally, with careful diligence and measured craftiness.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In my horoscopes for Scorpios, I tend to write complex messages. My ideas are especially thick and rich and lush. Why? Because I imagine you as being complex, thick, rich and lush. Your destiny is labyrinthine and mysterious and intriguing, and I aspire to reflect its intricate, tricky beauty. But this time, in accordance with current astrological omens, I will offer you my simplest, most straightforward oracle ever. I borrowed it from author Mary Anne Hershey: “Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Play with abandon. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In her poem, “Requiem,” Anna Akhmatova says, “I must kill off memory … and I must learn to live anew.” I think most of us can benefit from periodically engaging in this brave and robust exercise. It’s not a feat to be taken lightly—not to be done more than once or twice a year. But guess what: The coming weeks will be a time when such a ritual might be wise for you. Are you ready to purge old business and prepare the way for a fresh start? Here are your words of power: forgiveness, clearing, cleaning, release, absolution, liberation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): We need stories almost as much as we need to breathe, eat, sleep and move. It’s impossible to live without them. The best stories nourish our souls, stimulate our imagination and make life exciting. That’s not to say that all stories are healthy for us. We sometimes cling to narratives that make us miserable and sap our energy. I think we have a sacred duty to de-emphasize and even jettison those stories—even as we honor and relish the rich stories that empower and inspire us. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Capricorn, because you’re in a phase of your cycle when you will especially thrive by disposing of the bad old stories and celebrating the good ones.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I could be wrong, but I don’t think so: You are smarter and wiser than you realize about the pressing issues that are now vying for your attention. You know more than you know you know. I suspect this will soon become apparent, as streams of fresh insights rise up from the depths of your psyche and guide your conscious awareness toward clarity. It’s OK to squeal with glee every time a healing intuition shows up. You have earned this welcome phase of lucid certainty.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In Indigenous cultures throughout history, shamans have claimed they have the power to converse with and even temporarily become hawks, coyotes, snakes and other creatures. Why do they do that? It’s a long story, but one answer is that they believe animals have intelligences that are different from what humans have. The shamans aspire to learn from those alternate ways of seeing and comprehending the world. Many of us who live in Western culture dismiss this venerable practice, although I’ve known animal lovers who sympathize with it. If you are game for a fun experiment, Pisces, I invite you to try your own version. Choose an animal to learn from. Study and commune with it. Ask it to reveal intuitions that surprise and enrich you.

Homework: What increasingly unnecessary duty could you abandon and thereby fuel your drive to be free? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

Ancient Sounds: Will Marsh, sitar for life

With all the variety of music available in the North Bay, it is rare to find something new, truly different. Will Marsh’s forthcoming album, Integration, is exactly that. The album is all the more interesting because this new sound is rooted in the most ancient of contemporary musical traditions and its most famous instrument, classical Hindustani’s sitar.

Marsh is a Novato-based sitarist with a penchant for putting the singular instrument into other genres. While sitar first became known to mainstream Western audiences through the raga rock experiments of the Beatles and their ilk, Marsh’s approach is to insert the authentic sound of the instrument into jazz, bossa nova and more, rather than playing the instrument like a guitar, as was done in those rock recordings from the 1960s.

No judgment on George Harrison; it takes decades to learn sitar and its music.

“It’s almost like training to be an Olympic athlete,” said Marsh over the phone in advance of his upcoming concert in San Rafael. “That’s the [amount of] physical precision in the way that you sit and hold the instrument and the strength you need to execute it.”

Of the 20 strings on the sitar, only eight are plucked. The remaining strings are tuned to the scale played in the piece of music, and each resonates when its corresponding note is played, giving the instrument its characteristic drone.

Marsh started out playing guitar like so many young people getting their first taste of music, learning rock and the blues. He realized that music would be the focus of his life.

“I quickly was kind of curious to learn everything,” he said. He went on to study jazz and classical music, and through the drive of that curiosity turned to sitar in college.

From that moment, Marsh began a deep dive into traditional Indian music and especially Hindustani classical music, the form that is home to the sitar. For hundreds of years, the knowledge of playing sitar was passed down exclusively within families from father to son. Although that changed in the 19th century, the music continues to be communicated in a rich oral tradition through long lasting relationships.

“It’s quite a trip to be involved in something so ancient,” said Marsh. “I have spent a lot of time in India, studying and performing in the traditional way. We play these melodies that are all for a certain time of day or season. It’s very much an oral tradition.”

