Artist-in-Residency (AIR) Archive
2009: South Street Elementary School


Location: 151 South Street, Newark, NJ 07114
Principal: Karen George-Gray

The residency at South Street elementary School began in May 2009. The teaching artist, Donna Jackson-Field (musician and vocalist) collaborated with four classroom teachers; Ms. McNamara, Ms. Esteves (4th grade) and Ms. Dragone, Mr. Fleming (5th grade) to develop and co-facilitate lessons connected to the sciences. Throughout the residency, Donna Jackson-Field instructed the students on acoustics, writing, sound, (CCCS: Energy Transformation, Forces, & Motion.), properties of sound (CCCS: Physics, Earth Sciences), the invention of Western music and its role in society (CCCS: Science and Society), and the construction of simple and complex rhythmic patterns (CCCS: Mathematical Applications). The students also created a sound catalogue, and a public speaking video that accompanied their final presentation. In the final presentation, “Music is Everywhere” the students performed an original song written by 4th and 5th graders, acted as griots, played tom-toms, shakers, talking drums while using language and terminology from their science lessons that described how sound translates to music.

back to AIR archive