Mid-Year Education & Community Programs Update
It was an exciting and busy fall for our K-12 programs, with full houses at Bing Concert Hall for our first two student matinees. A cappella innovators The House Jacks opened the series in September. Their beautiful harmonies, propulsive arrangements, virtuosic beatboxing, and interactive style delighted an audience spanning kindergarteners through 12th grade.
We followed this with Manual Cinema’s adaptation of Frankenstein. Their vision of the work mixed shadow puppets, live actors, silent film techniques, and live music, and frames Mary Shelley’s tale with elements of her own biography. The show drew thunderous applause from a rapt audience of primarily middle schoolers. It was a wonderful opportunity to deepen our growing relationship with the Redwood City School District, whose 8th graders read a graphic novel adaptation of Frankenstein. Several RCSD teachers brought large groups and expressed their excitement at the curricular connection.
Austin Willacy and Greg Fletcher of The House Jacks launched our season of professional development for educators with a workshop on “Music as Communication” on September 13. In addition to having teachers attend, Austin and Greg coached 50 members of the Palo Alto High School Concert Choir. We followed this with a shadow puppetry workshop led by nationally acclaimed teaching artist Daniel Barash. By the end of the workshop, teachers had joined in teams to model shadow puppetry as a classroom tool, collaborating to make their own shadow puppets and perform a creation myth for each other.
We extended the impact of last season’s popular Arts and Healing workshop series for teachers with a special half-day workshop on “Restorative Practices With a Creative Twist” led by Michelle Holdt. Educators continue to remark on the joy, creativity, and renewal that our workshops bring to their teaching. One teacher noted in our post-workshop surveys, “I really loved the workshop. I felt very comfortable and felt very seen. Highly recommended. I am so much more confident in bringing these practices to my classroom. Thank you!!”
We have increased our guest artist visits to school sites, with all-women’s Latin ensemble Ladama performing two energetic assemblies at Hoover Elementary in Redwood City in October. Their bilingual presentation and mix of musical styles were a perfect fit for the school, with a student body that is over 90% Latino and more than half native Spanish speakers. Duveneck Elementary in Palo Alto welcomed members of the Silkroad Ensemble the following month to explore both Western and Asian music and cultures.
Our artists-in-schools program in the Ravenswood City School District is off to a strong start, with programs active in all four district schools mixing teaching artists visits to music classes and participatory assemblies. Our partner ensemble Quinteto Latino has welcomed a new cohort of Teaching Fellows, all Masters degree students at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, who are contributing fresh ideas and energy to the programs. Ravenswood schools have also been very active participants in our on-campus programs, with Belle Haven Elementary bringing their entire student body to the House Jacks student matinee.
We are continuing these meaningful partnerships through the spring and beyond. Learn more about our programs and what upcoming opportunities are available.
Thanks to our supporters who make this work possible!
Stanford Live's K-12 programs are generously supported by Victoria and James Maroulis, Gretchen and Mark Schar, California Arts Council, Koret Foundation, and an anonymous donor, as well as from individual members like you. Thank you!