Although Marsh has played on other albums—including the spiritual pop chanter, Wilder Shores, by Belinda Carlise—Integration is the first album entirely of his own work.

“I wanted to take [all the knowledge] and bring it into other contexts, a blues setting, a jazz setting,” he said. “I feel that my artistic spirit wants to say everything that I’ve done musically, and that’s really what the album is about…What does Will Marsh have to say?”

After an album release concert on Nov. 17, what’s next for the maestro?

“I’m heading to India to be with my teacher, who’s in Mumbai,” said Marsh, himself now a sitar teacher. “I’m really honored and grateful to be a part of that tradition.”

‘Integration’ comes out Nov. 17. Will Marsh and friends will perform the music from his new album at 7:30pm on Friday, Nov. 17 at Studio Fourth Street, 1569 4th St., San Rafael. $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Get tickets here.

Making Scents: Essential Oil

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Of the five senses, smell is the most spiritual. Fragrance operates on invisible channels within us that connect our body here in the material world to our spirit linked to the overworld.

The sense of smell plays a central role in sacred rites through the use of incense, perfumes and essential oils, and is closely connected to breathing, of which there is an ancient science known as pranayama, in which breath acts not upon the physical body, but rather the subtle body, or electro-magnetic energy field animating the organism.

In fact, this subtle body is sometimes referred to as the aromatic body.

The spiritual science of alchemy uses the language of metals to describe the refining of the aromatic body, following the traditional teaching that each of the seven planets is associated with a corresponding metal. To free oneself from the seven planetary governors, who control the unawakened through fate, the individual’s consciousness melts the planetary energies of the natal horoscope, transforming them into spiritual “gold.”

A common alchemical term for this is “cooking.”

The ego is sacrificed on the spiritual altar, whereupon the person is reborn, phoenix-like—a soul made from the ashes of the old personality. The new self is like an essential oil, a refined and highly concentrated aromatic body. It is the fluidic, pure substance of the self in the form of astral energy.

The extraction and purification process of spiritual awakening and development corresponds to ancient Hermetic texts regarding the eighth sphere, or realm beyond the seven planets and their influence on our earthly selves as indicated in our astrological birth chart. The concept survives all the way to this day in the form of the phrase “seventh heaven,” and in the tune by jazz great Miles Davis entitled “Seven Steps To Heaven.”

But while the planet-metals and their magnetic influence over our personality are to be cooked and purified, the Seven Governors are also to be thanked for their help through our earthly incarnation, and Tradition speaks of returning a ring to each of them with gratitude as we transition from this world to the next. Then our aromatic body, having learned, during earthly life, its true nature and origin, returns to the divine realm with its soul-scent intact, joyfully liberated and eager for the adventures that await.

The aromatic or subtle body must first be discovered during the jarring opening stages of the awakening work, then gradually strengthened through the spiritual practice. Alchemy, Tantra, Daoism and other traditions allow us to actually feel and know the “essential oil” of our soul-substance, that fluidic aromatic body of energy fragrant with the breath of eternity.

Music Heals International celebrates its first decade

Mill Valley local Sara Wasserman is not only the founder of Music Heals International—she is also the daughter of the world-famous bassist, Rob Wasserman.

In honor of her father and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Music Heals International, Wasserman is hosting an all-things-bass fundraising concert on Monday, Nov. 20 at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley. The lineup of this philanthropic event includes performances from eight-time Grammy winning bassist Christian McBride, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, DJ Logic, Paul Beaubrun of Arcade Fire and Jay Lane, the drummer from Dead & Co.

“It’s our 10th anniversary, and so we have a really unique and special show in store,” Wasserman said. “Our shows are amazing collaborations that really only happen one time…and since this is the 10th, I’m expecting it to be nothing less than really beautiful—especially since this is a tribute to my dad.”

Wasserman always had an inherent understanding of the importance of music. And by her early 20s, she took to the stage as a professional singer.

But in 2012, Wasserman’s singing career was unexpectedly redirected when a longtime friend of the family, Sean Penn, reached out with an invitation that would change the course of not only Wasserman’s life, but many others as well.

Penn’s proposition was to travel to Haiti, specifically Delmas 32 in Port-au-Prince, where some of the most significant damage of the catastrophic 2010 earthquake took place, and teach music. Wasserman accepted the invitation and, along with Lukas Nelson—Willie Nelson’s son—she packed her bags and set out to teach music to the children of Haiti.

