Join Art Beyond the Ink on a musical storytelling underwater adventure! Umoja is the nicest shark at the Mozambique reef — so nice, in fact, that the bigger, meaner sharks do not want to be around her. As she searches for new friends, will she unite with other creatures of the sea, or will her big, toothy smile scare them away before she gets the chance?

In this interactive workshop, children and families will hear this ocean-inspired story and create their own musical narrative by choosing sounds and movements to represent various characters and words throughout. Then, they will listen to it come to life as it is read and performed live by the musicians! Participants will be provided with paper and markers for opportunities to draw, write and share their own musical stories. Umoja: A Musical Quest for Deep-Sea Friendship is based on music by Valerie Coleman.

*The themes in this program include ocean wildlife and habitats, wind instruments, emotions and self-expression through music, and general music theory concepts.