| |
|
Reviews
|
| |
|
| |
"Mat and Deb performed for our church's Rally Day Worship Service. Our students obviously loved the presentation
and we had many positive comments from both the kids and adults. Patchwork Pear provided a unique mixture of
music, mime and juggling and we appreciated the fact that they were willing to tailor their performance to our theme.
After the presentation, Mat taught our students juggling skills. His rapport with all of our students from preschool
through high school was amazing. We would happily invite Patchwork Pear again!"
Mary Keith, Fruitport Congregational United Church of Christ
Through his impressive stilt-walking and juggling skills, entertainer Mat Emerick came to Sherwood Park this spring for
a K-8 assembly and delivered a very engaging hour long Anti-Bullying Message through clever stories, keeping the
attention of all the students throughout the his presentation. Students and staff alike were very positive in their
comments about this assembly and wanted to know if he was coming back next year. I was very happy with Mat
Emerick’s assembly and very pleased with how well he was received by all who watched. I encourage any administrator
who deals with bullying issues to bring Mat Emerick to your school for this assembly.
Mark Frost, Principal, Sherwood Park Global Studies Academy, Grand Rapids Public Schools
"Mat performed at our inaugural kickoff assembly for our Character Initiative. His storytelling and juggling talents
compliment one another so well, which captivates the children. He is willing to listen to your needs as a school, and
tailor the performance to those needs."
Dave Wojcicki, Counselor, Fremont Public Schools
"I heard several teachers comment how much they appreciated your humor in working with an intangible subject like
Character and how marvelous an addition your show has been in the past and after watching, I whole heartedly
agree!" Bob Cassiday, Principal, Pathfinder Elementary School
"Our students loved the performance of the Patchwork Pear! Through acting, humor, music, and juggling, the students
were given the message to use 'Respect' and 'Responsibility.' It was a great kick off for our MEAP testing!"
Gloria Anderson, Social Worker, Coopersville Public Schools
"We have had Mat Emerick back for six years in a row speaking to our student assemblies on Character, Recycling,
and Reading. He never fails to entertain or inspire the students! He’s also brought us his unique team building
program and it was fantastic! He worked with our entire 5th grade class over the course of 9 days. The kids loved the
characters, costumes and games. The teachers loved the valuable team, leadership and character training and
message that the students received. It made a big difference and we will bring him back!"
Barb Liescheidt, Social Worker, White Cloud Schools
"Thanks for the Anti-Bullying presentations today! You were right on target and the balanced message of how to
stand up to a bully and how to report mean behaviors will make our school a better place. The kids really liked the
sharing of self and the challenge you gave them to beat a bully with their hearts. The teachers appreciate that
strategies were given and this reinforced our current system of knowing when to report a mean behavior. Your skills as
a juggler held their attention and they were locked onto the message. I especially loved how you encouraged them to
be protective bystanders and together they stand taller than a person showing bully behavior! Thanks again for
sharing your gifts today . Our school culture will grow in a positive direction because of today's shows!"
Martin Alexander, Principal, Coopersville South Elementary
Our students were fortunate enough to have Mat give them an anti-bullying assembly as well as teamwork and
character building programs! The kids were able to play cooperative games and had a lot of fun and learned a lot
about how to be a "team player"! Rebekah Hetrick, Teacher, Godwin Heights Middle School
Mat’s Circquest Team Building Program provided our students with an afternoon full of activities that challenged
them to cooperatively solve problems and experience interpersonal skills critical to living a successful life. He managed
to accomplish these lofty goals while creating an environment that felt more like relaxed play. Students who normally
would be hesitant to participate jumped right in. Mat is a skilled teacher and performer. We appreciated his ability to
communicate with the students and to challenge them to accomplish difficult tasks. The lessons of the afternoon will be
ones we can recall time and time again. Andrew E. Apps, Teacher, Grant Christian Middle School
"Your Summer Reading Program performance was wonderful and we had so many positive comments from adults
and children both! Kids were talking about learning to juggle and they were showing me mime and asking me to guess
what they were doing. You are also the most approachable performers I have dealt with and are very organized about
keeping in touch. I know the conditions at the museum aren't the best but you took it in stride and both put on a
wonderful show!" Joan Miller Moran, Belding Library
"Our patrons (& staff) really enjoyed the performance! It was wonderful to have so much folklore included in the
program. The staff liked the way you tied part of the program to the Summer Reading Program theme. I don't usually
care for mimes but I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mat. Deb's live music was a great touch, too. We will invite them
back!"
