TEACHING ARTIST SESSION CATEGORIES
If your classroom scientists need a new way to approach a project or review content, consider adding the magic of music and movement. Scientific investigations take on new form in this imaginative and interactive session. Storytelling, rhythm games, and dance meet the scientific method in an experience that makes the lesson stick. Available in English & Spanish.
Step off the map and into motion! In this high-energy, immersive arts session, students take a kinetic journey around the globe—exploring diverse cultures, languages, and traditions through the universal power of dance, music, rhythm, and storytelling. Rather than just studying a map or memorizing vocabulary, in this session students embody the concepts. They will move through global dance forms, practice world language phrases through rhythmic call-and-response, analyze how geography shapes cultural expression, and collaborate on original movement pieces that honor global traditions. With a dash of folklore, history, and prop work added to the mix, this session is rich in options and opportunities. Prepare for a lesson with cross-curricular connections between Social Studies, World Languages, Geography, and Global Studies standards that also fosters empathy, cultural awareness, and creative collaboration. This session can be tailored to align with specific world regions, language immersion units, or school-wide multicultural celebrations, so please check in with the artist if you would like to customize.
Jeremy Benoit “JB Saax ” takes students through a crash course of how Jazz began and the integral role the saxophone plays in its inception. This course involves a live saxophone performance demonstrating many different types of jazz techniques and also sheds light on how America’s original music genre massively shaped the country in its wake.
Jeremy Benoit, aka “JB Saax,” takes students through a journey of the professional recording artist/studio engineer. Students will be exposed to basic, intermediate, and advanced recording techniques and will even be granted the opportunity to record their own personal soundtrack. This course gives exposure to music industry standard operations and provides insight on how professional entertainers integrated these systems into their everyday lives.
The Mermaid Music Showcase is an interactive music and movement experience that introduces students to rhythm, singing, creative expression, listening skills, and musical storytelling through an imaginative under-the-sea adventure. Students actively participate by singing, echoing rhythms, moving with the music, and creating sound together using age-appropriate activities that encourage confidence, cooperation, creativity, and self-expression. Each presentation is designed for Pre-K through elementary students and aligns with arts education goals by strengthening musical awareness, focus, imagination, and group participation. No advance preparation is required, but teachers are encouraged to enjoy the experience alongside their students.
The Ocean Calm introduces students to the calming sounds of instruments from around the world, including crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, harp, gong, chimes, and other peaceful percussion. Students begin with a brief demonstration of each instrument, learning how sound and vibration can encourage relaxation, focused listening, and emotional regulation. They are then invited to sit comfortably or lie quietly while experiencing a guided sound bath designed to promote calm, imagination, and mindful awareness. No prior experience or preparation is required, and teachers are welcome to relax and enjoy the experience alongside their students while providing normal classroom supervision. Students need to wear comfortable clothing and have enough space to sit or lie down comfortably.
You can hear it at festivals, at barbecues, and on the radio. Maybe your family knows how to dance to it, and it is firmly woven into the soundscape of Louisiana. But where did it come from? This interactive history lesson will answer that and also address how important it is to keep our tradition and culture alive.
Each student will receive two adjectives and a noun, randomly pulled from a hat. We will discuss the difference between adjectives and nouns, then the students will then be encouraged to create an illustration or write a story inspired by the creative combination of words, building their imagination and sense of humor.
Big, blue, and everywhere you look – that’s the story of Louisiana artist George Rodrigue and his iconic Blue Dog! Students in this session will learn about the artist, his canine legacy, and create masterpieces in the artist’s unique style.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a….PLATE? Whooping Cranes are incredible Louisiana birds that need to be protected! Students will learn about these amazing endangered birds, and make their own whooping cranes from paper plates. Let’s make conservation fun and creative!