Girl Band fuses sisterhood and the arts

St John, VI— What girls don’t like to sing and dance at home in front of the mirror?  Sisterhood Agenda's Girl Band program is a 10-week project partnering with the St. John School of the Arts to teach sisterhood and the arts in a video reality series-style production.  Girls learn sisterhood, positive self-expression, vocal coaching and dance.

On Saturday, December 17, 2011, Island Girl Swagg held their premier concert at the St. John School of the Arts.  St. John School of the Arts Acting Director Kim Wild states, “Watching the girl’s perform made it clear to me that a program like this that allows young girls to ‘let go’ and have fun, is a program worth continuing.  The program is such that it can develop in so many ways.”  Musical Director, Eddie Bruce, called the event “a resounding success.  I think it was great.”

The group performed three dancing and singing routines together as a group (“Baby,” “Whip My Hair,” and “Walking on Sunshine”) and each girl had a chance to shine with seven individual performances. With the fun atmosphere of a never-ending dance party, the girls excited the crowd of parents, peers, family and supporters while showing off their talents.  “There isn’t just one star in our group—we’re all stars,” states Lioness Bruce, member of Island Girl Swagg.

Angela Coleman, Sisterhood Agenda President and Girl Band instructor explains, “I am really proud of what the girls were able to do in a short amount of time. They have so much positive energy and they were very supportive of each other.”

Proper musical selection, appropriate dances, and critical thinking about pop culture are all integrated into the program.  But of course, they had to have fun. “Girl Band is so much fun!  We get to sing and dance.  We go to concerts and stuff.  It’s just fun,” says Emeline Reynoso.

Girl Band, part of Sisterhood Agenda’s Positive Media Project, will be online at www.sisterhoodagenda.com. By learning positive self-expression, teamwork, and how to develop their artistic talents, Sisterhood Agenda is giving girls a renewed sense of self and exposure to positive experiences. 

Excited about the future, Island Girl Swagg is available to perform at parties and special events. St. John School of the Arts and Sisterhood Agenda are currently fundraising for its next session of Girl Band.  Donors can make contributions to girl band at http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/girl-band or call St. John School of the Arts at 779-4322.

There are seven Girl Band members, narrowed down from a group of fourteen. The next Girl Band performance is at the St. John Relay for Life event on February 11, 2012.