Spruce Peak PresentsIn Association with the Flynn Center

Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino

An immense thank you...Performances at Spruce Peak are supported by the Spruce Peak Arts Community & Education Fund, THe Arnold G. and Martha M. Langbo Foundation, the Lintilhac Foundation, the George W. Mergens Foundation, and the Windham Foundation. Additional funding from the SPruce PEak Lights Festival Sponsors: the Baird Family, Jill Boardman and Family, David Clancy, Dawn & Kevin D’Arcy, the DeStefano Family, the Laquerre-Franklin Family, the Gaines Family, the Green Family, Lauren & Jack Handrahan, Kristi & Evan Lovell, Heather & Bill Maffie, the Ohler Family, Sebastien Paradis, the Patch Family, the Rhinesmith Family, Grand Slam Tennis Tour, Carlos & Allison Serrano-Zevallos, Tyler Savage, Patti Martin Spence, Sidney Stark, Nancy & Bill Steers, and Ken Taylor.

Thank you to the Flynn Matinee 2018-2019 underwriters: Northfield Savings Bank, Champlain Investment Partners, LLC, Bari and Peter Dreissigacker, Everybody Belongs at the Flynn Fund, Ford Foundation, Forrest and Frances Lattner Foundation, Surdna Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, Vermont Arts Council, Everybody Belongs Arts Initiative of Burlington Town Center/Devonwood, Vermont Community Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts.. Additional support from the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation & the Walter Cerf Community Fund.

Welcome to the 2018-2019 Student Matinee Season!Today’s scholars and researchers say creativity is the top skill our kids will need when they enter the workforce of the future, so we salute YOU for valuing the educational and inspirational power of live performance. By using this study guide you are taking an even greater step toward implementing the arts as a vital and inspiring educational tool.

We hope you find this guide useful and that it deepens your students’ connection to the material. If we can help in any way, please contact sms@flynncenter.org.

Enjoy the show! -Education Staff

About Radio Jarocho and Zenen ZeferinoRadio Jarocho plays the rowdy, upbeat, and at times melancholic music of the countryside of Veracruz, Mexico, and has been mixing it with the sounds of New York’s urban life for over ten years. Having recently joined forces with son jarocho legend Zenen Zeferino, they deliver performances that are passionate, energetic, and true to the roots of the genre. Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino have played concerts at festivals and venues in the east coast, including Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Bowl, Joe’s Pub, La Casita at Lincoln Center, Le Poisson Rouge, Celebrate Mexico Now! and Celebrate Brooklyn. They released “Rios de Norte y Sur”, their first studio production together, in May of 2018. With this album, Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino celebrate the music that unites Veracruz and New York, Mexico and the United States through original songs and new arrangements for old jarocho tunes, offering a modern take on a traditional genre by fusing it with sounds that have become part of New York City’s musical fabric.Recorded and mixed by Alex Venguer and mastered by Oscar Zambrano, with cover art by Víctor Zuñiga, “Ríos de Norte y Sur” features tracks that in ways speak to our experience as immigrants in the US and to the nostalgia and love we have for our roots and origins. We speak about the bodies of water that unite New York and Veracruz, and that know no borders, walls or frontiers.

An Excerpt:

I was born in Transoxania at the union of the Jaxartes and Oxus rivers;Where past and future meet,Where moon doesn’t hide from sun,Where distinguishing a white thread from black is impossible. I was born into the steppe where sands sing And fiery tigers ramble,Where beautiful Anahita is worshipped,And soon Zarathustra will be born, and the steppe smells as if it is strewnWith moonflowers—Gulayim.And I was named Gulayim. And I united forty girls like me,Young, passionate, rigorous and fast,Affluent, healthy, resounding with joy.And the steppe was filled with these sounds. And the steppe swelled with fertility.Sand has blossomed underfoot,Springs welled up from stones,The garden of Miueli had appeared. And our arrows were precise,And our horses were fast.

