Danna Banana at PS 40 in Brooklyn, Part 1

All kinds of things happening with Danna Banana. Perhaps the coolest is my work at PS 40 in Brooklyn through the good offices of Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC). I was hired as a teaching artist for first and second graders who had no music instruction at their school. We met Friday afternoons, February thru May. As the weather got warmer, it got harder and harder to contain all that energy at the end of a long school week. Nevertheless, we had some amazing kids, and amazing voices. (the volume attained even between songs, saying ‘i was here FIRST!’ or ‘You CUTTED!’ should be investigated as possible weapons-grade sonic defense system).

Our final program included songs from Canada, the United States, Spain and the Carribean. We did a killer version of Jamaica Farewell, complete with dances. And we made masks for Scary Monster Train, and when we stomped menacingly toward the crowd, they were scared. Even though are masks were pink. Check it out: