New York, U.S. – Connect Live!
June 3, 2010
To celebrate a school year filled with exploration and creative learning, 450 sixth-graders and 45 teachers from five middle schools in New York City assembled with us at the American Museum of Natural History on June 3:
-
East Bronx Academy for the Future
- Edward Bleeker JHS 185
- Frederick Douglass Academy III
- PS/MS 161 Pedro Albizu Campos School
-
The Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn
"Connect Live!" wrapped up the first year of our Silk Road Connect program, being piloted in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years in New York City public schools.
As each school group entered one by one, led by musicians playing sheng and gaita down a grand staircase into the museum's Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, they were met with cheers from the other schools and from the artistic team headed by Yo-Yo Ma, ballet star Damian Woetzel, Silk Road Ensemble cellist Mike Block and dance instructor Tracy Straus.
With the Silk Road Ensemble performing between acts as house band, schools took turns at center stage beneath the hall's iconic blue whale, showcasing their creativity and knowledge of the Silk Road and indigo, a subject of thematic study in the Silk Road Connect program.
A highlight of the event was a short film made by the Long Bow Group,
which documented the program in the schools. A wave of excitement filled
the room as kids saw their classmates and got a new look at their year
projected on multiple screens around the hall.
In high style, the
Silk Road Ensemble ended the event with a special performance. At first
the students couldn't quite make out the tune as Yo-Yo improvised on
the cello, but soon they were on their feet, singing along to "Empire
State of Mind" in a new arrangement created by Mike Block just for
"Connect Live!"
JHS 185:Performing first were the chorus, band and orchestra from JHS 185,
presenting a musical narrative of the history of the Eastern Hemisphere,
with Yo-Yo joining in on his cello. "I used to think that you don't really need to know about other cultures and that it's boring. Now I think that it is very fascinating and cool to learn about them. The more I know, the more I want to learn."
– JHS 185 STUDENT
"Learning about their own genetic history was impressive enough, but the realization that they were biologically linked to each other through this process was exponentially more valuable. Understanding how interconnected they are with their classmates and the world was a remarkable outcome."
– JHS 185 TEACHER
PS 161:Students from PS 161 displayed their dramatic talents with a clever
sketch, "A Night at the Museum," which brought them back in time and
across the world to trading centers along the historical Silk Road in
order to better understand a fellow classmate. "My favorite part was seeing all the different schools unite and perform their music and dances."– PS 161 STUDENT
"The live performances of the Silk Road Ensemble and the kids were awesome! Our students loved seeing the students from other schools."
– PS
161 TEACHER EAST BRONX ACADEMY FOR THE FUTURE:East Bronx Academy students artfully demonstrated what they had learned throughout the year about various forms of Chinese dance, including the Chinese ribbon dance, Mongolian chopstick dance, sword dance and fan dance.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS ACADEMY III:
Students from Frederick Douglass Academy were captivated by the journey
of indigo from plant to pigment to fabric and clothing. They performed
dances and a fashion show to display an impressive array of handmade
costumes. "Each school was different in their approach, yet each school captured the Silk Road Project's concepts. The excitement was incredible!"
– FREDERICK DOUGLASS ACADEMY III TEACHER
THE YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP SCHOOL OF BROOKLYN:
The girls from Young Women's Leadership traced the migratory journeys of their ancestors, presenting "Connected: Our Paths to New York City," combining dances from several cultures to depict the history of human migration and their own family histories."I used to think that we were not going to do any BIG performances. Now I think WOW. We did that."
"I used to think we couldn't do it. Now I think you can do anything if you try."
– YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP SCHOOL STUDENTS
"The most important things our students gained were confidence, pride, feeling "special" – our students don't have many opportunities...to feel like a part of something bigger than themselves."
– YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP SCHOOL TEACHER
IN THE MEDIA:
“We celebrated with all 450 students in the whale room at the Museum of Natural History, incredible. The schools each performed demonstrations, inspired by elements from the school year. There were dances and music and theater and more. Yo-Yo emceed and he and the Silk Road Ensemble accompanied the kids in their presentations and performed special pieces arranged for the occasion.”– DAMIAN WOETZEL
June 24,
2010 – Vail Daily
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