Questions & Prompts

Before the show:● What kinds of things can we do with our bodies when we hear music that has lots of energy? Guide children to

talk about what you can do when they are standing and what they can do when they are sitting in a chair.○ What can we do with:

■ our feet?■ our hands?■ our fingers■ our legs?■ our knees?■ our shoulders?■ our hips?■ our heads?

● The music you’ll be hearing comes from the Veracruz region of Mexico. Have students locate this on a map, and then find their hometown and Vermont on a map. Students can compare the size, shape, and location of these places. What do they imagine life would be like in Veracruz? How would it be similar to Vermont? Different?

While you’re watching, notice:

● How the different musical pieces sound similar to each other● How the different musical pieces are different from each other in some ways● How each of the musical pieces made you feel● The times when each instrument got to do a solo and add some extra parts to the music● How the performers interact with one another while they’re playing

After the show:

● Which songs/musical pieces did you enjoy most? Which type of music were these pieces?● What did all the musical pieces seem to have in common? How were they different from each other?● Was the speed of the different musical pieces the same?● Did all the musical pieces make you feel the same way?● Which instruments seem to get to play solos (by themselves) the most? Did you like it better when all the

instruments played together or when they took turns?● Which instrument looked the most difficult to play? the easiest?● Do you think the people playing the music were having a good time? Why or why not? How could you tell?● Did the musicians talk about Mexico, their culture, their history, the history of the music? What did they say?

VocabularyAnahita: ancient Iranian goddess associated with fertility, healing and wisdom

Bardic: of or related to bards, tribal poet-singers skilled in composing and reciting verses on heroes and their deeds

Khan: title for sovereign or military ruler used by medieval nomadic Turkic tribes; used in modern times to indicate commander, leader or ruler

Kalmyk: a branch of Oirat Mongols who lived in Central Asia

Karakalpakstan: a region within Uzbekistan

Sarmartians: large confederation of Iranian people during classical antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BCE to the 4th century CE

Steppe: a large area of flat unforested grassland

Transoxania: “beyond the Oxus” adapted from Arabic ma wara al-nahr “that which is beyond the river.” The region includes the territory that arcs eastward from the Aral Sea between the Amu Darya (River Oxus of antiquity) and the Syr Darya, comprising most of the present day nations of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and portions of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Turkic: relating to or denoting a large group of closely related languages of western and central Asia, including Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uighur, Uzbek and Tatar

Zarathustra: another name for Zoroaster, Iranian prophet who founded

Zoroastrianism:a popular religion in Ancient Persia

About Veracruz, MexicoVeracruz, in full Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, formerly (1863–2003) in full Veracruz-Llave, estado(state), east-central Mexico. Veracruz is bounded by the state of Tamaulipas to the north, by the Gulf of Mexico to the east, and by the states of Tabasco and Chiapas to the southeast, Oaxaca to the southwest, and Puebla, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosí to the west. The state capital is Xalapa (Jalapa; in full, Xalapa Enríquez). Veracruz is shaped like a crescent, stretching some 400 miles (650 km) along the Gulf coast but averaging only about 60 miles (100 km) in width. The coast consists of low sandy strips interspersed with tidewater streams and lagoons, but the relief rises inland to the Sierra Madre Oriental, which is cut by valleys often covered by dense tropical rainforest. Citlaltépetl (Orizaba Peak), Mexico’s highest point, at 18,406 feet (5,610 metres), is located at the juncture of the Sierra Madre highlands and the Cordillera Neo-Volcánica. More than 40 rivers and tributaries provide water for irrigation and hydroelectric power; they also carry rich silt down from the eroding highlands, which is deposited in the valleys and coastal areas.

