Since 2016, Pao School has been engaged in fruitful cooperation with New York-based Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to enrich and expand our arts education programme. ‘We as educators need to ensure that every child everywhere has the highest exposure to the highest quality dance, music, theatre and visual art', said Russell Granet, Executive Vice President of Lincoln Center Education, during a forum held at Pao School.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts serves as a presenter of artistic programming and is one of the United States' leading institutions of arts education. It is the world's largest presenter of performing arts, with more than 5,000 programmes, initiatives and events every year. Some of Lincoln Center's best known programmes include American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, and the Mostly Mozart Festival.
Photos for Lincoln Center programmes
(From: http://www.lincolncenter.org/)
In addition to holding educational workshops at Pao School, Lincoln Center has also brought virtuoso American jazz musicians to perform for us. Following the widely acclaimed performances of Patek Philippe with Ulysses Owens Junor and Alicia Olatuja in 2016 and Kurt Elling's quartet last year, a sextet from the renowned Julliard School performed at Pao School recently. The line up was double bass, trombone, drums, piano, tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone.
Dominic Murtagh, the Head of Primary Music, said:
"The evening was inspirational, entertaining and educational. Not only did the sextet put on a great show that appealed to both children and adults, they also took the time to explain many musical concepts to the audience."
It was a performance full of surprises, which delighted the audience. When drummer Francesco Ciniglio arrived onstage, he took one look at the Chinese drums in the auditorium and swapped the bass drum of the drum kit for one of the smaller ones. "Although he was working with a very unconventional drum kit, it sounded superb," said Dominic.
The musicians also got the audience involved in the performance by leading everyone in a jazz conga line. Dominic claimed that they took the performance to the next level by making the audience part of the show. Establishing a meaningful connection between the audience and musicians is not easy. But when it's successful, it makes the experience more enjoyable for everyone.
In the future, Pao School and Lincoln Center will continue working together in support of arts education, especially the study of music. Music provides an important creative outlet for students, allowing them to express their ideas through songs. Cultivating students' creative talents is a cornerstone of Pao School's educational approach that focuses on developing the whole person.
