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PBS Wisconsin Education adds jazz and electro-soul-infused hip-hop musicians to education collection
October 18, 2023 Leave a Comment
PBS Wisconsin Education and Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) have expanded their Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin classroom media collection to include jazz vocalist Marcya Daneille and electro-soul-infused hip-hop artist Kellen “Klassik” Abston.
Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin is a multimedia resource designed to help general music educators and learners in grades 4-8 explore the connections between music, culture and emotion. The collection features culture-bearers of music from Wisconsin, as they share a composition and discuss their musicianship, culture and identity. It includes video interviews and performances; audio tracks; and educator engagement guides featuring learning outcomes, strategies, assessments and aligned standards.
Abston, known on stage and to his listeners as “Klassik,” was born and raised in Milwaukee. He honors the family members and mentors who have guided him as he channels his creativity into making electro-soul-infused hip-hop music that takes the pulse of his life in the city.
Daneille is a jazz vocalist based in Milwaukee. Her music, which she describes as “classically-trained, jazz-influenced and soul-inspired,” is infused with improvisation.
“Klassik and Marcya add powerful voices to the collection, and their performances and perspectives provide Wisconsin educators and students brand-new ideas and resources to explore and learn from,” said Laurie Fellenz, executive director of WSMA, Wisconsin Music Educators Association and Wisconsin Foundation for School Music.
Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin features several culture-bearers of music, including Carnatic musician Lavanyaa Surendar of Brookfield; bluegrass/Americana band Black River Revue; Latinx musicians Richard Hildner Armacanqui and Juan Tomás Martínez of Madison; First-Nations musician Wade Fernandez from Keshena on the Menominee Reservation; Hmong singer Maa Vue of Wausau; and the Black American string duo, SistaStrings – Chauntee Ross and Monique Ross, originally from Milwaukee.
Funding for Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin is provided by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, the Focus Fund for Education and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