The state contains numerous remains of pre-Hispanic Olmec, Totonac, and Huastec cities. El Tajín, a ruined city that reached its apex between the 9th and 13th centuries, was designated a UNESCOWorld Heritage site in 1992. Spanish colonial settlements began in the 16th century, including the river port of Tlacotalpan, which was made a World Heritage site in 1998. A small but significant proportion of the residents still speak indigenous languages.Veracruz has one of Mexico’s leading economies. The state has about one-fourth of Mexico’s petroleum reserves and several refineries. Chief agricultural products include coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, tobacco, bananas, coconuts, and vegetables, but farmers depend mainly on corn (maize) and beans. Veracruz is one of the country’s leading producers of beef cattle. Forestry, flowers (notably orchids), and medicinal plants are also important. Among the state’s numerous and varied industries are sugar refining, distilling, chemical processing, metalworking, and textile production. Fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and processing of the catches form an industry of national importance. Highway, rail, and air connections are good, especially in the south. Besides the major seaport of Veracruz city, there are minor ports at Tuxpan and Coatzacoalcos, among others. A major highway and railroad link Veracruz city and Xalapa to Mexico City.

Veracruz became a state in 1824. Its government is headed by a governor, who is elected to a single term of six years. Members of the unicameral legislature, the State Congress, are elected to three-year terms. The state is divided into local governmental units called municipios (municipalities), each of which is headquartered in a prominent city, town, or village. Veracruz University (1944) is located in Xalapa. The anthropological museum in Xalapa (1957) displays Olmec, Totonac, and Huastec artifacts. Area 27,683 square miles (71,699 square km). Pop. (2010) 7,643,194.Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Veracruz-state-Mexico

One of the groups that grew out of this evolving scene is the primarily female Son del Centro, an ensemble created at the Mexican Cultural Center in Santa Ana, the heart of the Mexican-American community in Orange County. All of the members sing, dance and play instruments. Member Ana Urzua says the music's ability to get everybody — musicians and audiences — to do everything is part of its appeal."It's a beautiful music," she says. "It's a music that is welcoming. But I think it's also that it is a part of something bigger. It's a part of a people, their traditions and their culture."Los Angeles has been hosting a son jarocho festival for the last 10 years. This year, Mono Blanco, the group that helped revive this music in the late '70s in Veracruz, came to play in South L.A. Gilberto Gutierrez, the group's leader, says the traditional way of playing son jarocho has not changed. What's new and exciting is how young Latinos in the U.S. have taken up the music."The fandango celebration has the ability to bring together families, generations, different social classes ... and that's really positive," Gutierrez says. "Especially because these days, different generations tend to separate, but now suddenly there's an activity that unites the family: youth, old, kids, rich or poor and so on. I think that's what's been attractive to people here in the U.S."Rafael Figueroa, a writer and radio host from Veracruz, agrees. He's been recording and documenting son jarocho, both in Mexico and the U.S. "If you become interested in son jarocho, you belong to a community almost right at the start," Figueroa says. "Of course, for us from Veracruz, it's important, but [also] for people from Mexico City, from California, like Chicanos, Anglos, whatever. They feel like they're participating, right from the start, in a community."Libby Harding is the leader of a son jarocho group called Conjunto Jardin. When she was a child, she learned the music through her father, who learned it from the masters in Veracruz. "I've always wanted to do it and share it with other people — share at least what I've learned and help maybe turn other people on to son jarocho by hearing us," Harding says. "Maybe they'd go and look at some of the roots of the music."As long as son jarocho musicians learn and hold onto the roots of the music, the tradition will thrive wherever it's played.Source: https://www.npr.org/2011/10/29/141723031/a-musical-style-that-unites-mexican-americans

