iLUMA (inter-generational Literacy Using Music and Art) is an arts integration program designed to use music, art, dance, and world culture to improve reading comprehension, listening and memory skills in VPK students, k-2, 3-5 students with disabilities, non native speakers of English (Programs are given in English, Spanish or both. We also have a Sign Language Interpreter standing by for deaf and low hearing participants.
Every month participants hear a fairy tale from around the world. Participants receive a storyboard (see sample below) and must listen for keywords in the narration in order to complete the storyboard by coloring and drawing answers to reading comprehension questions. As they color and/or draw, musicians from the South Florida Chamber Ensemble play music from the world culture being portrayed. The music matches the mood of the panel and participants are encouraged to listen to the music to help complete each panel. Many sessions also include the creation and playing of a musical instrument and/or singing using call and response. Each session comes with a dance break. This break is designed to give participants an opportunity for movement during the session, and also to learn 3 steps in a simple choreography to a dance from the culture.
Season 15 Family Concert Series
This concert series includes the reading of an American story in 6 panels. Participants draw and color as they listen to the music from each panel. There is a dance break in the middle of each program to give the children an opportunity for movement and so that they can learn and dance a traditional dance, create a musical instrument and perform it with the SFCE musicians. The storyboards are collected and scored to evaluate monthly and overall improvement in reading comprehension and fine motor skills. The stories include:
October 2025 The Love Flute, a story of a boy who only speaks through his flute
November 2025 Tears from the Sky- An original story by Myrna Meeroff about the coming of the final world of the Hopi Nation
December 2025 The Gingerbread Man- The American holiday story about a gingerbread man that no one can catch
January 2026 The Wizard of Oz- An American story by L. Frank Baum
February 2026 Can Dr. King Sing? An original story by Myrna Meeroff about the Civil Rights Movement
March 2026 Otoonah A traditional Inuit/Alaskan story of a girl who is stranded in the snow
April 2026 Brer Rabbit An African American tale of a small and clever rabbit
May 2026 Hiiaka- The story of two Hawaiian goddesses who love the same man.
June 2026 Viva Musica An original story by Myrna Meeroff about the history of Florida
July 2026 Calamity Jane The story of an American frontierswoman and sharpshooter
August 2026 Treemonisha- An original opera by Scott Joplin about an African American girl who believes education is the key to a successful future.
September 2026 Paul Bunyan- The American Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.
Storyboards are collected at the end of each session and scored through a rubric that includes ability to write one’s name (VPK only), fine motor skills (coloring inside the lines) and reading comprehension (understanding the story enough to draw and color each panel correctly.) We evaluate month to month improvement and overall improvement in reading comprehension, listening skills, and memory skills. Residencies last four months each. At the end of each residency participants receive their completed storyboards. Below are samples of the storyboard, narration and evaluation. We have iLUMA programs from all around the globe. View an iLUMA session here https://youtu.be/2LSSQAPOOOw from iLUMA Urashima Taro, a Japanese story. Contact us at sfcemusic@gmail.com or (954) 803-3762 with any questions.
Sample storyboard
