You(th) Kan

The “KidTribe aSTEMbly” is a new and innovative edutainment program that engages and excites students to learn, love and excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

A virtual school assembly for grades 3-5, this real-time, interactive multimedia concert is delivered directly into classrooms (or homes during distance learning), serving nearly 10,000 students in 24 elementary schools throughout the Coachella Valley, with Desert Sands Unified School District as the premiere partner in this pilot program.

Loaded with disguised learning and led by the show’s gregarious hip hop host, Emcee Squared, the KidTribe aSTEMbly features upbeat original songs about STEM woven with “try this at home” educational activities. Through the magic of music and movement, kids get pumped over problem solving while introducing them to the many STEM careers that are within their reach. As a resource companion, educators and parents are provided standards-based STEM lesson plans that incorporate all learning styles.

With an overarching goal to expand the horizons for children who aren’t given the opportunities to exercise their intelligence, dream big and change the world through STEM, our mission is to inspire and empower the next generation of innovators. We strive to strengthen the initial foundation and interest levels to develop the future STEM workforce from an early and impressionable age, while helping to reverse the current achievement gap.

Created by veterans in education and children’s entertainment, this entire program and implementation strategy is based on our past evidence-based successes for over 18 years that have reached millions of students and teachers internationally. To address the challenges schools, educators and students currently face, we focused on creative solutions to make learning fun and exciting in this uncharted and daunting age of social distancing, school closures and ever-shifting protocols.

We’re grateful to the Anderson Children’s Foundation for enabling us to turn this vision into a reality.

Four billion years before Hamilton, there was Space School Musical.

Developed in partnership with NASA’s Discovery Program, Youth Kan and KidTribe, this award-winning hip-hop musical brings the solar system to life, where students learn science concepts through the power of the performing arts.

Thanks to the Anderson Children’s Foundation, this standards-based S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education series will be implemented in 10 elementary schools, afterschool programs and English Learner classes, spanning all three districts in the Coachella Valley, and reaching as many as 1200 students and educators in the 2019/2020 school year.

A 30-minute original “hip-hopera,” Space School Musical is an innovative learning experience that is easily adapted for all ability levels and can include up to 120 students per production. Children are introduced to space science through catchy songs, memorable lyrics and simple choreography. Participating students are all stars as they rap, rhyme and dance their way through the solar system, playing the parts of the planets, moons, asteroids, meteors and even some famous scientists! Led by a team of Performing Arts Educators, the cast learns and rehearses the material over 12 weeks, culminating in a “Big Bang” performance for the entire school and community.

With a “whole child” approach to education, schools are also provided with a curriculum that includes 36 active lesson plans combining Literacy, Physical Activity and Social-Emotional Skills. This helps to close the achievement gap, especially for students where English is not the primary language spoken at home. In addition to gained knowledge and subject retention, this comprehensive program fosters self-esteem, team-building and leadership opportunities.

In an impact evaluation conducted from the Space School Musical pilot, student engagement and science interest rose to 92%. 88% had a greater understanding of space science concepts present in the musical. Nearly 60% of students reported to have made new friends while participating in Space School Musical. 79% of educators noted more positive social interactions among peers.

Space School Musical’s overall goal is to create a supportive, inclusive environment and through the proven power of music and movement, foster a child’s interest in science via creative expression. By learning through play and applying that learning in an empowering way, children naturally excel and are better able to receive skills they need to be successful in the 21st century.