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Arts Council of Princeton presents “Rhythms and Rhymes” Camp with Artist in Residence Josh Robinson

The Arts Council of Princeton presents a unique hip hop, jazz and poetry camp called “Rhythms and Rhymes” for teenagers ages 14 – 17 this summer from July 18 – 29. The camp will culminate with a final performance on Friday, July 29.  

Percussionist Josh Robinson, the Arts Council’s newest Anne Reeves Artist in Residence, and Lamont Dixon, poet extraordinaire, will engage participants through interactive workshops and performance experiences. This inter-disciplinary artist residency will bring together poetry and percussion to demonstrate the connection between the spoken word and music.

Josh and Lamont, with their “Rhythms and Rhymes” quartet, will perform a free concert on Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 pm with the Klez Dispensers as part of the Arts Council’s Summer Courtyard Concert at the Princeton Shopping Center. Then, beginning July 18^th and running Monday through Friday for two weeks, Josh and Lamont will offer a series of highly adaptable workshops that introduce literary and musical terms, dramatic techniques, a variety of percussion instruments including Latin percussion, sound effects, and found or recycled objects, as well as basic playing techniques – all in the service of teaching students to create joint works of music and poetry.

Among other subjects, camp participants will analyze the craft of voice projection and articulation, experimenting with their own voices and rhythms. Led by Lamont, a compelling interpreter of poetry and spoken word himself, students delve into the widely varying rhythms associated with the poetry and music of Shakespearean England, the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, the Beat Generation and the Black Arts Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and today’s Hip Hop/Spoken Word era.

The resident artists will suggest a choice of themes for students to use as the basis for writing their own works that express their insights and make use of their authentic voices. Together, Josh and Lamont will guide the students toward creating percussion rhythms that are fitting and effective accompaniments to their own spoken word poetry.

Participants will identify common characteristics of hip hop music and jazz as it relates to free verse and musical rhythms. Students will examine the rhythmic origins of various poetic styles and will discuss the commonalities between music and poetry.

The camp culminates in a public performance on Friday, July 29 at 7:00 pm in the Solley Theater at the Paul Robeson Center, where student participants have the opportunity to perform spoken word and music of their own making.

 “Rhythms and Rhymes” is for ages 14 – 17 and will take place this summer for 2 weeks from July 18 – 29 from 11 am – 1pm Monday - Friday. The cost of the camp is $275 for non-members and $250 for Arts Council of Princeton members. To register, visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777. Scholarships are available for this program so that no student will be turned away due to an inability to pay. For scholarship information please email Maria Evans at mevans@artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777 ext.105.

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP), founded in 1967, is a non-profit organization with a mission of Building Community through the Arts. Housed in the landmark Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, designed by renowned architect Michael Graves, the ACP fulfills its mission by presenting a wide range of programs including exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops in the visual, performing and literary arts. Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable and accessible for the diverse population in the greater Princeton region.

For more information, contact Maria Evans at mevans@artscouncilofprinceton.org.