A Musical Style That Unites Mexican-AmericansIt's a warm evening at Tia Chucha's Bookstore in Sylmar, in California's San Fernando Valley, not far from the neighborhood where Ritchie Valens created a rock 'n' roll version of the most famous son jarocho tune "La Bamba." Tonight, Aaron Castellanos is one of eight students in a music class held at the store. He's learning to play the eight-string jarana, the main instrument in the musical style of son jarocho."I like the way that the jarana sounds," he says. "I like how son jarocho invokes so much energy into the playing and into the singing."Son jarocho comes from Veracruz, a state in the Gulf Coast region of Mexico, where three different cultures — Spanish, indigenous and African — came together more than 500 years ago. Castellanos is actually learning the "mosquito," one of the smallest jaranas, which has a noticeably high pitch. "This is the first instrument that I've ever learned, so I want to keep playing," Castellanos says. "I want to buy my own jarana and just continue practicing."Castellanos' teacher is Cesar Castro, a key figure at the center of the Son Jarocho explosion in Los Angeles. Castro says that, since he moved to L.A. from Veracruz eight years ago, the number of son jarocho musicians has been growing, and the quality of the music has been improving. "When we had the first fandangos here in Los Angeles, the music was not that good. But the energy, the will to do these fandangos, it was very strong," Castro says. "The music is getting better, still in a very respectful traditional format."Fandangos are at the heart of son jarocho. They're kind of like jam sessions, where musicians gather to play, sing and dance around a wooden platform called a tarima. At the Zona Rosa Café in Pasadena, the fandango is hosted by Castro's band Cambalache, one of a dozen son jarocho groups in the L.A. area. Within an hour, more fandangueros arrive and join in, playing, singing and dancing.About 10 years ago, Castro says, young Mexican-Americans got into son jarocho as a way to connect to their Mexican heritage. “They felt more comfortable, more invited to participate," he says. "It doesn't matter if you don't dance, if you don't play, if you don't sing — you could be around it. It's a whole experience that people, little by little, got the chance to be part of and feel something good."

Jarocho Influence in the US

Smithsonian Jarocho Lesson PlanSon Jarocho from Veracruz: Exploration of Music and Dance FormsSUMMARYUse lively recordings and videos from celebrated son jarocho performers José Gutiérrez & Los Hermanos Ochoa to explore regional Mexican folk music and culture. Discuss poetic structure in song lyrics. Translated lyrics improve Spanish language skills.

SUGGESTED GRADE LEVELS: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12COUNTRY: MexicoREGION: VeracruzCULTURE GROUP: MexicanGENRE: Son JarochoINSTRUMENTS: VoiceLANGUAGE: SpanishCO-CURRICULAR AREAS: Spanish, Social Studies, DanceNATIONAL STANDARDS: 1, 5, 6, 8, 9MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:Listening to (instruments, beat, meter); Spanish words and lyrics; Song Structure/ Singing (partial lyrics and full melodies); DancingGENERAL KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:Getting to know the culture of Mexico--its language, location, values; the migration of music, the importance of dance.

MATERIAL:Materials from Folkways:

● La Bamba: Sones Jarochos from Veracruz performed by José Gutiérrez & Los Hermanos Ochoa (SFW40505)—liner notes, English and Spanish lyrics

● "El Zapateado" from La Bamba: Sones Jarochos from Veracruz performed by José Gutiérrez & Los Hermanos Ochoa (SFW40505)

● "El Pájaro Cu" (The Coo Bird) from La Bamba: Sones Jarochos from Veracruzperformed by José Gutiérrez & Los Hermanos Ochoa (SFW40505)

● Videos of "La Bamba" and "Balajú"INSTRUMENTS: hands (clapping); voice; feet (dancing); cajon (wooden box)OTHER MATERIALS: map of Veracruz; Photos/videos of the culture, people, and location; photos of instruments or actual instruments; other videos found in libraryEXPERIENCES: Watch videos of "La Bamba" and "Balaju"

Pre-Show Exploration (Elementary & Middle School)Imagine you found out you had a super power.

● What superpower would you most want to have?

● What superpower would actually make your life harder?

● How would having a super power change what other people thought about you?

● How would it change how you felt about yourself?

● Do you think your friends would still want to be friends with you?

● Would you still want to be friends with them?

● What makes you who you are?

ACTIVITYDraw a picture showing you with a super power you would like to have. Draw another picture showing you with a super power that would make your life more difficult. Explain both of your pictures to your partner. Listen to your partner describe their pictures. How are your pictures different from your partner’s? How are they the same?

