Tuning People, Birds, and Flowers: A Performance Lecture

In October 2017, Linda Nathan traveled to Portugal to speak at "Innovation: In the School and by the School", an international conference on the importance of creativity and innovation in education. At this conference, she had the pleasure of meeting Helena Rodrigues, an artist and educator from Portugal, who presented a workshop about the power of music in early childhood development. Helena and her brother, Paulo Rodrigues, have founded Companhia de Música Teatral, an organization that specializes in creating artistic and educational projects that have music at the root of interdisciplinary practice. Working with infants and their parents, artists, educators, schools and communities, Helena and Paulo believe that artistic expression through music improves people's lives. Their projects create aesthetic, participatory experiences that prove how music can be an essential tool in human development and communication.

Linda was struck by the creativity and complexity of Helena’s work. Supporting Helena and Paulo’s research is perfectly aligned with the Center for Artistry and Scholarship’s goal to strengthen the national conversation about the essential role of the arts in teaching, learning, and civic life.

We are excited to share that through generous support and sponsorship from Fundação Luso Americana para o Desenvolvimento (FLAD) and the Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG), we have been able to bring Helena and Paulo to Boston! On April 11, they will lead a workshop with teachers at Conservatory Lab Charter School in Dorchester, MA, and with the faculty at the Baldwin Early Learning Center in Brighton, MA.

The main event will be on April 12 at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge. Please join us to explore the connections between artistic expression and human development. Helena and Paulo will be leading a performance lecture for Harvard students and the Greater Boston community. During this performance lecture, they will share their research using examples from previous projects, and incorporate elements of music and song to create a more interactive experience. The event is FREE, and will be in Askwith Lecture Hall from 5pm-6:30pm. Please register here!

Take a moment to see Companhia de Música Teatral in action: