Music of our World Benefit Concert November 1, 2009

Join the Oakland Youth Chorus for an evening of music and dance from diverse African and Afro-Caribbean traditions. This unique show will feature members of OYC's Music of our World faculty, and will help OYC start a new Music of our World program for middle school students next summer.

OYC's MOOW program offers elementary school students the opportunity to study percussion, dance and traditional songs from a variety of world cultures. The program is staffed by a talented and diverse faculty with extensive experience both as performers and teachers. Among the MOOW faculty's areas of expertise are traditional Zimbabwean dance and music, West African music, Haitian, Cuban, Puerto Rican and other Latin and Caribbean musical traditions.

Children in these classes learn a variety of skills including recognition and interpretation of a wide range of rhythmic patterns, hand drum and stick control techniques, time keeping, recognition of melody and song structure, body control and expressive movement, and the rudiments of musical theory, among others. Besides these technical skills, children learn about the history, folkloric traditions and artistic values of a variety of cultures. In the process of learning music and dances, children also learn valuable lessons in geography, world history, social diversity, and inter-cultural understanding.

Help bring Music of our World to all middle schoolers in Oakland and the Bay Area!

Sliding Scale $10.00-$25.00.

Official Website: http://www.oaklandyouthchorus.org