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Caponi Art Park and Learning Center Family Fun Tuesdays - June 3th - August 26, 2008 Family Fun Tuesdays is a weekly summer-long children's series that presents a variety of art forms such as storytelling, puppetry, music and dance that focus on providing families with opportunities to learn about world cultures and experience new ideas together. Family Fun Tuesdays takes place Tuesday mornings from 10:00 - 11:00 am. Admission to this program is free. Your donation of $2 per person is greatly appreciated and helps to make Family Fun Tuesdays possible. Childcare and schools groups, please call for attendance and rate information. Family Fun Tuesdays activities take place outside in the grass on the north side of the park unless otherwise noted. Visitors should park in the main parking lot on the south side of Diffley Road and walk through the tunnel to get to the north side. Signs will be posted. Handicap parking is available on the north side of Diffley. Family Fun Tuesdays activities will only be canceled in the event of severe weather; there is a tent in the event of rain. Check back here for program updates and call 651-454-9412 for more information. 2008 Schedule:
 Something for Everyone at Family Fun Tuesdays By, Luann Hankom There is something for everyone at Family Fun Tuesdays. Activities include creative movement, music, art, storytelling, culture, learning, laughter, and family time. On a Tuesday morning in July, Cyril Paul entertained with Caribbean music. Children of all ages sang, swayed, and clapped to the upbeat melodies. Before he sang, ãYellow Bird,ä Cyril explained that there is a yellow bird in Africa that likes banana trees. Children flapped their arms and pretended they were flying to Africa to find a banana tree. Cyril said that ãJamaica Farewellä is a song about sailors leaving Jamaica and taught the words to the melancholy song. Children sang along and used their imaginations to travel on a ship from Jamaica to Maine and Mexico. Cyril shared musical instruments for children to play, including maracas, tambourines, claves, guiros, and bells. Children accompanied Cyril with the instruments, trying out beats, shakes, and rattles. Some children created rhythms by tapping sticks they found on the ground. This event was a time for family and friends to enjoy each otherâs company. People danced, clapped, and laughed together. ãAll I really need is a song in my heart, food in my belly, and love in my family,ä the audience sang along with Cyril. The ArtsWork Youth band featured talented teenagers who sing, play instruments, and write music and lyrics. The teens sang and played a colorful collection of music, including jazz, blues, classical, hip-hop, and rock music. The alto saxophone player showcased jazz music, improvising while he performed. It was a sunny day in the amphitheater and his shiny saxophone gleamed in the sunlight. His fingers rolled over the keys as he made his instrument wail and screech. Other featured instruments included piano, drums, guitar, and electric bass guitar. The teens explained that the ArtsWork Youth band is a summer job employment program. The apprentices perform, study music theory, and learn what itâs like to be a professional musician. Several young women treated the audience to pop and rock songs. Many of the teenagers performed original music they had written, including song lyrics, a classical piano solo, a guitar solo, and a spoken word performance. When the performance was over, there was time to explore and play in Caponi Art Park. All text and images © Copyright, Caponi Art Park. All Rights Reserved. |