“We ended up spending 10 days in Haiti, and it was a powerful, intense and life-changing trip,” said Wasserman. “Being thrown into this community of people…I had never seen a world with that extreme level of poverty, and the way that they live—it’s hard to put into words unless you’ve seen it.”

Following the initial 10-day visit to Haiti, Wasserman knew that she had to do something more for the children of Delmas 32. And so, the idea for Music Heals International was born.

“For me, it was this light that went off, and I realized I couldn’t not do anything,” Wasserman said. “And seeing the reaction of the kids and the community and the teachers and everybody we were working with, plus seeing the power of just the few music classes we were teaching…I was like, ‘How do I make this happen?’”

In 2013, Music Heals International began in Haiti with two schools and 60 students. One decade later and in partnership with J/P HRO (now CORE), co-founded by Sean Penn and Little Kids Rock (now MusicWill), Wasserman’s nonprofit spans three countries, 10 schools and over 1,500 total students.

“I have so much appreciation for the endless support this community has given us, especially from the artists of the Bay Area, where I was born, where my dad was born…” Wasserman concluded. “The support we get from everybody…is just incredible, and we’re just really grateful for those who continue to support us every year.”

To learn more about Music Heals International or to show support through a donation, visit mhinternational.org. Sweetwater Music Hall is located at 19 Corte Madera Ave. in Mill Valley. For the Nov. 20 concert time and tickets, go to sweetwatermusichall.com.

Caviar Dreams: Petra Higby

I met Petra Higby when she was first starting The Caviar Co. in San Francisco. Sometimes I can be found at their luxe Tiburon location.

What do you do?

I’m the CEO and co-founder of The Caviar Co. When I started the business in 2015 with my sister, Saskia, our goal was to demystify the world of caviar. I like to say, “There’s a caviar for every day of the week, from Hackleback on a Monday afternoon to Golden Osetra on a Saturday night.”

Where do you live? Belvedere.

How long have you lived in Marin? Six years.

Where can we find you when you’re not at work?

I’m usually with my family, and we spend a lot of time out on the water or close to it. I also love to play tennis and ride horses.

If you had to convince someone how awesome Marin was, where would you take them? Just driving from the city, over the Golden Gate Bridge with the city view behind us on 101 is one of my favorite viewpoints. I also love the drive down Tiburon Boulevard overlooking Sausalito and with a view of the bridge behind the headlands.

What’s one thing Marin is missing?

I wish there was an equestrian center more centrally located. I know we have “Horse Hill,” but I grew up in Texas riding horses, and I would love for my daughter to have the same joy.

What’s one bit of advice you’d share with your fellow Marinites?

Take a minute to say “hello” from time to time. Don’t forget that we’re all neighbors. Especially when we’re driving.

If you could invite anyone to a special dinner, who would they be?

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. They are their authentic selves daily — I love their banter, family values and entrepreneurial spirit.

What is some advice you wish you knew 20 years ago?

Take it one day at a time, do the best work you possibly can and everything happens for a reason. Also, don’t forget to spread your wings and take some risks!

What is something that in 20 years from now will seem cringeworthy? I know you feel the same about social media. I appreciate it for bringing people together, but it seems to be spreading more toxicity and hate than its original intention.

Big question. What is one thing you’d do to change the world? Spread love. Make people feel loved, and encourage people to share love. It doesn’t cost a thing to tell someone to have a good day or that they have a great smile. The investment is slim to none, and the ROI is 100%.

Keep up with Higby at @petrahigby and @thecaviarco on Instagram.

Nish Nadaraja was on the founding team at Yelp, serves on the San Anselmo Arts Commission and attempts to play pickleball at Fairfax’s Cañon Club.

Teaching Tech: Computer science teachers needed

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Five years ago, California embarked on an ambitious plan to bring computer science to all K-12 students, bolstering the state economy and opening doors to promising careers—especially for low-income students and students of color.

But a lack of qualified teachers has stalled these efforts, and left California—a global hub for the technological industry—ranked near the bottom of states nationally in the percentage of high schools offering computer science classes.

“I truly believe that California’s future is dependent on preparing students for the tech-driven global economy. You see where the world is going, and it’s urgent that we make this happen,” said Allison Scott, chief executive officer of the Kapor Foundation, an Oakland-based organization that advocates for equity in the technology sector.

