Photo Flash: Area Students Perform RHYTHM, LOVE & HIP HOP, A BROOKLYN STORY at NJPAC

Following nine months of intensive training and exposure to the Great American Songbook and American musical theater with artist/teachers in residence under the direction of Victor Burks, NJPAC, one hundred students from four New Jersey schools collaborated on the creation of a new musical which they performed for the first time all together at NJPAC last week. Scroll down for photos from the show!

The unique performance is the culmination of a partnership between NJPAC and JMF, who together piloted an innovative musical theater residency during the 2012-2013 school year. The students wrote and rehearsed the musical over 9 months in four separate parts and put the pieces together for the first time in front of their family and friends. "The program is a first of its kind" says JMF Vice President, Jonathan Brielle.

Rather than be merely an exposure program; it was an immersive experience where students learned the history of the American Musical, the creative process including lyric writing, and the rehearsal and performance process - they were also able to develop creativity, self-confidence, and new ways of positive expression. In addition, the residency helped the schools involved to meet their curricular goals as the residency was developed in accordance with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.

NJPAC's Chase Room rocked with the songs from "Rhythm, Love & Hip Hop: A Brooklyn Story" which had been crafted by the students in four sections but linked seamlessly in vibe, lyrics, dialogue and dimension. The students 11-13 years of age chose a spin on "West Side Story" substituting warring street gangs with competing dance crews with, of course, a romantic twist in which the sister of one crew leader is in love with the leader of a rival crew. Led by accompanist, Mr. Burks the novice composers and lyricists took the audience on a high energy romp through the world of dance crew competitions, a popular non-violent activity in urban areas. In another twist, each lead role was played by four different young actors and cast regardless of sex to allow everyone a chance in the spotlight.

The performance featured students from The Martin Center for the Arts (Jersey City, NJ); Maple Avenue School (Newark, NJ); Cicely L. Tyson Community School of the Performing and Fine Arts Middle School (East Orange, NJ) and Arts High School (Newark, NJ).

Says Mr. Brielle, "Our musical theater residency is a direct result of the Erin Layton/Georgia Sate University curriculum JMF developed two years ago with Georgia State University. We believe it is the first time that students from four different schools have worked to write an original musical together! The fact that each school contributed their own part of the play and it all ties together in one story is a testament to the dedication and skills of the good people at NJPAC."

Laurie Carter, NJPAC's Vice President of Arts Education said, "The Mercer project has permitted NJPAC to create an Arts Education program that enables students to utilize and strengthen the skills they learn in the classroom and apply them in the musical theater context. The sense of accomplishment, confidence and ownership that the students developed during this project give them new team building and problem solving abilities that will benefit their lives. NJPAC is grateful to the Mercer Foundation for funding this important project."

Located in the heart of an emerging downtown Newark, NJPAC has been widely cited as a catalyst in the revitalization of New Jersey's largest city, attracting more than seven million visitors since it opened in 1997. NJPAC's arts education initiatives have reached more than a million Newark and New Jersey children with innovative programs including the Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens, The Star-Ledger Scholarship for the Performing Arts, The Young Artist Institute, and the Verizon Passport to Culture School Time series. NJPAC also offers in-school residencies in dance, theater, music, and the literary arts. The cornerstone of Newark's cultural community, NJPAC's free outdoor summer music series, Sounds of the City, is an annual highly anticipated event, attracting between 2,000 and 3,000 people to the three-acre Theater Square on Thursday nights during the summer months. To learn more, visit www.njpac.org.

The Johnny Mercer Foundation is a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and celebrating the work of Mercer and other great American songwriters, and to introducing their music to a new generation of listeners through educational programs. The foundation also supports charitable organizations through royalties from Mercer's songs. To learn more, visit http://www.johnnymercerfoundation.com/intro.html.

Students perform number from 'Rhythm, Love & Hip Hop, A Brooklyn Story' at NJPAC.

Students perform

Students perform

Students perform

Students with John Schreiber, Jonathan Brielle, Laurie Carter

NJPAC CEO John Schreiber, NJPAC VP Arts Education Lauire A. Carter & Johnny Mercer Foundation VP Jonathan Brielle

ictor Burks, NJPAC and Jonathan Brielle, VP Johnny Mercer Foundation

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