Jazz at Lincoln Center’s WeBop Jazz Basics | Texas Performing Arts

Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, Texas Performing Arts presents a series of eight Zoom classes for children and their caregivers on Saturday mornings, Oct 17 – Dec 12, 2020. Incorporating live and recorded music with ritual songs, educational activities, and storytelling, participants will learn fundamental concepts such as swing, tempo, dynamics, scat, solo, call and response, and song form. Two classes for different age groups are led by WeBop teacher Ms. Sofia, with support from an accompanist playing piano. The 45 minute classes encourage families to learn about jazz, and express themselves through movement, singing, clapping, and playing small percussion instruments. In addition to these activities, professional jazz musicians visit WeBop twice to introduce the children to live music and instruments, reinforcing the repertoire and concepts learned in class.

Saturday Mornings Oct 17 – Dec 12, 2020 (No classes Thanksgiving week)

Stompers (Age 2-3.5 years) – 9:30 am -10:15 am CST

Building on the imaginative, spontaneous, and exploratory “ways of being” for this age group, guided activities highlight the rhythmic energy, formal structures, and emotional contact of music’s that truly engages young children. Stompers will become characters in musical stories, have opportunities for creative movement, interact with others in call and responding singing (and stomping), and express themselves through shaking, tapping, thumping, and striking instruments. Grownups interact with children as partners throughout the lesson and reinforce activities with specially designed materials.

Gumbo Group (Age 3.5-5 years) – 10:30 am – 11:15 am CST

The Gumbo Group was designed for families with children in different ages groups who would like to experience music as an ensemble. Drawing on the strengths of both age groups as described above, musical activities for the Gumbo Group are designed for multiple simultaneous responses requiring a variety of skills: younger children might accompany a recording with shakers while keeping the beat in their bouncing bodies, while older children might be listening for this special part on the claves, reinforced by a grownup’s pointing to the iconic images (lines, shapes, colors) of a musical “score” representing the sound.

Tuition is $80 for the remaining six classes for the first child and an additional $20 for another child in the household for the same class. A caretaker must participate with the child. Very limited capacity.

ABOUT WEBOP
WeBop is Jazz at Lincoln Center’s award-winning, early-childhood jazz education program for little ones from ages eight months to seven years and their parents/caregivers. We strongly believe in children’s natural ability to improvise and we are committed to exploring their creativity through fun interactive classes!

ABOUT MS. SOFIA
Originally from Córdoba, Argentina, Sofia Tosello is a vocalist, composer, and music educator living in NYC for now 20 years. Ms. Tosello is regarded as a cherished voice in the vibrant scene of New York City artists who are redefining Latin American song. Jazz Times notes, “The next wave in Latin-American jazz may well begin with Tosello.” Sofia has been involved in early childhood education for the past 15 years working for organizations and educational programs such as Carnegie Hall, Musica Para Mi, Arts Connection, One World Arts, Bash The Trash, among others. “I love teaching music to young kids, I believe that music transforms them in such a positive way, it makes them find their own voices, their own personalities!”

Sofia studied at City College of New York and received her MFA in Music from the Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music. Sofia has performed with her own projects and with other artists in renowned venues and festivals throughout the United States, Asia and Latin America.