A KidsDRUM! residency can simply be a collection of individual sessions to provide a very enriching experience for all participants. However, to go that one step further, a residency can also be a carefully crafted collaboration between the presenting organization and KidsDRUM!, designed for more challenging learning goals. With this in mind, below are three residency packages that can easily be adapted to meet specific curriculum standards, which vary from state to state.
Below is a sampling of past residencies:
GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
A social studies-based residency that focuses on the dynamic cultural diversity that exists in our world today and among societies of our historical past.
- World Drum — a cultural journey from Africa to Pacifica.
- From Fez to Samarkand — Frame drums of the Silk Road.
- The Legend of the Bullroar — A re-telling of an ancient Australian Aborigines’ story.
- The Shapes of Things — an examination of how percussion instruments are made, with specific attention given to the shapes and materials used, and how geography has played a role in their development.
- Road to Sado — Students prepare an original ensemble piece, inspired by Southeast Asian and Japanese folk percussion music.
THE DRUM … a STEM Residency
Especially crafted to challenge even the tech-savvy, The DRUM…a STEM residency is all about the science, technology, engineering and math that goes into the design and building of percussion and other musical instruments. STEAM implies process, and class sessions are tailored to allow the student the ample opportunity for exploration, investigation and discovery.
KAMISHIBAI … Japanese Paper Theater
Kamishibai comes from 12th century Japan, where monks used large formatted illustrations to accompany storytelling, with a goal of teaching folk tales and moral lessons to a mostly illiterate population. In this residency, students will follow the path of the Kamishibai artist / storyteller. They will learn about this ancient art form, the great, great grandfather of anime, manga and the modern serialized comic book, through story writing, story boarding and illustrating their original stories, and then as the culminating event, the students will perform their Kamishibai.
The Kamishibai residency can target an entire grade level or school or it can be used to create cultural connections between multiple classes, either within the same school or with another class/school in another country.
DrumTales! … Multi-disciplinary Theater Project
The Patakin residency draws on a collection of tales from ten diverse world cultures, including: Canada’s Northwest Territories, Korea, Mexico, Haiti, Venezuela, Ghana, Ireland, Israel, Tahiti, & India. Nina Jaffe’s, Patakin: World Tales of Drums and Drummers provides rich stories and source materials for students to create and perform an original theater-piece, complete with actors, dancers, and musicians, with sets and props designed and built by student artists, drawn from this amazing collection.
TEACHER IN-SERVICE WORKSHOPS
KidsDRUM! workshops for teachers are available during all residency projects or can be scheduled as a stand-alone program. Every in-service workshop is tailored to cover special topics and issues unique to a given school or organization. Lesson plans are available to all participants.
KidsDRUM! 