Rekha S. Rajan – författare

Musical Theater in Schools: Purpose, Process, and Performance is a comprehensive resource for general classroom teachers, music and drama educators. The book is the first of its kind to provide strategies for including musical theater across the K-12 curriculum, inviting teachers and arts specialists to utilize musical theater as an interdisciplinary art form within their own classrooms, or as collaborative projects throughout the school community. Typically relegated to after-school activities, musical theater can have a strong place both as an avenue for performance, creativity, and self-expression, or as a pathway for student learning about academic subjects.Drawing upon musical theater terminology, the book is organized into three distinct acts. The first section gives an overview of how this popular art form developed and how its stories reflect our culture and community, with descriptions of musical theater as a profession for adults, and for children. This section also discusses musical theater's compromised position within the arts, often relegated to theater departments even though repertoire and songs are available to music teachers, and argues for musicals as a form of interdisciplinary education. The second section outlines ways of integrating musical theater into the curriculum with considerations for the National Core Arts Standards. The third section provides suggestions for auditions, casting, rehearsing, and presenting a complete production, with a specific focus on student-centered performances. ased on the author's own experiences as a professional musical theater performer, coupled with teaching and research in classroom settings, the book reasons that you do not have to be a Broadway star to teach or perform musical theater. This unique and innovative book supports educators through the process of bringing musical theater into the biggest and most important performance space - the classroom stage.

What do a set of bongos, a tambourine, and a cooking pot have in common? They are all drums! This first introduction to instruments in the drum family begins with a simple explanation of what defines a drum. Young readers are then invited on a global exploration of a variety of percussive instruments and are encouraged to find drums of their own in the world around them.

What do a guitar, a harp, and a piano have in common? They are all strings! This first introduction begins with a simple explanation of what defines a string instrument. Young readers are then invited on a global exploration of a variety of different stringed instruments and are encouraged to find strings of their own in the world around them. Includes a bound-in string to strum, and a visual glossary. Each title in the THIS IS MUSIC series features an interactive novelty musical element that invites the reader to 'play' the book!

Enhance the learning experience by integrating the performing artsResearch documents that the arts boost learning, build confidence, and motivate students to participate in class. How do we keep the performing arts alive in this era of increased accountability and decreased funding? Rekha S. Rajan sets the stage for a creative and practical solution with detailed, concrete examples of how to integrate the performing arts into math, science, social studies, and language arts. Key features include:Step-by-step examples of how to include the performing arts in all aspects of the curriculum Ways to impact students′ learning in the cognitive, social, and artistic domains Activities that can be implemented immediately and easilyDetailed lesson plans connected to the National Standards for Arts Education, National Standards for Early Childhood and Elementary Education, and Common Core Standards for Math and Language ArtsStudents in grades K-5 need creative venues that encourage self-confidence, self-expression, and collaboration. The performing arts provide opportunities to build personal and social skills that are an integral component of learning and development. This accessible resource provides all teachers with the tools to integrate the performing arts throughout their curriculum.

A first of its kind, this book provides you everything you need to know about successfully navigating the grant writing process including understanding the language of grant writing, finding grants, preparing the proposal, completing the application, preparing budgets, organizing information and timelines, revising and editing the proposal, including the assessment and evaluation, and building meaningful relationships with program officers and colleagues.

A musical composer, guitar rocker, and lyric opera singer team up to write this sensational book on songwriting. This book includes everything you want to know about the core competencies of songwriting, elements of music, and lyrics. Features include writing song lyrics, crafting musical compositions, musical styles, getting a contract, sustaining a career, publishers and agents, recording, and even how to survive in the music industry. No matter what music genre you desire---blues, country, hip hop, gospel, punk, classical, alternative, jingles, or rock---this is the book for you. You will find this fascinating book filled with tips, quotes from famous songwriters and musicians, and numerous stories on songwriting that will keep you fully engaged.

