Young Audiences of Louisiana hosts Lights On After School performance Oct. 20

On Thursday, October 20, at 3:45pm, at Morris Jeff Community School, Young Audiences of Louisiana will join the 17th annual Lights On Afterschool, a nationwide series of rallies for afterschool organized by the Afterschool Alliance.    

The Lights On Afterschool Young Audiences of Louisiana performance will feature Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony to entertain and educate the afterschool program at Morris Jeff Community School. Students from kindergarten to 7th grade who attend the afterschool program will be invited to hear internationally-renowned singer, Topsy Chapman’s enchanting voice as she performs traditional and modern jazz, as well as African American and traditional gospel songs. Ms. Chapman grew up in Kentwood, Louisiana and started developing her gospel group in New Orleans at an early age. She has performed on Broadway, across Europe, in Asia, and throughout Australia. She has been the featured talent to perform for the Democratic Party, the Queen of England, and the Duke of Edinburgh. We are excited to have her now perform for the students in her home-state of Louisiana. Students and teaching artists of the afterschool program as well as parents of students in the program are welcome in the audience.

▪What: Young Audiences hosts Topsy Chapman at Morris Jeff Community Afterschool
▪ When: 3:45 PM, Thursday, October 20, 2016
▪Where: Morris Jeff Community School Auditorium, 211 S. Lopez
▪ Who: Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony

Last year, 1 million people participated in more than 8,000 Lights On Afterschool events; the Afterschool Alliance expects the same level of participation this year. The events give youth a chance to showcase the skills they learn and talents they develop at their afterschool programs, and to send the message that millions more children and youth need quality afterschool programs. (A growing list of events is at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/loaFindEvent.cfm.)      

Young Audiences of Louisiana was founded in 1962 to bring chamber musicians into local classrooms. Over the past fifty years, Young Audiences has adapted and evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of youth throughout the state. The organization now is host to a number of afterschool programs, teaching artist residencies, performances, workshops, and professional development programming.    

Young Audiences of Louisiana is part of a national network of 32 affiliates throughout the country under Young Audiences Arts for Learning. As the nation’s first and largest arts-in-education network Young Audiences Arts for Learning ensures the highest standards in arts education programs for over 5 million schoolchildren annually.     Since 2000, Young Audiences of Louisiana’s operations and budgets have more than tripled. Last year 218 teaching artists, educators, athletic and recreation specialists, and technology instructors were paid $ 2.1 million to work directly with students from pre-school through high-school, accounting for 83% of our total budget. More information is available at ya4la.org.    

Program Director Jon Cosper is one of just 15 afterschool leaders named this year to serve as an Afterschool Ambassador, chosen by the Afterschool Alliance – a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs. To arrange performances or ask about programming, contact Abigail Feinberg at (504) 523-3525.