Post-Show Reflection● What do dancers do to make us feel

different emotions when we watch a performance?

● How do you think choreographers choose what they want their dancers to do?

● Would you rather be a dancer or a choreographer?

● Which one do you think fits best with who you are? Why?

Jarocho Lesson Continued1. "El Zapateado"

● Listen to recording○ (a) Clap/Pat different patterns to 6/8 - (sesquialtera) Discuss meter/use rhythm sticks to tap out

beats or dance steps○ (b) Move side to side to the downbeats

■ Ask students if they hear what type of instruments are being used; explain instruments through pictures, video, or having the instruments present. Ask students what instruments are common in other music? What instruments are different? Is the dance used an instrument?

■ Explain short history of Veracruz and son jarocho music and history of the folk music tradition

● Explain the zapateado and show video of dances - rapid movement of the dancer's feet against the ground or a tarima (raised wooden platform) producing a percussive accompaniment normally performed during instrumental interludes so the singing is not drowned out. (See Grove Music Online)

● Explain type of dance (jarabe) - Example is the Mexican Hat Dance played in the video● Departing from the popular well-known dance show another video of other dances of the jarabe and/or

explore the history of the Mexican Hat Dance● Explain meaning of the word jarabe - refers to "sweet syrup:" "Jarabe" is derived from the Arabic word

"Xarab" which means mixture of herbs● Trace the meaning of the word and song and figure out where is it today - originating from Spain and

developed in Mexico; Son jarochos influenced by African slaves (e.g. La Bamba); moved into mariachi music/popular Latin music; It is now present in the U.S. in folk dance troupes - professionally, in schools, and in popular music (e.g. Los Lobos - Album: Pistola y Corazon);

● Find popular son jarochos in popular music and in Mariachi music● Hand out lyrics in Spanish and English; discuss the lyrics and meanings; dissect 10 - line stanzas (decimas)

commonly sung in verses with ten lines in a rhyme scheme - abbaaccddc, which develops a theme introduced by a quatrain (rhymed abab). Textual material may be set or improvised, religious or secular.

● Create own decimas in English or Spanish

Jarocho Lesson Continued2. "El Pájaro Cu" (The Coo Bird)

○ Listen to recording■ (c) Clap/Pat different patterns to 6/8 - (sesquialtera) Discuss meter/use rhythm sticks to

tap out beats■ (a) Learn dance move and practice with and without the music

● Ask students if they hear what type of instruments are being used; explain instruments through pictures, video, or having the instruments present; Ask students what instruments are common in other music?; What instruments are different?; Is the dance used an instrument?

● Explain the zapateado - rapid movement of the dancer's feet against the ground or a tarima (raised wooden platform) producing a percussive accompaniment normally performed during instrumental interludes so the singing is not drowned out - Grove Music Online); show video of dances

● Hand out lyrics in Spanish and English; discuss the lyrics and meanings; dissect 10 - line stanzas (decimas); Learn more about the poetic structure; try to create own lyrics using decimas in English and/or Spanish; try improvising

Extensions:● Lesson easily can be tailored to age group; for older students with more in-depth talk about issues of

musical migration. From where does a particular music originate, change, and adapt when it travels and is recreated in different genres, cultures, and locations? Trace songs through different musical genres.

● Listen to more music from the region. Find videos that explain the different dances and dance moves; go watch a traditional folk dance company; create dances and songs; learn more about the costumes

● Invite local musicians and dancers to come and conduct a lecture or demonstration.● Obtain other instruments of the ensemble and learn simple bass parts of the Marímbola (Chord pattern

can be used on bass Orff instruments or other bass instruments), Quijada, Cajon; Jarana, etc. Listen to recordings for instrumental and jarana strum patterns; create a cajon or tarima for use in practice or performance.

