While Melody Newcombe works on improving life on this planet in tangible ways, she also serves to bring laughter and joy to people of all ages as an entertainer. She performs for people from all walks of life, religious beliefs, capabilities and heritages.
The only child of Norwegian born Conrad Campbell Norsgaard and U.S. Citizen Grace May Homan, Melody grew up in Englewood, NJ. While in Norway, her father was a pilot and aerial photographer for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Prior to and after his military service, he was a farmer, raising animals for pelts for the international fashion industry. His travels took him all over the planet.
For awhile he was stationed in Canada at the Little Norway base, when his friend and fellow airman, Thor Heyerdahl suggested they go to NYC to see the sights and his girl friend. They ended up at the Hotel New Yorker Terrace Room, where Melody's mother performed as the Captain of Ice Ballet to the music of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman and other jazz bands.
Thor was dating a woman in the ice show. While watching the show, Campbell spotted Gracie May and nudged Thor. Thor promised to introduce her. Gracie May had been dating Admiral Byrd, but was taken by the blonde blue eyed Norwegian. The rest is history.
As a child, Melody spent time with her mother and the big bands which gave her the gift of an ear for jazz, improvisation and performance. Back stage the smell of grease paint and allure of colorful costumes got into her blood. Under her mother's tutelage, Melody learned dancing, ice skating, poise, choreography and creative expression.
Her father would tell about his world travels and show photographs he had taken of people and cultures from all over the world. Together they would examine his international collections of clothing, arts, crafts, sculpture and ceramics. From this Melody gained a keen eye for art, design and materials.
Campbell taught Melody to use tools and equipment, paint, do wiring and plumbing, and care for their vegetable and flower gardens, fruit trees and berry vines and bushes. Melody has carried these skills into her present day life and is grateful for her parental training.
While a young child, Melody's mother become incapacitated with what they believed was Multiple Sclerosis. A large responsibility fell onto Melody's and Campbell's shoulders. While her father worked, Melody took on the role of housewife and nurse to her mother.
When Melody was still small, her father needed to spend more time at home to care for his wife and small child and began to notice the myriad of life that teamed on the property of their home. Utilizing his knowledge of photography and film, Campbell began to capture the beauty and life cycles of insects, songbirds and wildlife on 16mm and 35mm film. Melody was always in tow, so she learned much about the natural world first hand over the years. She began to see the inter-relations of all life and the fragile balance on our planet. She gained an appreciation and respect for life and carries that with her to this day.
Her father also took her to the fur market in NYC where she gained a first hand knowledge of bartering, sales and marketing. Her also took her on location, as he developed his Campbell Norsgaard Productions business. She got to see corporate headquarters, meet top executives, watch assembly line productions, packaging and a myriad of other businesses from behind the camera as her dad's grip and lighting assistant. As she grew up, she did research and wrote film scripts, designed and made titles and did artwork for films.
All the time, her mother was becoming more disabled, Melody took on more responsibilities at home and with her father's business ventures. She took typing in 7th grade and became her father's secretary, corresponding with corporations and many other people. Soon she began to help marketing her father and his films.
When she was 15 years old, she sent a 'fishing' letter to National Geographic Society expounding her father's talents as a filmmaker and his incredible macro films of insects. Much to her and her dad's surprise, NGS wrote back and said they wanted to meet Campbell and that he should prepare a 45 minute sample reel to show in D.C. The morning of his flight he awoke to the flu and told Melody she would have to go in his place.
At that point in her life, she had never been anywhere other than her grandmother's and great aunt's homes and never on an airplane. Somehow Melody found herself in D.C., sample film reel under her arm. She lectured while the film rolled for the select audience of NGS executives. A week later, they called and said they were so inthralled with the 15 year old and her knowledge of nature that they made a deal for David L. Wolper Productions to produce a television special entitled 'The Hidden World of Insects' in conjunction with NGS and Campbell Norsgaard Productions that would star Melody and Campbell and their film library of nature science footage that would air on CBS-TV. From there Melody went onto to work on many other science documentaries.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844167/
As a teenager, Melody offered environmental classes and walks at many northern New Jersey nature centers and preserves teaching people from tots to seniors about the wonders of nature. She also worked at the local nursery where she did sales, planted seedlings, raised cutting flowers in the greenhouses, did flower arranging and began doing landscape design.
