Follow along as artist Sirron Norris demonstrates how to draw various emotions on cartoon faces. See how subtle changes make a big difference when expressing emotion through art.
Adam Neely joined LA and Nahre in the studio for an improvised jam session. Adam comes from a jazz and rock background, while Nahre comes from a classical background, and LA comes from a gospel and R&B background. Together they talk about the differences in how they approach music.
John “Crazy Legz” Pearson, founder of the Who Got Moves Battle League, is breathing life back into Beat Ya Feet -- the bouncy, fast-moving dance found in the streets, backyards and go-go clubs of Black D.C. At the heart of the dance style is the music: go-go, a blend of funk, call-and-response and Afro-Latin rhythms, ubiquitous in D.C.'s Black neighborhoods.
Honolulu is home to tourism hotspot Waikiki, and many of the city’s beachfront hotels host lavish luaus showcasing styles of hula influenced by Western music and instrumentation. But for Native Hawaiians, the origins of hula are deeply spiritual and rooted in Hawaii’s creation stories and the history and culture of their kūpuna or ancestors. Driven by the mele (poetry), hula marries movement with spoken word to express stories about specific deities, people, places and events.
James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, created the DNA for funk. Musicians LA Buckner and Nahre Sol explore how he created funk music, as well as how Brown's music influenced hip hop. They break down the sound of the genre, and create their own funky original song in the process.
Activity:
From soul music and R&B, James Brown created a new genre: funk music. Funk, in turn, inspired hip-hop and trap music—genres that give voice to the life experiences of impoverished and oppressed peoples. By examining videos and text and doing research on the links between music and social justice issues, students will be prepared to collaborate on their own socially conscious rap and create a community activity to work for social change.
Kacey Musgraves won the Album of the Year award at the 2019 Grammys, becoming only the fourth country album to ever win that award. Two of the producers of the album, Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, talk to us about how they and Kacey were able to make such a crossover success.
Why do so many horror film scores today sound similar to The Exorcist from 1973? A lot of that is thanks to Krzysztof Penderecki, a Polish composer whose music was used by director William Friedkin to score The Exorcist. Penderecki's music can be heard in the works of Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch, and has even inspired the scores of modern horror films such as Bird Box.
Hi-hats. That blazing fast sound is everywhere—pop, reggaeton, country—and hi-hats are essential in trap music. Where exactly did trap music come from and how did it become a part of so many other musical styles? Hosts LA Buckner and Nahre Sol explore the genre's roots and make their own original beat inspired by the trap sound.
Jocquese Whitfield is a Vogue legend in San Francisco. He is a choreographer and performer who teaches the popular “Vogue and Tone” class at Dance Mission Theater. He has held the winning title at the Miss Honey Vogue Ball multiple times and is also a judge for dance and drag competitions. Here Jocquese breaks down the five elements of Vogue and discusses how the dance form became a lifestyle. Learn the basics from this master also known as Sir JoQ.
Learn how Carol and Jean-Pierre Hsu combine glass and metal to create jewelry and mobiles.
In this video from American Masters | Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, learn about the lasting impact of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and why it’s such an important piece of American literature. Students answer discussion questions, analyze text from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and write a short essay to gain a deeper understanding of Angelou’s work and why it’s so impactful.
Explore how young theater directors benefit from mentoring in this video from Treasures of New York: The Drama League. Each year a cohort of fellows are selected to receive professional training as part of The Drama League’s Directors Project. Students hear advice from experienced theater professionals and are encouraged to think about the kind of preparation required for a career in the theater.
Students will learn about the work of illustrator Elizabeth Zunon. Zunon calls herself “a global artist" because she grew up in Ivory Coast, West Africa, and would spend summers in Albany, New York, with her American grandparents. She loved reading and drawing and decided to combine her two passions to tell stories for children. Today, Elizabeth is a successful children's book illustrator and author. In the related activity, students will work with drawing, painting, and collage to create an illustration of their own. The video and discussion will take one class session. The art activity may take several class sessions.
More About This Resource
For more studio tours and other arts content from WMHT, visit AHA! A House for Arts. AHA! A House for Arts features the stories of artists, makers, and creative institutions right here in our backyard and across the country. A celebration of all things creative, AHA! features everything from the traditional to the innovative.
August 9th is Indigenous Peoples' Day. Created by the United Nations in 1994, the holiday honors indigenous people and cultures around the world. While there is no single definition for indigenous, indigenous people maintain close ties to their ancestral land and traditions. In the United States, some Americans celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of or along with Columbus Day.
This video is an episode of Above the Noise from PBS Digital Studios that engages students in thinking about drought and water shortages worldwide. Supporting materials include background reading on water shortages, a transcript of the video, a handout for viewing Above the Noise episodes (not specific to water shortages), teaching tips, activities, and discussion questions. The video is an engaging introduction to the topic and is best used as part of a larger lesson plan.
Explore the complex identity of Sammy Davis, Jr. and its impact on his career as a performer in this video from American Masters, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me. As a black man in a predominantly white industry, Sammy struggled to be accepted by both groups. This resource explores how Sammy persevered in a society where race and culture posed many challenges. Support materials include discussion questions, vocabulary, and an identity map activity where students analyze the many factors that shape who we are as individuals and as members of different communities.
J-Sette dancers bring energy, precision and stunts to the floor, and the Dance Champz of Atlanta are trying to take this underground LGBTQ+ art form to the next level. The roots of J-Setting are in Mississippi, at Jackson State University, where the Prancing J-Settes adapted majorette dancing, losing the batons and bringing in African American and jazz dance influences. Leland Thorpe and his team are on a mission to get the underground version of the dance form taken more seriously in the wider dance world. Thorpe is passionate about bringing more formal technique to the dance, and with his experience in Detroit studying jazz and ballet, he brings a faster pace and more sophistication to the Atlanta style.
Los Angeles Pro Roller Skater Alicia Reason breaks down some classic jam skate moves, including the crazy legs, moonwalk, electric slide, and spread eagle, then puts them together in a dance routine for you to follow.
Examine the skills and materials needed by Jan Heath in order to use woodcuts to create prints.
Learn how Jane Frenke uses fabric, a sewing machine, and her creativity to create works of art.