Yahaya Kamate, joined by his African drumming/dance group, will present the African diaspora through music, dance, and call and response.

A celebration of Black History Month featuring presentations by BAE Teaching Artists Kika Wright and Ashley Adams.

“Why Music?” features an introduction to the violin, french horn, and bassoon, and explores the importance of music as a personal or cultural expression, from Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony to the Cuban hit song “El Manisero” by Moises Simons. It is appropriate for elementary and middle school audiences.

“Music of Home” celebrates local New York composers and music that explores themes of home and identity, from the joy of classic jazz tunes, to the longing for a better home expressed in Harry Burleigh’s setting of “Deep River” and Leonard Bernstein’s Broadway hit “Somewhere.” It is appropriate for audiences of all ages.

“Music for Unity” explores how music can bring people together, in celebration, solidarity, and struggle, through repertoire like the African American spiritual “Balm in Gilead,” Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” and “7 PM,” a new work by BAE artist Evelyn Petcher based on the nightly applause during NYC’s April 2020 lockdown. It is appropriate for late elementary through high school audiences.

"Music For Social Change" shows how music has been used all over the world in many cultures as a vehicle for social change, whether as a public expression of protest (“We Shall Overcome”), an expression of outrage (Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 8), or a way to imagine a better world (Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” now an anthem for hope and change worldwide). It is appropriate for late elementary through high school audiences.