RADIO BROADCASTING

This Thursday-only meeting is specific to college-age Words Beats & Life Academy students and especially geared towards students majoring in broadcast journalism. Students enrolled in radio broadcasting will learn the basic elements of show running, show hosting, and formatting relative to being a radio show host or co-host.

POETRY WRITING

The Words Beats & Life poetry class focuses on the fundamentals of poetic writing, how to use various literary devices, identifying various forms of poetry, how to respond to prompts; basic elements of performance (incorporating vocal and physical text) and a general study of contemporary poets. WBL poetry students will record, publish, perform, compete, participate in retreats and win scholarships, as well as work in collaboration with organization-related poetry events, including open mics and festivals.

PERFORMANCE POETRY

This is an intermediate-level course that focuses on the incorporation of the vocal and physical text in performance poetry, preparation for poetry slam competitions, the study of contemporary spoken word artists and staging a performance. Participants should have previous exposure to writing poetry and have an interest in taking their work from the page to the stage.

BREAKING

The Words Beats & Life breaking class focuses on the basic history of the dance and the hip-hop culture surrounding it. Students will develop B-Boy/B-Girl etiquette, and receive instruction in the basic skills of toprock, downrock, drops, power moves, footwork and freezes.

BUSINESS OF MUSIC & THE ARTS

Students will learn the inner workings of the arts and entertainment industries and highlight resources that help create pathways to a sustainable career in the music industry. Class attendees will leave with a basic understanding of contracts, ownership, licensing, publishing and digital distribution and will be able to adequately plan, produce and display their artistic vision for public consumption, as well as the ability to market and monetize their art.

LIKE A BOSS

Like A Boss focuses on four key priorities that help Words Beats & Life Apprentices obtain the tools and networking skills needed to pursue a post-secondary education, chart their own path towards entrepreneurship and employment, and make connections between the arts and potential career and educational routes associated with the creative economy.

CHESS  

The game that brings together our students across artistic disciplines

The Words Beats & Life chess class explores the connectivity between the game of chess and hip-hop music and culture. Chess students will learn the fundamentals of chess, including how to set up a board, how to move pieces and capture, the distinction between checkmate and stalemate, how to castle and the ability to play the game to completion, as well as the ways that the principles of chess apply to everyday life and business.

COMIC CREATION

Students participating in Word Beats & Life comic creation workshops will learn the various aspects, skills, styles and history of the public art form of comics as an element of hip-hop, as well as the basic elements of comic design (panels, balloons [speech bubbles], text [lines] and characters).

GRAFFITI

Students participating in Words Beats & Life graffiti workshops will learn the various aspects, skills, styles and history of the public art form of graffiti as an element of hip-hop. They will learn the fundamentals and history of the public name writing tradition, gain a basic understanding of shadowing and dimension and become proficient in drawing soft and block letters.

MANGA ILLUSTRATION

As a new offering of Words Beats & Life visual arts classes, manga illustration is a Japanese art form that incorporates the teaching of immersive storytelling through pictures. Students will be able to identify the characteristics and structure of manga art; differentiate between various examples of manga art (cartoons, comic books, graphic novels, etc.) and identify the specific styling techniques of manga.

STREET ART

This class is dedicated to helping students explore various mediums and methods of making art for the street. Students enrolled in the Street Art class will leave with an understanding of the public name writing tradition, the role that street art plays in contemporary art, street art methods and applications, street art history, and the ability to identify specific artists and styles. Additionally, students will be able to adequately plan, produce and display their artistic vision for public consumption.

RAP / MCING

Students participating in the Words Beats & Life Emcee class will be introduced to the art of hip-hop songwriting and encouraged to create lyrical works of their own. Students will be instructed in the basic concepts of songwriting, including rhyming, sequencing, bar counting, song structure, freestyle techniques, composition, breath control and vocal recording. Additionally, students in the emceeing class will be able to identify at least seven influential emcees and lyricists, distinguish between emcees and rappers and differentiate between writing and freestyling.

BEAT PRODUCTION

Students participating in the Words Beats & Life Beat Production class will work on developing a technical skill set for music theory and production. Students will get a comprehensive overview of music theory, including tempo, song formatting, chord progressions, major/minor chords, scales, intervals and melodic structure. They will specifically learn how to properly program and identify a drum track in 4/4, ¾, 2/4, and 6/8 using bass drums, snare drums, and high hats to create a standard rhythm.

AFRICAN DRUM

As an offering of the Words Beats & Life elementary program, the African Drumming class will introduce students to key instruments used, including the djembe, talking drum, Shekere and others, as well as key elements of African drumming sound (bass, tone and slap). Students will be able to play the various instruments involved in African drumming and learn the basic history of the art form.

DJ

Students participating in the Words Beats & Life DJing class will learn the various aspects and practices under the umbrella of DJing, including production and related musicianship. Students will also learn the methods of execution employed by DJs, producers and musicians of other genres to enhance their experience and expand their artistic options. Additionally, students will become familiar with the genre’s key pioneers, be able to archive and organize music by genre, learn proper equipment setup and demonstrate basic abilities in scratching and beat matching.