Schools programme

Brooklyn High School of the Arts

The Red Curtain Project hosts virtual workshops introducing students to our Story Library along with the creative process used to produce the digital story performances. Junior and senior high school students in The Select Choir at Brooklyn High School of the Arts reinterpreted RCP’s stories, composing unique lyrics and musical scores using Soundtrap software. Explore their compositions below.

Behind the Scenes

Student Composition Gallery

Brother Brother

The Tree Hugger

Hare’s Generosity

Educator Feedback

Kristy Jung: Choral Director, BHSA

“When we started the project, a lot of students were fearful about songwriting. For most, this is their first time writing a full fledged piece, building everything from text to accompaniment, and creating melodies that all combine into a song that tells a story. It was surely a huge task, but broken up into parts, the students ran with their idea and imagination. I think in the end not only were they able to connect with the stories on a cultural aspect, but grew to become better musicians and story-tellers.”

In partnership with Brooklyn High School of the Arts, a dual-mission public high school dedicated to providing aspiring artists and scholars with an academically rigorous pre-college course of study and a comprehensive, four-year pre-conservatory arts program.

Brother Brother

Kareem Browne (12th grade), Aaron Nelson (12th grade), David Pollock (11th grade) & Devon Pollock (11th grade): “Imbo and Eli” tells the story of the uncanny friendship between an elephant and a mouse, developing an unlikely bond. Imbo and Eli became united by their abnormalities. Imbo, an elephant who often feels ashamed because of her short trunk, is very curious and loves to explore. On her exploration, she encounters Eli the mouse, an intelligent mouse who, similar to Imbo, is insecure about her long tail. The two form a friendship that breaks boundaries. Bridging the divide between the Elephants and the mice would be no easy task. The elephants would often accidentally destroy the mice’s home. Imbo, attempting to rectify the situation, takes Eli to the Elephant queen. This is one of the first instances of the two nations coming together. Soon after, poachers try to disrupt the elephant’s domain. With the help of Eli and the rest of the mice, the two nations were able to combat the poachers. From that point onward, a new bond was formed between the two groups of animals.

The Tree Hugger

Indira Diaz Mazariegos (12th grade): The story of Amrita Devi and her daughters really stuck out to me. Their act of courage and sacrifice for something they believed in was inspiring and felt very relevant to the things that have been going on in the world. My piece tells a brief summary of Amrita Devi and her daughters’ actions and the effect it had on their community. My hope for the piece was the lyrics and the music would inspire the listener to stand up for what is right and to fight for positive change in the world.