New York, U.S.A. — Kiwi Crate, the creativity company that delivers fun hands-on learning and activities to kids ages 3-7, has partnered with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute to create a “Making Music” crate designed to introduce young children to the joy of music.

The “Making Music” crate features two hands-on projects—one that invites kids to make a xylophone, the second to make rhythm bells.  These projects were designed to encourage creativity and expression.

• With My Xylophone, children create their own xylophone with bamboo slats, rubber bands, beads, and wooden sticks and then play it, exploring and learning about music composition. Additionally, kids can easily convert the xylophone into a stringed instrument.
• With My Rhythm Bells, children create musical cuffs out of the wooden beads that they can decorate and string together with bells. Children are encouraged to learn about dance and rhythm.

Also included is a set of Music & Sound experiment cards, designed with Carnegie Hall. The cards encourage kids to continue making music by thinking creatively and utilizing different objects in their homes. Each card describes how an instrument is made and played, and includes an activity related to the instrument for the child to explore. For example, the violin card teaches kids how to make sounds similar to a violin by using a paper clip, long string, and a plastic or paper cup. The flute card has instructions on how to make a pan flute with drinking straws.

The “Making Music” crate will be delivered to existing Kiwi Crate subscribers in November, and new customers can subscribe beginning October 17 through November 17 to receive this crate.  Please visit www.kiwicrate.com/music for further details. Kiwi Crate is also donating crates to Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute for use in its music education and community programs.

“Since many of us at Kiwi Crate have grown up appreciating and playing music, we fell in love with the idea of creating a music-themed crate. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Carnegie Hall’s team of educators to bring this to life,” said Sandra Oh Lin, CEO and founder of Kiwi Crate. “With their expertise, insights, and creativity, this crate is designed to get young children excited about making music; it offers fun and enriching activities that both parents and children will love!”

“We are excited to collaborate with an organization that approaches music-making activities for young children with the same engaging, thoughtful, and authentic approach we try to build into all of our educational work at Carnegie Hall,” said Sarah Johnson, Director of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. “We are thrilled to be working with Kiwi Crate on this project as a way of supporting the growth and creativity of young musicians everywhere.”

Projects from Kiwi Crate are complete with all the materials, instructions and inspiration for children and parents to create, discover and explore the arts, science, crafts and more. Every month, a different theme is introduced, like Ocean Exploration, Colors, and Dinosaurs. Packages are delivered to subscribers monthly so parents can spend quality time with kids without the stress of pre-planning or shopping for materials.

The article “Making Music” Invites Children to Make Their Own Instruments appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

In his most intimate performances in years, Shawn “Jay Z” Carter will headline the first ever hip-hop focused series at Carnegie Hall, in the Stern Auditorium, raising millions for the United Way of New York City and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation on February 6, 2012 at 8:00pm and February 7, 2012 at 9:30pm.

Concert goers will get a once in a lifetime experience as Jay Z takes the stage at the New York landmark to raise dollars that will help boost on-time graduation rates in underserved New York City schools and put college within reach for low-income students across the five boroughs.

“It’s every artist’s dream to play a venue as legendary as Carnegie Hall,” commented Jay Z. “The fact that I can use the arts and my talent to benefit the education of the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs, and great thinkers makes for a legendary night. I’m proud to be a part of the continuing work of United Way of New York City and expanding the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.”

Poverty has the strongest correlation to dropout rates. New York City has the largest income gap in the U.S., and thirty percent of children in New York City live in poverty. Because of statistics like these, coupled with the fact that thirty-nine percent of New York City students who enter high school will not graduate on time, United Way of New York City, The Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and Shawn Carter are engaging activists and philanthropists to provide resources and opportunities for students.

“United Way is dedicated to helping low-income New Yorkers build better lives, and we know that the greatest antidote to poverty is education,” said Gordon J. Campbell, CEO, United Way of New York City. “For more than 20 years, we have been active in early childhood centers and public schools, working with educators, families and students to address barriers to success inside and outside the classroom. We are so pleased to partner with Jay Z and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, who share our belief that every child deserves a great education.”

“It will be a thrill to welcome Jay Z to Carnegie Hall as he joins an illustrious list of top popular artists who have appeared at the Hall throughout its history,” said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director.

“It’s wonderful that he and the United Way of New York City have come together with the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation for these performances, putting a spotlight on an important cause, creating greater access to higher education.” Private ticket packages will go on sale Monday, December 12th. For information on these private sales, please visit www.unitedwaynyc.org.

In addition, a limited number of single tickets will be offered to the public on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 11:00 AM (EST). For more information on limited single tickets, please visit www.carnegiehall.org as of January 30.

The article Jay-Z’s Intimate Evening in His Hometown at Carnegie Hall appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.