Learning Community Charter School

Charlotte Kreutz, who heads up the after school Think Tank program and is a general LCCS Jill-Of-All-Trades, has recently served as costume designer for a New York City performance based on a Duke Ellington jazz suite.

Theater is in Charlotte’s blood. She says her parents were avid theater goers, and her father acted and wrote plays at the community theater level. Certainly it will come as no surprise to everyone who knows Charlotte, that she was able to lend her ingenuity to the project. 

“I had a budget of $1500 to work with.  I could have borrowed (for a fee) costumes from the Costume Collection in Queens but I knew I wanted to build (a costume term) the women's dresses from scratch.  They had to be sexy and dramatic and I wanted to fit each actress perfectly.  I shopped for fabric at MOOD in Manhattan (Project Runway fans will know...). I'm so glad I made them, and so are the beautiful ladies.  I also lucked out finding a snazzy1950's double-breasted suit for the one of the actors for $20 at Goodwill.  Love a bargain!"

The work was inspired by characters from Shakespeare and features a live jazz ensemble from Jazz at Lincoln Center performing with actors from Hudson Guild Theatre Company and dancers from Matthew Westerby Company.

The final performances are this weekend, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m and Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. and 8 pm. 

It has long been a dream to bring an instrumental music program to LCCS and we are happy to say that this fall will mark the first year of our new program.

The program will begin in the 4^th and 5^th grades with plans to expand into the next Middle School grade in each subsequent year. Participation is optional and instruments available will be flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and percussion. Instruments will be rented through an outside company and the cost will be about $20 a month. We plan to have methods available to cover those costs for families who cannot afford it, and we will work to ensure that any after school music sessions don’t interfere with the popular 5^th grade musical.

Instrumental music will be offered during class time when “specials” are traditionally taught (music, art, gym, etc.) but days will rotate so participating students will not miss out on those important classes.

Over the summer we converted an old locker room into an instrumental music room, and because of the new program, we are thrilled to welcome Mike Brown as our instrumental music teacher.

Mike, in the music room as it was under construction. 

Mike has played in bands including the pit orchestra for the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, and most recently spent the past 10 years touring the world with the ska punk band, Streetlight Manifesto. He has taught music at nearby Primary Prep, has substitute taught here at LCCS, and was giving private lessons to about 50 students a week.

“Music has played such an important role in my life,” Mike says. “I’m so excited to come into a school, to help create a program, and help children have the same experience with music that I’ve had.”

A music committee has been formed to support the program. If you are interested in more information in supporting our developing music program, please reach out to parent Allyson Johnson at [email protected]

When Ms. Jaffrey heard about a project designed to use song to spread awareness about educational equality in Afghanistan, she new it would be a perfect project for LCCS students.

She asked some of the children who were waiting for class to begin in the morning if they’d like to participate and the “Early Morning Singers” were born. The National Afghani Institute of Music in Kabul asked choirs around the world to sing “Proud Women,” a Farsi song, in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan, to support their freedom to gain an education.

Please check out our YouTube Channel, LCCS Live! to see them perform!