GST BOCES congratulates

Joe Crookston,

musician at

Frank Pierce Early Childhood Center

Click on Joe's picture to hear selections from the concert.

In Spring of 2010, Joe Crookston worked with the pre-school students at Frank Pierce Early Childhood Center in setting poems they had created with poet in residence,  Michael Czarnecki to music!  Joe is an Ithaca based performer, songwriter, teacher and facilitator.  He met with each group of students five (5) time over a month long period.  Joe helped the students to create original songs from the poems written with Michael.  Using their words and poems, the students discussed melody, rhythm, feeling, rhyme, scheme, song structure, verses, chorus and overall song communication.  Each group honed, and created songs using the essence and meaning of the original poems by crafting them into a singable and memorable group song.

Click on Joe's picture above to hear selections from the concert.

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This is Arts in Education at its best  according to Anthony Gyetua-Danquah, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction for Corning Painted Post School District, who came to watch the children perform their original compositions with musician in residence,  Joe Crookston.  This concert was the culminating experience for an extremely rich program incorporating poetry written collaboratively with the children under the tutelage of Michael Czarnecki,  the poet in residence,  followed up by setting the poems to music with the musician in residence.  Families and primary caregivers of the children were invited to two events including a poetry reading and then a concert.  Each child was given a book of poems and CD to take home with them.  Mr. Danquah is absolutely correct - "This is Arts in Education at its best!"

  

 

 

 

 


 


Grandparents of Mattie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to Joe Crookston; to Michael Czarnecki, poet; to Mr. Danquah who authorizes all Arts in Education programming in the Corning Painted Post School District; to Jennifer Batzing, the very creative and dynamic principal of the school; to the teachers, staff, parents, school board and students of Frank Pierce Elementary School!

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