BArT hosted world renowned percussionist, composer, and educator Tony Vacca for five days during the week of November 13, 2006. Vacca was the first of 4 artists serving short term residencies at BArT this year as part of a program, Arts across the Curriculum, sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The year-long program will pair visiting artists with BArT teachers to deliver arts-integrated lessons aligned with the Massachusetts Core Curriculum Frameworks.

During the week-long workshop, Vacca primarily worked with BArT’s eighth grade science classes by using a variety of percussion instruments to investigate the science of sound. Andrew Israel, BArT's 8th grade math & science teacher, explained, "The eighth grade science classes have been studying the way various forms of energy interact with the matter all around us. Through Tony Vacca's demonstrations and student-centered performances, my students have been able to engage with sound, a form of kinetic energy, in a direct, tangible manner. We see, feel, and hear how sound waves affect all the particles of matter around us, including our own bodies. It truly was an amazing opportunity to work with a talent like Tony Vacca."

Vacca also taught shorter lessons to all other students in the school, including workshops entitled "Word and Rhythm" and "Rhythm and Math."

"Tony designed these workshops for us based on the educational standards our classes follow and the actual concepts they are working on," said Brian O’Grady, BArT’s Program Development Director & Arts Program Coordinator. "Because of this, not only the students but also the teachers can bring what they learned back to the classroom. The artists in residence help us supply the hook to get the students excited about learning, and we look forward to continuing to offer these hands on experiences for them."

Since the early 1970’s, Vacca has been a groundbreaking American percussionist with a Jazz and World Music background and has become part of a new movement of artists reviving the power of the drum and music to build cultural understanding. Having made more than ten trips to West Africa, Vacca has developed a great understanding of American and African traditions. Vacca has played with other international music greats such as pop icon Sting, Senegalese Afro-Pop star Baaba Maal and Jazz trumpeter and World Music legend Don Cherry. To learn more about Tony Vacca, visit www.tonyvacca.com.