2012 Annual Report - America SCORES

“To see the
impact
America
SCORES has
on these
young,
talented
children
made me
proud to be
part of the
[National
Poetry
SLAM!] and I
thoroughly
enjoyed the
enthusiasm
and artistry
expressed on
stage.”
POETRY
Candy Niemec
Performance Specialist
Insperity
From North to South, from West to East,
IMAGINATION IS RELEASED!
Jose R., an 11 year old from Dallas, stood beneath
the spotlight of Harlem’s World Famous Apollo
Theater, "where stars are born and legends are
made." He filled the house with laughter by standing
legs-crossed while performing his poem, “I Gotta
Go,” with a straight face.
Jose is one of thousands across the country who
spend almost 50 hours learning how to read,
interpret, write, and perform poetry as part of the fall
season of America SCORES. In each city, the season
concludes with a Community Poetry SLAM! that
showcases each student’s work and determines who
will represent the city on the national stage.
In December 2011, Jose won the hearts of the entire
Dallas community Poetry SLAM! audience, both
children and adults, when he performed his funny
poem. He was one of 50 local contestants, among
thousands competing nationwide, for an all-expenses
paid trip to New York City.
In April 2012, Jose met 29 of his ‘teammates’ from
across the country and enjoyed soccer in Central
Park, a stroll in Times Square, a
feast on Wall Street (provided
by Harry’s Italian), and finally,
the National Poetry SLAM! at
the Apollo Theater.
The culmination of weeks of
writing and rehearsing, the
evening celebrated the
achievements of
poet-athletes nationwide and
the collective impact of our
program across 14 cities. The
evening featured celebrity
host John Harkes (National
Soccer Hall of Famer), guest
of honor Chris Heck (New York
Red Bulls), and a special
musical performance by
Psalm One.
I Gotta Go
I gotta go, I gotta go
I'll ask the teacher first
I gotta go, I gotta go
I think I'm going to burst
I gotta go, I gotta go
I'd better raise my hand
I gotta go, I gotta go
But maybe I should stand
I gotta go, I gotta go
My hand is raised up high
I gotta, I gotta go
I'm really in a bind
I gotta go, I gotta go
I think I'm going to explode
I gotta go, I gotta go
Uh oh, never mind
Jose R., age 10
Dallas
ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES
PSALM ONE’S 9-CITY TOUR
In September 2011, female hip-hop artist Psalm One embarked
on a nine-city tour for the ASCAP Songwriter Residency @
America SCORES, a mentorship program that helps songwriters
connect and give back to the community. The tour kicked off in
Milwaukee, stopped in Seattle, San Francisco, Denver,
Washington, DC, Atlanta, New York, Boston, and concluded in
Psalm’s hometown of Chicago.
In each city, Psalm One spent three afternoons collaborating
with America SCORES students to write and record an original
song. Here’s what it was like at Knapp Elementary in Denver.
“I taught them about self-expression and they
shared their world with me,” - Psalm said.
“We were talking about rappers, talking about music in general
and their life in Denver. They all had so many ideas for me that I
was really overwhelmed so I kept having this idea of gang, gang,
gang. And I was like, what kind of gang can we be Because
we’re clearly not going to be the traditional type, right I ended
up focusing on a different kind of gang, cause that’s kind of
what they were. They ganged up on me.”
In June 2012, Psalm announced the release of Child Support, the
collection of songs written and performed with America SCORES
students, and released its first single, “Kids Right Now,” featuring
rapper Mikkey Halsted. Released in September 25, 2012, all
proceeds from the album benefit the ASCAP Songwriter
Residency @ America SCORES.
The ASCAP Foundation, a public charity dedicated to supporting
music education and talent development, funds the program.
DAY 1
For the first day of their ASCAP Songwriter
Residency @ America SCORES, both
Knapp Elementary's SCORES boys and girls
teams spent time getting to know Psalm
One by asking her a lot of questions. After
they got to know each other, Psalm let the
poets pick their favorite beat and got to
know the poets through their writing. She
asked them to write about what they
liked, about Denver, and about their
school. After this first session, she took their
writing home and used it to create her
portion of the song.
DAY 2
The next day, Knapp Elementary’s teams
created their sections of the
collaboration. Participants got out their
pencils and put thoughts to paper about
what someone might say about them on
their hundredth birthdays, positive
behaviors that make them a "smart gang"
and what they might tell an alien who
came to their next soccer game. Psalm
pulled examples from their writing to help
create verses. Then they memorized it for
their studio recording.
DAY 3
The poets-turned-rappers met Psalm for
their last session, but this time they met at
Side 3 Studios and were joined by sound
engineers. Students took turns in front of
the microphone and watched their
headphone-wearing teammates. In a few
hours, they finished recording their song,
Smarter Gang.
To hear this song visit
regularblackgirl.com/track/smarter-gang
WE BRING THESE TEAMS INTO THE CLASSROOM TO
DISCOVER THEIR VOICE THROUGH POETRY...
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