6th Grade Visit

The 6th grade class enjoyed the popular Alvin Ailey Dance show in the Opera house at the Kennedy Center in early February. The students watched the beautiful dancers and were familiar with a few of the musical pieces that were performed. 

Alvin Ailey said that one of America’s richest treasures was the cultural heritage of the African-American—”sometimes sorrowful, sometimes jubilant, but always hopeful.” This enduring classic is a tribute to that heritage and to Ailey’s genius. Using African-American traditional spirituals, this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.

7th Grade Visit

The 7th grade was treated to a wonderful concert at the Kennedy Center’s new Reach Theater in January. They sat at small tables in a club-like atmosphere and experienced the musical instrumentation of our early American life. The show was performed by Grammy® Award–winner Dom Flemons. He shared music of the early American Songsters, covering nearly a century of folklore and styles, including ragtime, blues, country western, bluegrass, and string band music. Flemons, founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and a renowned singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and music scholar, illuminates the history and influence of African American musicians through spirited performances on banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, quills, and rhythm bones.