Elizabeth Rose
Breaking news: "Yo Miz!" is a TRIPLE WINNER for "Best Non Fiction" and "Best New Voice/Non Fiction": National Indie Excellence Awards (Gold), Ben Franklin Award (Silver) IPBA and Non Fiction Book Awards (Bronze).
"Edu-tainer" Elizabeth Rose swore she would never follow the advice of her parents, both teachers, and become a teacher, too. But in between creating music and comedy for stage, film and TV, she took a gig teaching songwriting in a NYC public high school. Her students, mostly from the projects, ignited her with their energy and raw creativity. Frustrated by the school's outdated technology and lack of a music program, she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in tech grants enabling her kids to create DVD yearbooks and record original songs. When her job was cut, she was given the choice of substituting in a different school each week-or resigning. She almost resigned. Then she realized that this assignment would give her access to a unique story. So she stayed. And wrote it. She hopes her parents are having an unearthly chuckle.
Rose has been featured on PBS's "To The Contrary." She is on the Board of the Society of Composers and Lyricists. She has hosted and produced shows for WJFF, Radio Catskill, an NPR affiliate and hosted "Mosaic," a weekly arts program on midwestern educational TV. Her one woman musical comedy, "Relative Pitch" was produced Off Broadway by the Cherry Lane Theatre's Mentor Project. "Leave Me Alone" her music video has been honored by the NY Caregivers Org and "Back Seat Driver," shot in County Kerry, Ireland, was given its premier at Tech Amergin, the Irish Arts Center in Waterville. "Sleep Naked," her cd of original tunes has received honors and international airplay. A hot guitarist, she's played festivals and toured internationally with the Broadway cast of Beatlemania on keyboards. She has been a guest lecturer at Yale University (Scott Freiman's Beatles composing/recording seminar) and participated in the Yale Writers Conference with TV writer/producers Stephen Tolkin and Richard Kramer. Her husband, Don Castellow, has created PennywhistleBand.com, bringing affordable instrumental music to elementary schools everywhere.
