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Just Beginning

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Students in grades 6-8 at MLK work with Ken on their drumming skills!

Our year has begun and we’re just warming up. Students on the Bayside and Willow Creek campus are off to a great start, delving into their different art classes.


African Drumming & Dance with Mr. Ken Doumbia (Mon:grades K/1, Tues: grades 2/3, Wed: grades 4/5, K/1, Thurs & Fri: MLK grades 6/8)

In the West African dance & drum club, students experience the energetic and powerful musical and cultural traditions of West Africa using the djembe and jun-jun drums. Students can choose to either drum or dance–or both! Students learn the meaning of the rhythms and how they represent important values such as honoring our parents, our elders and celebrating our community. Students learn how we use dance and drum to express community harmony and unity. For the final performance, students perform vibrant dance movements with lively drum rhythms, in colorful African costumes.


Working with the Marin Theater Company, second graders practice moving as animals, while the rest try to guess which one!
(Wed: grades 2/3, 4/5)

The primary goal of the Intro to Theater class is to engage the students in a creative process, empowering a sense of ownership towards their own artistic impulses and laying the groundwork for future participation in theatre and the arts. Students will learn the fundamentals of theater, touching on subjects like Basic Voice & Speech, Theatre Vocabulary , and Storytelling and Imagination. For the final project students will create and rehearse their own 5 minute play based on the selected text. Students perform their play on the final day of after-school, and/or in a special final session at MTC’s Lieberman Theatre along with MTC after-school classes from other schools!


Matt: Intro to Capoeria (Mon: grades 2/3, Tues: grades 4/5, Thurs: grades k/1)

Capoeira is a blend of martial arts, games, and dance originated in Brazil. In the Intro to Capoeira class, students will learn the basic movements of the afro-brazilian art of Capoeira, as well as the songs, music, and history associated with the art form. Capoeira was developed during the 16th C by African slaves forced to work on sugar plantations in Brazil, and it remains a pivotal part of afro-brazilian culture. Students will improve physical and mental fortitude, gain self confidence, and learn about their culture, in a safe and fun environment. In the final performance, students will perform a “Batizado,” including a partner sequence and a “free game” of Capoeira, in order to receive their very first belt.



Ms. Kate’s visual art class. (Mon: grades 4/5, Tues: grades K/1, Wed: grades 2/3, Friday: grades 2/3)

Class Description: Children will have the opportunity to link literacy with the visual arts. They will be able to develop their writing and thinking skills through exploring and discussing a different children’s book each week during literacy hour. The underlying themes from the book – Respect & Diversity, Community & Friendship and ‘I like me’, will be explored through the visual arts. Children will learn to work together through mural making, develop their own sense of imagination and creativity and will also gain a greater understanding of visual art techniques through a variety of visual arts projects.

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