Virtual Events for Schools
We have completed our virtual event offerings for 2022-23 season. We hope to provide them again in the 2023-24 season, so stay tuned!
Thanks to our generous donors who make these free virtual events possible.
Past offerings:
Somos Amigos: Songs on Common Ground
Offered September & October, 2022
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, friendship is at the heart of this joyful new collaboration between Mexican songstress Sonia De Los Santos and the Americana folk duo The Okee Dokee Brothers. This bilingual program includes both old and new songs that span the musical traditions of North America and illustrate the collective power of singing together and learning from each other. With an adventurous spirit and a common vision of peace and understanding, Somos Amigos encourages young and old to explore, dance, sing and laugh together, hand-in-hand.
The performance is approximately one hour long. It can be watched all at once or in segments. There are also two short bonus videos on Latin American rhythms and Sonia’s instruments.
Journeys to the Past
Offered November 2022
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month! Through storytelling, song, and dance, take a journey to the past and learn about the rich culture of Native Americans as well. This video takes students on a journey into the lifestyle of the California Indian, in particular the Acjachemen Nation, which flourished in Southern California hundreds of years before the Spanish influx. Jacque Nuñez, master storyteller, and Educator of the Year for the Indian Education State Conference 2009, shares her people's indigenous tools, instruments, games and clothing through stories and songs.
The video is 50 minutes in length and may be watched at once or in segments over your viewing week. Recommended for grades K-5. There is a 30-minute bonus video with more stories, songs and the Native American Chicken Dance.
Melanie DeMore, Grammy-nominated songwriter, composer and vocal activist
offered February 2023
Celebrate Black History Month! Three-time Grammy-nominated songwriter, composer and vocal activist Melanie DeMore shares African American Spirituals and Civil Rights songs and examines the power of this music to inspire emotions, build community, and feed people’s spirits during challenging times. A dynamic and engaging guide, Melanie DeMore explores work songs, sorrow and jubilee songs, as well as zipper songs, and encourages us to create our own songs of hope and healing.
The video is 30 minutes in length and may be watched at once or in segments over your viewing week. Ms. DeMore also offers a 12-minute bonus video about spirituals and music from the Civil Right Movement.
THE CARP WHO WOULD NOT QUIT & OTHER ANIMAL STORIES by Honolulu Theatre for Youth
offered May 2023
These retellings of traditional fables from Japan and the Okinawa islands teach important lessons of persistence, respect and kindness. Japanese and Okinawan music, language and culture are the heart of this performance featuring clever animals, puppetry, live songs, Koto and Taiko instruments, and a whole lot of fun for young audience members and their families. Stories include The Mice and the Rolling Musubi, the legend of the Rabbits Making Mochi in the Moon, and more!
Vân-Ánh Võ, musician and Emmy Award-winning composer
offered May 2023
We are pleased to share the work of award-winning composer and musician Vân-Ánh Võ who creates stunning, complex works by melding Vietnamese musical traditions with a variety of genres. In this video, Vân-Ánh Võ leads an immersive “show and tell” of traditional Vietnamese instruments, demonstrating the sound of each unique, hand-constructed instrument, and featuring them in her compositions.
