Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is proud to announce the first Musical Explorers Family Jam, presented in partnership with Loop It Up Savannah and 21st Century Community Learning Centers on Saturday, March 9 at Yamacraw Center for Performing Arts at Garrison School of Visual and Performing Arts (649 West Jones Street). The new weekend community event celebrates five years of SMF’s award-winning K-2 education program Musical Explorers, and is free and open to the public. Doors open to activities at 9:30AM with concert times at 11AM and 1:30PM. The suggested target age range for Musical Explorers Family Jam is pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade, though all are welcome.

Families will have the chance to explore music and art important to our region through a concert featuring Laiken Love (soul & R&B), Gino Castillo (salsa music), Rebecca Flaherty (opera), and The McIntosh County Shouters (ring shout). Prior to the concerts, families will be able to learn about the different kinds of music through fun, interactive activities across the Yamacraw campus and visual arts projects led by Loop It Up Savannah.

Says Education Director Jenny Woodruff, “The one thing we hear from schools after each Musical Explorers concert is how disappointed parents and caregivers are that they were unable to attend with their student. We created this event specifically to give students the chance to share all their favorite kinds of music with their families, and for parents and caregivers to participate in the fun!”

“Loop It Up Savannah is so excited to be working with the SMF on this inaugural event, which will be a great access point to music, movement and visual arts for children and families throughout Savannah,” says Molly Lieberman, Executive Director of Loop It Up Savannah. “One of my favorite moments in the last 10 years was when I walked into a first grade classroom to work on a mural project and found that the students were listening to the Musical Explorers songs as they worked! Everyone was singing or humming along, everyone was calm, everyone was engaged, everyone was happy and sure of themselves,” she adds. “Partnerships like this ensure that the arts are a consistent and positive force in the lives of our children.”