Melody's personal dreams as a child and young woman were to be a professional jazz singer, actor, architect, artist and wildlife photographer as well as make a difference in the world She has realized most of her dreams and then some. She went on to teach school, work in many different kinds of businesses and for herself.
She is a perennial student and has studied liberal, fine and performing arts, sciences and horticulture, agriculture, business, organizational leadership and communication.
Melody Newcombe was Vice President of the Natural Organic Farmers Association, Inc. of New York State and helped to encourage policy change in NY State with then Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Macquire to allow the promotion of organic farms in both NY and in the NY State Growers Guide. Melody Newcombe also organized the first organic farming conference to ever be held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY which was no small feat, as Cornell did not acknowledge or share information with the public about the principles of growing crops organically. This conference served to open gates for communication between Cornell, NY State, agribusiness and organic farmers and consumers in NY. It lead to the formation of a series of Transition Conferences in NY specifically focused on getting agribusiness to become less reliant on chemical fertilizers, herbacides, fungicides and pesticides, encouraged IPM - integrated pest management strategies but most importantly opened avenues of communication between farmers in New York.
Melody Newcombe has 2 daughters who share the same birth date 18 years apart. Her older daughter Heather Turner owns and manages her own business http://www.forfengdesigns.com. Melody's younger daughter, Isadora is a talented performer, teacher and EMT. Melody is proud of her daughters who are each successful in their own lives and careers.
In the early 90's Melody was diagnosed with cancer, had surgery and after surviving life threatening complication while on chemotherapy, had a second bought with cancer. During that time, she and her husband separated and she was faced with a second surgery and raising a youngest daughter, then just 3 years old. Rather than focus on cancer and fear, she focused on having fun, being silly and playing with her youngest daughter, Isadora. Melody decided to become a clown. She wanted Isadora to remember her mom as being funny and joyful after her death. Years of laughter healed Melody. She is a monument to the slogan 'Laughter is the Best Medicine'.
For more information about Melody Newcombe you can go to the following links as well as find her on her personal and Melody May Productions facebook pages:
Http://www.melodynewcombe.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gardens-in-the-Woods/122954124420823
http://www.gigmasters.com/Clown/MelodyNewcombe-WhoopsyDaisy/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ulster-County-Womens-Network/186753639617 Melody Newcombe is President of the Ulster County Women's Network
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/18/nyregion/nature-as-a-passion-and-a-subject.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
The only child of Norwegian born Conrad Campbell Norsgaard and U.S. Citizen Grace May Homan, Melody grew up in Englewood, NJ. While in Norway, her father was a pilot and aerial photographer for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Prior to and after his military service, he was a farmer, raising animals for pelts for the international fashion industry. His travels took him all over the planet.
For awhile he was stationed in Canada at the Little Norway base, when his friend and fellow airman, Thor Heyerdahl suggested they go to NYC to see the sights and his girl friend. They ended up at the Hotel New Yorker Terrace Room, where Melody's mother performed as the Captain of Ice Ballet to the music of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman and other jazz bands.
Thor was dating a woman in the ice show. While watching the show, Campbell spotted Gracie May and nudged Thor. Thor promised to introduce her. Gracie May had been dating Admiral Byrd, but was taken by the blonde blue eyed Norwegian. The rest is history.
As a child, Melody spent time with her mother and the big bands which gave her the gift of an ear for jazz, improvisation and performance. Back stage the smell of grease paint and allure of colorful costumes got into her blood. Under her mother's tutelage, Melody learned dancing, ice skating, poise, choreography and creative expression.
Her father would tell about his world travels and show photographs he had taken of people and cultures from all over the world. Together they would examine his international collections of clothing, arts, crafts, sculpture and ceramics. From this Melody gained a keen eye for art, design and materials.
Campbell taught Melody to use tools and equipment, paint, do wiring and plumbing, and care for their vegetable and flower gardens, fruit trees and berry vines and bushes. Melody has carried these skills into her present day life and is grateful for her parental training.
While a young child, Melody's mother become incapacitated with what they believed was Multiple Sclerosis. A large responsibility fell onto Melody's and Campbell's shoulders. While her father worked, Melody took on the role of housewife and nurse to her mother.
When Melody was still small, her father needed to spend more time at home to care for his wife and small child and began to notice the myriad of life that teamed on the property of their home. Utilizing his knowledge of photography and film, Campbell began to capture the beauty and life cycles of insects, songbirds and wildlife on 16mm and 35mm film. Melody was always in tow, so she learned much about the natural world first hand over the years. She began to see the inter-relations of all life and the fragile balance on our planet. She gained an appreciation and respect for life and carries that with her to this day.
