Walter B. Howard Elementary School is partnering with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) to introduce 5th and 6th graders to the world of classical music and dance through SPAC’s Classical Kids program.
Classical Kids is a school-based program designed to introduce elementary and middle school students to the classical performing arts through in-school demonstrations by professional dancers and musicians and attendance at SPAC to experience world-class performances. Students who attend both the lecture/demonstration and the summer ballet or concert are given two SPAC season lawn passes for classical performances each year, until they graduate from high school.
5th Grade
Classical Kids dance instructor Marcus Rogers and two other professional dancers came to Walter B. Howard Elementary on April 29 to discuss and demonstrate different styles of dance to 5th grade students, as shown in the photo on the right. Sibohan Dunham, director of the Arts Education program at SPAC, also demonstrated different styles of dance to students and different dance vocabulary terms. Students then had the opportunity to come up to the stage and learn choreography for these different styles including, ballet, jazz, and folk dancing.
The 5th graders who attended this demonstration have the opportunity to see the Bolshoi Ballet perform “Don Quixote” for free on Tuesday, July 29. Students whose parent/guardian completes the permission slip that was provided will be transported to SPAC for the evening performance. Students who attend the July 29 performance will get a pass for a free ticket to the ballet (excluding The Gala) and orchestra each season until they graduate from high school.
6th Grade
On March 18, 6th graders attended an in-school lecture/demonstration led by Robert Cafaro, cellist in the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Linda Dean Deschendes, director of Youth Arts Programs at SPAC. Mr. Cafaro began his demonstration by discussing different types of music with students and what kinds of music they would be hearing at the orchestra concert this summer. He played several different themes of famous film scores on his cello, and invited students to guess what songs he was playing. The students also watched a brief video of “Cirque de la Symphony” performance.
The 6th graders who attended this demonstration have the opportunity to see the Philadelphia Orchestra perform “Cirque de la Symphony” on Saturday, August 9. Students whose parent/guardian completes the permission slip that was provided will be transported to SPAC for the evening performance. Students who attend the August 9 performance will get a pass for a free ticket to the ballet (excluding The Gala) and orchestra until they graduate from high school.
“These are wonderful opportunities for our students to experience a truly phenomenal live concert and a dance performance with some of the best musicians, professional dancers and choreographers in the world,” said Kelsey Boyce, Walter B. Howard Elementary general music, band and chorus teacher.
Sponsored by SPAC and Union College, Classical Kids was created in 1993 to help provide an interactive approach for children to learn about classical music and dance.
