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HISTORY, SOCIAL STUDIES & MILLENIUM PERSPECTIVES

AMERICAN MUSIC: A RESPONSE TO HISTORY

Grades 7-12
3 performing/teaching artists - Three presentations/day
$550 + $350 + $225= $1125

The Westward Expansion, The World Wars, The Roaring 20's, The Depression... The genius of our American composers has given us classic "American" music which reflects our American history and traditions. Hosted and performed by Broadway leading lady Dianne Legro, this program explores and celebrates the creative output of musical giants Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, among others. Lively scenarios bring the musical selections to life as students explore what qualities make this music so distinctly American. The contributions of the great lyricists and poets who created the memorable texts are also reviewed for their original style. Student participation and conversation with the artists is encouraged throughout the program.

ROLAND HAYES & THE AMERICAN SPIRITUAL

Grades 7-12
1 performing/teaching artist plus an accompanist - Three presentations/day
$450 + $300 + $175= $925

" Life is about hope," says tenor Paul Spencer Adkins, performer and star of the PBS documentary special chronicling the life of Roland Hayes. Hayes was the first African-American artist to gain international recognition as a classical concert singer, and Adkins, a rising operatic star of his own generation, tells the story of Roland Hayes and the American Spiritual. Adkins sings and discusses the power of music and how it can affect our lives today. He talks to young people about their dreams and aspirations and stresses the importance of believing in yourself and following your dreams.

OF COLOR & COURAGE

Grades 7-12
1 performing/teaching artists - Three presentations/day
$375 + $175 + $100= $650

This program is about role models for life and the "whole-life skills" young people need to build a healthy sense of self, to rise to their aspirations and find strength within. Presented by leading African American opera singer, producer and teacher Paul Spencer Adkins, this program documents the lives of dozens of outstanding Americans of color whose stories of courage point the way to high motivation, advanced education and worthy life goals. Based on research assignments prepared by students on men and women of color in America.

"THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN"-
MUSIC OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Grades 7-8
2 performing/teaching artists - Three presentations/day
$475 + $350 + $225= $1050

Yankee Doodle comes to town with this exciting, hands-on program which gives student insights into the causes and attitudes of the various participants of the American Revolutionary War. Through performances on the piccolo and the drum, artists Donna Wissinger and Richard Albagli help students understand the role which music and musicians played in this conflict. Throughout the program, students have the opportunity to participate by experiencing a day in the life of a soldier. Students learn various drum beats and what they meant, march to the beat of the drum and sing along with the artists. This program fits particularly well with the social studies curriculum for the seventh grade.

BATTLE SONGS OF FREEDOM:
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR THRU IT'S MUSIC

Grades 7-12
1 performing/teaching artist plus an accompanist - Three presentations/day
$450 + $300 + $175= $925

Throughout history when people have needed to express their deepest feelings and beliefs, or to state their cause, aspirations, and faith, they have turned to music. The period of the American Civil War was an especially rich one for such expression as people from the North, the South and the African-Americans both slave and free, vented their feelings in song. Through a study of the music and participatory in-class performances of these songs, students gain an insight into the causes of the war. They experience the feelings and the deep resolve of the men who fought the war and understand the fundamental drive and firm determination felt by the African-Americans in the North and South to be truly free. Finally, students discover how, in the North, a fight for an abstract idea turned into a religious crusade for freedom.

UNTIL THE WIND SING IT:
A Concert of Ideas on International Human Rights

Grades 7-12
3 or more performing/teaching artists plus an accompanist.
Most economical price quotes determined per occasion

Taking its title from a poem by human rights activist Daniel Berrigan, this Concert of Ideas explores international human rights through music, poetry, historical documents and the personal journals of men and women of conscience from around the globe. The intent of this interactive performance and discussion is to stimulate thinking and feeling concerning human rights issues as they impact the lives of individuals, nations and cultures. The Concert of Ideas will NOT tell students what to think, but WILL create an environment which will challenge students to do their best thinking. Students will also be introduced to the International Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations and the work of non-partisan human rights research groups. Musical and literary sources for the concert include the Shakers, American Spirituals, Haitian children, SOUTH PACIFIC, Amnesty International, Holocaust writings, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and Langston Hughes. A visual arts component may also be introduced via works by Miro, Hockney and Calder. (We recommend thorough preparation on the part of students and teachers for proper handling of this sensitive subject matter.)

CRITICAL PATHS:
AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE MILLENNIUM

Grades 7-12
3 performing/teaching artists - Three presentations/day
$550 + $350 + $225= $1125

This special millennium program will view the future and the past through the eyes of two giants of imagination: inventor, philosopher and futurist, Buckminster Fuller, and artist and founder of the Hudson River School, Thomas Cole-- two extraordinary lenses through which to gain perspective on the present and what may lie ahead for us all. Both Cole and Fuller had an eye for trends through epochs of time and insights into human nature and our relationship with the natural world. Cole's amazing series of paintings entitled The Course of Empire will help us to "zoom in" on five different stages in our human adventure from our place once deep within the great Living Forest to our current dominance of the planet. With each painting, we enter a world, a framework, a story-- a chance to see ourselves at critical moments in our history, moments of conscience or the absence of conscience. With student role-playing as reporters from the field as we "time-travel" through different cultures around the globe, our YOU WERE THERE news format -- enhanced with inventive musical performances -- will bring past and future epochs to life along with the unique issues and decisions for which, in the words of Buckminster Fuller, " Each one of us could make the difference."

American Dreams: Creating Freedom

The Performing and Creative Arts as Expressions of Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights

Grades 7-12

With a central focus on the concept of freedom, and how artists over the years have utilized the arts as a means of expression, identity, and protest, American Dreams: Creating Freedom combines core English and Social Studies curriculum with the musical, theatrical, and visual arts to explore the question: What does it mean to be an American? And, more importantly, What does it mean to be free? In this residency, students will: experience live musical performances of songs of wartime and protest; analyze the paintings of Norman Rockwell and Diego Rivera; and read the poetry of Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Stephen Crane, and others. They also create their own music, drama, poetry, and visual artwork based on seminal moments in American history, and based also on their personal reflections on the importance of freedom, democracy, and human rights. The residency supports standard middle school curriculum components including The Diary of Anne Frank, the poetry of Langston Hughes and Nikki Giovanni, the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars, World Wars I and II, and the American Civil Rights Movement. It also supports New York State Language Arts Standards 1, 2, and 4.

An example of custom-built programming available through The Learning Arts, American Dreams: Creating Freedom was first developed as a three-month residency at Peekskill Middle School. American Dreams: Creating Freedom marked the 17^th year of partnership between The Learning Arts and the Peekskill School District, and was made possible through funding from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

A public presentation held in Peekskill on May 24 showcased the writing, acting, artwork, and learning of the eighth grade students at Peekskill Middle School who participated in the residency under the guidance of their classroom teacher, Lenore Viola. The presentation included creative writing based on the American Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement, dramatized scenes from The Diary of Anne Frank, and student presentations on Amnesty International and the Four Freedoms of Norman Rockwell. Nearly 80 students participated in the residency and final presentation. A filmed documentary of the residency, featuring highlights of classroom sessions and the final presentation, recently aired on television in the Peekskill area.