Students in this course will gain the basic skills and insights necessary to create art that are both acurate and expressive. Students will explore graffiti as a voice and form of expression, painting, sketching and collages. Students will gain confidence in their own vision and their ability to draw what they see.
The Beat Making/ production course mission is to inspire and teach students skills in music production. Students will practice the translation of musical ideas through processes of improvisation and refinement and introduce them to the fundamentals of melody, rhythm and harmony, while also acclimating them to the hardware and software interfaces used in producing digital music (keyboard/pad controllers and computer programs) bringing absolute beginners to a degree of understanding and tactility so they are able produce music independently.
This class focuses on the creative process of wellness, self-discovery, and personal growth using expressive mediums of music, art, poetry, journaling, and movement. The goal is to engage students in using art as a guide to healing, managing stress levels, connecting with others, and building resilience. Each class session will include a conversation topic and an art practice which will encourage communication and expression. Students are expected to participate in each art practice and demonstrate a general understanding of the topics discussed.
This year, we worked with middle school students and talented veteran teacher Lisa Bello at the Timilty Middle School to present a class called UnHidden Figures. Based on the hit movie, the study of portraiture, and the powerful work of the “Because Of Them We Can” project, students studied Black and Latinx scientists and created self-portraits of themselves as those scientists. Their portraits can be seen this Spring at Boston City Hall.
Connecting to our organizational roots as a youth news program, one of our most common in school program offerings is teaching young people the basics of video journalism. With a spectrum of product outcomes from live coverage of breaking news, to more in depth pieces of issues, like the piece here about the very personal choice of Muslim women whether or not to wear a hijab, these classes are an exciting and easily scaffolded option for a range of classroom styles.
Partnering with a number of talented photographers, we have a variety of disciplines students can learn about, including Street Photography, pictured here. Photography classes are a great way to give students a chance to feel ownership over projects, increase their critical thinking, and explore their communities.
The incredibly talented Eli Pabon teaches and leads a number of Bomba and other dance classes in schools like Young Achievers (pictured). Engaging youth in movement through Afro-Caribbean dance forms increases their connection to their diasporic roots, their confidence, and their physical activity.
Our Program Coordinator Letia Larok teaches a range of Hip Hop classes engaging youth in writing, performing, social issue learning, and the history an ethnomusicology of Hip Hop. Students increase mastery of language, confidence in ability to learn, and self-confidence.