Scott was among those at a conference in Oakland last week aimed at expanding computer science education nationally. While some states—such as Arkansas, Maryland and South Carolina—are well on their way to offering computer science to all students, California lags far behind. According to a 2022 report by Code.org, only 40% of California high schools offer computer science classes, well below the national average of 53%.

California’s low-income students, rural students and students of color were significantly less likely to have access to computer science classes, putting them at a disadvantage in the job market, according to a 2021 report by the Kapor Center and Computer Science for California.

To help solve the computer science teacher shortage, Gov. Gavin Newsom in October signed Assembly Bill 1251, which creates a commission that will look at ways to streamline the process to become a computer science teacher. The current process is so arduous, some say, it’s keeping high-quality teachers from the classroom, especially in rural and low-income areas.

“The goal is to ensure we have well-prepared computer science teachers for all students, so they can engage in the world around them. We’re making progress, but we have a ways to go,” said Julie Flapan, director of the Computer Science Equity Project at UCLA. The new law should help eliminate that confusion, possibly leading to the creation of a computer science credential.

Computer science has evolved to include more than basic coding. A good class now includes lessons on artificial intelligence, media literacy, data science, ethics and biased algorithms, so “students know how to think critically to solve problems using technology,” Flapan said.

Becoming a computer science teacher can be a long and expensive process, but San Francisco State University has found a way to make the pathway more enticing. Using grant money from the National Science Foundation, the university is offering online courses for teachers who want to gain the extra 20 units in computer science, enabling them to teach at the high school level.

Since it launched the program in 2018, San Francisco State has trained more than 150 computer science teachers and is helping other universities start similar programs. Every year, it’s flooded with applications from throughout California, said Hao Yue, assistant chair of the computer science department at San Francisco State and a leader of the computer science education program.

Two years ago, Newsom allotted $15 million in the state budget to help teachers of other subjects obtain their 20 extra units of computer science. The state Department of Education has also made $20 million available to train teachers, counselors and administrators in computer science.

UC Berkeley also runs a free program to help teachers qualify to teach computer science. Funded in part through a grant from Google, the program gives teachers the credits they need to teach computer science, as well as guidance on how to make computer science more accessible to students of color, students with disabilities and low-income students.

Dead Will Dance

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Napa

Tribute Time

The Day of the Dead is an ancient festival of remembrance for those who have left this plane and moved to the land of the dead. Mythologically overseen by Mictēcacihuātl, the Aztec goddess of the dead, this sacred rite is a Pre-Columbian Indigenous tradition that has not only survived colonization, but has grown far beyond its central Mexican roots. All the people of Napa are invited to honor loved ones at the ofrenda and join together in community for a day of music, dance, food and learning about Dia de los Muertos, a life-affirming tradition rooted in love. Says the city of Napa, “We invite everyone to bring copies of photos, written stories, and memories to honor and celebrate your ancestors.” 3pm opening ceremony with Aztec dancing by Nanuhuatzin, main stage activities until 8pm. Dia de los Muertos, Saturday, Nov. 4, Veterans Park | Dwight Murray Plaza | Brown Street, Napa. Free.

 
Sonoma

Instrumental Banger

Australian Courtney Barnett is a crafter of tunes that strike the soul. No, that’s too easy. Barnett is an artist of the highest quality whose work rewards with subtleties and sophistication that continually bring forth new experiences in the listener with apparent ease. Taking that mastery a step further, Barnett’s latest album, End Of The Day, is an instrumental work that bravely casts aside the strongest features of her previous work, riffs and lyrics. She performs a set of the music from that album at the Gundlach Bundschu Amphitheater, followed by a second set selected from her repertoire of bangers. Doors 5:30pm, show 7pm, ⁣⁣Monday, Nov. 6, Gundlach Bundschu Amphitheater, 2000 Denmark St., Sonoma. $64.50. Parking $20 cash or PayPal only.

Santa Rosa

Museum of Our Dead

The Museum of Sonoma County hosts an annual Día de los Muertos exhibition featuring artwork and altars created by local artists. It is an opportunity to find joy in remembering loved ones while gathering in community. This year the exhibition will be outside in the Sculpture Garden, a move toward authenticity echoing the outdoor locations—often cemeteries—where the festivals often take place in Mexico. In a move toward inclusion, those not able to attend a public setting are offered at-home activities in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County. Whether from home or in person, all residents of Sonoma County are invited to place offerings in the altar. The Día de los Muertos Exhibition runs until Nov. 26 at the Museum of Sonoma County, 425 Seventh St., Santa Rosa. Free for museum members and children 12 and under. Students $7. Adults $10.

