Kidchella Recap #2
So the summer's been flying by as you know. I can't believe that I'm two weeks away from the last Kidchella concert of the summer, which basically means that...classes start up in a month. I think that this date was a lot easier to tackle because I let go of a few things to focus on what fed me the most creatively, therefore being what truly matters.
This is a good time to check-in and discuss self-care. What does it mean to practice self-care while remaining productive? UArts students have a pretty public reputation for being incredibly busy all the time, and a private reputation of not having the best practices for maintaining mental health. So I want to discuss self care, and not just self-care to be productive but self-care to have you functioning and resting in your highest purpose. I learned a lot about balancing obligation with self-care, and practicing self-care without falling off of the obligations that serve your greatest good. This fellowship at Smith Memorial has shown me what it's like to have an organized event space, a holistic event space, and a collectively productive space without being individually destructive.
My responsibilities for the day was to document with social media (you'll see most of my posts on Smith's Instagram, @smithplayground during the week leading up to July 21st), and to take care of the artists who would be taking over the main stage!
The opening Youth Stage was really great because it was managed by Junior Music Executive, who you may remember me mentioning in my last post. You may also remember me shouting out Paul Robinson, a UArts alum who is a teaching artist for this organization. Smith's front lawn was joined by artists such as the Athletic Recreation Center dance troupe (pictured below).
The stage was also joined by Natasha Jovan (pictured below), who is a Philly-based artist, healer, and a mother. She soothed the crowd with acoustic tunes. It was wonderful to see her not only performing at the festival, but enjoying it as well!
What was unique about the headliners for this Kidchella concert is that went against the idea that children's music must be inherently apolitical.
Shawana Kemp of Shine & the Moonbeams draws her songwriting topics from her time as a teaching artist in New York City's public schools and her experience as a mother. What I appreciated about Shine & the Moonbeams' RnB is that it showed love to the energetic child, the child that doesn't sit down, and the child that doesn't sit down. I find this really important in the context of public school districts (including Pittsburgh Public Schools) that are discussing and implementing policies that feed the school-to-prison pipeline. I'm talking about measures such as metal detectors at the doors (personally, I've had to go through a metal detector to attend school since the third grade), or allowing security guards and school police to bring dogs or weapons into the school. I think it's important to show love to every child's energy when often that energy gets read and punished as noncompliance.
The Alphabet Rockers are explicitly political, which makes sense since they're hailing from Oakland, California. Their Grammy nominated album, "Rise, Shine #Woke" allows kids to understand what it means to treat each other right and including children in the conversation about social justice. Tommy Sheperd and Kaitlin McGaw engaged the crowd with dances and hooks that called back to the roots of hip hop. My favorite moment was when their DJ, Juan Amador, included a reference to Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." in his set. He wrote this song, "Walls", which advocates for undocumented children and families.
This is a good time to check-in and discuss self-care. What does it mean to practice self-care while remaining productive? UArts students have a pretty public reputation for being incredibly busy all the time, and a private reputation of not having the best practices for maintaining mental health. So I want to discuss self care, and not just self-care to be productive but self-care to have you functioning and resting in your highest purpose. I learned a lot about balancing obligation with self-care, and practicing self-care without falling off of the obligations that serve your greatest good. This fellowship at Smith Memorial has shown me what it's like to have an organized event space, a holistic event space, and a collectively productive space without being individually destructive.
My responsibilities for the day was to document with social media (you'll see most of my posts on Smith's Instagram, @smithplayground during the week leading up to July 21st), and to take care of the artists who would be taking over the main stage!
The opening Youth Stage was really great because it was managed by Junior Music Executive, who you may remember me mentioning in my last post. You may also remember me shouting out Paul Robinson, a UArts alum who is a teaching artist for this organization. Smith's front lawn was joined by artists such as the Athletic Recreation Center dance troupe (pictured below).
What was unique about the headliners for this Kidchella concert is that went against the idea that children's music must be inherently apolitical.
Shawana Kemp of Shine & the Moonbeams draws her songwriting topics from her time as a teaching artist in New York City's public schools and her experience as a mother. What I appreciated about Shine & the Moonbeams' RnB is that it showed love to the energetic child, the child that doesn't sit down, and the child that doesn't sit down. I find this really important in the context of public school districts (including Pittsburgh Public Schools) that are discussing and implementing policies that feed the school-to-prison pipeline. I'm talking about measures such as metal detectors at the doors (personally, I've had to go through a metal detector to attend school since the third grade), or allowing security guards and school police to bring dogs or weapons into the school. I think it's important to show love to every child's energy when often that energy gets read and punished as noncompliance.
The Alphabet Rockers are explicitly political, which makes sense since they're hailing from Oakland, California. Their Grammy nominated album, "Rise, Shine #Woke" allows kids to understand what it means to treat each other right and including children in the conversation about social justice. Tommy Sheperd and Kaitlin McGaw engaged the crowd with dances and hooks that called back to the roots of hip hop. My favorite moment was when their DJ, Juan Amador, included a reference to Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." in his set. He wrote this song, "Walls", which advocates for undocumented children and families.
Overall it was great to see artists from all ages, experiences, and walks of life come to together to create an affordable, creative day for our babies in Philly. Our next challenge is to make this final concert on the 17th, top that!
I'll be blogging up until then!
I wanted to add that all photos were taken by the amazing Rosie Simmons! You can find her work on IG @rosiesimmons, or her website, rosiesimmons.com . I'm sorry I forgot to put it in the post!
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