If you’ve ever parented, taught, or observed children aged seven, eight, or nine years old, you know that they need to be doing stuff to learn, not just sitting listening.
This was something I observed when I went to see a professional/educational collaboration of Dido and Aeneas last spring at LaGuardia School of Music, Art, and the Performing Arts. On November 19, I joined several hundred first- and second-graders from New York City public schools who were attending one of six concerts taking place over three days at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. The concerts were part of the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall’s educational program called “My City, My Song,” a theme meant to evoke a musical expedition through New York City and featuring musicians from Queens (Irish vocalist Anne-Marie Hildebrandt, piano/bodhrán), Harlem (gospel/opera baritone Gregory Rahming), and Manhattan’s Little India (Indian vocalist Falu, joined by vocalist Gaurav Shah, harmonium player Borahm Lee, and tablas player Satyan Shah).
For the most part, this one-hour program had the kids singing, clapping, and moving the whole time, beginning with the program introduction, a spirited call-and-response “I say a boom, chicka boom” with a group leader. read more
subscribe to RSS feed
find SundayArts on Facebook
