Sheboygan, WI - C.J. Dimoff really enjoys listening to his Figureheads hip-hop CD. So when he found out they were performing at James Madison Elementary School on Wednesday, where C.J.’s a fifth-grader, he was really excited.

“They tell kids, if you hear other people like talking mean to other kids, go up there and stand up for them and say ‘Knock that off. It’s not right to treat other kids that way,’” said C.J., 10. “If you treat (people) that way, then they will do the same to you.”

Five years ago, Figureheads — Jeremy Bryan, 29, and Greg Marshall, 27, both of Milwaukee — took their hip-hop music from the underground scene in Milwaukee to classrooms in Wisconsin and several cities across the country.

Through their non-profit organization, Figureheads Inc., Bryan and Marshall use hip-hop music to benefit kids, college students, parents, professional teachers and psychologists. The group promotes healthy relationships and helps people find ways to connect with each other across generational, developmental and cultural lines.

The group performed at James Madison, Grant and Longfellow elementary schools last week. In the James Madison gymnasium, students bopped, bounced and danced to Figureheads hip-hop music as they learned about how to treat their classmates and to deal with being different or bad days.

A song called “Just Right” spoke about how people are always trying to feel good about themselves. “Each of you, no matter what, if we’re in kindergarten or third grade or 18, we’re trying to feel good about ourselves,” Bryan said to the students before performing the song.

Later he spoke to the students about opening up their metaphorical “window” to use their gifts to help each other out, like a gust of wind. Marshall emphasized that students should befriend other kids regardless of how they look or what they wear. “That’s the thing that will make school more amazing for you. The thing that will make life more amazing,” he said.

Towards the end of the group’s performance, Cole Gensch, 10, a fourth-grader, was selected along with other students to freestyle dance along with the Figureheads.

“I like how I made all the dance moves and the rockets. What I like to do is have fun,” Gensch said. “They were talking about doing good, being good and pushing the wall and being respectful.”

The group’s performance marks the school’s yearlong effort to work on different character traits as part of the character education program, said Norma Back, a third-grade teacher.

“We’re just trying to bring in fun, interactive ways to teach the kids about good character behavior,” Back said. “(The music) just gets into their head in a different way then a classroom lecture or a worksheet. They can remember something from a song and then we can relate that back to them.”

After the assembly, the Figureheads met with James Madison staff for an hour-long seminar about how to use their music to connect with students in the classroom.

“It’s nice as educators to hear from those ‘outside’ the classroom about kids and their learning. Doing so allows us to reflect upon our practice so we can continue to help our students grow and learn,” said principal Matt Driscoll. “There is so much music that our children are exposed to in today’s society that sends the ‘wrong’ message, it is refreshing to know that schools and parents have a friend in the Figureheads with their upbeat, positive, child-centered music.”

The Figureheads message and music also resonated with the students. Sienna Lehrer, 9, a fourth-grader, said it was nice music. “It’s fun dancing and it’s just really good for kids to express themselves,” Sienna said.

Amber Waechter, 9, a fourth-grader, said the Figureheads did a good job in getting the message across and that she agrees with what they were rapping about. “I don’t really care about how (kids) talk or how they talk or anything. Thought it was a good message,” Amber said.

Source:
The Sheboygan Press