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What will it take to make a difference in this world? This summer, as 24 of us taught in unfamiliar neighborhoods, we realized that it’s all within our reach to make a difference. It just takes work and a whole lot of love. I saw our volunteers discover a love for children, our older students loving the younger ones, and I realized that my job is not to change the world but to love my neighbor as myself. As you read this newsletter, I hope that you see how much love you are helping to bring into this world through music!
Jee-Hoon Krska, Executive Director
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Written by Anusha Iyer, K2S high school volunteer
The summer of 2021 has been a busy one at Keys 2 Success (K2S)! Alongside piano lessons, K2S volunteers coached students through STEAM related activities like writing, math, art, and singing. “Keys 2 Success isn’t just about teaching piano. Almost everyone knows there's been decades of studies to show that music helps with brain development. Piano is just one of the ways we connect them to the larger world, but subjects like communication and writing are so important to foster from a young age,” explained Ms. Jee-Hoon Krska, founder of K2S.
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A popular class amongst the students, was art, taught by Alondra Martinez, Elizabeth Krska, Ella Platts, and Zerlina Sutton. “This week is all about color theory,” Ella recapped on an Instagram live video, giving followers of the K2S social media account a glimpse into the summer program. “We’re going over the color wheel and some [vocabulary] relating to color theory. For today’s project, [the students] are building a color wheel and drawing objects in each color’s section of the wheel.” The kids also worked on many drawings, and the art teachers stimulated creativity by guiding the kids through conversation.
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Science/Math was one of the most difficult subjects to teach virtually, since it was tricky to keep the kids engaged and to keep the subject enjoyable. Emely Duraes, Maddie Paik, and Chloe Kim led this class. “I think we shifted our views a little on how to teach the kids. In the beginning, we started by doing instructional classes, like when we taught the students how to make paper airplanes, but we realized that they were following the instructions and they weren’t...having fun. So, we asked the kids what they wanted to do and figured out some [new lesson plans],” described Emely. “Adaptability is a very important aspect of teaching,” agreed Ashley Molina, who served as the ‘Zoom Master.’ She oversaw the program as a student leader and handled the behind-the-scenes aspects of camp.
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Perhaps the class with the most students signed up was singing/piano. Patricio Apaez, Seraphina Taylor, Samvit Singhal, and Kyra Trumbull were the instructors for this class, and they balanced instruction with practice professionally. Taking turns and breaking down the song into small chunks, they were able to finish teaching the song “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” from the musical Annie. “We had a little trouble getting [the kids] out of their shells [during week one], but I’ve come to realize that once they get out [of their shells], they won’t stop singing and their creativity starts…to pour out of them,” reflected Seraphina in a journal entry. The staff was encouraged to keep track of their thoughts and reflections in a shared journal. Many of the teachers expressed, through these entries, how much they learned about teaching. “I learned new strategies about how to handle different situations, like when students start [getting distracted],” Patricio recounted through an entry. “I’ve [also] noticed that the online sessions have pushed me to come up with new and unconventional means to teach the song, especially with the younger students. Amazingly, they have responded very well and still continue to make progress each session learning the song,” he concluded.
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The writing team, consisting of Anusha Iyer, Thea Yoon, and Ava Maloney, utilized bite-sized lessons to communicate big-picture topics while teachers encouraged students to incorporate their learnings into the pieces they wrote. “We came up with a...slideshow to help us talk about the different aspects of story writing,” described Thea. “We talked about themes, building a character, genre, and show not tell.” By tying in new vocabulary words and stimulating creative thinking through “brainstorming sessions,” the teachers were able to engage students of all ages.
Michael (age 6), scary-story enthusiast, enjoyed writing about Halloween and using characters from shows he watched like Spongebob and Paw Patrol to create stories, while Nathaly (age 10), incorporated her love for pottery and clay art into one of her stories. “I think the key to keeping [the kids] engaged is playing off of what they like and asking them questions since it’s hard to keep focus virtually. We’re learning along with them too as we navigate trying to teach them and figuring out what works best,” mentioned Thea.
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As the program came to a close for the summer on July 29th, the staff of K2S collectively agreed it was a success and even celebrated the program with a get-together. “One of the goals that we had, and met, was to educate the kids. It’s amazing to see how engaged the kids were,” Ms. Krska began. “Another outcome was that we drew in so many kids. With a starting target of 50 kids, we drew in over 100 from 44 different schools around Newark. To me, this proved that there was a need for the kids to have a program like this delivered to their own neighborhood.” Reflections from staff journals highlighted how much the program benefitted them as well as the kids. “The goal...for me was to make one student smile or feel loved. [In the end], I was able to grow as a teacher and create relationships with the kids that are truly special,” Chloe wrote. The program was immensely successful, and K2S hopes it can continue on in the future. “We’re so fortunate to have the opportunity to reach these kids, and as a result, we have the responsibility to educate and love them,” reflected Ms. Krska.
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“Seeing all the kids excited to come and the fact that I always wanted to play piano made me want to participate at camp.”
-Jayden
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