Kindergarten through 3rd-grade students in Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play Music Discovery Program came together for over a week at the start of June to celebrate and showcase live music and dance performances for their friends, family, and educators.
All year round, over 2,500 students from more than 20 Chicago Public Schools are introduced to basic concepts, activities, and songs in the classroom curriculum with the guidance of Ravinia Teaching Artists through the Music Discovery Program. “We see how they develop into more confident kids with the help of music because they get to express themselves and get to be themselves completely,” said Paloma Andrade, a Music Discovery parent.
The program culminates in an all-student performance at their school and a visit to Ravinia, where they perform in June during a six-day celebration called Ravinia Days. “I love that they can have fun today; the program is the only opportunity that they have to learn music. They just love when Ms. Jade comes to the classroom, and now they got to perform for their friends and family,” said Maria Melchor, a first-grade teacher at Pasteur Elementary.
Frazier Elementary School teacher Ebanah Hasanat’s students also had a blast as they performed together onstage for the first time in over a year. “They practiced for five weeks with their Teaching Artist, but we continued practicing for months after that so it was so great to see them onstage,” Hasanat said.
This summer, these students performed on the Martin Theatre stage for friends and family, picnicked on the Ravinia grounds, and experienced the Kohl Kaplan Fountain throughout Ravinia Days. “I liked it when we got to sing ‘Yo tengo sentimientos’ because I want to be a singer, and I liked that we all shared our friendship today,” beamed Jemie Gustillos, a Music Discovery student.
Take a look at all of the fun our Music Discovery students had performing and being amongst one another in the Ravinia park!
