Gwynne Snyder-Cropsey
Stephen Snyder
I am an environmental educator/musician /performer, with over 30 years experience. I have a Masters degree in Education (focus international environmental education) and I have worked as an educator, field biologist, Peace Corps Volunteer, expedition leader, kayaking guide and for the past 25 years, a full time professional musician. Born in England to a Brazilian mother and North American father, I have been immersed in various cultural references that have informed my creative decisions as an environmental education /performer. I have traveled extensively through Latin America, and perform music on various folkloric instruments from various regions of the Americas, and am bilingual Spanish/English. My specialized subject and passion is in water education, and for the past 25 years have worked with water agencies and watershed councils at local and state levels. My group ZunZun, who I perform together with my wife Gwynne, has created award-winning programs that reach over 100,000 kids a year. I have written two books about water and music (The Sirens Guitar-A Musical Paddling Adventure, The Waterbeat Actvity Book) and was the main songwriter for ZunZun, creating numerous award winning albums and videos. My current project is developing the ‘Waterbeat” program into an international resource for combining the importance of water education with the importance of movement education, especially for young audiences ages 3-12. In my free time I love swimming, surfing, kayaking in the Pacific Ocean, and when not doing this, spending time with my wonderful family. I also play music … a lot.
Gwynne Snyder-Cropsey has worked performing and teaching through music and movement since 1992. She began teaching as an instructor of music at UC Santa Cruz for their Latin American music ensemble, and has toured performing music through 14 countries of the Americas. In 1996 she and her husband Stephen formed ZunZun, and began using music from the Americas to teach about environmental topics in an interactive way. Work with agencies such as Save Our Shores lead to a continued request by California agencies to create programs about water, watershed, pollution prevention, conservation and recycling, and even how they are all connected.
Every year ZunZun sees over 100,000 students, educators and members of the general public during the fun, multi-disciplinary performances. It is mind boggling to realize more than one million audience members have seen a ZunZun water show!
Gwynne enjoys the continued feed back that, through the arts, we are reaching students who may not thrive in academic settings, and continues to strive for effective tools to reach everyone in an audience. She attends workshops and meetings with educators from all over California to stay current and find news ways to keep young people truly empowered and excited to save water, keep watersheds clean and make the changes in their own lives. It is a joy to see kids thrive and feel strong, and know they can make a huge difference for generations to come.
Every year ZunZun sees over 100,000 students, educators and members of the general public during the fun, multi-disciplinary performances. It is mind boggling to realize more than one million audience members have seen a ZunZun water show!
Gwynne enjoys the continued feed back that, through the arts, we are reaching students who may not thrive in academic settings, and continues to strive for effective tools to reach everyone in an audience. She attends workshops and meetings with educators from all over California to stay current and find news ways to keep young people truly empowered and excited to save water, keep watersheds clean and make the changes in their own lives. It is a joy to see kids thrive and feel strong, and know they can make a huge difference for generations to come.