Learning Objectives

• Experience a performance by Rootstock Republic, a dynamic string ensemble
• Examine how music and visual art portray and express the elements and emotions of a story
• Understand the meaning of empathy and kindness as it relates to Each Kindness

Education Standards Alignment

• Visual Arts - Responding (VA:Re.7.2.4a)
• Visual Arts - Connecting (VA:Cn.11.1.5a)
• Music - Responding (MU:Re8.1.3)
• Music - Connecting (MU:Pr4.2.4c)

• SL 5.1.C
• SL 5.1.D
• RL 5.6

(Social-Emotional Learning)

• Social Awareness
• Understanding and expressing empathy
• Appreciating diversity
• Taking others’ perspectives

Illustration by Gene Luen Yang.

What to Expect

Performance

• This performance is approximately 50 minutes and features six musicians and a narrator.
• In this show, the book Each Kindness is read out loud while live music is performed and illustrations from the book are projected.

Performers

• Seven musicians from Rootstock Republic perform: Juliette and Monique on violin, Jarvis on viola, Malcolm on cello, Chris on double bass, and Cassie and Olivia on harp.
• The musicians will interact and speak with the audience throughout the performance.
• Jacqueline Woodson narrates the story.

Sound

• Sometimes, the music is soft and slow. And sometimes, the music is loud and exuberant.
• There will be recorded music playing as the audience enters the theater. When the show begins, all music will be live, played by the musicians on stage.

Lighting

• There will be some moments when one part of the stage is darker than another in order to feature the actively playing musician or musicians.

Visuals

• Visuals from the book Each Kindness will be projected onto a screen above the stage.

Audience Interaction

• At times during the performance, the musicians will invite the audience to sing along and dance to the music. They will also ask the audience to answer prompts (call-and-response) or to mimic their actions. You can participate if you want to.
• The musicians may ask for volunteers to come up on stage. You can raise your hand to volunteer if you want to.

What to Bring

• Please bring any tools that will help make the experience comfortable for you! Some suggestions are: noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses or visors, fidgets, and communication devices.

Resources

• Review our Pre-Visit Story: Coming to the Kennedy Center—School Performance.

Look and Listen for

• how music and visual art is used to deepen your understanding of the story
• the various instruments and how the instruments use dynamics (volume) and tempo (speed) to express the elements and emotions of the story
• how the music makes you feel as you listen to the story
• how the narrator uses her voice to express the emotion in the story

Think About

• How do the illustrations by E.B. Lewis that are projected behind the musicians help you visualize the story as it is told?
• Why do you think the composer, Juliette Jones, chose these instruments for this story? Did you notice the various ways the instruments were played?
• What emotions do the instruments reinforce as the story is told?
• How do the dynamics, tempo, and instrumentation of the music support the emotion in the story?
• In Jacqueline Woodson’s story, Each Kindness, Chloe learns the importance of acts of kindness after the way she and her friends treat a new classmate. Has there ever been a time when you had the opportunity to be kind to someone who is different from you? What did you do? Would you have done anything differently?

Inspiration to Write

Hear from Jacqueline Woodson herself in the video Writing Worlds with Hope where she talks about her life experiences. Listen as she talks about what inspired her to write stories, her thoughts on empathy, and what keeps her writing meaningful stories.

Compose Your Own Music

Anyone can be a composer with this method of creating accidental music. Learn how to transform everyday items into instruments in this great activity, Composing Accidental Music, from the Kennedy Center’s teaching artist Danny Clay and explore how sounds can help you express your emotions!

Kindness in the Classroom

Kindness certainly has a place in the classroom. There are many benefits like promoting empathy and creating a safe learning environment for all. Visit for four great activities you can do to promote kindness in the classroom!

Ripples of Kindness

Do rocks really send out that many ripples in a bowl of water? Try it out! Get a bowl and fill it halfway with water. Then take a small pebble and drop it into the middle of the bowl. Observe how the water ripples from the center of the bowl to the edge. Try this with different sized bowls and pebbles. Observe how the ripples change (or not) depending on the sizes and shapes you use. Think about how the kind acts you do can create a ripple in the world! Now, think of one act of kindness YOU have done as you hold a pebble in your hand and drop it into the bowl of water.

A Kindness Card

Letting someone know you are thinking of them is a simple and meaningful thing you can do anytime. It will make them feel loved and will make you feel great, too! Get some paper and coloring tools and create a card for someone. It could be a loved one, a classmate, a teacher, or someone who needs a little pick-me-up. Make the card bright and cheery and add a friendly message inside like, “Thinking of You!” or “Have a great day!” Be sure to sign your name and give it to that person. They will be so grateful for your act of kindness!

Sound Emotions

Music and sound can help you express your emotions! Grab an instrument or use your own body to make some noise. You can tap your feet, clap your hands, shake a maraca, strike a drum, strum a guitar or play on a piano—whatever you have available to you. As you play, think about the sounds you are making. Are they joyful? Sad? Proud? Silly? You can experiment with the dynamics and tempo of your sounds to further express your emotions through sound.

Kennedy Center Education

The Vice President of Education is generously endowed by the

Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..

The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.