On October 4^th & 5^th 2017, Los Angeles-based hip-hop artist Matt Sawaya, aka MC Matre, visited the Waldorf School of Garden City to talk to students about expressing themselves through poetry and music. He engaged students in Middle and High School through poetry and music workshops where students were encouraged to write creatively and then listen carefully to the words of their classmates. The workshops were followed by a presentation where Matre performed a few of his own pieces and select 8th grade students performed their own work. Jack Ginsberg, Sanaalee Troupe, and Elizabeth Sokolov each presented their original poems that reflected their views of the world around them, and their experiences with the changes in our society during their lifetimes.

Matre shared how he found his own voice through hip hop as he tried to understand, articulate and grow from difficult life experiences. He now dedicates part of his life to helping others by working with incarcerated young people in the LA area, helping them to develop their own form of expression through music and poetry. He concluded by reading one of their short poems entitled, “If People Cared.” Matre is dedicated to helping people understand the importance of expressing themselves and sharing openly with their peers. According to him, understanding each other is the only way that people can grow and help make the world a better place.

For more information about Matre, visit: www.mcmatre.com.