Category Archives: education

‘It’s all that jazz’ at Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival

May 6, 2011 @ 7:56

By HarlemGal
The Jazzmobile on Facebook left us several messages on our fan page reminding us that Harlem Jazz Shrines  Festival kicks off this coming Monday, May 9 and runs through May 14. Thank you Jazz Mobile for that lovely reminder! We definitely want to let everyone know about this exciting event.

This 7-day festival celebrates the classic clubs and venues that made Harlem the jazz mecca beginning in the 1920’s. Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival is a collaboration between The Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage and Jazzmobile.

Find out more details about the festival below:

SCHEDULE

LOCATIONS

HISTORY

Duke Ellington tribute in ‘Cotton Club Parade’

May 4, 2011 @ 12:19

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By HarlemGal
Duke Ellington, Harlem’s famous jazz musician who is honored with a beautiful sculpture at East 110th Street and Fifth Avenue, performed at the Cotton Club in Harlem in the 1920’s and ’30’s. Now City Center’s Encores! series and Jazz at Lincoln Center will pay respect to the jazz great with “Cotton Club Parade,” a tribute to Ellington’s performances. “Cotton Club Parade” will have six performances at City Center this November (Nov. 18 to 22) with musical direction by Wynton Marsalis and featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

The series will run every two years, with the next production scheduled at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center during its 2013-14 season. Tickets for “Cotton Club Parade” can be purchased through City Center beginning Aug. 15.

PS 161 in Harlem dances with Houston gal Beyonce

May 4, 2011 @ 7:46

By HarlemGal
The students at PS 161 Pedro Albizu Campos Middle in Harlem received a nice surprise yesterday (May 3rd). Mrs. Jay Z, also known as Beyonce, made a surprise visit to the Harlem school located at 499 West 133rd Street. The visit was a part of the “Let’s Move” promotion, which is the First Lady Michelle Obama’s youth fitness campaign.

A group of students were filming their rendition of Beyonce’s “Move Your Body” video when Beyonce made her way out on to the floor of the school’s gymnasium and surprised the group of students. In addition to dancing with the students, Beyonce posed for photographs with them. Very nice! See more coverage at JustJared.com.


Spanish Harlem’s Urban Garden Center to celebrate grand opening

May 3, 2011 @ 7:44

By HarlemGal
It ain’t easy being green in New York City. However, it just got easier for us Harlemites! We have the Urban Garden Center right in Spanish Harlem at East 116th Street and Park Avenue. This week Urban Garden Center is celebrating its Grand Opening May 4! They are a part of La Marqueta!

For the Grand Opening, there will be drinks, rice & beans and roasted pig! And for those that want to come up for this from downtown, take the 6 train to Lexington Avenue and 116th Street or drive! Urban Garden Center offers free parking to its patrons on Park Avenue between 117th and 118th Street. Discounts will be offered as well.

So it looks like Spanish Harlem is the place to be this week, i.e. May 4 for Urban Garden Center and May 5 for Cinco de Mayo! Que suave!

Urban Garden Center Grand Opening
Free food Great music and big discounts.
116 Street Park Avenue
May 4 2011 from 4pm to 8 pm

Harlem featured in UK’s Financial Times

May 2, 2011 @ 7:40
By HarlemGal
I always say “one can’t swing a bat lately without hitting the word “Harlem.” The Financial Times, the UK-based business paper, has now featured Harlem in their April 30 House and Home edition. Not too long the FT featured Red Rooster as well. This article quickly goes over Harlem’s rich history, mentions how crime is basically much better throughout New York City especially Harlem in the last ten years,and Harlem’s upswing in major change began back in 2004/2005. The article goes on to interview two homebuyers, one who bought a brownstone for under $1 million and the other who purchased a penthouse apartment on Frederick Douglass Blvd. Both homeowners talked about how much space one could receive in a home in Harlem and within budget. However, one homeowner stressed why they came to Harlem: “I like the sense of diversity I’ve found here.”

