COLLABORATIONS and Big Ideas with our arts education partners
Interdisciplinary collaborations begin with a big idea or question that inspires the artists, teachers, and students to build stories and songs that are then reflected in the visual art…or vice versa! These inquiry-based arts experiences spawn varied rich topics and engage students in a in meaningful group creation resulting in memorable visual art pieces and musical compositions.
MITS collaborates with a number of arts education and cultural partners where together we bring interdisciplinary arts projects to Toronto’s inner city, priority neighbourhood and rural schools. For examples of past interdisciplinary projects visit our Ideas Gallery.
For fees and further information, contact us directly at 416.462.9400 • toll free in Ontario 1.888.255.6487 or info@mariposaintheschools.ca.
Beautiful Blackbird with Inner City Angels
Grades 3 to 6 / 2-day residency per class with musician Gurpreet Chana and visual artist Amelia Jimenez
Beautiful Blackbird is a collaboration between MITS musician Gurpreet Chana and Inner City Angels visual artist Amelia Jimenez is inspired by the folktale The Beautiful Blackbird. Students learn how self-awareness and self-acceptance is critical to self-esteem and self-esteem is critical to a fulfilled life. As part of the process, students create their own bird and sound score while learning how to transfer colour to sound and sound to colour.
Canadian Fiddle Day
Music
Celebrate Canada with Jowi Taylor’s Six String Nation
Multi-media keynote / grades 4 to 12 ~ audience size to accommodate location and event
Award winning journalist and radio producer Jowi Taylor invites students and teachers to become citizens of the Six String Nation and witness, through story and images, the creation of the Voyageur, the remarkable guitar crafted from over 60 pieces of Canada’s heritage and history that serves as an allegory to the big question – what makes us a nation? This multi-media presentation is appropriate for a community celebration, a professional development keynote or, in conjunction with an interdisciplinary program such as song writing or visual art project. To see examples of this interdisciplinary collaboration visit our Ideas Gallery.
Composers in the Schools
The following MITS songwriters, arrangers and composers offer workshops that incorporate songwriting into social studies, history, geography, media studies, literacy and character development as well as FSL and much more! Reduced fees for these programs are available for a limited time, with thanks to the SOCAN Foundation, and the Friends of MITS support of our Equity of Access Fund.
Njacko Backo’s Tuom Kak Chaa Chaa • Gurpreet Chana’s Tabla Fusion • Chris Rawlings Songwriting in French • Michael St. George Dub Poetry Train • Joy Lapps Lewis’ From Skin to Steel and Beyond • Sheniz Janmohamed’s Nature of Poetry • Cuban Percussion Ensemble’s Music and Movement
Distillery Arts Outreach
Distillery Arts Outreach is a special interdisciplinary arts partnership between Mariposa in the Schools, Inner City Angels and other partners that provides free and subsidized programs to students in Toronto’s inner city and priority neighbourhood schools.
Each project begins with a rich topic that inspires the children in the creation of a narrative, often a folk tale or mythology, that is then transferred to visual art and often dramatized on stage including song and dance. The final work is often showcased to families and the community.
Folk Tale Inspired Narrative Art with Inner City Angels
15 to 25 day residency grades 1 to 8 with storytellers Esther Osche & Marylyn Peringer / Visual artists Allycia Uccello & Charmaine Lurch
Inspired by First Nation allegory or world folktales, these child-centered interdisciplinary projects deepen community ties and create a lasting visual legacy. Students reflect, express and celebrate their stories, history, and natural world in a collaboration with the school librarian, classroom teacher, artists and students in performance, journal writing, research, sketching and painting.
Métis Artists Collective Elder/Youth Fiddle Stories
Grades 4 to 8, 9 to 12 performance Fiddle Stories with Métis Fiddler Quartet Audience 200-400
Specializing in performing and interpreting uniquely aboriginal Métis and Native old-style fiddle music learned from elders across Canada, this family of young talented musicians looks forward to introducing aboriginal and non-aboriginal students to this important Canadian musical heritage through interactive performances, demonstrations and Métis jigging. Limited availability as duo, trio.
Muhtadi’s International Drumming Festival’s Drum Beats In The Schools
Grades K to 8, 9 to 12 performances and workshops featuring drumming with Njacko Backo, Gurpreet Chana, Cuban Percussion (Latin Street Band), Joy Lapp Lewis & Muhtadi
With special thanks to the Ontario Arts Council, MITS is delighted to present MIDF’s outreach project: Drum Beats In The Schools, a series of percussion and drum programs for school communities April – June 2015.
Next Wave with Ontario First Nation Libraries with SOLS/OLS-N
Again, with special thanks to the Ontario Arts Council and the Ontario Trillium Foundation MITS is honoured to partner with the Southern Ontario Library Service in a culture exchange of First Nations and Non-Native artists in traditional song, dance and visual arts from 2011 to 2012 in First Nations communities in select communities in Northern, Southern and Eastern Ontario.