TRANSART AND CULTURAL SERVICES INC Information

Transart & Cultural Services, Inc. is a West Park, NY non-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting awareness of the art, history and popular culture of people of African descent. Transart has a long history of reaching out to students in public education to communicate with kids about how cool the arts can be, whether it's fine art, visual art, performance art or music of all kinds. "We go into the schools all over the Hudson Valley to educate under-served kids through a series of programs and classes including Behind the Beat: Intro to Jazz," says founder and president Greer Smith. During Behind the Beat sessions, professional musicians interact with local band students. Other opportunities for students include weekly drumming workshops, musical assemblies and master classes. Every August, Transart becomes a concert promoter with Jazz in the Valley to show the public, in many cases local students, what professional musicians are like in action. "With Jazz in the Valley, the audience gets to experience the thrill of live music with masters of the genre," says Smith. Transart hopes to create a new generation of jazz lovers and listeners through educating students about the history of jazz and its cultural relevance in minority communities. Kids need to see they are part of something bigger, part of a history, an artistic movement that's alive," says Smith. Promotional partner for Jazz in the Valley is Metro North. Transart's funding also comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, Dutchess Tourism, Hudson River Valley Tours, the City of Poughkeepsie and others. This article was posted in Music and written by Editorial Staff.