Yo-Yo Ma says hello to New York City 6th-grade students and Spencer on the patio of the American Museum of Natural History. Photo by Lindsay Maiorana.We just wrapped up a great morning with renowned cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, The Silk Road Project (Yo-Yo Ma's non-profit arts and education organization), The Silk Road Ensemble and 450 6th-grade New York City students at the American Museum of Natural History.
The Silk Road Project partnered with Genographic and the New York City Department of Education to launch a new pilot program, Silk Road Connect. As part of this multidisciplinary educational initiative, 450 6th-grade students from New York City public schools swabbed to find out their own deep ancestry.
To culminate the full year's activities, Spencer led an informal roundtable discussion with students from Ms. Olsen's class from Edward Bleeker Middle School. The students eagerly asked questions about their haplogroups and ancient ancestors. Yo-Yo stopped by during the discussion to say hello to the students (see photo above). It was a warm and humid morning in NYC out on the Museum's porch, but it great to hear directly from the students.
Spencer gathers with students from Edward Bleeker Middle School to discuss their Genographic Project results. Photo by Lindsay Maiorana.Immediately following the roundtable discussion, Ms. Olsen's class joined the rest of the students in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the museum for a celebration of learning featuring performances by each school, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble.
Students from five different New York City schools gather for the culminating Silk Road Connect event. Photo by Glynnis Breen.
One of the participating schools, The Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn, performed a creative dance inspired by the Genographic Project. Check out the video! All of the performances reflected various elements included in the pilot program. To finish off the event, Yo-Yo Ma raised all the students to their feet playing his rendition of Alicia Keys and Jay Z's, "Empire State of Mind."
Students from The Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn perform their Genographic-inspired dance. Video by Glynnis Breen.