A musical composer, guitar rocker, and lyric opera singer team up to write this sensational book on songwriting. This book includes everything you want to know about the core competencies of songwriting, elements of music, and lyrics. Features include writing song lyrics, crafting musical compositions, musical styles, getting a contract, sustaining a career, publishers and agents, recording, and even how to survive in the music industry. No matter what music genre you desire---blues, country, hip hop, gospel, punk, classical, alternative, jingles, or rock---this is the book for you. You will find this fascinating book filled with tips, quotes from famous songwriters and musicians, and numerous stories on songwriting that will keep you fully engaged.

Musical theater is a dynamic, collaborative art form, which encompasses music, theater, dance, and the visual arts. Traditionally associated with adult performers, musicals also have roles designated specifically for children. How then does involvement in musical theater support children’s learning through the performing arts? What do children value from their musical theater experiences and how do these experiences influence children’s personal, social, and artistic lives? Based on a decade of research, this book explores these questions through children’s participation as singers, actors, and dancers, in school-based, community, and professional musical theater. By valuing children’s voices as important in understanding experience, Rajan constructs a framework of musical theater participation, and applies broader educational implications to highlight the unique characteristics of musical theater in children’s lives.

Musical theater is a dynamic, collaborative art form, which encompasses music, theater, dance, and the visual arts. Traditionally associated with adult performers, musicals also have roles designated specifically for children. How then does involvement in musical theater support children’s learning through the performing arts? What do children value from their musical theater experiences and how do these experiences influence children’s personal, social, and artistic lives? Based on a decade of research, this book explores these questions through children’s participation as singers, actors, and dancers, in school-based, community, and professional musical theater. By valuing children’s voices as important in understanding experience, Rajan constructs a framework of musical theater participation, and applies broader educational implications to highlight the unique characteristics of musical theater in children’s lives.

This rhythmic read-aloud picture book biography dances through the musical childhoods of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, their rise to stardom, and the friendship that kept them swingin’.Ella Fitzgerald loved to dance. When little Ella heard jazz music, the music notes moved her legs as she twirled around New York City. Way down south, Louis Armstrong loved to sing. When jazz music played, young Louis’s voice rumbled like a steam train in New Orleans. While Ella dreamed of dancing on stage and Louis of being a famous singer, it wasn’t until they switched things up that they became famous, Ella for singing and Louis playing the trumpet.The two jazz musicians had heard of each other, but never had a chance to meet. Until one magical night when they took the stage together, the music started to swing, and a lifelong musical friendship was born.This true story about world-renowned jazz artists Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s musical partnership is a testament to the power of dreams, music, and friendship to help us all keep playing on.

This upbeat and accessible picture book biography makes math fun with the true story of record-breaking Indian mathematician Shakuntala Devi taking on the world’s toughest math problems.Little Shakuntala loved to race all over her small town, against her siblings and cousins—and even chickens! But she wasn’t just speedy on her feet. She raced against numbers in her mind. Shakuntala would count up all the animals at her father’s circus, multiply the times her mother flipped the dough for dosas, and solve her older brother’s long division in her head! As she grew up, Shakuntala zipped all around the world performing her mathematic magic, racing against professors, the clock—and even a computer! This fast-paced true story celebrates women and girls in STEM and makes solving math problems become the most amazing race you’ve ever watched.

If Colors Could Be Heard: Narratives About Racial Identity in Music Education is a platform of, by, and for People of Color who are music educators, artists, activists, and students. For this book, we asked authors to consider their race and ethnicity as an intimate and essential part of their music learning, making, and teaching. The narratives in this collection include tales of being a music student, stories of growing up and finding one’s place in musical worlds, and accounts of teaching students about race, ethnicity, culture, and identity. The chapters in this book are not research studies unless explicitly stated by the author. Instead, the chapters in tandem represent a stunning mosaic with shades of melanated skin that will serve as a scholarly picture that represents a portion of music education in the United States. Here, you will find self-told stories by people from the Global Majority—a term used to describe Black, African, Asian, Brown, Latin, Dual-heritage, and Indigenous people.

?This book addresses the challenges faced by arts organizations, schools, and community-based settings when designing program evaluations and measuring artistic engagement and experience.

?This book addresses the challenges faced by arts organizations, schools, and community-based settings when designing program evaluations and measuring artistic engagement and experience.