Spring Family Day Announced at Carnegie Hall

On Sunday, April 8 from 12 to 4 p.m., children and families will have the opportunity to take part in free, interactive musical activities as part of Spring Family Day in Carnegie Hall's Resnick Education Wing. This musical open house celebrates music for change, inspired by Carnegie Hall's citywide festival The '60s: The Years that Changed America. Offerings include a community sing-in, drum circle, instrument making activity, mural project, and a digital music mixing and sampling station. Families will also have the chance to learn iconic dances of the 1960s. The day will be highlighted by high-energy performances from Michael Mwenso and the Shakes that will include protest songs from both the USA and South Africa. Admission is granted on a first-come, first-served basis, and families are welcome to drop by for a visit or stay throughout the day for a musical adventure of their choice.

Spring Family Day Activities

Community Sing-In
Join Emily Eagen, Elena Moon Park, and Ashley Phillips in singing songs inspired by diverse social movements that span from the 1960s to the present, and get the chance to contribute to new songs about the changes you would like to see in the world today.

Drum Circle
Learn how drumming can bring people together and how it has acted as a catalyst for social change since the 1960s with Martin Urbach from Liberation Drum Circles and Gabriel Globus-Hoenich from People of Earth.

Instrument Making
Build tambourines and guitars from recycled materials in this hands-on activity. Then join Bash the Trash for interactive performances of original songs for change.

Mural Project
Add your own hopes for change in the world to a collaborative mural art piece led by Thrive Collective.

Soundtrack for Change
Watch and listen to great Freedom Singers of the 1960s through interactive digital listening stations, and experiment with remixing and sampling by adding your own voices to our Family Day "Soundtrack for Change," led by Gabriel Lugo and Frankie LeRoux.

Town Square
Sing and dance along with songs that inspired social change in the 1960s and new, original songs speaking to the struggles of today. Between sets from Michael Mwenso and the Shakes, children will learn some of the iconic dances of the 60s in an activity designed by Lisa Greene and Rajeeyah Finnie-Myers, and see how these movements evolved into some of the dances of today.

About Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute
Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall's commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall's mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world's greatest artists, WMI's programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow's musical talent, and harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall's concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music. The Weill Music Institute generates new knowledge through original research and is committed to giving back to its community and the field, sharing an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. More than half a million people each year engage in WMI's programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall. This includes 400,000 students and teachers worldwide who participate in WMI's Link Up music education program for students in grades 3 through 5, made possible through Carnegie Hall partnerships with over 100 orchestras in the US, Canada, Japan, Kenya, and Spain.

For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/Education

About The '60s: The Years that Changed America
Carnegie Hall's citywide '60s festival (through March 24, 2018) explores the turbulent spirit of this defining decade through the lens of arts and culture, including music's role as a meaningful vehicle to inspire social change. As many of the hard-won victories of the 1960s are being debated, for this ambitious festival Carnegie Hall turned for the first time to a figure outside the music world-Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Robert A. Caro, famed biographer of Robert Moses and Lyndon B. Johnson-for inspiration to present a festival examining this pivotal decade. The '60s festival has featured an extraordinary selection of more than 50 events across the arts and culture spectrum, including music, dance, exhibitions, talks, films, and family programming as well as radio and digital offerings presented by more than 35 festival partner organizations across the city and beyond.

For a complete schedule of programming, please visit: carnegiehall.org/60s

Thanks to the New York City Administration for Children's Services and the Department of Homeless Services for supporting families during Family Days.

Family Days are generously supported, in part, by an endowment gift from Linda and Earle S. Altman.

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Photo by Chris Lee.