Lesson Source: https://folkways.si.edu/son-jarocho-veracruz-exploration-dance-forms/music/tools-for-teaching/smithsonian

Responding to Music

●

Music and Creative WritingPlay a piece of son jarocho music. Have students write down words that come to mind as they listen to the music. When the song ends have students look at the words they wrote down and rearrange them/adapt them to create a response poem to the song. Ask for volunteers to share their poems with the class for an impromptu poetry reading session.

Discuss: ● What common themes or ideas that came out in the poem responses. ● How did the music affect students? ● What did the music seem to say?

Music and Visual ArtListen to a piece of son jarocho several times as a class.Activity 1—Abstract DrawingsAs the students listen to the music have them trace the line of the melody on a piece of paper—they might simply draw a line up and down when the notes are high or low or they might draw smooth or jagged lines depending on the sound and feel of the music, or perhaps they will want to make squiggly lines when the music gets fast or many notes are played quickly together, etc. They should not worry about drawing anything in particular for this part of the exercise but just letting the music move their pencils on the paper. When the song ends have volunteers share their abstract drawings.

Discuss:● Can students describe which parts of the song corresponded with certain parts of their drawings?

Activity 2—Cover ArtNext have students listen to a song and encourage them to imagine that they are designing the cover art for the album. Have them sketch or draw as they listen. Discuss students’ impressions and drawings.

● What did they want to convey through the cover art?● What colors did the music make them think of and use?● What shapes did they use in response to the music?● How did they try to capture the mood of the music in their artwork?

ActivitiesMovement MemoriesInvite each student to choose one particular movement from the show that stands out in their memory. Remind them of the different types of moves they saw and ask for volunteers to demonstrate the movements as best they remember them. As each volunteer performs a movement, invite everyone to create their own interpretation of that same movement and perform these pieces simultaneously. (Hint: use the lights in your room to cue the start and end of the “performances.”) Ask the students what made these movements memorable.

Post-Show Writing ActivityAfter seeing the performance, invite students to discuss what they saw and record their impressions creatively. Students can write a short poem about the dance they watched, the ways that their understanding of dance may have changed, elements of the performance that surprised them, and ways that the dancers challenged their ideas about movement.

Post-Show Collage ActivityInvite students to look through old magazines and newspapers to find images and words that reflect their thoughts and feelings as they were watching the dancers perform. Have students cut out the images and words and create a collage which represents the experience, the ideas that came up for them during the performance, and the impressions they were left with. Discuss the collages as a class. Encourage students to tell each other what they see in others’ collages as well as allowing students to discuss their own collages.

●● Do you think the different acts were symbolic of life in any way? Did

some acts seem to represent struggle? Which ones and how did they communicate this? Did some represent joy? How was this communicated? Think about moments in your life where you might feel struggle or joy. If you were going to create a routine, acrobatic or movement-based, to depict a struggle in your life, how would you choose to show this? How would you represent a joyful moment with acrobatics or movement?

●

Concepts of Culture and TraditionDifferent cultures have different traditions of food, clothing, language, and arts. The arts of each culture are often offered as ways to celebrate and share our different cultures.Activity: Give students a chance to reflect on the idea of culture and tradition through a series of quick writing exercises. For each of the following prompts give students five minutes to respond in writing.

● What are some of the cultural traditions you celebrate?● What other cultural celebrations or traditions are you familiar with?● What can you learn about people by experiencing the art that they

create and perform?● How do these different art forms help people to express their

emotions and/or tell their stories?

Discovering Your Cultural InfluencesImagine you were asked to describe the cultural influences in your family.Consider:

● What cultural influences are you already aware of? Where do they come from? How do they show up in your family? What feelings do you have about these cultural influences and the ways they play out in your life? Do you feel joyful? grateful? confused? embarrassed? angry?

● What else do you think you could discover about your family’s cultural heritage and how it affects your family? Does one part of your heritage seem to have a greater influence in your family’s life than another? Do you know the cultural background of both of your birth parents? Do you know the cultural background of non-biological family members who have a strong influence on your life?

