NB Receives Grant to Study Jazz
The Great Neck Arts Center has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to bring artists into local schools to study jazz, and for the third consecutive year, the North Babylon School District has been selected to share in the funds from this grant. During the project, students will be exploring Jazz as a reflection of world cultures and elementary students will experience jazz through poetry, movement, art and music.
As part of the program, choreographer Mickey Davidson will be working with Belmont and Woods Elementary School students. Together with classroom teachers, Ms. Davidson will instruct all fourth grade students in movement and poetry once a week for eight weeks. The residency is based on the book "Hip Hop Speaks to Children" by Nikki Giovanni and addresses the relationship between music, movement and poetry.
The district also expanded the project this year by bringing all elementary students, grades 2-5, to the high school in February to see "Contemporary and Blue: The Great American Vocal Jazz Songbook" by Revels-Bey Music.
