Plainview Students March To The Beat Of Their Own Drum

Submitted by Plainview-Old Bethpage School District

Plainview-Old Bethpage School District’s Stratford Road Elementary School students recently created instruments out of various household items to perform current events set to the tune of “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” representing broadsides—how New Yorkers historically received their news.

During the student’s second Symphony Space event, students performed their homemade instruments for visiting artist Linda Russel, a balladeer for the National Park Service at Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City.

The Symphony Space program encourages students to explore art and music as it applies to New York State (NYS) history through student trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Symphony Space Theatre, and multiple in-school artist visits. Visiting artist Linda Russel has performed at such esteemed venues as A Prairie Home Companion, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Symphony Space and the National Archives.

Photo 1: A Plainview-Old Bethpage School District’s Stratford Road Elementary School student plays his guitar made of various household items during part two of the Second Symphony Space program to learn and explore art and music as it applies to New York State history.

Photo 2: Plainview-Old Bethpage School District’s Stratford Road Elementary School students created instruments made of various household items and performed broadsides—current events set to the soundtrack of Yankee Doodle Dandy—during the second Symphony Space program to learn and explore art and music as it applies to New York State history.

Photo 3: A Plainview-Old Bethpage School District’s Stratford Road Elementary School student designed her instrument made of various household items to discuss current events representative of the way New Yorkers historically received their news during the second Symphony Space program.