Abdulrahman Kanoo Education Group, under which both schools- ARKIS and ARKS Diyar fall under, were the first schools in Bahrain today, to be included in the BNP Paribas Bahrain Jazz Fest Outreach Programme. Approved by the Ministry of Education, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority, 115 students from the Primary School at ARKS Diyar and senior students at ARKIS explored the theme Jazz UnMasked. ‘Swing Makes You Sing’ explores key elements of jazz– the blues, swing, improvisation, the rhythm section, and more – featuring musical concepts – as well as life stories, and songs from the repertoire of iconic jazz musicians. Special thanks to the School Board who enabled the visit, which saw engagement of both staff and students alike. Being only four schools in the Kingdom to participate, it was an incredible honour to be included and have the students see both local, regional and international artists.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jude D’Souza, Managing Partner, Clockwork and Organiser of the Bahrain Jazz Fest, said, “The BNP Paribas Bahrain Jazz Fest has been a labour of our love for jazz and Bahrain. It has been our endeavor to leverage the continued growth of the festival to build a jazz culture among communities in Bahrain, and what better way to do it than to encourage and educate children about this music genre. Now in our sixth year, we have reached out to numerous schools on the island and consistently focused on the educational events that take place in the run up to the event, nurturing jazz amongst the young talents in Bahrain. We would like to thank the Abdulrahman Kanoo Education Group for giving us the opportunity to reach out to so many young impressionable minds, giving them an insight into the origins of jazz, blues and swing and showing them how music can help communicate thoughts, emotions and bring about positivity and passion into their lives.”