What We Have Done

We had a great school year in 2012-13!

This past year, we worked primarily with two schools: Olympic View Elemenary in Lacey, WA, and Hansen Elementary in West Olympia, WA. Our "Get-In-The-Groove" Grants awarded dollars to these two schools that enabled them to have great activities that we organized.

The Get-In-The-Groove Grant awarded Olympic View Elementary with $2400, which enabled them to have several great activities:

• Yoga class series for teachers;
• Dance Club for students;
• Parent-Staff-Teacher band;
• Performance by Salsa de Olympia (aka Salsa de Cuba); and
• A Workshop for Teachers, "Rhythm-Play The Teachers’ Way," by Kerri Lynn Nichols"

Congratulations to Olympic View and Hansen for your Get-In-The-Groove awards, and for bringing more music and dance to your students' and teachers' learning day! Kudos to teachers Joyce Hancock (at Olympic View) and Matt Samson (Hansen) for all of your energies and leadership.

Many thanks to The Jubilation Foundation and Encore Arts Foundation for our primary funding in academic year 2012-13.

Workshops

Every year Sound Kids Drum and Dance has brought the region’s finest music and dance teachers to Olympia to spend a day with local teachers. Workshop themes range from general techniques on teaching rhythm and movement to specific grooves and dances from world music to Hip Hop traditions. Clock hours have been available for workshop participants. Additionally, Sound Kids offers monthly follow-up gatherings, where teachers can practice newly learned skills with each other, as well as share ideas.

Instruments & Resources

Sound Kids maintains had an extensive collection of child-sized percussion instruments – drums, bells, shakers and more - and was eager to make them available to qualified people working with groups of children. We also offered instructional materials and music from our library and on our website.

On-Going Support

We identified and promoted professionals – local and nonlocal – who can worked in the classroom; we provided volunteers in the classroom and in after-school programs. We created opportunities for children to perform, such as our annual Samba Skate at Skateland.

Schools We Have Partnered With

Since 2000, Sound Kids Drum and Dance has partnered with teachers, often for multiple years, creating school-based rhythm and dance ensembles. These schools include:

• Elementary Schools
  • Centennial
  • East Olympia
  • Evergreen Forest
  • Hansen
  • Horizons
  • Lacey
  • Lincoln
  • Meadows
  • Michael T. Simmons
  • Mountain View
  • Olympic View
  • Parkside
  • Peter G. Schmidt
  • Pioneer
  • Seven Oaks
  • Southworth
  • Roosevelt

• Middle Schools
  • Chinook
  • Reeves

• YMCA After School Care