Who We Are/History

The Vermont Independent School of the Arts, Inc. ("VTISA") is a non-profit tax exempt (501 C (3)) corporation, dedicated to the exploration of the diversified arts. The Mission of The Vermont Independent School of the Arts is to nurture a love and understanding of the arts and to serve the Upper Valley Community by providing diverse educational opportunities and performances.

Vermont Independent School of the Arts began its life as the brainchild of Scott Paulson, a multi-instrumentalist music teacher who had been teaching programs in many areas of central Vermont, often in several school districts simultaneously. Paulson was frustrated by the lack of emphasis and time allotted musical and artistic pursuits in many schools. He dreamed of a center where students who had the desire could be immersed in the arts without the constraints of large student groups trying to learn different instruments simultaneously...in one half hour per week.

Paulson had the occasion to see the vocal group Village Harmony directed by Larry Gordon, and was awestruck. The level of musicianship of the group members was very high, but more than this, it was obvious that being part of the group had had a dramatic and profound effect on these young people. These students were singing their hearts out, with power and confidence. Working so intensely to prepare for concerts obviously had also forged strong bonds between members.

Paulson realized at this point that this is what he had been looking for; an opportunity to impact students positively and dramatically. He approached Larry Gordon about adding a larger instrumental component to Village Harmony. Gordon liked the idea and offered a plan for sharing space in The 7 Stars Center, an old grange hall in Sharon, Vermont, which Gordon was buying for Village Harmony's headquarters and camp location.

The deal for village Harmony to purchase the 7 Stars eventually fell through and as Paulson had already moved into the building, he stayed, and in May of 2000 registered the trade name "Vermont Independent School of Musical Arts." Paulson began teaching lessons and running Jazz and Pop bands and eventually Caribbean Steel Drum ensembles, his pet project.

Bringing in other teachers, parents and community members, the organization was incorporated as a nonprofit on March 1, 2002. At this point the "musical" was dropped from the business name to open the way to offer other disciplines of the arts. The board then began the process of pursuing 501(c)3 federal tax exemption and was granted this status on May 7th, 2003.

The School was able to purchase the Seven Stars building and property in December of 2006 and has many plans to make the facility a true center for the arts! Centrally located in Sharon, just off Interstate 89, the structure began its life as a church in neighboring Norwich and was moved by oxen to its present location around 1910. With teaching spaces on the first floor and a large auditorium on the second floor, the building has the potential to be a first-rate home for all our activities, including performances, instruction, exhibits, and workshops involving various aspects of the arts.

Since acquiring the facility, we have remodeled the entryway by creating a new foyer, painting the landings and stairs, and replacing aged exterior lanterns, much of it paid for by volunteer labor and donations. The second floor auditorium has been completely repainted. A total of thirteen different persons volunteered 232 hours to patching, plastering, priming, and painting. A local hardware store kindly sold us paint at a 25% discount. The total cost of the painting project, thanks to the huge volunteer effort, was $535; the original estimate for the job had been nearly $3600! Other improvements have ranged from restoring the flower gardens to current improvements being made to the stage area, including provisions for additional storage space.

Again, we are grateful for so much of the work being done on a volunteer basis.

Now, our two most immediate needs are to provide accessibility for the disabled and elderly, and to improve the acoustics in the auditorium area. We are determined to make those things happen; they are the necessary final two pieces we must have in place in order that we be able to completely fulfill our mission. We're confident that the Seven Stars Center for the Arts will become a topnotch performance center where people of all ages can meet, enjoy, and work together in the arts.

The region served by VTISA enjoys a long history of commitment to the arts and music. The area supports numerous individual music teachers, school programs, musical organizations, and committed amateurs. However, because these musical resources are dispersed throughout a predominantly rural area, there is a need for a center where people can come together to develop their artistic knowledge and skills. Funding for music and arts programs in many area public schools has been severely curtailed. As a result, high student-to-teacher ratios are not able to adequately meet the individual needs of the students. Artistic choices are also limited within these programs without a strong influence of diverse world cultures. VTISA offers a variety of lessons and programs for music students of all ages whose school or individual study programs have not provided a sufficient opportunity to meet and work together musically. The school envisions expanding its programs in the future to include dance, fine arts, and unusual cultural instruction in areas such as African, Celtic and Caribbean music and dance, along with the more traditional fine arts instruction.

VTISA has also been responding to increasing demand for outreach programs and has worked in partnership with The Bridge Street School in Middlebury, Vermont, The Killington Mountain School, The Sharon Academy in Sharon, Vermont, Sharon Elementary School in Sharon, Vermont and the Suzuki School of the Killington Music Festival in Killington, Vermont. VTISA has been contacted by other schools to assist with their music programs as well. As part of VTISA's educational mission and its outreach program, its goal is to reach underprivileged students of all ages by providing tuition assistance to students who would not otherwise be able to enroll in VTISA's programs.