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THEARC CAmpus Projects

Thanks to all who supported our production of Voices of Zion: The Black Georgetown Cemeteries Project  last May 2022. The project was very successful in its initial iteration.

We have now launched the next phase to further develop the educational portion of the project:

Music and History: Two After school Programs to Build and Enrich Community

(A Boys’ Choir and a history-based genealogy program)

We are forming a “Bridges-Across-the-River” partnership with THEARC Campus to serve the community with two initial pilot programs:

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A Bishop Walker School Boys‘ Choir for 4th and 5th graders will be conducted weekly in after-school classes to provide exposure to music of the Anglican and African diaspora and gain comprehensive musical experiences through singing fundamentals and music literacy. Theory and vocal techniques are taught emphasizing repertory by classical African-American composers. The Boys will perform in an  end-of-semester concert at THEARC and possibly “across the river” at the historic Mt Zion Church and other venues.

The first rehearsal on April 21 with the Boys’ Choir will be led by Alliance company composer Ronald “Trey” Walton, a graduate of Duke Ellington and resident of Ward 8 community.

AND

A genealogy research project in partnership with Headstones and History. We will offer a special learning opportunity in the summer for Middle Schoolers, using primary source documents to blend “artistic excavations” into African American cemeteries and creative expressions inspired by learning about individuals buried there. The collaborative model will introduce research tools and inquiry-based learning about some of the complicated history of 19th century DC and the contributions of African American leaders. The pilot program will focus on the Mt. Zion/FUBS Cemeteries, to enrich, inspire, and motivate young people to invest in their own genealogy and that of the greater community. The students will also create short artistic responses through story, music, or graphic arts to let their subjects come back to life.

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