It’s not hard to understand why Diali (pronounced Jelly) Cissokho is one of the most memorable teaching artists we have here in Chatham. With his brilliantly colored dashiki, booming voice, and 30 drums in tow, he is a commanding presence in the classroom. But Diali didn’t come to Chatham Grove Elementary just to teach drumming…. Read More →

Most kids think of jazz as “old-people music,” if they think of it at all. Thanks to Artists-in-Schools, the students at Willow Oak and Bonlee School learned there’s a lot more to it! Grammy-nominated jazz bassist John Brown and his quartet treated kids at both schools to a private concert. Believe us when we tell… Read More →

You expect a company called Black Box Dance Theatre to know a lot about dance. But they know a lot of other stuff, too! Perfect example–when they arrived at Silk Hope Elementary for the first day of their two-day Artists-in-Schools residency, they learned from the kids that the current topic of study that week was… Read More →

The ongoing pandemic has had masks at the top of nearly everyone’s mind, including teaching artist Serena Ebhardt of EbzB Productions. “During the height of masking for the pandemic, I started thinking how cool it would be to create a workshop around the history of masks and all their different uses through time, from drama… Read More →