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Three Fairfax County Public Schools teachers have secured Wolf Trap grants for projects that will immerse students in blues storytelling, collaborative composition and cross-cultural dance.
The FCPS educators are among 14 public middle and high school teachers across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., selected for Wolf Trap’s annual Grants for Performing Arts Teachers program. Each recipient can receive up to $5,000 to support special music, dance or theater projects.
At Luther Jackson Middle School, Stacey M. Jones will lead “Reviving Ghanaian Traditions Through the Blues Workshops.” Students in the advanced theater arts class will work with Kennedy Center teaching artist and Focus 5 consultant Imani Gonzalez to examine connections between Ghanaian culture and the African American blues tradition.
Students will use the genre to explore their experiences and write monologues connected to a history of defiant storytelling in the face of adversity. The project is intended to strengthen their sense of identity while encouraging understanding of other cultures.
Falls Church High School teacher CJ Redden-Liotta received a grant for a composer residency marking the choir department’s 75th anniversary. Student singers will collaborate with composer Sherry Blevins on an original work reflecting their cultures and experiences.
The finished piece, designed to represent the school community’s diversity and amplify students’ individual voices, will debut during the spring concert.
At West Potomac High School Academy, Courtney Betzel will partner with ClancyWorks Dance Company to offer masterclasses combining lectures and dance instruction. Students will study the cultural and historical foundations of hip-hop genres and classical Indian dance styles.
They will then work with artists to choreograph a piece highlighting similarities and differences between the traditions. It will be presented during a spring performance.
All grant recipients and their students are invited to a celebratory day of learning at Wolf Trap. Participating high school students will perform at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Monday, April 28.