Beyond textbook: Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye’s spoken word poetry leaves students spellbound
Three-day workshop for children and parents at OIS
In order to guide students in the art of poetry and creative writing, Oberoi International School (OIS) invited internationally renowned spokenword poetry duo Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye of Project VOICE (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression) to perform their original work and conduct interactiveworkshops with students and their parents at the school’s premises from March 18–20,2013.
Through performances and interactive workshops, Sarah Kay and Phil Kayepassionately inspired students and parents alike to be active in their world. Theyshared their experiences with the students and also discussed the steps they took toachieve creativity and growth as spoken word poets. At the event, Kay and Kayeshowcased some of their best work to the students. In between poems, they discusseda wide variety of topics, including their family life, work, and travels— giving contextfor the audience to better understand and appreciate their poetry.
Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye blended performance with poetry for parents and studentsalike, making them laugh and think while inspiring them to try out this art formthemselves.
Sarah Kay, said, “Project V.O.I.C.E. uses spoken word poetry as a way to entertain,educate, and inspire. We encourage students to express themselves fully aboutwhatever topics they are most passionate, and we help students have enoughconfidence in their own voice to present their stories and poems in a way that movesothers.”
Phil Kaye, went on to say, “Too often, students get in their head that poetry issomething that is completely distant to them – or worse, that it is something they just‘don’t get’. But that isn’t the case at all. Poetry can absolutely be relevant. The bestpoetry always is. It can be a tool to work through all the things at the forefront of theirminds, whether it’s an upcoming test, an unrequited crush or an ailing familymember.”
“We at OIS always strive to help our students realize their dreams. Expressingoneself positively and freely is an important prerequisite to achieve success inlife, and through this interactive workshop, we aim to empower our students tomaster the art of poetry and creative writing,” said, Dr. Vladimir Kuskovski, Head of school, Oberoi International School.
Oberoi International School regularly invites experts from various fields to conductinteractive workshops with students and their parents. Apart from the regular learning,the school aims to empower students to grow as individuals with strong opendiscerning minds with an international perspective, preparing them to make a mark inthe global village – the world has come to be today.
About Oberoi International School :Established in 2008, the school aims to provide an elevated learning environmentthrough comprehensive facilities and an enriching curriculum. A co-educational privateschool, Oberoi International School offers the International Baccalaureate Primary YearsProgramme (PYP) from Nursery to Grade 5, CLSP (Cambridge Lower SecondaryProgramme) and the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education)curriculum from Grades 6 to 10. In addition to this the school also offers the IBDiploma Programme for Grades 11 & 12. The school provides facilities like a multi-purpose hall with multiple badminton courts, basketball courts, tennis courts,swimming pool, and space for yoga, martial arts, gymnasium, and indoor games to layspecial emphasis on various physical activities for the all-round development ofstudents.
About Sarah Kay: Sarah Kay has been performing her spoken word poetry since she was 14years old. She was a featured poet on HBO’s Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry Jam in 2006,and that same year she was the youngest poet to compete in the National Poetry Slam. Sincethen, Sarah has shared her poetry in conferences, venues, and schools on six of the sevencontinents, and is currently yearning for Antarctica. She is perhaps best known for her talk at the2011 TED conference, which garnered two standing ovations and has been seen over two milliontimes online. Sarah holds a Master’s Degree in The Art of Teaching from Brown University. Herfirst book, “B” was ranked #1 Poetry Book on Amazon.
About Phil Kaye: Phil Kaye is a full time touring poet and published author. He has appeared onNPR, performed at Lincoln Center, and is the two-time recipient of the National College PoetrySlam award for “Pushing the Art Forward”, given for outstanding innovation in the art ofperformance poetry – the only person to receive the award twice. Phil is a graduate of BrownUniversity, where he was the former head coordinator of Space in Prisons for the Arts andCreative Expression (SPACE) and taught weekly poetry workshops in maximum-securityprisons. His first book, A Light Bulb Symphony, was released in 2011, and his work can be foundregularly in CHAOS Magazine.
About Project V.O.I.C.E.: Together, Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye make up Project V.O.I.C.E., anorganization that uses spoken word poetry in schools and communities around the world as away to encourage people to engage in creative self-expression. Project V.O.I.C.E. hasempowered students in hundreds of classrooms, in dozens of countries, through live performanceand intimate workshops. Phil and Sarah are dedicated to helping create and foster a communityaround spoken word poetry, by sharing their experiences and listening to yours.
