“Something to Dance About”
The PS Broadway program has a palpable impact on every school we work with. A teacher from P. S. 4 in Washington Heights wrote us a letter explaining what it meant in her school.
Dear Rosie's Broadway Kids staff,
I am writing this letter to thank you for your consistent energy, commitment and hard work with the students of P.S. 4 in Washington Heights. The children, most of whom have never been part of a performance on a real stage, have learned invaluable lessons about themselves and others as a result of our schools' participation in this important program. In addition to learning about singing and dancing, I have seen my students grow in other important ways over the past two years.
Last year, it was refreshing to witness one student’s delight each week as we entered the auditorium for our rehearsal. She shined on stage, expertly learning the songs and dance steps, while holding her head up high with a determined attitude. Although at first reluctant, she eventually traveled downtown to audition for ACTE II’s summer program, confiding in me that she had never before been to Times Square. Both years, I watched my students’ faces light up as they entered a Broadway theater for the first time in their lives. I watched once shy girls who rarely spoke in class find their voices on stage and gain the confidence to sing “in a forte voice”, a phrase I now use to encourage my students to express their thoughts and ideas during class discussions with poise. I watched boys who rarely get the chance to express themselves physically, learn difficult dance sequences and move with determination and focus I rarely see in class. I saw my ESL students, who struggle to speak English, learn phrases such as “benevolent brotherhood of man” and “journey through our anecdotic review”. My students discussed the meaning of the songs they sang, learning the meaning of vocabulary words like benevolent, foibles, noble and fraternity. The children saw that theatre mirrors life while learning about the race relations during the civil rights movement depicted in Hairspray and Jewish cultural traditions while watching Fiddler on the Roof.
I was impressed with the high quality of the children’s performances of challenging songs like “Brotherhood of Man,” in which they were required to sing in rounds and did so enthusiastically and well. The students of P.S. 4 learned that while it’s not easy, performers need to be creative to solve practical problems in order to include children with disabilities in a performance. Until today, I had never seen one student work so hard. I was so proud to see this fifth grader push himself to perform his steps while ensuring the safety of his peer, by controlling his peer's wheelchair. His example showed the students of P.S. 4 that good people inconvenience themselves to help their fellow students and ultimately, citizens. I’m sure that the student in the wheelchair felt truly included in the spotlight and celebration of fifteen weeks of hard work.
Overall, I feel strongly that the fifth graders of P.S. 4 learned the value of practice as a means of improvement and will take this lesson with them in life. I was moved to see my students given the opportunity to be visibly proud of themselves and their team effort at the end of the performances. As their teacher, I know that the students valued your weekly commitment, dedication and professionalism. I thank you for working with the fifth graders of P.S. 4, the kids for whom Rosie’s Broadway Kids was created.
Sincerely,
Tricia L McLeod
Teacher, P.S. 4