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Listen to ‘The Changing World: One Block in Harlem’

Apr 29, 2011 @ 11:30
By HarlemGal
WNYC presents The Changing World: One Block in Harlem. This program “traces this iconic neighborhood’s story by telling the history of a single street in Harlem – 120th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues – from 1910 to the present.” The Changing World: One Block in Harlem “describes life as it was and life as it is today and asks what price has been paid by long-time black residents for the area’s gentrification.” Listen to this program Friday, April 29 at 11 PM on AM 820, Sunday, May 1 at 6 AM 93.9 FM and then on Sunday again at 9 PM on AM 820.


Harlem born Denton John to protect the Queen of England during Royal Wedding

Apr 28, 2011 @ 23:48

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By HarlemGal
The U.K.’s Daily Mail reported April 28 that Denton John from Harlem, New York, will be on horseback during the Royal Wedding and his sole purpose is to protect the Queen of England during her grandson’s wedding. According to the article, Denton John went to school at Wadleigh High School on West 114th Street. After high school, he signed up for the British Army.
So if you’re waking up early Friday to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton marry April 29, look for Denton John. He’s from Harlem, New York!

Duke University Alumni and Children’s Aid Society to host free health and fitness day in Harlem

Apr 27, 2011 @ 11:00
By HarlemGal
When the academic world partners with the non-profit world, good things can come about. Here is one of them. This Saturday (April 30), there is a public Community Health and Fitness Day from 9:30 AM-3:00pm in Harlem. The event will be hosted by Duke University in partnership with The Children’s Aid Society at the Dunlevy Milbank Boys & Girls Club, where members of the Duke Club of New York volunteer monthly. Dunlevy Milbank Boys & Girls Club is located at 14-32 West 118th Street in Harlem.

The event will offer locals, FREE of charge, basic medical screenings, fitness classes, nutrition/wellness seminars, and healthy cooking classes to encourage lifestyle choices that help prevent diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and other preventable medical conditions. Duke Club of New York anticipates serving approximately 400 local residents (adults and children) from Harlem, with the participation and support of more than 100 Duke University alumni volunteers.

So if any of you know of someone that is in need of a health screening, please pass this information along!

Gospel for Teens Choir in Harlem profiled on ABC’s This Week with Christiane Amanpour

Apr 27, 2011 @ 1:00

By HarlemGal

Gospel for Teens Choir in Harlem has been receiving a ton of press lately-and it is well deserved to say the least. About three weeks ago, Vy Higginsen and her students were on CBS’s 60 Minutes for a good majority of the program. This past Sunday, Gospel for Teens Choir in Harlem was profiled by Christiane Amanpour. If you missed it, take a look here!

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Part Three: Harlem Gal Inc reader drops three pounds on NYLean25 April challenge

Apr 14, 2011 @ 11:30

We have another diary entry from our HCL reader, who is taking the NYLean25 April Challenge in Harlem. She has good news to report!
Dear HarlemGal,
Week one on the NYLean25 is over and I lost three lbs!  I am ecstatic!  Every Friday we get weighed in and measured at the Kennedy Community Center on 135th St in Harlem. We were at Twirl Lounge, but the class got to big so we moved to the Kennedy Community Center.

It’s very hard for me to lose any weight, so I had to do a double take at that scale.  I also lost two inches in my waist.  I thought that must have been a mistake, so I tried on a pair of jeans yesterday and noticed a difference.  I know week two is going to be a bigger challenge.   Isn’t that the infamous week on  the NBC television program called The Biggest Loser when everyone gains weight or stays the same?

I decided to hit up NYLean’s website for some more support.  The at-home workout plans are very easy to read with videos embedded in the descriptions.  The cool thing is one can actually submit a workout log to your trainer.  You can do the same with a food log.  I’ll be submitting that to my trainer Robert this week.  Let’s see what he says!  The website also has articles on fitness, recipes and a calorie counter.

By the way, I used the tip below today when I got a serious craving for some chocolate. I even went a step further and did a teeth whitening session that involves having a tray in your mouth for 40 minutes.  You can’t eat with that on!
Tip #2:  Brush your teeth or eat a mint.  If you get hungry and feel you’re going to cheat, drink a big glass of cold water and then brush your teeth.  If you aren’t in a position to brush your teeth when the craving come on, then pop a sugar-free mint or piece o mint-flavored sugar-free gum.

While doing the tip #2, think this thought: “There is no food that tastes as good as being lean feels!”

Until next time…

Best,
HCL reader C2WL