Musicopia, Dancing Classrooms Philly, Donn T and the Christmas holiday.
Musicopia is hardly a new thing. Founded in 1974 in order to provide opportunities for children who might not otherwise have access, to learn, perform, and appreciate music, the organization has, so far, aided 350,000 plus students to love and play music with equity and accessibility as Musicopia’s mission’s centerpiece. As part of their mission statement: Musicopia provides school-based programming for Pre-K-12, after-school orchestra and drumlines programs, and an instrument donation program. More than 100 professional ensembles and solo teaching artists of the highest caliber make up Musicopia’s roster, representing musical traditions from around the globe.
Next up when it comes to Musicopia’s high caliber teaching events is its return collaboration with Dancing Classrooms Philly’s and its upcoming High Note High Step Festival with its keynote address by Philadelphia-based singer and songwriter Donn T. On Sunday, December 12, the day-long free virtual event (tied into the interactive online platform Remo) hosts Donn T, will feature hands-on music and dance workshops, student question and answer sessions, and artist showcases, starting at 10 am.
Catherine Charlton, the Executive Director of Musicopia and dosage MAGAZINE had a brief conversation about the December 12th event.
A.D. Amorosi: How did you and your Musicopia crew work out a virtual event for this weekend?
Catherine Charlton: Last December was our first year doing a virtual event for our annual High Note High Step fundraising celebration. We have always had student performances and Q&A, and keynote speakers talking about the transformational importance of arts education. The greatest feedback we received last year was in response to some of the videos we shared of our teachers in action. The virtual environment made it possible for the first time for us to share an inside look into the classroom, and people really appreciated the opportunity to see what our programs actually look like and the interaction between teachers and students. As a result, this year, we decided to turn the event into a day-long festival offering a deep dive into our programming and celebrating our teaching artists. As professional musicians and dancers, our teachers have been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic, with loss of performances, touring opportunities, and teaching in schools. Our Artist Showcase is a way to present our teachers in their professional element as performers and celebrate their immense talents. They are the lifeblood of the programs we deliver to 20,000 children each year.
A.D. Amorosi: So, the Musicopia event is virtual but tactile and interactive.
Catherine Charlton: The sessions throughout Sunday will give attendees a chance to “participate” in some of our programming typically only reserved for our students – attendees can take a bucket drumming lesson, make an instrument from recycled objects, or learn some social dances. In addition to our Artist Showcase, we are especially excited about our “Lunch with Students” which will feature several live student emcees introducing videos of programming and answering questions from our Director of Student Development and Family Engagement, Rasaq Lawal.
A.D. Amorosi: We know Donn T’s work well. How did she get involved with the Musicopia vision this year?
Catherine Charlton: Donn T became involved because she and I both serve on the Board of Governors for the Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy. She became the President of our chapter this year and all of us on the board have been so impressed with her passion and eloquence as she steps into this role. In her first few months, she has brought a renewed attention to arts education among our members, among many other initiatives she is spearheading to nourish our community of professional music makers. She grew up in Philly and is passionate about the opportunities that she was afforded and will be the perfect speaker to talk about the power and importance of the work Musicopia and DCP do in our city. To top it off, many of our teaching artists (and staff!) are members of the Recording Academy themselves, so it is a natural pairing for our chapter President to be the emcee for an event celebrating the work of our artists.
A.D. Amorosi: Along with Donn T, what does Musicopia 2021’s Artist Showcase look like? That is always a big part of any Musicopia event.
Catherine Charlton: During the Artist Showcase we will also have a spotlight piece on Doc Gibbs who recently passed away. Doc is known more widely for his work as a touring musician and the extraordinary artists he had a chance to work with and support. He also served on the Philadelphia Recording Academy chapter Board. Less known, he also was a dedicated Teaching Artist for Musicopia for close to 20 years, teaching many thousands of Philadelphia youth through his West African drumming ensemble on our roster. Leon Jordan, Sr., teacher of our popular Bucket Drumming programs, and teaching a live session at our festival on Sunday, lists Doc Gibbs as a primary mentor in his life.
For more information and to register for December 12th’s Musicopia and Dancing Classrooms Philly event online visit here.
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