This  project, “Telling our Story: The Harlem Renaissance,” is creating an interdisciplinary course of instruction at Woodland Elementary Charter School integrating visual arts and music. Through this project students will be both Re-Imagining and Re-Imaging the Harlem Renaissance. A part of the project is using the Atlanta Percussion Trio, three incredibly versatile professional musicians, to present lessons about this time period and directly involving Woodland students in the creation of new musical compositions reflecting this time period.

Our culminating event, an “Informance” an informational performance will take place Tuesday May 5 at 6:30 PM. Please join us for this special night of art and music.

This project will motivate students to research the Harlem Renaissance, its social context, and the effects of this time period, using art/photography (elementary students taking digital photographs) and music (an elementary band performing with the Atlanta Percussion Trio). Students will probe this time period’s social structure and then “re-imagine” and “re-image” how these elements are still at work in today’s society.

Jenn Heyser, art teacher, David Hedges, band director are coordinating this project with with Woodland students and faculty. Check the above links to see student created work from last years project and newly created works in 2009.  Photographs taken and then manipulated emulating James Van Der Zee by Woodland students can be found at the photo link.  New musical compositions composed by band students and their performance in band class using jazz can be found at the podcast link.

Many thanks to ING and Target for their kind support of this special project.