This year, Loop38 continued our partnership with three of Houston ISD’s language immersion schools: Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS), Mandarin Immersion Magnet School (MIMS), and Wharton Dual Language Academy (WDLA). Working with the same students we partnered with last year (now 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders), we commissioned three composers to set three poems in the immersion language of each of the three schools.
We partnered with Saad Haddad to set poems selected by AIMS teachers for each of their students to perform alongside local cellists David Dietz and Matt Dudzik.
At MIMS, we again commissioned local composer Tian Qin to set poems selected by their teachers for each of their students to perform alongside Loop38 harpist Caitlin Mehrtens..
And at WDLA, we reenlisted local composer Eric Estrada to set poems selected by their teachers for each of their students to perform alongside local percussionist Matthew Flanders.
The students at each campus learned poems in their immersion language that were at their reading level, they discussed the poetic devises in each poem, and they got to “perform” their poem alongside a musician with the support of the composer there to cheer them on.
Tian Qin, composer
Saad Haddad, composer
Eric Estrada, composer
The joy of the students as the performed each poem was made possible be Arts Connect Houston and the Texas Commission on the Arts. We encourage you to donate to Arts Connect Houston to support arts education project like this one and to explore the “State of the Arts” license plate to support TCA’s work across the State of Texas.
