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Craig
Ward
Craig
Ward has been teaching to children and youth throughout the Bay Area
where he is one of few male artists working at the preschool level.
For twenty years Craig has aspired to help young children
self-actualize, embrace diversity and have fun learning through
music, science, and art.
He
produces music to enhance his teaching (Music and Movement, 2010) and
brings students into the music-making experience by developing
original soundtracks with them. Craig believes that each child has
the making to positively contribute and gain a sense of themselves as
communicators and active participants in our global community.
Craig
specializes in teaching through music and poetry, drawing on many
years of experience as a musical performer. He has developed
music-based curriculum in arts education and trains teachers to
implement music in the classroom. For 15 years he has worked with the
Children’s Shelter, the Santa Clara County Office of Education,
Arts Connect and The Arts Council of Silicon Valley.
Craig’s
Story
“My
involvement in education was a natural outgrowth of seeing my son
through school. When he entered kindergarten, I asked the teacher if
she needed help teaching Black History month. She said there was no
program and suggested that I talk to the principal to start one. So I
did. I wrote a 90-minute music show using students from grades K- 5th
to explore various moments in the history of African Americans. The
local news station heard about my program and interviewed some of the
children and me. From that point on, I found myself supported by a
series of grants and programs dedicated to bringing music into the
classroom. Through this work I discovered that if you tap into the
creative spirit of the child or youth, you keep their minds moving in
a positive and expansive direction.”
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