Juneau Alaska Music Matters’ (JAMM) Haa Tóo Yéi Yatee
- City: Juneau
- Region: Southeast
- State House District: 4 - Juneau
- State Sentate District: B - Juneau
- Grantee Type: Performing Group - Youth
- Grantee Discipline: Music
- NEA Outcomes: Learning
- Project Discipline: Music
- Activity Type: Arts Instruction
- Grant Award Amount: $10000
- Project In-Kind Contribution: $0
- Grant Year: 2022
- Grant Gategory: Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grants
- Fund Source 1: Private Foundation - Rasmuson Foundation
- HAYC Goals: Arts and Cultural Education Integration
- ASCA Goals: Illustrate the value of the arts through arts-integrated approaches
- ASCA Objectives: Develop integrated arts education policies that will improve education outcomes.
Project Description
JAMM’s Haa Téo Yéi Yatee (It is inside us) program is a collaboration of Lingit culture bearers, JAMM lead teachers, and classroom teachers that uses Lingit language as the medium of instruction for JAMM’s k-2 violin program at Sit' Eeti Shaanax Glacier Valley Elementary School and kinder program at Kaxdigoowu Héen Elementary School. Programming is offered in-school, and students receive 90 minutes of instruction each week.
Impact
JAMM staff and students continue to grow in their knowledge of the Língit language and culture through ongoing work with Koolyeik Roby Littlefield and Yugitsy George Holly. The students have grown both as musicians and speakers. JAMM staff are studying Língit language with Koolyeik at UAS, and their work in the classroom has helped them excel in this language class. Staff and students are working to move beyond basic words and incorporate conversational phrases and commands, pronouns and verb tenses. JAMMʼs culture bearers are benefiting by their work with HTYY as well; they are learning to play the violin, mandolin, and other instruments, and they are learning classroom management strategies from Dr. Lorrie Heagy in their work alongside Heagy at Sitʼ Eeti Shaanax̱.