Schools Recognized For Their Creativity.

Schools across America are discovering unique ways to develop their creativity in a program called “My Dream Lab.” This year schools from Atlanta; Columbus, Ohio; Charleston, South Carolina; and Houston have been selected to participate in the program by creating their own art residency based on the multicultural themes explored in the Giant Screen Film’s Pulse: a STOMP Odyssey, which highlights creative expression from around the world with a focus on global rhythm and multiculturalism.

As a result of the success received by the national program Dream Lab, “My Dream Lab” was created to expand its unique opportunities to additional schools in select cities throughout the country. Both Dream Lab and “My Dream Lab” are administered by the nation’s leading source of arts-in-education services, Young Audiences, Inc. (YAI), and sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

This year’s “My Dream Lab” recognized schools include Barrett Middle School Urban Academy from Columbus, Ohio; Duxberry Park Arts IMPACT Elementary School also from Columbus, Ohio; Landis Elementary School from Houston, Texas; Woodson Elementary School from Atlanta, Georgia; and Angel Oak Elementary from Johns Island, South Carolina.

“My Dream Lab” schools are selected by Young Audiences and will receive a recognition award of $1,000 to be used toward the proposed project in Spring 2005. Each residency is unique and will reflect the culture and history of their local community. YAI has selected Barrett Middle School as this year’s featured school to be highlighted on the Arts for Learning website (http://www.arts4learning.org/dreamlab) with its residency titled, “Umoja at the Academy Umoja.” Students will create two supplemental scenes for the movie Pulse that will build on the themes represented in the film. As the featured school, Barrett will also receive an additional $2,000 cash award to be used toward the development of their project.

Other “My Dream Lab” recognized schools and residencies include Columbus’ Duxberry Park Arts whose students will study West African drumming and dancing to create an original dance piece in a residency titled “Mandiani, a Dance for the Moli Empire.” Students at Houston’s Landis Elementary will create an interpretive original dance and music piece that will capture the cultures portrayed in the film in a residency titled “Providing Rhythm in Inner-city Dance and Expression,” while Atlanta’s Woodson Elementary will create original rap lyrics and drumming sequences in a residency titled “Drumming and Rapping for Peace.” Finally, students from South Carolina’s Angel Oak Elementary will learn the art and history of African drumming to create original compositions and design their own costumes and instruments in their residency titled “Piccolo Art Beat.”

“Giving students the ability to think and work creatively is an important part of education. We’ve seen the students involved in the Dream Lab programs excel in and out of the classroom and we’d like to thank American Honda for extending this opportunity to even more deserving students,” said YAI national executive director Richard Bell.”

The “My Dream Lab” awards are an outcome of American Honda’s national sponsorship of Dream Lab and the company’s exclusive worldwide sponsorship of Pulse. Using the film as the source of inspiration, students work with local artists for 10 weeks exploring the multicultural themes in the movie. Previous residencies have found students creating and playing their own instruments and choreographing original dances. The program is open to students in grades four through eight in schools that are at least 50 percent Title One eligible and have at least a 50 percent minority population. They must also be from one of the markets where Dream Lab residencies have taken place, which include: Atlanta, Boston, Charleston, SC, Columbus, OH, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, OR and Washington, D.C.

“Helping young people achieve their goals is a rewarding experience for everyone. These programs provide students with a head start by offering a unique approach to creative learning and innovation,” said David Spyra, manager of Regional Marketing for American Honda. “We are honored and delighted to partner with Young Audiences on this exciting endeavor,” Spyra added.

Arts-in-education is vital to an academic curriculum because it offers students a new interactive method of learning that reinforces and helps develop cognitive capacities that fortify everyday learning. “My Dream Lab” provides this unique opportunity to underserved children across the nation and addresses these core educational goals.