Swan Dive
Swan Dive Podcast celebrates people who pivoted to chase their dreams: artists, entrepreneurs, musical legends like George Clinton, Olympic gold medalists, Africa’s first black female neurosurgeon, journalists, formerly incarcerated persons and every day people from all walks of life ... share what drove them to find the courage to chase their dream. Hosts and lifelong friends, Stuart Sheldon and Ron Rothberg, launched Swan Dive in 2020 as Ron prepared for his own swan dive. After an illustrious 25-year media sales career he returned to his passion - content creation. Stu leapt from Wall Street to the arts three decades ago and never looked back. They approach each guest's dive through these distinct lenses, aiming to reveal something precious and inspiring.
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Share your Swan Dive story with us and we may feature you. Find us @stuart_sheldon and ronrothberg@comcast.net.
Swan Dive
Dr. Ruth Greenfield - "A Finished Prelude" - Opened one of the Deep South's 1st integrated music conservatories
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Born Nov. 1923 in Key West, long-time Miamian, Ruth Wolkowsky Greenfield is an American concert pianist, composer and teacher who, through music, broke racial barriers and brought together black and white students, taught by black and white teachers. She moved to Paris in 1949 to study piano and there experienced a society far more racially integrated than Miami, which was in the throes of profound racial segregation ... in schools, beaches, parks, restaurants. When she returned to Miami, Ruth founded the Fine Arts Conservatory in 1951 in Miami, one of the first fully integrated schools for music, art and dance in the South. This pioneering color-blind approach was considered scandalous at the time, but provided a breath of fresh air in a toxic society. Greenfield continued to teach music for 32 years at what is today Miami Dade College, Florida's first integrated college. Concerned w urban blight in Downtown Miami in the late 70s early 80s, Ruth founded the Lunchtime Lively Arts Series that brought music and culture to downtown Miami. She has devoted her life to using music to build bridges, bringing music to performers of all races, ages and genders. Watch the documentary about Ruth - "instruments of Change."
Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us!
We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com