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Brooklyn, New York
- We first met the youngsters of the Danny Kaye PS
(Public School) 149 Steelband a couple months ago
when they accompanied
New York veteran steel orchestra Pantonic to MIT in
Boston. Then, they were filled with wonder as Pantonic
grabbed the spotlight during the 2007 campus preview
weekend. On Wednesday June 6 it was the turn of the PS 149'ers
to star, and show their fellow students just how it is done,
as they took their turn behind their instruments as part of
the school's annual Danny Kaye Arts Festival on Sutter
Avenue in Brooklyn.
 As they played, boys and girls of all
ages, some quite young, swarmed around pans and players to
get a bird's eye view on the steelband. They were
quite self-sufficient, as Arts Coordinator Marcia Eversley
would later tell When Steel
Talks (WST),
basically setting up
their instruments for the event, practicing under the watchful eye of 12
year-old Ryan Goulbourne, and
deciding what they wanted to play!
 Ms. Eversley
(left) explained to
WST
that the
steelband performance was one of several workshop activities
taking place throughout the school, and open to parents and
family, as well as the school student body. All
transpired within a four-hour time span which gave
visitors and students alike multiple opportunities to
observe, and even participate in the workshops showcasing
the talents of the youngsters under the guidance of their teachers.
Now in it's seventh year, Ms. Eversley explained that the
original concept for the Arts Festival was to allow students
who were not exposed to an Arts discipline during the school
year, to have that opportunity at the workshops during the
festival. So for a student who had not participated in
any Arts activity, he/she would do so, via Dance, for
example, and fulfill that discipline requirement within the preparation
period and during the culmination of the festival. Yaffa Cultural Arts, Creative Educational Systems and Young
Dancers in Repertory Partnership worked in tandem with the
Danny Kaye School in the areas of music, theater and dance,
respectively, and were also involved in the preparation of the students for the day's
presentations.
 When Steel
Talks was able to
see firsthand two of the dance exhibitions taking place on
the fourth floor, the location of the school's dance
studios. In rooms located next to each other,
Russian and Chinese dances were in session; in others,
puppetry, face painting, story telling, arts & crafts, as
well as other dance exhibitions showcasing cultures from
other parts of the world, and much more were on exhibition
during the four-hour Arts extravaganza.
Whilst the
children were engaged in activities all over the school, it
was still business as usual for many of the academic staff;
WST
was introduced to principal Enid Silvera
(left) and one of the
school's computer instructors - Martin Richard
(center), who were
keeping the administrative wheels turning even while the
Arts Festival unfolded throughout the building and outside.
WST
appreciated PS 149's personal touch
when Ms. Eversley thoughtfully arranged refreshments and
mementos in advance for our crew on hand to cover the event.
Another thoughtful detail on the part of
administration was to have PS 149 students as 'Ambassadors' on hand,
immediately identifiable in white shirts and with respective
Ambassador tags highlighted with red ribbons.
 Their task
was to roam the school, from top to bottom, identifying lost
souls (like
WST) and
steer them to their desired activity
destinations! So kind, both youngsters merrily
suggested should there be further directional issues,
WST
could 'simply plop down and have a
seat' to be discovered once more, sooner or later, on
their rounds. Quaint! How fortunate for parents
and visitors to have eloquent and polite Ambassadors
Georelys Torres (right) and Brandon Hedgepeth
(left) on hand.
 A short while later, it was back to
the business of edutainment in the school yard, as
Trinbagonian musical aggregation Interjah -
twenty-plus years in existence - and for the festival,
featuring Gregory Valentine on steelpan, simultaneously
educated and entertained the youngsters. They did not
miss the 'golden' opportunity to impart some musical
history, or wisdom about the 'ills' of fast food, all the while holding
the attention of their audience.
 The
group seized the opportunity to feature a repertoire of
varied musical genres and
captivated students, teachers and visitors alike. And
the onlookers followed instructions well, as Interjah gave
orders to dance, prance, and scream, in true soca style.
When the group called for a teacher to lead the charge,
fifth grade teacher Keisha Lewis (right) stepped up to the plate
magnificently to strut her musical stuff right in front
of the students.
Even as the music was center stage in
the yard, there was still more transpiring on Wyona Street
directly in front the school, which had been cordoned off
to allow still more students to enjoy their lunch hour,
participating in double dutch, basketball, etc. The
weather cooperated marvelously for the festival, which was
no doubt one of the most enjoyable days for the students
(and some teachers!) in the school's calendar year.
Arts Festival in
Pictures
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