Davinna Thrower
Teacher
ABOUT
Music and Poetry Synchronized
Our Mission
Music and Poetry Synchronized (MAPS) teaches 7th through 12th grade students from different geographic, socioeconomic and cultural background to write poetry and music, in preparation for a public concert at the end of the program term. Each MAPS class runs throughout a semester with one group of students creating poetry from their life stories, and the other group uses these poems as lyrics for the songs they write.
Get MAPS in your school this year
Our Impact
- 14 years bringing together students from South Hadley, MA to NYC to Hartford, CT to Montpelier, VT, to Puerto Rico
- 450 student participants in this profoundly positive educational program
- Noticeable improvements in the poetry students’ test scores and the songwriters’ songwriting skills
- Build students’ self-confidence through public speaking and performing
- Create lasting bridges across disparate socio-economic, racial, cultural, gender and geographic backgrounds
- Work together to dispel stereotypes, fears, and prejudices and create improbable friendships and lasting bonds
Meet the Team
Enid Rey
Board Member
Felix R. Rivera
Teacher
Ilana Morris
Program Officer
Jack Silverman
Board Member
Jeff Mackler
Board Member/Director of IT
Jenni French
Board Member
Matthew King
Teacher
Rahul Roy
Teacher
Rebecca Calahan Klein
Board Member
Tom Willits
Co-Founder/Board Member/Executive Director
“The music aspect of it is kind of like…pick some chords, throw them together on a keyboard or guitar…then start adding harmonies, and that’s about it. It’s like writing any other song–just with words that aren’t your own.”
Scarlett Feliciano
