“Poetry and music have been intertwined for thousands of years. In antiquity, poems were often sung: the first lyric poets
in ancient Greece performed their work to the accompaniment of the lyre, and the oldest anthology of Chinese poetry,
the Shijing, was a collection of songs. In southern Europe in the middle ages, the popularity of troubadour poets granted
them unprecedented freedom of speech and social influence in their time, and their lyrical work would influence
European poetry for centuries. The ballad form continues to be a common form for both poems and songs.
Today poets still draw on the forms and rhythms of different musical traditions, from jazz, rap, and hip-hop to folk songs
and country music.” www.poetryfoundation.org
Teaching Artists: Jan Lowry and Mia Sage Lowry Beason
Held 17 sessions afterschool for students K-12.
During these sessions:
Students experienced professional performance of music and poetry.
Students learned the basics of a poem and how different poems can look.
Students explored instruments, different sounds and different rhythms.
Students applied what they learned to a poem of their choice performing the piece with music in partners or small groups.

Be sure to check out some clips from these sessions on the Monroe Area Council for the Arts YOUTUBE CHANNEL.