(above) During the Keys 2 Success STEAM camps, campers were introduced to Scratch and Python programming, music theory, flute, piano, digital music production, cartooning, as well as STEM based learning activities.
Keys 2 Success Brings Music and “STEAM” to Campers
Submitted by Kenna Srivastava
Employing the help of 16 Union County students and some of their parents, Keys 2 Success conducted their annual free STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) camps from July 8 through 19, 2019, at the Community Christian Presbyterian Church in Newark, NJ.
The student volunteers, many of whom attend the Union County Vocational Technical Schools and New Providence High School, joined a cohort of teenage Newark volunteers and four staff members to assist in all aspects of the camp, including teaching, developing curriculum and serving dinner. During the two-week span, 74 students between the ages of 4 through 14, most of whom live in Newark’s public housing projects, were introduced to Scratch and Python programming, music theory, flute, piano, digital music production, cartooning, as well as STEM based learning activities.
The campers enjoyed the experience thoroughly, as did the volunteers. Malathi Narayan, a long-time New Providence resident and architect, who organized the STEM block during Drum Camp, said “I was very impressed with how engaged the kids were with the activities.”
On the last day of camp, Keys 2 Success held a Camp Concert, where students performed an arrangement of “Happier” by Marshmello on keyboards and drums before a packed room of friends and family. Within the short timespan of two weeks, students learned how to play a piece on two instruments and some even began teaching it to their peers.
Parents and students alike expressed their appreciation for the program. Rashonna Bryant, whose seven year-old daughter, Jaziah, started studying piano in the Keys 2 Success program two years ago, signed up her two middle school sons this year for the summer camp, stating, “We really want our kids to come and learn. We know that these programs usually cost hundreds of dollars and [Keys 2 Success] is providing it for free.”
Keys 2 Success is a non-profit which provides some of Newark’s most underserved students with a high quality musical education. Centered on the keyboard, Keys 2 Success provides year-round instruction in Newark public school and public housing project to students starting as young as Pre-K. With the assistance of Keys 2 Success’ faculty and volunteers, students receive lessons multiple days a week, in ensemble with individualized coaching, at no cost to the families or the centers. Since its founding in 2016 with only twelve first and second grade students, the program today serves over seventy students. The program’s founder, Dr. Jee-Hoon Krska, a Juilliard-trained classical pianist, MIT-educated engineer, New Providence resident, wife and mother of three, wanted to provide these children with the same opportunities available to her own. Believing that music education is a vehicle that allows children to tap into their inherent capabilities, Dr. Krska helps them develop the discipline and strategies to thrive.
While Keys 2 Success’ main focus is music education, the STEM aspects of its summer program are integral to its overall goal of providing students with a quality education. It is well-documented in scores of long-range studies that STEM and training in the arts provide synergistic benefits to form a complete educational experience. Keys 2 Success seeks to expose students to the many facets of a quality education, and through those experiences, connecting students to a larger community of peers and mentors.
Keys 2 Success is a community partner of the Junior League of Summit and Arts Ed Newark. A vibrant and growing community of volunteers drawn from Newark and Summit neighborhoods serve in the classroom and behind the scenes to form a robust network of mentors and advocates for the children, helping them navigate through and breakdown barriers to success.
To learn more about the program, the people, volunteering, or donating, visit Keys 2 Success at keysnewark.com.
