Students on Stage with LEAF Schools & Streets

From the classroom to the LEAF Main Stage, Buncombe County Schools is committed to global education through the arts.

Story By: Laura Mitchell, Arts Education Specialist, and Benjamin Rickert, BCS Communications

From the classroom to the LEAF Main Stage, Buncombe County Schools is committed to global education and creating global citizens through the arts. This spring, four BCS schools hosted LEAF Schools & Streets visiting teaching artists and performed for families and fans at the Lake Eden Arts Festival on May 11, 2019. Students from Estes Elementary, Oakley Elementary, Barnardsville Elementary, and Charles D. Owen High performed on stage with international LEAF artists.

BCS students host a visiting LEAF artist.

“It was a powerful experience for our students to get to work with professional musicians from other cultures and places and then take what they learned and perform it on stage,” said Buncombe County Schools’ Arts Education Specialist Laura Mitchell. “We are not only building globally competent students, but building self-esteem, understanding, collaborative skills, and a sense of community."

LEAF and Buncombe County Schools are Partners in Education through The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and are committed to providing professional development to teachers in Arts Integration and opportunities for students, schools, and our communities to experience global understanding through the arts.

“LEAF Schools & Streets cultural arts programs use the arts to bridge cultures and create life-affirming, community building experiences – empowering our youth to become global citizens, leaders and agents of positive change,” reads theleaf.org.

STUDENTS ON STAGE

Charles D. Owen High jazz band students perform at the Lake Eden Arts Festival.

Students from Estes Elementary School hosted artist Jarlath Henderson from Ireland who composed part of the soundtrack to the Pixar hit film, Brave. Jarlath, a balladeer, bridged the Celtic folk music to our traditional Appalachian music of Western North Carolina.

“LEAF opens our students up to the global community through a common language of music and dance,” said Estes third grade teacher Ms. Paula Dinga.

“We can become more interested in cultures besides our own,” added Adeline, an Estes third-grader.

Barnardsville Elementary School hosted LEAF International Guatemala’s Billy Jonas and David LaMotte of Abraham Jams. Students wrote an original song with their new Guatemalan friends and performed it on the festival’s Main Stage.

“The experience our students had with the LEAF residents from Guatemala was amazing!” said Barnardsville Principal Mr. Jason Miller. “This was a rich and exceptional experience for our students and community.”

Oakley Elementary music teacher Ms. Melanye Crayton shared, “LEAF is powerful for our students! So far, if a student has been at Oakley since 2017, they have experienced the music and dance of six different cultures! I can't imagine a better way to bring the world to our students and open their eyes to other cultures and peoples.”

Oakley hosted two teaching artists this spring, including bi-lingual Latin folk-pop songstress Gina Chavez and native Brazilian artist Porangui'. Students from the Chorus Club later performed on stage with Chavez and the Drum Club performed with Porangu. In total, over 400 students at Oakley worked with the artists over a week, and gained knowledge of other cultures and music literacy.

Charles D. Owen High School jazz band students also brought high energy entertainment to the LEAF festival by performing with Grammy-nominated Sammy Miller and the Congregation.

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This summer, families are invited to LEAF Downtown on August 2-3, 2019, for a FREE and family-friendly global arts experience. Schools will again collaborate with LEAF October 17-20, 2019, at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain, NC. You can find more information on the festival and LEAF’s other programs by visiting theleaf.org.

“LEAF Festival is an inter-generational celebration of world culture that uses music, arts, and creativity to champion artistic expression, instill cultural competency, and build a diverse & welcoming community,” states theleaf.org.

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