watch & learn

Esteemed bassist Christian McBride plays with young artists and describes a more inclusive future for the Jazz community. McBride discusses a history of rhythm and the importance of connecting with the emotions in music.

Broadway performer Klea Blackhurst mimics a professional vocal audition with  NJPAC’s Musical Theater students. Detailing how to prepare for an audition and the different parts of voice that produce different vocal effects, Blackhurst readies young artists for future creative projects.

Jazz vibraphonist and Rutgers University Professor Stefon Harris uses the concept of triads to simplify intricate chords for NJPAC’s Jazz for Teens youth artists. Describing music as a “qualitative science”, Harris discusses the process of associating chords with feelings rather than complex names.

Kurtis Blow, the first commercially successful emcee, discusses the historical roots of hip-hop. Using personal anecdotes and industry awareness, Kurtis Blow encourages students to include their personal values in their work and not to underestimate the importance of an education.

Thought leader Daymond John discusses the importance of using financial intelligence to uplift those who don’t come from generational wealth. John communicates that individuals without generational advantage are often burdened with working harder and holding themselves to a higher standard in order to succeed.

Hip Hop Legend and member of Newark’s City Council, Dupre “DoItAll”’ Kelly (Emcee, Lords of the Underground) educates young artists on the relationships between hip-hop and activism. Kelly discusses the importance of innovation, perseverance, and never losing sight of your creativity.

Two-time Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell has a career spanning Broadway, television, film, philanthropy, and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras. In this Masterclass, Mitchell speaks to our Musical Theater and Devised Theater students and provides tips and anecdotes on his longevity in the Performing Arts.

A native son of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Dion Parson is an educator, composer, and Grammy-award-winning drummer.  Parson’s musical foundation ranges from classical, reggae, calypso, jazz, African, and pop music. In this workshop, Dion explores some of the rhythmic intersections between Caribbean, Traditional West African and Jazz Music,  educating young musicians to learn more about their cultural heritage and become competent artists and creators in the process.

The Mayhem Poets, Scott Raven (co-founder), Mason Granger, and Mikumari Caiyhe, are theater-trained, comedically gifted, lyrical virtuosos who seamlessly blend raw elements of hip hop, theater, improv, and stand-up comedy. Using live poetry exercises, call-and-response, and simple nursery rhymes, The Mayhem Poets entertain and teach youth from the South ward of Newark the beauty of poetry and word play.