Petaluma

Death Punk

Fast, thrash punk from Portland, Oregon? Yes, please. North Bay Pyrate Punx has been putting on authentic, fun shows for forever. Bands from up and down the coast, and around the country, connect with the group to play to the North Bay’s proud, crusty, loving community of punks-for-life and their allies, such as Portland’s Sidewalk Slam playing this week at the Phoenix Theater. Often a fundraiser and too often a memorial, this show pays honor to former Sidewalk Slam bandmates drummer Kyle “Gob” Aragon, a North Bay transplant, and lead singer Devin Brough, both of whom left us too soon. Also playing, North Bay bands System86 and Hemmed Up. 8 pm, Saturday, Nov. 4, The Phoenix Theater, 201 Washington St., Petaluma. $10. All ages.

Holiday Arts in Marin

Though the North Bay is always a safe haven for art and artists alike, there’s still something extra special about taking in some demonstrations of local creativity during the holidays. No matter what fall and wintertime celebrations are on the calendar, it’s easy to find the time to fit in an outing or two to appreciate art (and those who...

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin opens at four Novato schools

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin opened four new locations in Novato on Oct. 10 to provide comprehensive after-school programs for local children. The Novato School Board approved the partnership with a unanimous vote in September. The four participating schools include San Jose Middle School, Sinaloa Middle School, Lynwood Elementary School and Olive Elementary School. For Novato families in need, programs...

Finding Poets

Santa Rosa Poetry Found Las Vegas-based poet and poetry slam grandfather AJ Houston is coming to Santa Rosa’s Lost Church this weekend to drop deep wisdom on the poetry-hungry ears. Many poetry open mics exist around Sonoma County, but there are no other poetry events quite like the Lost Church’s Found Poets. Poets are chosen as much for their performance chops...

Free Will Astrology: Week of November 8

Free Will Astrology: Week of November 8
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your victories-in-progress are subtle. They may not be totally visible to you yet. Let me describe them so you can feel properly confident about what you are in the process of accomplishing. 1. A sustained surge of hard-earned personal growth is rendering one of your problems mostly irrelevant. 2. You have been redefining what rewards...

Ancient Sounds: Will Marsh, sitar for life

With all the variety of music available in the North Bay, it is rare to find something new, truly different. Will Marsh’s forthcoming album, Integration, is exactly that. The album is all the more interesting because this new sound is rooted in the most ancient of contemporary musical traditions and its most famous instrument, classical Hindustani’s sitar. Marsh is a...

Making Scents: Essential Oil

Of the five senses, smell is the most spiritual. Fragrance operates on invisible channels within us that connect our body here in the material world to our spirit linked to the overworld. The sense of smell plays a central role in sacred rites through the use of incense, perfumes and essential oils, and is closely connected to breathing, of which...

Music Heals International celebrates its first decade

Mill Valley local Sara Wasserman is not only the founder of Music Heals International—she is also the daughter of the world-famous bassist, Rob Wasserman. In honor of her father and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Music Heals International, Wasserman is hosting an all-things-bass fundraising concert on Monday, Nov. 20 at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley. The lineup...

Caviar Dreams: Petra Higby

I met Petra Higby when she was first starting The Caviar Co. in San Francisco. Sometimes I can be found at their luxe Tiburon location. What do you do? I’m the CEO and co-founder of The Caviar Co. When I started the business in 2015 with my sister, Saskia, our goal was to demystify the world of caviar. I like to...

Teaching Tech: Computer science teachers needed

Five years ago, California embarked on an ambitious plan to bring computer science to all K-12 students, bolstering the state economy and opening doors to promising careers—especially for low-income students and students of color. But a lack of qualified teachers has stalled these efforts, and left California—a global hub for the technological industry—ranked near the bottom of states nationally in...

Dead Will Dance

  Napa Tribute Time The Day of the Dead is an ancient festival of remembrance for those who have left this plane and moved to the land of the dead. Mythologically overseen by Mictēcacihuātl, the Aztec goddess of the dead, this sacred rite is a Pre-Columbian Indigenous tradition that has not only survived colonization, but has grown far beyond its central Mexican...
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