● What stories does your family tell to remember their cultural heritage? Are their pictures and artifacts in your home that go along with these stories? Are there pictures and objects you do not know the story behind? Who could you ask?

ACTIVITY● Interview your grandparents or other relatives to see what you can

discover about your cultural heritage. Try to get new information and to broaden the information you already have. If your grandparents or other senior relatives are no longer living or accessible, ask your parents to tell you stories they remember their parents telling to them about their cultural background. Take notes.

● Use photos and objects in your home or your elders’ home that you are curious about to help start conversations. Decide whether you will create an art piece, a story archive, or some other method to communicate what you learn about your family. Make a plan and do the discovery process at home. Create your project.

● Create a finale/conclusion section for your project that communicates who you are at this moment in time because of the various influences of your cultural heritage.

The Autobiography of AnythingEverything has a story! Everything comes, in its elemental origin, from the Earth. Collect an assortment of "things:"

● Piece of Paper● Shoe● Sneaker● Match● Rubber Band● Paper Clip● Woolen Socks

Imagine the life story of each of those "things." Describe their history backwards through the personal use, purchase, manufacture, to original natural resources from which it or its components were made. Personify the thing and tell its story like an autobiography.Example:

● Tell the tale of a piece of newspaper back to the tree in the forest.

● Tell the tale of a plastic toy's life, tracing its history back to the oil that became plastic and then back to the prehistoric plants that created the oil.

We can’t wait to see you at the theater!

The Flynn is a place for ALL students, and these tools can help! Pre or Post-Show Video Chats:Help students build enthusiasm or process their experience with a free, 5-10 minute video chat before or after the show! We can set up Skype/Facetime/Google Hangouts with your class to answer questions about the content, art form, and experience. Contact Kat, kredniss@flynncenter.org to set up your chat!

Autism and Sensory-Friendly Accommodations:The Flynn Center has been working diligently to break down barriers for audience members with disabilities, with a particular focus on those with sensory-sensitivities. Social stories, break spaces, sensory friendly materials, and more are available for all student matinees. Feel free to let us know ahead of time if any of these would be useful, or ask an usher at the show!

We appreciate and value your feedback● Click here to evaluate our study guides.● Click here for Teacher Feedback Forms for the

performance.● Click here for Student Feedback Forms for the

performance.● Click here for Parent Forms to help parents engage

with their children around the show.

Educational StandardsThe Common Core broadens the definition of a “text,” viewing performance as a form of text, so your students are experiencing and interacting with a text when they attend a Flynn show.

Seeing live performance provides rich opportunities to write reflections, narratives, arguments, and more. By writing responses and/or using the Flynn Study Guides, all performances can be linked to Common Core:CC ELA: W 1-10Student Matinees support the following National Core Arts Standards: Creating: Anchor #1, Responding: Anchor #7, #8, #9, and Responding: Anchor #10 and #11.You can use this performance and study guide to address the following Common Core Standards:CC ELA: RL 1-10, SL 1-5, L 4-6, RH 1, 2, 4C3.D2.Geo.1-3, 5, 6

This guide was written & compiled by the Education Department at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts with content from the Radio Jarocho Website. Permission is granted for teachers, parents, and students who are coming to Flynn shows to copy & distribute this guide for educational purposes only.

Hello from the Flynn!

Teachers, a couple of reminders:● Share your experience with us! Use the feedback links, or

share your students’ artwork, writing, responses. We love to hear how experiences at the Flynn impact our audiences.

● Explore other student matinees at the Flynn this season. We still have seats in some shows and we’d love to help you or other teachers at your school enliven learning with an engaging arts experience!

Etiquette for Live Performances:The Essentials● Listen, experience, imagine, discover, learn!● Give your energy and attention to the performers.● Please do not eat or drink in the theater.● Talk only before and after the performance.● Turn off wireless devices. ● No photos, videos, texting, or listening to music.

*These are guidelines... We understand that some students may need to experience the performance in their own way, and we are here to support all students and their unique needs.