Contact: Rachel Sumner at rachel@rachelsumner.com
About
Rachel Sumner has been writing songs and stories, performing, and creating award-winning recordings for children for over 35 years. She has worked extensively as a teaching artist with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning in the Arts.
She leads workshops for parents, families, teachers, and librarians, and has designed and presented residencies, workshops, and performances for learners from infancy through Grade 8. Rachel is especially experienced in working with children in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.
She is known for her creative ideas, in-the-moment adaptability, and flexibility.
Program Overview
Homemade Instruments and the Science of Sound (Arts Integration Residency, Concert, or Workshop) – Students explore the science of sound by making, and playing homemade musical instruments. The program is adaptable by grade level.
Reading Bug (Concert, Optional workshop afterward) – A performance featuring songs about reading and original songs inspired by popular nursery rhymes. This program encourages young and emerging readers to play with stories and language.
Imagine Your Story (Concert, Optional workshop afterward) – Students are invited to sing, dance, and role-play in this interactive musical concert of original songs inspired by traditional stories. Participants are encouraged to reimagine familiar tales and add their own creative spin. Designed for elementary audiences.
All Around the World (Arts Appreciation) Prek-2 or grades 3-5 students – An interactive multilingual concert featuring songs, chants, and movement from around the world, introducing students to music and greetings in multiple languages. Students participate in singing, dancing, and call-and-response activities, and the program is adaptable by grade level.