Marilyn Painter, Loutit Library
"I loved the Patchwork Pear and so did all the kids and parents watching their Summer Reading Program
presentation! Most of the parents and grandparents came up and said how wonderful they were. They are musical,
mimical, and juggical (my inventive spelling). It was interactive and entertaining. I highly recommend them!
Ellie Mazor, Hudsonville Library
"I would highly recommend the Patchwork Pear! Their Summer Reading Program performances are highly
entertaining and very professional. I love the fact that they present folktales like 'The Legend of John Henry' and the
poem 'Casey at the Bat' in a fun and creative way that the kids really enjoy!"
Sharon Van Ett, Ionia Library
"Patchwork Pear is a wonderful program for Family Library Programs, with great music, mime, and juggling skills. A
great time was had by children and adults alike!"
Vicki Kouchnerkavich, Henika Library
"Good entertainment is not always easy to find, but you will get your money's worth with Mat Emerick. From the first
phone call to the final performance, he was easy to work with and very flexible with what my needs were. Our Vacation
Bible School is filled with hundreds of kids and Mat was able to keep them and the adults captivated with his
performance. He engages the audience and gets them involved making it exciting, funny and amazing to watch. He
was even able to adjust his routine at the last moment to tie in one of our lessons for the day with his act. Mat has so
much to offer for any age, that you could hire him many times over and never get tired of seeing his performance. I
highly recommend him for any function that needs a little extra pizazz - because that's what Mat brings. Your event may
be good, but Mat would make it great!"
Natalie Ten Brink, VBS Director, Calvary CRC, Holland
"Thanks to Mat Emerick our 2011“Leadership Day” at the Newaygo County Career-Tech Center was a huge
success! As he did the year before, Mat engaged students in an entertaining and motivational manner with excellent
team building activities. He established an immediate rapport with participants. His keynote "Leadership By The
Juggler Guy" message was very effective. Students gave glowing reviews that they saw meaning and purpose in what
they were doing while having a lot of fun!"
Sandy Tower, Career Development Specialist, NC RESA
“It was great to have Patchwork Pear perform for us at our Church Social Event. Both our adults and children
enjoyed the good mix of creative music, mime, juggling and clowning! They are truly a talented pair and they kept us
spellbound for the entire hour. This is the second time we had them with us and I would not hesitate to have them back
again!” Howard Matthews, Pastor, HomeFront Church (Grandville, MI)
"Mat Emerick did a marvelous job of blending scripture, mime, storytelling, and juggling to lead our students in a
celebration of God's creativity and his ultimate control over our lives. Following the Chapel, there were many positive
and enthusiastic comments from the students and teachers throughout the day!"
Gretchen VanHeukelum, Teacher, Allendale Christian School
"Thank you! I can't say enough about how blown away I was today. The kids absolutely loved the Team Building
activities, but more importantly they got the big picture. They understood the values that were attached to what they
were doing. Our entire fourth grade staff was equally impressed, as were the parents that were in attendance. Nice
work. You changed some lives today."
Brian Hausig, Teacher, Coopersville South Elementary
"We are so thankful for Deb and Mat coming to Corinth and giving such a wonderful performance! The kids were really
engaged and they really held their attention. The adult leaders really enjoyed it too! We will have them back again!"
Nancy Hop, Events Coordinator, Corinth Reformed Church, Byron Center
"Mat facilitated our High School Youth Retreat and this was the first time that we had Mat with us. We sure were not
disappointed in the high energy, Spirit filled sessions that he presented to our teens. With his gifts of juggling, team
building and mime, he brought the Lord to us through Scripture and personal testimony. The teens had a great time
attempting to match Mat’s skills and did not give up trying. They listened with full attention as he encouraged them to
use their gifts and talents for the work of the Lord and to know that the Lord knows them personally and is there for
them at all times. We look forward to having Mat back with us and also in our Diocese for other youth events!"
Marsha Hoppe, Director of High School Ministry, Alpena Catholic Parishes
Fremont Middle School was fortunate to have Mat Emerick speak and perform for our 6th and 7th grade students. Not
only did he entertain the kids with his clown, juggling, and stilts routine, but most importantly, he left the kids with this
important message: “Don’t sit by, take a stand against Bullying.” Our middle school level kids need to hear this
regularly, and Mat did a great job of conveying the message!
Ken Haggert, Principal, Fremont Middle School
Mat Emerick has graciously come into our High School and woking with a Juggling Workshop and Performance. He
captured their attention and tells great stories! His message was to encourages them not to give up . . . because ALL
jugglers, and all people, “drop the ball” sometimes. He is an impressive entertainer, teacher and speaker!
Julie Gardenour, High School Teacher
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
