"The Bear, The Bird, & The Girl In The Hood is a trio of San Diego based classical musicians and performers who are taking a new approach to how music and art are promoted and utilized within San Diego schools.  Their new series, "CROSSROADS" is currently being piloted at Toler Elementary School.  This series is a two month long residency that features a concert for the whole student body, followed by a series of visits to each classroom individually.   The "CROSSROADS" residency is designed to emphasize the value of engagement with the arts at an AUDIENCE level, and focuses on such topics as listening, communication, risk taking, collaboration and teamwork, in addition to many other aspects.  Each session is highly interactive and the students have already been responding heartily!   Another intention of this residency is to remove all funding responsibility from the schools themselves, through an intensive program of partnerships, grants, private donations, and advocacy. The Bear, The Bird, & The Girl In The Hood will visit the Toler Elementary PTA meeting on Tuesday January 7th, at 6pm, to give a short performance and overview of this program.  It is their hope to raise awareness, and also to get any feedback from the parents' perspective.  It will be a fun and informative event and we hope you all will join us."