Her father also took her to the fur market in NYC where she gained a first hand knowledge of bartering, sales and marketing. Her also took her on location, as he developed his Campbell Norsgaard Productions business. She got to see corporate headquarters, meet top executives, watch assembly line productions, packaging and a myriad of other businesses from behind the camera as her dad's grip and lighting assistant. As she grew up, she did research and wrote film scripts, designed and made titles and did artwork for films.
All the time, her mother was becoming more disabled, Melody took on more responsibilities at home and with her father's business ventures. She took typing in 7th grade and became her father's secretary, corresponding with corporations and many other people. Soon she began to help marketing her father and his films.
When she was 15 years old, she sent a 'fishing' letter to National Geographic Society expounding her father's talents as a filmmaker and his incredible macro films of insects. Much to her and her dad's surprise, NGS wrote back and said they wanted to meet Campbell and that he should prepare a 45 minute sample reel to show in D.C. The morning of his flight he awoke to the flu and told Melody she would have to go in his place.
At that point in her life, she had never been anywhere other than her grandmother's and great aunt's homes and never on an airplane. Somehow Melody found herself in D.C., sample film reel under her arm. She lectured while the film rolled for the select audience of NGS executives. A week later, they called and said they were so inthralled with the 15 year old and her knowledge of nature that they made a deal for David L. Wolper Productions to produce a television special entitled 'The Hidden World of Insects' in conjunction with NGS and Campbell Norsgaard Productions that would star Melody and Campbell and their film library of nature science footage that would air on CBS-TV. From there Melody went onto to work on many other science documentaries.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844167/
As a teenager, Melody offered environmental classes and walks at many northern New Jersey nature centers and preserves teaching people from tots to seniors about the wonders of nature. She also worked at the local nursery where she did sales, planted seedlings, raised cutting flowers in the greenhouses, did flower arranging and began doing landscape design.
Melody's personal dreams as a child and young woman were to be a professional jazz singer, actor, architect, artist and wildlife photographer as well as make a difference in the world She has realized most of her dreams and then some. She went on to teach school, work in many different kinds of businesses and for herself.
She is a perennial student and has studied liberal, fine and performing arts, sciences and horticulture, agriculture, business, organizational leadership and communication.
Melody Newcombe was Vice President of the Natural Organic Farmers Association, Inc. of New York State and helped to encourage policy change in NY State with then Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Macquire to allow the promotion of organic farms in both NY and in the NY State Growers Guide. Melody Newcombe also organized the first organic farming conference to ever be held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY which was no small feat, as Cornell did not acknowledge or share information with the public about the principles of growing crops organically. This conference served to open gates for communication between Cornell, NY State, agribusiness and organic farmers and consumers in NY. It lead to the formation of a series of Transition Conferences in NY specifically focused on getting agribusiness to become less reliant on chemical fertilizers, herbacides, fungicides and pesticides, encouraged IPM - integrated pest management strategies but most importantly opened avenues of communication between farmers in New York.
Melody Newcombe has 2 daughters who share the same birth date 18 years apart. Her older daughter Heather Turner owns and manages her own business http://www.forfengdesigns.com. Melody's younger daughter, Isadora is a talented performer, teacher and EMT. Melody is proud of her daughters who are each successful in their own lives and careers.
In the early 90's Melody was diagnosed with cancer, had surgery and after surviving life threatening complication while on chemotherapy, had a second bought with cancer. During that time, she and her husband separated and she was faced with a second surgery and raising a youngest daughter, then just 3 years old. Rather than focus on cancer and fear, she focused on having fun, being silly and playing with her youngest daughter, Isadora. Melody decided to become a clown. She wanted Isadora to remember her mom as being funny and joyful after her death. Years of laughter healed Melody. She is a monument to the slogan 'Laughter is the Best Medicine'.
For more information about Melody Newcombe you can go to the following links as well as find her on her personal and Melody May Productions facebook pages:
Http://www.melodynewcombe.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gardens-in-the-Woods/122954124420823
http://www.gigmasters.com/Clown/MelodyNewcombe-WhoopsyDaisy/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ulster-County-Womens-Network/186753639617 Melody Newcombe is President of the Ulster County Women's Network
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/18/nyregion/nature-as-a-passion-and-a-subject.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
